NaNo 2010 - Second Post
Schedule for the week:
Today - finish 6 pages of my research paper
Tomorrow - 90 pages of rhetorical crit. reading
Sunday - Write In, and read 3 nonfic essays
Monday - Crit 3 nonfic peer essays + class
Tuesday - Class
Wednesday - Death
...here's hoping I (and my NaNo) can survive the next several days. x___x
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Chapter 2
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more.
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more.
~Hit the Road, Jack~
Ray Charles
"Where is he???" Jules glared out the window at the road as if staring would make Brennan show up faster.
Walking past with a suitcase, James reached over to mess up her hair. "Calm down, JuJu... he'll be here." Smirking, he barely dodged as she threw a punch at him.
"I hate it when you call me that."
"You'll live."
"If you're going to bring your slacker friend along, the least he could do is be on time."
From where she was sitting on the couch, one long leg stretched out in front of her as she painted her toenails, Kaleigh looked up with a smile. "Chill, Jules. It's not like we're on a tight deadline."
"And he's not a slacker," James corrected as he shouldered the front door open. "He was working late. He'll be here when he gets here."
"Whatever. This trip is just long enough without leaving halfway through the day." Dropping on the couch, Jules ignored Kaleigh's squeal as she had to rescue her nail polish.
"You know, you could help me load up the car," James admonished as he came back in, giving his sister a hard look.
"Why? Kaleigh's stuff is already loaded and you'll just rearrange it if it's not perfect, anyway."
"I'm just making sure we have enough room. It doesn't mean you can't carry something once in awhile. You're not five anymore."
"Wouldn't know it from being around you."
James rolled his eyes, picking up Jules' suitcase. "You're the one who asked me to come, remember?"
As he slipped back outside, Jules stuck her tongue out at his back. Kaleigh arched an eyebrow. "That'll show him."
"Nothing will show him."
The wait was mercifully broken up before the conversation could continue much further, the door banging open once more... but it wasn't James this time. Tall, with spiky blonde hair that gave the impression of still being tousled from sleep, Brennan was grinning as he strode through the door. "Alright! We ready to get this show on the road? I brought donuts."
"Sweet!" Kaleigh said, reaching to take the box from him as he slouched over to lean on the back of one of the chairs.
Jules sighed, but did seem to be making a novel effort to keep her tone even, if not exactly friendly. "Just give James your stuff. We should get on the road right away."
"No worries. He's already got my bag." Pausing by the remaining luggage in the living room, he lightly nudged Jules' guitar case with his foot. "Hey, this yours? Mind if I take a look?"
"We really need to get going."
"Five seconds won't hurt."
Ignoring the tightening of her eyes, Brennan knelt down, smoothly unfastening the clasps that kept the guitar safely encased in a bed of soft felt. Before she could tell him not to (or maybe in spite of the starting protest, a small strangled sound of annoyance in the background of the room), he had the Fender Strat out in his lap, fingers moving smoothly over the strings. He didn't play. Not at first. He simply held, hands finding the frets with easy familiarity.
"Nice," he said finally, nodding his head. "Simple. I like that."
Her voice was terse as she answered. "Glad you approve." Lips tightly pressed, she took the guitar out of his hands, turning it over slightly like she was afraid the little bit of contact would have damaged the instrument, before setting it back in its case. "Can we get out of here, now?" she asked, shutting the lid and letting the clasps snap back into place with definitive snicks.
He arched an eyebrow, rising smoothly to his feet. "Didn't know we were in such a rush." Glancing over, he smiled at Kaleigh, who'd been watching the whole exchange with slightly worried eyebrows. "Brennan Davers. Don't think I've met you before."
She gave a smile, though there was a slightly sideways glance cast at her best friend. "Kaleigh," she said, accepting his hand warmly. "James said that you were at a gig last night?"
"Yeah. Ran a bit late, but it's just how things go, hmm?"
Jules made an annoyed sound as she picked up her guitar case. "I'll be in the car," she said, her words clipped.
Brennan watched her go, a bit bemused. "What's with the stick up her ass?" he asked, but Kaleigh just shook her head.
