“She finally fell asleep,” Ally sighed, sitting down heavily.
“God I thought she’d never stop,” Kate said softly.
“If I never dared her to do this she’d be fine,” Ally said guiltily.
“It’s not your fault Ally. You got her to see that there were people that were sweet and kind,” Jada assured her friend.
“But I still dared her to do it.” Ally’s eyes drifted to Jessica’s sleeping form on her bed. Her cheeks were extremely tear stained, and her eyes were still a bit swollen.
“You didn’t know this would happen,” Claire amended.
“It’s Lance’s fault.” Jada crossed her arms.
“Don’t say that,” Claire said. “I know that he really likes, if not love, her.”
“Well we can’t find out, can we now?”
“God guys it’s 2,” Kate said worriedly. “He’s not here.”
Dingdong!
“Speak of the devil,” Ally muttered as they all, except Jessica got off the chairs to go downstairs.
Claire reached the door first on purpose to keep Jada from biting his head off. She opened the door slowly. As they predicted, it was Lance.
“Hey Lance. How can I help you?” she asked.
“Cut the politeness crap,” Jada snapped slightly. “Where were you?”
“Is Jessica there?” he asked.
“Sure as hell she is. She was waiting forever for you to show up.”
“But she said-”
“Forget what she said, she mmm mm mmm!” Jada cried, muffled by Ally’s hand.
“Sorry about that,” Ally smiled, pulling Jada into the living room.
“Jessie’s sleeping now,” Claire started, “but I can tell her you stopped by.”
“Oh,” Lance said disappointedly. Then he looked up. “Can I see her?”
Claire pursed her lips. “I guess if you don’t disturb her.”
“Oh my god, thank you.” Lance stepped inside. “Where is she?”
“She’s upstairs. The first room on the right,” Claire instructed, pointing up the stairs.
“Thanks.”
Lance took his shoes off in a hurry and went up the stairs two at a time. He sighed and entered her room quietly. His green eyes went to her figure on the bed. She hugged her teddy bear tight. ‘I wish that was me’ Lance thought to himself.
He pulled the small box from his hand and looked at it, thinking hard. Then he looked back up at the resting figure and sighed. He tucked the ring away in his pocket. Lance walked closer to the bed and saw her face. He cursed himself silently for letting her cry. ‘She probably won’t forgive me now.’
With that disappointing thought, he kissed her lightly on the forehead.
Jessica, even though in sleep, felt that and shifted.
Lance shot straight up, startled by her sudden movement.
“Lance…” she mumbled before settling into position.
He shook his head at his own stupidity and kneeled next to the bed. “What is it?”
“Sorry…”
“It’s ok,” he whispered, putting his hand on her cheek.
The warmness of his hand caused her to wake up. Her eyes opened slowly. “Lance?”
Lance drew his hand away. “Sorry. I’ll go.”
“No wait.” Jessica sat up.
“What?” Lance asked softly.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For snapping at you earlier. I didn’t mean it at all,” she said, wringing her hands.
“You shouldn’t be apologizing,” Lance said, shaking his head. “It was my fault.”
Jessica stood up. “No.” She smiled. “It’s Brittany’s fault.”
Lance smiled lightly. “Could be.”
“Why didn’t you come earlier?” she asked, the question finally popping out of her mouth from her inquiring mind.
“What do you mean?” he asked, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
“I thought…I thought that you didn’t care about what I said,” she admitted softly.
“How can you say that?”
“I don’t know. You didn’t come till now.”
“I wasn’t ready to come. I thought you hated me,” Lance said, looking down.
“I’m sorry I said that,” she repeated. “I was just mad.”
“Am I forgiven?” Lance asked, stepping closer.
“On one condition.”
“Anything.”
“Never do that to me again,” she requested.
“Done.”
*-*-*
Jessica hugged him before he left. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
Lance kissed her cheek one more time, then left.
“Glad we worked that out,” Jada sighed, sitting down on the soft couch.
“NO thanks to you,” Claire added, putting her feet up on the coffee table.
“What are you talking about?”
They started arguing and Jessica held up a hand. “Stop.”
They both looked at her.
“Don’t talk about it, please.”
Slowly they both resumed their previous positions.
Jessica glanced at her watch. “Hey wanna go out for dinner? My parents are out late again.”
“They’re like NEVER here,” Kate said. Then she smiled. “Of course, that’s why WE’RE always over here.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “We goin’ or not?”
“GOING!” they chorused.
*-*-*
Lance drove away from her house and back to his. Again his nosy friends’ cars were parked in his driveway. He shook his head and parked his car. When he opened the door, like he thought, his friends were sitting on the couches of his living room.
“Hey guys.”
“Where were you?” JC demanded. “We had practice today.”
Lance blinked, surprised that there actually was a good excuse for their presence.
“Sorry,” was all he could say, for he had completely forgotten.
