Dear Reader- Taylor Swift

Part 10

"Jo-Jo?" Rose wines from her spot, sitting on my foot while I make myself a coffee, earning a hum from me. "Why does TJ get to come to work with you and Mommy, but Co-Co and I have to stay with Jules?" She huffs, making me frown slightly. I glance at her sad face before sighing. I use my good arm and all the strength I have to pick her up and place her on the counter in front of me. "Because Jules is yours and Co-Co's nanny. You know how TJ can get; he needs someone around who knows him to watch him, or he gets in trouble. Remember the last time Jules watched all three of you?" I ask softly, watching as she nods.

"TJ ran away at the park, and the policemen had to come and help find him. It turns out he had found a squirrel to chase and was in the woods by the park," she explains slowly as if realising the reason and being very unhappy with what she was finding out, which has me nodding, trying my best not to laugh. It shouldn't be funny. My overly energetic son ran off after a squirrel as if he was an untrained dog at age four. But when I got the call and ran out of the meeting I was in with Tumper and saw that TJ was fine, the whole thing genuinely was entertaining. Clearly, he spends too much time with Flower.

"That's right. TJ has a hard time understanding when he has to listen to other people and contain his energy, so it's better when someone who knows him watches him to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. So Jules doesn't watch TJ, I do. Plus, you will have so much more fun than TJ. I heard that after Jules helps you with your homeschooling, she is taking you and Co-Co to the museum so you can see the dinosaurs. TJ has to spend all day in a boring room while people read lines and ask annoying questions," I smile, making sure to be energetic despite how drained I currently feel. "Really?" Rose asks excitedly, making me hum. She laughs as she hops down off the counter and runs off, vaguely hearing her shout about starting on her homework now so they can go sooner.

So, I have a great new plan to get around the shit show that is the movie. I sit in the corner with my headphones on and pretend I am anywhere other than a read-through for a book I hate with the person I wrote it about, sitting around the table joined by my best friend, godmother and mother.

And it is working like a charm.

Of course, it is. It's how I spend ninety per cent of my time, anyway. The only person I will take my headphones out to talk to willingly is TJ, and even then, I keep one headphone in while I listen to him talk at a hundred miles an hour about whatever he is obsessing over at the time. The rest of my life is spent happily in my music bubble while I write imaginary worlds that I can control for once.

Someone is definitely on my side today because, so far, no one has bothered me, and I have managed to type out a few notes to improve the script while TJ plays semi-quietly by my feet. He is very interested in the Rubix cube I bought him this weekend. I may or may not have peeled some of the stickers off the cube and moved them around so that it was impossible for him to solve, hoping that it would keep him occupied longer than normal. Is that the best parenting, probably not. But so far, it has succeeded at keeping him busy, which is an extremely hard task to do. 

At least it was working until someone tugged on my headphones, making me goan, glaring as I looked up at the grinning dickhead responsible. "What?" I hiss, pulling my headphones from her hand as I put one back in before leaving the other dangling over my shoulder so I can semi-listen to whatever bullshit Flo is about to inform me of.

"We have been calling your name for a minute straight. Greta was gonna come over, but obviously, I volunteered," Flo smirked, which had groaning even more as I glanced over at Greta, who was already looking at me with a glare. Great. "I was going to slap you, but clearly, Scarlett knew that and banned me from hitting you until your shoulder healed. Honestly, she used to be more fun," she huffs, which just has me rolling my eyes. I was right. Flo did just come over here to talk utter bullshit. "Why?" I huff, although I don't get an answer as I am dragged from my seat and to the table by my good arm. TJ follows behind me happily as he ditches his Rubix cube and moves to cuddle with Lizzie, who hands him a doughnut in return.