"She's just tense. She'll cool down once we're moving." Wiggling toes, she looked approvingly down at the color before capping her nail polish and pocketing it. "Which we should probably do soon. We’ll want to get going if we want to avoid a minor melt down."
"Damnit, James!" Jules' voice could be heard, distant from outside, but there was no missing the frustration.
"...or at least before we get the family version of World War III," Kaleigh ammended.
As they made their way outside, James looked up from shooting a frustrated look at his sister to give them both a weary smile. Clasping Brennan's hand briefly and clapping him on the shoulder, he nodded. "Good to see you, man. You functioning after last night?"
"Near enough. I've got a few hours in me."
"Well, I'm taking the first shift driving," James said, "so if you want to crash for a bit, go ahead. I'm good to go for awhile."
"Sounds like a plan."
Kaleigh slid into the back seat, joining a sullen looking Jules, as Brennan opened the passenger side door. James gave the trunk one last look over before going to make sure the front door of the house was closed and locked. As he came back, dropping into the driver's seat, he shot them all a questioning look in the rearview mirror.
"Everyone got everything?"
There were nods all around. "Besides," Kaleigh chimed in, "If we're missing something, we won’t exactly figure it out until we're at the end of the trip anyway. It’s like Murphy’s Law. It's inevitable, right?" She grinned. "No point worrying about it now."
Jules sighed. "I can think of one thing I forgot. Anyone have aspirin? I can feel a headache starting already."
Kaleigh elbowed her even as she dug in her purse for a bottle of pills. "Seriously, Jules. Cut the enthusiasm. You're scaring me."
"I'll take that as an all clear," James said, putting the car in reverse. The engine trembled to life, a quiet rumble, and then they were moving, stray twigs from the property's trees crunching under the tires as he backed out onto the main road.
Brennan leaned over to fiddle with the radio dials and, as the car picked up speed, loud, upbeat female voices came on over the speakers. "Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more. Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more!" Brennan grimaced.
"What is this, man?"
James looked over. "Who knows? I've got it on the rock station. Maybe they're doing some oldies bit or something."
"We're putting on some real music." Punching the tracking button with one finger, the sound of static was overwhelming on the speakers, broken by interspersed bursts of music as he switched from station to station, before the intricate guitar rift of Crazy Train poured out into the car. "There."
Kaleigh's fingers drummed against her thigh as she reaching into a bag at her feet with her opposite hand, fishing out a book. "So how many hours is this?"
James glanced at her in the mirror, turning his head just slightly to be heard over the music. "About 15. We'll get there late, but we'll get there tonight."
“As long as we don’t stop too often.” Jules interjected.
Brennan laughed. “Hell, we’ve got four drivers. We shouldn’t have to stop at all, except to fill up gas.”
“Three drivers,” Kaleigh said. “Jules isn’t driving.”
Brennan turned in his seat to look at her. “What happened to everyone pulling their weight?”
James laughed. “We’d be better off letting things stay unequal unless we feel like getting arrested. She doesn’t have her license.”
“Cars are a waste of time,” she said, defensive. “I can get around just fine with the bus.”
“Except this time,” Kaleigh said.
“Except this time,” Jules agreed, sighing.
Turning back around in his seat, Brennan threw up the hoodie of his sweatshirt and reclined, leaning his head back against the head rest. “Fascinating as this is,” he said, “I’m gonna get a little shut eye, if that’s alright with all of you.”
“I think we can manage,” Jules said, leaning out of the way as she anticipated Kaleigh’s elbow.
“Sleep up, man. ‘Cause you’re taking over for me when we run out of gas.”
Eyes already half closed, Brennan gave a mock salute before turning up the volume a bit more and letting the questionably soothing music lull him too sleep.
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I really shouldn't have stayed up so late last night, but I felt like editing what I'd already written. I've got my word count up to 7,295 words, so that'll make reaching today's goal easier, once this paper is (hopefully) out of the way.
