He took a deep breath as he inhaled from his cigarette. He looked to Jo, who was potentially his only good memory from Kentucky. She was a good friend to have around Point Place, the only person he knew from home besides Mark. “Well if someone was being mean to you, I’ll fuck em up.” Dale offered. “Sounds like a good enough reason to not come back from my lunch break.” He offered. “Alright well, let me know if you change your mind. At least point ‘em out to me so I can sit next to 'em and make 'em real uncomfortable.”
“I will keep that in mind but really, don’t really wanna cause any issues,” she speaks out, taking another long drag from her cigarette. Jo only had a few hours left of her shift anyways and having a good smoke did help with her sour mood. She’d just have to push through and everything would be alright. “Well, how has your day been? Seems like it’s been forever since we’ve hung out. I feel like all I’ve been doing is working and having band practice.”
Dale let out a sigh, feeling bad to see J ocrying like this. “Spark up.” He told her, putting a cigarette between his own lips and lighting it. He took a long drag, trying not to just stand there and watch her cry. “Don’t mention it. I got you covered.” He shrugged. When she explained she’d had a rough afternoon he raised an eyebrow. “Do I have to go in there and fight somebody? Because I will go in there and fight somebody, I don’t give a shit.” He told her. “Just point ‘em out to me.”
Jolene was never thankful to have a friend like Dale in her life. The two of them went way back to simplier times, back in Kentucky. His family had helped out her’s way too many times, just one of the many perks of having shitty parents. Now even in adulthood, there he was being kind to her. “It’s....really not a big deal. I was probably just overreacting anyways. I don’t really wanna cause a scene or anything, need to keep this job anyways. I just need a few minues and I think I’ll be okay.”
caught off guard by the rush of hushed cries and a heavy door shutting behind her filling the normally quiet setting, blue hues locked onto the familiar face clearly upset from what he could only imagine as another day in shitty paradise.” i got a smoke.. and a bad temper is someone needs a lesson.”
“I will gladly take a smoke from you, I kinda need it,” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulder. Using one of her sleeves to wipe off the rest of the tears from her cheeks, Jolene sighs. “If you’re in the mood to cuss out a rude older lady, be my guest. I can offter you some fresh fries from one of the cooks as a thank you.”
Despite the size of the town, sometimes Point Place felt far more exciting to hang around than Kentucky. Most days when Dale finished his work he could easily find a place to stop by and eat before he would head home. He could mill about town, talk to people. He’d driven up to the diner with the original idea to eat something before he went home to try and write a little bit. However, before he walked in he could hear the sound of somebody crying. He paused, considering letting it go but instead walked around. to the alley.
“Well shit.” He said in a sympathetic tone when he saw a familiar woman outside. “Yeah, here.” He stated, pulling his pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and holding it out to her. “You good?”
Puppy dog eyes look up to see Dale, a knight in shining armor providing her with a much needed distraction. Jolene had swore that she had left the house this morning with at least a few cigaretes left in her pack but nope, she was totally wrong. “Thank you, it means a lot,” she lets out an awkward laugh, grabbing the smoke with one hand, whipping her face from her salty tears with the other. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good, just a rough afternoon at work.”
Something that Jolene was still trying to work on was growing a back bone when it came to rude people. Most shifts at The Diner went fine, it was a job she didn’t totally mind. Good company, good food, and decent tips. Today though? Her patience was being tested and turning the other cheek wasn’t an option for her. A customer had gotten upset with her (over something that was totally out of her control, of course) and had erupted in anger. It felt the poor waitress in tears, having no choice but to flee to the restaurant’s outside smoking spot to calm down.
Sighing heavily, she locks eyes with a familar face. Fuck, she hated people seeing her cry. it made her feel so pathetic. “Hey, do you have a smoke? A good joke? Anything?” she mutters out in a low voice.
“Welcome to the Cheese Palace.” Zoe groaned, catching another potential customer walking by, and feeling her boss’s eyes glaring into her. She’d been talked to about her attitude more than enough lately. “Where the only thing cheesier than our products, is our uniform.” She grunted. “Can I offer you a sample?” She held out a tray. “We have new specials.”
“Oh, I don’t think the uniforms are that bad here,” Jo shrugs her shoulders, offering a kind smile to the other. The dress code at the diner wasn’t much better, but the attire was a bit cuter if she was being honest. The girl as at the mall, bored and doing some window shopping when she found herself stopping by the Cheese Palace. It got her thinking, maybe picking up some cheese could be a perfect snake for the next band practice with Crimson Circle. She doubted anybody in the group would be opposed to it. “I would love a sample, what kind of specials are you runnin’?”
