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Jo always told herself that whenever someone died, she wouldn't shed a single tear, wouldn't whimper a single cry, and wouldn't waste a single second of the day feeling sad. Unfortunately, all of that was quite difficult on this very day, after Jo received the news that her father had passed.
She found out earlier today while at a grocery store, where she had the misfortune of running into Scott. Jo had not kept in contact with any of the contestants from her season of Total Drama. She had their numbers and could always give them a call if needed, but she never felt the urge to. She was content with leaving that part of her life behind. So, running into him was bad enough for Jo; he didn’t change at all and was still the annoying sleazeball he was back when he was a teenager.
But the situation went from bad to worse when her mother sent her a text message.
After visiting her mother, Jo was now back in her apartment, where she let herself do all those things she promised herself she wouldn't do.
Jo was a tough woman. She was never someone who cared about anyone, as proven by her stay on Total Drama, but her father was the exception. He was the reason why Jo became as tough as she is. He would teach her how to play sports, he taught her how to fight, he was always there for her when she needed him. When Jo was leaving to compete on Total Drama, her father was there to say he was rooting for her. That encouragement was one of the big reasons she was so determined.
And now those memories were all Jo had of him.
Jo was seated on her couch in silence, her heart full of dread and her eyes full of tears after only a few hours removed from hearing about her father's passing. It was late, but she knew trying to sleep was pointless after struggling to even eat earlier.
She didn't want to cry; in fact she was almost certain that if her dad were here, he would've told her to dry her tears and stay strong.
But he wasn't here, was he?
Jo would've been content with staying on her couch in complete silence for the whole night. Maybe eventually she'd have fallen asleep. But a knock on the door got her attention.
Jo stared at her front door in confusion. Who was knocking at her door at this time of night? Jo didn't have many friends, and she had already gone to visit her mother earlier today. Maybe it was just some random person getting their apartments mixed up? It wouldn't have been the first time that happened.
The jockette was snapped out of her thoughts after a second knock on the door. Jo stood up from the couch and walked over to the door, wiping her tears away before grabbing the doorknob. After a moment, Jo opened the door, and the person she saw outside surprised her.
"Hello." Brick greeted Jo. The soldier hadn't arrived in his military outfit; instead, he opted for a more casual look of a plain white T-shirt and dark blue khakis.
Jo was shocked to see her former rival at her doorstep. It's not like the two of them still hated each other, but they certainly hadn't become friends after everything. The jockette crossed her arms and forced a scowl to Brick, trying to hide her sorrow. "What do you want... Military Brain?" She almost forgot to add a nickname to the end of her sentence. She mentally berated herself for already doing a terrible job of acting like nothing was wrong.
"I heard what happened."
...He heard?
"And I wanted to make sure you were okay." Brick said to the tomboy, who tried her best to stop herself from looking upset.
"Look, j-just..." Jo paused for a second. She wanted to tell Brick to leave her alone, but the words just wouldn’t come out. "Come inside."
Brick nodded and walked into Jo's apartment.
After shutting the door, Jo went back over to the couch, looking down at the floor as she would sit back down. She wasn't exactly happy with the idea of opening up to anyone, but maybe this was needed. If she wasn't going to be sleeping tonight, then she might as well take the opportunity to pass the time.
Brick sat beside Jo, giving the jockette a sympathetic look. It wasn't often that Brick felt bad for his former enemy. Jo made it very easy to dislike her with her cruel decisions and rude demeanor, but Brick could never bring himself to truly hate her. Or anyone for that matter.
"How did you find out?" Jo asked Brick, still staring at the floor beneath her.
"Scott told us all," Brick replied. "I tried sending you a message, but you never responded. So I came here to check up on you."
Oh...
Now that she thought about it, Jo hadn't checked her phone at all since she got the text message from her mom. Did the others try sending her anything?
"I've been sitting here ever since I got home." The blonde said, her voice heavy with emotion. "It's been on my mind since I heard about it."
The soldier placed a comforting hand on Jo's shoulder, prompting her to lift her gaze from the floor to face Brick. "This isn't something you'll get over in a week. But I'll help you get through this the best I can."
"Why?" Was all Jo could ask, her voice barely above a whisper.
Brick raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Why would you want to help me?" Jo asked. Truth be told, she didn't even know why she was asking when she already knew the answer.
"Because it doesn't matter if I don't get along with someone; I still care about their well-being." Brick smiled. "That's just how I've always been."
That's the answer she expected...damnit that smile...
"Yeah. That was a stupid question." Jo looked away from Brick. "I just...I miss him. And I'm not thinking properly right now."