Anyone still out there? I really should troll the NaNo site for journal sharing again. I really shouldn't add more reading onto my schedule...but what can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment. :)
Today - finish 6 pages of my research paper
Tomorrow - 90 pages of rhetorical crit. reading
Sunday - Write In, and read 3 nonfic essays
Monday - Crit 3 nonfic peer essays + class
Tuesday - Class
Wednesday - Death
...here's hoping I (and my NaNo) can survive the next several days. x___x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more.
Hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more.
~Hit the Road, Jack~
Ray Charles
"Where is he???" Jules glared out the window at the road as if staring would make Brennan show up faster.
Walking past with a suitcase, James reached over to mess up her hair. "Calm down, JuJu... he'll be here." Smirking, he barely dodged as she threw a punch at him.
"I hate it when you call me that."
"You'll live."
"If you're going to bring your slacker friend along, the least he could do is be on time."
From where she was sitting on the couch, one long leg stretched out in front of her as she painted her toenails, Kaleigh looked up with a smile. "Chill, Jules. It's not like we're on a tight deadline."
"And he's not a slacker," James corrected as he shouldered the front door open. "He was working late. He'll be here when he gets here."
"Whatever. This trip is just long enough without leaving halfway through the day." Dropping on the couch, Jules ignored Kaleigh's squeal as she had to rescue her nail polish.
"You know, you could help me load up the car," James admonished as he came back in, giving his sister a hard look.
"Why? Kaleigh's stuff is already loaded and you'll just rearrange it if it's not perfect, anyway."
"I'm just making sure we have enough room. It doesn't mean you can't carry something once in awhile. You're not five anymore."
"Wouldn't know it from being around you."
James rolled his eyes, picking up Jules' suitcase. "You're the one who asked me to come, remember?"
As he slipped back outside, Jules stuck her tongue out at his back. Kaleigh arched an eyebrow. "That'll show him."
"Nothing will show him."
The wait was mercifully broken up before the conversation could continue much further, the door banging open once more... but it wasn't James this time. Tall, with spiky blonde hair that gave the impression of still being tousled from sleep, Brennan was grinning as he strode through the door. "Alright! We ready to get this show on the road? I brought donuts."
"Sweet!" Kaleigh said, reaching to take the box from him as he slouched over to lean on the back of one of the chairs.
Jules sighed, but did seem to be making a novel effort to keep her tone even, if not exactly friendly. "Just give James your stuff. We should get on the road right away."
"No worries. He's already got my bag." Pausing by the remaining luggage in the living room, he lightly nudged Jules' guitar case with his foot. "Hey, this yours? Mind if I take a look?"
"We really need to get going."
"Five seconds won't hurt."
Ignoring the tightening of her eyes, Brennan knelt down, smoothly unfastening the clasps that kept the guitar safely encased in a bed of soft felt. Before she could tell him not to (or maybe in spite of the starting protest, a small strangled sound of annoyance in the background of the room), he had the Fender Strat out in his lap, fingers moving smoothly over the strings. He didn't play. Not at first. He simply held, hands finding the frets with easy familiarity.
"Nice," he said finally, nodding his head. "Simple. I like that."
Her voice was terse as she answered. "Glad you approve." Lips tightly pressed, she took the guitar out of his hands, turning it over slightly like she was afraid the little bit of contact would have damaged the instrument, before setting it back in its case. "Can we get out of here, now?" she asked, shutting the lid and letting the clasps snap back into place with definitive snicks.
He arched an eyebrow, rising smoothly to his feet. "Didn't know we were in such a rush." Glancing over, he smiled at Kaleigh, who'd been watching the whole exchange with slightly worried eyebrows. "Brennan Davers. Don't think I've met you before."
She gave a smile, though there was a slightly sideways glance cast at her best friend. "Kaleigh," she said, accepting his hand warmly. "James said that you were at a gig last night?"
"Yeah. Ran a bit late, but it's just how things go, hmm?"
Jules made an annoyed sound as she picked up her guitar case. "I'll be in the car," she said, her words clipped.
Brennan watched her go, a bit bemused. "What's with the stick up her ass?" he asked, but Kaleigh just shook her head.
