“So…what did you want to talk to me about?” Ally asked nervously as he sat down.
Justin clasped his hands together. “Well…I kinda heard…you know, from the grapevine…that you like JC.”
Ally’s jaw dropped. “WHERE did you hear that?”
“So ha, ha, ha. It’s true.”
Her mouth moved around, but no words were forming. “I-I didn’t mean…not like that…oh shit.”
Justin laughed. “So how about it? Me set you up with JC?”
“What’s the catch?” Ally asked, knowing Justin never spoke to her unless he needed something.
Justin leaned closer, then, barely above a whisper, said, “If you hook me up with…”
“Ooh who?” she asked, her curiosity piquing.
He bit his lip. “Claire.”
“YOU like Claire?” she laughed.
Justin’s eyes widened as he covered her mouth. “SHUT UP!”
She continued to laugh into his hand, and when she stopped, he let go.
Ally shook her head. “Wait till the guys get a loada dis.”
“What guys?”
“My friends? You know, the other people I hang out with?”
“Ok. Whatever. Just…you know.”
“Hmm. I’ll think about it.”
“Oh. So I’ll think about you and JC alright?” Justin asked, crossing his arms.
Ally’s blue eyes became sharp. “It’s done.”
Justin smiled. “I see. All right. I’ll tell you how I want you to do this, and you tell me how YOU want ME to do it.”
“Ok.”
“Ok first you…”
*-*-*
Jessica leaned her head on the seat as she closed her eyes for a moment, her eyes aching from their lack of sleep. “Mmm…”
“Still sleeping?” Lance asked amusedly, glancing at her.
“I see you smilin’ Bass, don’t think I don’t. And yes, I am still sleeping. Thanks to you, I couldn’t get to sleep till about 3 in the morning.”
“Because of ME?” Lance asked in surprise.
“Yes you. You made me have too much fun, causing my excitement level to rise, causing my adrenaline to pump, which results in no sleep!” she finished, taking a breath.
Lance cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm. That’s funny. Same effect on me, and yet I am awake.”
“Don’t be smart with me.”
“Ok we’re here.”
“God you did it again! I try to rest and you make me talk. This is not working!” she said, getting out of the car sluggishly.
Lance rolled his sea green eyes. “And I have to sit through breakfast with you.”
Jessica stopped and glared at him through slits. “And don’t think I won’t dump eggs on your shirt Bass, cuz I will.”
“Call me Lance.”
“Say please!” Jessica said, opening the door.
“Ok don’t then.”
“So what do you want?”
“I should be asking YOU that,” Lance said, walking up the counter.
“Fine. I’d just like one of those…breakfast plate thingies. I don’t care. As long as I get some Coke, I’m done.” She shrugged and looked around the nearly vacant McDonald’s.
“Ok then.” He looked up at the cashier and was about to say something when she interrupted him.
“Hey…don’t I know you from somewhere?” she asked, pointing to him.
“I don’t THINK so,” Lance said slowly.
“Oh yeah! I remember. You sang at our high school,” she remembered.
“Oh! That. I think I remember. Were you at the one where we did the…”
Jessica slumped her shoulders while she watched him talk. She sighed and tried to concentrate on her fingernails, but she kept glancing up at Lance and the stranger girl. She had an urge to slap him in the face and tell him off, but she kept that level as low as she could. Instead she stared drumming her fingers on the counter. And still they kept talking. Finally, with a roll of her eyes, Jessica turned around, and left. She shook her head when she saw that Lance hadn’t noticed that she had left. Jessica growled in her throat and opened the door to outside. She stepped out and realized that she didn’t have a clue as to where they were. “Damn.”
Jessica looked around hurriedly, then found a payphone on the corner. She quickly found a quarter and stuck it in. Her fingers dialed as fast as they could, and it rung about 2 times before someone answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello Jada?”
“Oh Jessie?”
“Yeah. I’m at a McDonald’s somewhere.”
“Oh. With Lance?”
“More like Lance and the cashier,” Jessica drawled sarcastically.
“Ooh. I see. You want me to pick you up?” she asked.
“Duh.”
“But where are you?”
Jessica looked around and found a sign. “I’m in Excelsior.”
“Oh. I’ll be there in like 5 minutes.
“Thanks. Hurry!” Jessica cried, hoping Lance wouldn’t run out at that moment.
“I will,” Jada assured her, then she hung up quickly.
*-*-*
“…so then we went to party after that to like celebrate you guys or something I’m not sure,” she went on. “I think you guys have made a big impression on our school.”
“Wow. Thanks. I’m really flattered.” Lance smiled, then realized that Jessica had been really quiet. He had assumed she had gone to a table to sit down. They had been talking for about 5 minutes now. He turned around and looked. No one. “Jessie?”
Lance looked around the whole restaurant, but there was no sign of her. Then he shut his eyes and grabbed his hair. “Shit,” he mumbled, realizing his mistake.
His eyes fell on the door, and he ran to it, just in time to see Jessica climb into a car.
“Jessie!” he called out, running as fast as he could.
“What?” she asked, with an edge of coldness in her voice.
“I’m sorry Jessie I-”
“You what?” she asked. “You were too caught up in your own fantasy world to even notice I had left? That you were having so much more FUN with her?”
Lance swallowed thickly. He never dreamed that this situation would ever come up, him thinking that he wouldn’t make a mistake. But he was oh so wrong. “Jessie listen-”
“No. YOU listen. This is happening to me too often,” she shook her head, “and I won’t stand for it anymore. Goodbye Lance.”
Tears stung the back of his eyes. “But-”
Before he could finish, the car sped off without looking back.
*-*-*
Jessica turned her whole body to the side of the car, trying to hide her face from Jada. Jessica sniffled, which gave her away since it was only November.
“Jessie? Are you ok?” Jada asked with concern.
Jessica wiped away the few tears that had fallen from her eyes. “I don’t know. It’s just…I thought that these 3 months were going to be ok because I thought that Lance was different. You know, different from the other guys. But this is only the second day and it happens. Again. I thought that he’d actually pay attention to me you know? I thought…I don’t know. Maybe after that date…and…the horses…and the picnic and the amusement park…and that kiss on the cheek…and everything we did…maybe he’d be…I don’t know. A nicer, more considerate guy than the rest.” She shut her eyes tight. “But again I was wrong. I’m always WRONG.”
Jada, as she listened to her friend, could see that she had really believed that Lance was a better guy, and that she had liked him. Since Jada had never had that problem, she didn’t know how it felt, for she always took charge of situations like that. All she could do was rub her back with one hand and say, “It’ll be ok.”
“Yes. It WILL be ok.”
Jada glanced strangely at her friend. Until she finished.
“Because I am swearing off ANY guys for the rest of my life. I’m sick of this pain. I’m sick of being the hurt one. This way it won’t happen anymore.”