"Understood," Brick assured her. "He must have meant a lot to you."
"He did." Jo nodded as her tears began running down her face again. She always knew this day would come, but nothing could have prepared her for it. Especially when it was as sudden as it was.
"All I wanted was to make him proud." Jo barely managed to get out. Brick shifted closer to the jockette, so they were now sitting shoulder to shoulder. "That's why I joined Total Drama. If I could win the most popular reality show on TV, I could've returned home with a million dollars and a reputation as a winner. But instead, I came home after only making it to fifth place. He was still proud of me for that, but I wanted to do better. I wanted to show my father that teaching me everything I know wasn't for nothing..."
Had this been the same girl from a few years ago, she would've never allowed herself to be this vulnerable. But why was she allowing it now? She was still the rude person she had always been, so what had changed?
After Jo finished speaking, Brick pulled her into a hug. The jockette was taken aback by this, even though she really shouldn’t be. The soldier was always so…frustratingly compassionate. But right now, Jo didn’t fight against him. Quite the opposite actually.
After a few seconds, Jo wrapped her arms around Brick, burying her blushing face into the crook of his neck. She felt strange. Like she could allow herself to be vulnerable around the soldier. She had never felt this safe before.
Why? Why did she feel this way?
“You should be proud of yourself, Jo.” Brick said, trying his best to comfort the blonde girl as he rubbed small circles on her back. “You might not have won, but you still got to show the world what you were capable of. When we were both competing, I was struggling to keep up with you. I never met a woman as strong as you, Jo. You even outlasted me in the game.”
Jo chuckled softly. As much as she wanted to throw a playful insult at Brick, she was honestly scared that he might leave if she did.
Wait…She was scared?
“I know you can't hear it coming from him, but I'm sure you made him proud. Whether you won Total Drama or not.” Brick told her. “Besides, you've done plenty of other amazing things. Total Drama isn't the only time you've been on TV. And, for what it's worth. I think you're pretty great.”
Jo allowed a smile to appear on her face as she looked up at Brick. God he was so… “Thanks.” Jo said simply.
After a few seconds of silence, the two of them noticed just how close their faces were and they both went beet red at the realization. But instead of leaning away from each other, the two of them stayed like that for a bit.
Damnit, why did Brick have this effect on her? She hated it. Every part of her told her to just tell Brick that he could now leave, and that she was completely fine now. But her body didn't listen.
Jo pulled Brick into a firm kiss, the soldier's eyes widening in shock while the blonde’s own flutter shut.
To the jockette’s own surprise, Brick’s hands would move up to cup Jo’s face, deepening the kiss. Jo let out a soft sigh at the soldier's touch. The two of them became lost in the moment, even if in the back of their mind they knew that they'd be pretending this never happened by tomorrow. But right now, they just allowed themselves to enjoy the moment.
It came to a point where both of them were running low on oxygen, and Jo pulled away, gasping for air.
The two of them were blushing like crazy as their breathing was heavy and their hearts were pounding. The moment to two shared taking a few seconds for them to truly process.
They really just did that, didn't they?
“Um.” Jo began, barely being able to get her words out amidst her embarrassment. “Sorry.”
“Don't be.” Brick quickly replied.
Jo smiled. Earlier today she felt heartbroken. But now, it was almost the exact opposite. Even if this wouldn't develop into anything, which knowing both of them it won't, Jo and Brick were still happy to share this one moment together. This one moment where Jo allowed someone to comfort her. This one moment where Brick could speak with Jo without arguing.
Brick stood up from the couch after letting go of the jockette. “It's late.” He mentioned. Jo looked over at the clock seeing that it was way past the time either of them should be asleep.
“Yeah. You should probably head home.” Jo said. “I'll be trying to get to sleep.”
Brick nodded. “Goodbye Jo. Take care.” The soldier then walked out of the jockette's apartment, once again leaving Jo alone in silence.
However, this time the quietness in Jo’s apartment wasn't full of dread. The tomboy left to her bedroom, the words that Brick said to her staying in her mind as she laid down.
He was right. Jo was a strong woman. And her father wouldn't want her to cry over his death forever. As much as it stung to lose him, Jo knew she had to stay strong. That's what her father would have wanted.
Jo laid in bed with those thoughts in mind, as well as the kiss that she shared with Brick. She was ashamed to admit that she really enjoyed the feeling of Brick’s lips on hers. Not that she'd ever tell anyone about this. Her breathing was now steady, and no longer were there tears flowing down her face. Instead she wore a soft smile, as her exhausted body relaxed.
And soon enough, even though Jo thought it would be impossible an hour ago. Within a few minutes, she was sound asleep.