"She's just tense. She'll cool down once we're moving." Wiggling toes, she looked approvingly down at the color before capping her nail polish and pocketing it. "Which we should probably do soon. We’ll want to get going if we want to avoid a minor melt down."
"Damnit, James!" Jules' voice could be heard, distant from outside, but there was no missing the frustration.
"...or at least before we get the family version of World War III," Kaleigh ammended.
As they made their way outside, James looked up from shooting a frustrated look at his sister to give them both a weary smile. Clasping Brennan's hand briefly and clapping him on the shoulder, he nodded. "Good to see you, man. You functioning after last night?"
"Near enough. I've got a few hours in me."
"Well, I'm taking the first shift driving," James said, "so if you want to crash for a bit, go ahead. I'm good to go for awhile."
"Sounds like a plan."
Kaleigh slid into the back seat, joining a sullen looking Jules, as Brennan opened the passenger side door. James gave the trunk one last look over before going to make sure the front door of the house was closed and locked. As he came back, dropping into the driver's seat, he shot them all a questioning look in the rearview mirror.
"Everyone got everything?"
There were nods all around. "Besides," Kaleigh chimed in, "If we're missing something, we won’t exactly figure it out until we're at the end of the trip anyway. It’s like Murphy’s Law. It's inevitable, right?" She grinned. "No point worrying about it now."
Jules sighed. "I can think of one thing I forgot. Anyone have aspirin? I can feel a headache starting already."
Kaleigh elbowed her even as she dug in her purse for a bottle of pills. "Seriously, Jules. Cut the enthusiasm. You're scaring me."
"I'll take that as an all clear," James said, putting the car in reverse. The engine trembled to life, a quiet rumble, and then they were moving, stray twigs from the property's trees crunching under the tires as he backed out onto the main road.
Brennan leaned over to fiddle with the radio dials and, as the car picked up speed, loud, upbeat female voices came on over the speakers. "Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more. Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more!" Brennan grimaced.
"What is this, man?"
James looked over. "Who knows? I've got it on the rock station. Maybe they're doing some oldies bit or something."
"We're putting on some real music." Punching the tracking button with one finger, the sound of static was overwhelming on the speakers, broken by interspersed bursts of music as he switched from station to station, before the intricate guitar rift of Crazy Train poured out into the car. "There."
Kaleigh's fingers drummed against her thigh as she reaching into a bag at her feet with her opposite hand, fishing out a book. "So how many hours is this?"
James glanced at her in the mirror, turning his head just slightly to be heard over the music. "About 15. We'll get there late, but we'll get there tonight."
“As long as we don’t stop too often.” Jules interjected.
Brennan laughed. “Hell, we’ve got four drivers. We shouldn’t have to stop at all, except to fill up gas.”
“Three drivers,” Kaleigh said. “Jules isn’t driving.”
Brennan turned in his seat to look at her. “What happened to everyone pulling their weight?”
James laughed. “We’d be better off letting things stay unequal unless we feel like getting arrested. She doesn’t have her license.”
“Cars are a waste of time,” she said, defensive. “I can get around just fine with the bus.”
“Except this time,” Kaleigh said.
“Except this time,” Jules agreed, sighing.
Turning back around in his seat, Brennan threw up the hoodie of his sweatshirt and reclined, leaning his head back against the head rest. “Fascinating as this is,” he said, “I’m gonna get a little shut eye, if that’s alright with all of you.”
“I think we can manage,” Jules said, leaning out of the way as she anticipated Kaleigh’s elbow.
“Sleep up, man. ‘Cause you’re taking over for me when we run out of gas.”
Eyes already half closed, Brennan gave a mock salute before turning up the volume a bit more and letting the questionably soothing music lull him too sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really shouldn't have stayed up so late last night, but I felt like editing what I'd already written. I've got my word count up to 7,295 words, so that'll make reaching today's goal easier, once this paper is (hopefully) out of the way.
Anyone still out there? I really should troll the NaNo site for journal sharing again. I really shouldn't add more reading onto my schedule...but what can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment. :)