( kristine froseth, twenty three, cis woman, she/her ) JOLENE “JO” GRADY has been living in Point Place for TWELVE YEARS. Their favorite song is CHERRY BOMB BY THE RUNAWAYS. They’re currently up to WAITRESSING AT THE HUB DINER, but they’d rather be SMOKING WEED AND CRAFTING. First impressions usually stick around here, and others describe them as ECCENTRIC, WARM, CREATIVE. Stick around to get to know the real them. ( sarah, 26, est, she/her )
Below the cut is more information about my babygirl Jo!
BASIC INFORMATION
Full name: Jolene “Jo” Grady (hates her first name, so always will prefer nicknames)
Nickname(s) or Alias: Jo, Joey, burnout, trailer trash, easy J
Gender: Cis woman
Age: 23
Length of time in Point Place: 11 years
SEXUALITY
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual (currently questioning)
Hookups or Relationships: She is more prone to hookups but is always yearning for a relationship, even if she doesn’t want to admit it
Relationship Status: Single
Shipping: I’m always down for old fashioned chemistry!
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Height: 5’9
Weight: 115
Figure/build: Slim built, lanky
Hair color: dirty blonde
Hairstyle: long and always always messy, is fond of space buns, braids, a messy bun, crimping it, will put little hair clips or a simple bandana with loose front pieces of hair sticking out
Eye color: blue with a slight gray tint
Tattoos: too many to count, they are all across her body, most of them either stick n’ poke or done by her friends
Piercings: both ear holes, left cartilage, belly button
Scars: a scar that runs down her right leg that she got having to hop a fence while running from the cops
Distinguishing features: freckles sprinkled across her cheeks, contagious laughter, legs that go for days, a crooked but friendly smile, a southern accent that never quite went away
Preferred style of clothing: mostly thrifted clothing or anything passed down from her Aunt or borrowed from her friends with like minded style. you can typically find her in band tees, tank tops, flannels, jeans. other days you can find her in long skirts or dresses. she is a little bit more on the eccentric side and isn’t afraid to mix patterns together on days she’s feeling a little more adventurous.
Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: funky earrings/rings/jewerly that has been made by her or bought, friendship bracelets, her infamous yellow bookbag, worn down sneakers.
PERSONALITY
Character tropes: the yellow friend,the older sister, the mom friend, the dirtbag, the facade
Three Positive Traits: adventurous, eccentric, warm
Three Negative Traits: reckless, insecure, naive
Favorite color: pink and yellow
Taste in music: metal and classic rock, she is always head banging!
CAREER
Level of education: high school diploma
Current job title: Waitress at The Pub Diner
Dream job: musician, hair dresser, or small business owner
MINI BIO
Jolene Grady was born and raised in a very rural, small town in Kentucky. To put it short, she never really had a fighting chance at life. They were the kind of couple who should have not gotten together, nor had a child for that matter. So, you can safely say that her childhood was quite chaotic. It doesn’t get much easier when one child becomes three, Jo being the oldest.
It was not out of the ordinary for them to constantly be evicted from whatever place they were living at, being forced to flee for temporary housing. Sometimes that consisted of a friend's place, homeless shelter, whatever beater car they had, or just the cold streets. Jo had many different “definitions” of home. Still, she didn’t fully resent her parents, she knew they were trying despite the odds stacked against them.
After one too many negligent incidents, eventually her parents were deemed not good enough to properly raise their children and are arrested. Full custody was placed with his oldest sister, Gina. She wasn’t exactly completely prepared to take on the responsibilities of being a “mom” to so many children, but she couldn’t turn them away. She wasn’t completely heartless. Jolene had recently turned 11 when this happened.
So, Jo and the rest of her siblings move to Point Place, Wisconsin. It’s not exactly the most ideal situation but it beats some of the living conditions she’s endured. Gina doesn’t live in exactly the most lavish neighborhood in town, but her house is small but cozy.
Aunt Gina works full time as a hairdresser and picks up a part time gig bartending at Charlie’s once she becomes their legal guardian. She’s in a long term relationship with a guy named Jack. He’s a honest, hardworking mechanic. A power couple, running on plenty of booze and weed, they are determined to try to make things better for the Grady kiddos.