“Sorry?” Chris repeated. “Lance, you’re the one who always says that we should take this singing thing seriously, you’re the one who said you should never be late! But you just missed the whole thing!”
“Look guys, I have had a rough day,” Lance sighed.
Before he could explain any further, JC interrupted, “I think you should stop seeing her.”
“What?”
“I hate to say this but…” Justin hesitated, “you’be been screwed up lately because of her.”
Lance stared, disbelieving.
“You’ve been missing practice, something you’ve NEVER done, you’ve been spacin’ out,” Chris added. “You’re not the same.”
“I’ve been HAPPY,” Lance fumed.
“That’s how you are when you’re HAPPY?” Joey spoke up.
“What are you guys trying to say?” Lance asked, suppressing his annoyance and anger.
“That you should stop seeing her,” JC repeated.
Lance argued, “I thought you guys were happy for me.”
“It’s not that we aren’t,” Justin added quickly.
The others nodded in agreement.
“It’s just…” Chris searched for the word.
“We feel kinda left out,” Joey supplied,” taking everyone by surprise with his unthought of answer.
Lance blinked. “What?”
“We’re not used to you goin’ out and being somewhere without us,” JC whispered.
“I guess we’re kinda…” Justin pursed his lips,” jealous.”
“You’re JEALOUS?” Lance asked in shock.
The guys shuffled their feet and looked at the ground.
“It’s only been 2 days you guys.”
“Imagine how long the day is when you’re NOT having fun,” Joey pointed out.
“Oh trust me I was NOT having FUN,” Lance said, shaking his head.
“What?”
Lance sighed. “Okay. Well, this morning I…”
*-*-*
The guys gaped.
“She was THAT mad?” Justin asked.
“And she cried THAT much?” JC added.
“And you bought her a ring?” Joey asked. “A 110 dollar ring and you didn’t even give to her?”
Lance sighed again. “I know, I know. But I thought it was just a little too much, ya know?”
They shook their heads.
“Damn,” Chris said. “You must really like her if you spent that much money.”
“Yeah well, I didn’t like her for 4 years for nothing.”
“Damn straight,” JC and Justin chorused.
“Justin?”
“Yeah Diane?”
“Phone. It’s from someone named Alison.”
Justin jumped up and grabbed the phone. “Hello?” he answered, going into the next room for privacy.
“We’re going to Eastern Buffet,” she said with a hiss.
“Gotcha.”
“Oh and Justin?”
“What?”
“You’ve got a date Friday with Claire.”
“YES!” he said quietly, pumping his fist.
“Remember our deal Timberlake,” she said lowly.
“Yeah I know Ally. And…it’s what time?”
“She said anytime.”
“Oh. How about 7?” Justin offered.
“That will be…lemme check.”
Sounds of moving and voices could be heard.
“That would be great,” Claire responded.
Justin smiled. “Great. See ya then.”
He hung up and turned around to see that his friends were watching him with raised eyebrows.
“What?” Justin asked innocently.
“You and Ally…” JC trailed off.
Justin’s eyes widened. “No! No! That’s not it.”
“From what we heard, that’s not the case,” Chris probed, crossing his arms.
Justin sighed. There was no way around it. He could either lie and be killed by his friends, or he could confess.
“Well?” JC said.
“She was doing me a favor, that’s all,” Justin said, feeling proud he found a way around it.
“What favor?” Lance asked, equally curious.
Justin could feel his friends close in around him, confining him.
“You guys…”
“Hmm?” they chorused in harmony.
“You don’t need to know,” Justin said, getting closer to the refrigerator.
“Yes, we do.”
“It was a small favor, that’s it.”
“WHAT favor Justin?” JC demanded.
Justin took a breath. “IlikeClairesowemadeadealthatshe’dhookmeupwithher.”
The guys blinked.
“Is NOBODY tellin’ me who they like?” Joey cried, throwing his hands up.
“A deal?” Chris asked skeptically.
‘Dang’ Justin thought.
Lance caught on. “What was your half of the deal?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What was your part of the deal?” JC asked.
Justin gulped. “I have to set her up with somebody,” he mumbled.
“Who?” they asked.
Justin looked at the ground. “JC,” he said quietly.
They all turned to JC, who stood, shocked.
“Me?”
Justin smiled guiltily.
JC stared. “When?”
Justin’s eyes darted to see JC’s face. “Excuse me?”
“When do I pick her up?” JC repeated.
“You’ll do it?”
“Since you like Claire so much an’ all,” JC mumbled, cheeks turning pink.
Justin hugged his friend. “Thanks man.”
“No problem. Really,” JC patted Justin’s back. “I was thinkin’ of askin’ her out anyway.”
Justin looked at him. “What?”
“Well you know…she’s…nice…”
“Looking,” Chris snickered.
JC glared at him.
“And you needed someone to set you up,” Lance shook his head. “Where are your balls?”
“Shut up Lansten.”