Almost immediately upon moving to Point Place, she is a prime target for bullying. An introvered kid with a funny accent and messed up teeth, the other kids her age make it their mission to exclude her. Even though she is banised from the so called “popular crowd”, she finds friendship and comfort in some of the neighborhood children who are like her: misfits and just a little lot. Her circle is small, but it’s okay.
High School rolls arounds and after much convincing from Gina, Jo attempts at trying to branch out and do something new. So, she chooses cheerleading, having enjoyed going to cheer camp the summer before her eighth grade year.
She’d manage to make a few friends on the squad but she can’t seem to shake off the perception that so many people had given her. So, she just tries her best to ignore it….it’s not worth it anyways - especially if she is actually enjoying herself. Just be the bigger person.
Junior year is when she is officially kicked off from the squad. You see, Jolene had developed a crush on a senior boy on the football team. The all american jock type, trust fund brat who was charming as hell though. He had given her hints that something was possibly there, the problem? He did have a girlfriend who was also on the squad with Jo. Being such a hopeless romantic, she is blinded by how wrong this situation is. Not to mention, this was the first guy who had given her attention and she didn’t know how to handle herself.
The two of them began to secretly see one another, mosly late at night and at discrete locations. He gave her empty promises that he would end things with his current girlfriend and they would become “official”. Jolene was simply too naive that he was stringing her along, wanting other things from her. The pair end up being intimate with one another and it doesn’t take long for rumors to spread among school.
Being the “other” woman wasn’t a good look for her and as expected, she is booted off from the squad. This breaks her heart, even though she knew it was a huge mistake on her part.
She gets a spot permaently at the losers table but in the long run, it’s a blessing in disguise. These are her people, a crowd that actually won’t judge her for superficial things.
For the rest of her high school career, she begins to go through a bit of a wild child stage. When she isn’t spending time working or looking after her siblings, she’s spending late nights being up to no good. It usually includes chain smoking cigarettes, finishing off full bottles of beer, and running away from the cops. Half the time her aunt and uncle doesn’t know where she is but she always makes it home safe. Gina and jack wishes she would befriend not so reckless people, but she’s far too busy trying to keep the bills paid.
Ultimately, she fails out of her senior year due to her partying habits and always working long hours to help with the bills. Repeating her senior year is embarrassing, but she does want to graduae.
Manages to finish high school with the grit of her teeth and with a not so great GPA, but she did it. College is in the back of her mind, but she knows it’s unrealistic. She has time to go back if she wants to do it, but money is just too tight.
Currently she is just kinda vibing at the moment, waitressing at The Hub Diner and looking after her younger siblings. In her spare time, you can find her crafting, making music, and hanging out with her best buddies.
FUN FACTS & HC’S
Jo is not a hostile individual, despite her choatic childhood and her shitty time in school. She is very meek a majority of the time and is still trying to work on standing up for herself and growing a back bone
Can be considered an introverted extrovert. Is 100000% a talktive person when she is high/drunk. If she is comfortable enough in your presence, she can open up.
Coined the nickname “Easy J” due to what happened junior year, despite her having an almost non existant love life during that time
Her love language is physical touch and food. She loves cuddling with her friends and hugs! (even just in a platonic way) She also loves being that friend to make your favorite meal or snack if you had a bad day
She is a mom friend who can always be seen sporting her beloved yellow bookbag. It’s one she has had for years, covered in her favorite pins, buttons, and decorated in song lyrics and notes from her friends. It is usually fileld to the brim with a mix of random and useful items. Her friends often tease her saying that she can live out of that damn bag of her’s.
Developed a genuine knack at cooking when she was younger and sort of responsible for making meals for her younger siblings whenever Gina and Jack were both busy or working. Jo had to get creative and most of the time make due with little ingredients and stretch them out for her large family
Is very competitive with claw machine games
She is definitely the kind of friend to not ask for gas money and will wait for you while you tie your shoes
If someone were to describe how she smells, it would be a mix between the smell of cigarette smoke and cheap vanilla body mist
Learned how to play bass guitar and drums from her Uncle Jack who is in an extremely shitty cover band with his childhood buddies. She has fond memories of watching them play at Charlie’s Bar every Saturday night. Seeing Jack have the time of his life there inspired her to want to partake in music too.
Her go-to makeup looks is typically glossy lips, smudged eyeliner, and colorful eyeshadow.
She had a bowl cut phase due to gum getting caught in her hair by one of her many childhood bullies. Her parents didn’t know what to do and had to cut most of her hair off. Jo basically lived in beanies and bandanas because of this. Now, she will only trim her split ends.
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