PART THREE



    Nikki picked up the phone and called her best friend Lynn. “Lynn,” she said when the girl answered the phone.
    “Nikki, hey!” Lynn heard the sniffle escape Nikki’s mouth and she said, “Nikki what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
    “Lynn I know it is a lot to ask, but can I come live with you for awhile? I’m not selling this place, but I need to get away.”
    “You know you can, but why? What happened?”
    “JC and I just broke up.”
    “Oh my God, why? I am so sorry.”
    “It’s complicated... can I just tell ya when I get there?”
    “Whatever you want,” Lynn said.
    “Okay, I’ll be out to California tomorrow. I need to talk to Kelli tonight before I go.”
    “Okay, do you want me to pick you up at the airport?”
    “Uhm, could you?”
    “Yeah, just call me back to let me know what time your flight will be coming in.”
    “Okay. Thanks Lynn. I’ll talk to you in a few.”
    “Alright. Bye girly,” she said and then hung up. Lynn had no clue what was bothering Nikki. She had talked to her about a week and a half prior and things with her and JC were great. Lynn only wondered what he had done to upset Nikki so much. She didn’t even consider the face that maybe it was a choice that Nikki made.

    JC slammed the door as he walked in his place. He leaned up against the back of the door and just stood there. A minute later he slid his trembling body down the frame of the door. He sat with his knees up, his elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands. The tears fell into his hands and dripped down the length of his arms.
    JC hated to cry. He hated to think that anyone could get to him like that. Nikki had just ripped his heart in several different pieces and he didn’t know any other way to react. “Why?” he said out loud. “How could she do this to me?” he asked himself. He thought back to the time that they had spent together and it only caused the tears to fall at a more severe rate. His breath was staggered and he constantly had to sniff his nose, so that it didn’t run.
    A tear slid down his face and disappeared into the corner of his mouth. He licked his lips and then wiped his eyes. “Get it together C,” he said. He slowly stood up and walked into the living room of his house. JC sat on the couch and chewed on his lower lip. He needed to talk to someone. He leaned over and picked up the phone and dialed Lance’s number.

    Not even an hour later Lance showed up on JC’s doorstep. JC opened the door and just stared at Lance. ‘You look like shit,’ Lance thought to himself as he stared back at JC. JC moved over and let Lance in, but said nothing. “You okay buddy?” Lance asked. When JC had called he just said that he needed to talk to someone and wanted to know if Lance would come over.
    “No,” he said back.
    Lance could tell that JC was really hurting about something and it looked like he had been crying since he called him. “Well what’s wrong C?” Lance asked as sympathetically as he could.
    “Me and Nikki broke up.”
    Lance was in awe. Nikki meant the world to JC and Lance knew it. Every time they were away or on the road, Nikki was all that JC would talk about. He shrugged off every girl that tried hitting on him. “Wow dude, I don’t even know what to say. Did she break up with you?” he mumbled.
    “Nah, I think I did it.”
    “Why?”
    “She told me that she,” a tear fell from his eye, “cheated on me.”
    Lance was really in awe now. He knew that Nikki was head over heals in love with JC. Why would she cheat on him? “I totally never would have suspected her to do something like that. She loves you C.”
    “I guess not as much as we thought,” he said back.
    “So she just came out and said it?”
    “I got home and she was going through old photo albums of all of us and then she just started crying. She darted upstairs and hid her face in the pillows and just kept saying that she was sorry. Then I asked why, and finally she just blurted it out.” JC said all of this really fast, like he was just trying to hurry up and get it over with.
    “JC, I am so sorry. Is there anything that I can do?”
    “Can you talk to her. Maybe find out why she did it, or who he was?”
    “You really wanna know all that?”
    “Yeah, I wanna know where I messed up... to the point that she felt she needed the love of someone else. Y’all are really good friends. Please Lance.”
    Lance looked at JC and saw the pain in his eyes. “I’ll call her tomorrow,” he said.
    “Thanks,” JC said back.
    “Look, you might want to get some sleep buddy.”
    “Yeah I know,” he said. “I just... I’m gonna try to go to bed here in a minute.”
    “Alright, well call me if you need anything.”
    “Call me tomorrow after you talk to Nikki okay?”
    “Will do. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Lance said as he started to get up.
    “Thanks for coming over,” JC said as he followed Lance to the door.
    “Anytime,” Lance said and then walked down the path and got in his car. He waved to JC and then drove off. JC shut the door and dragged himself up the stairs to his room. He walked in his room and headed straight for the bed. Fully dressed, he fell asleep.

    The next day, around noon, Lance picked up the phone and dialed Nikki’s number. He didn’t exactly know how he was going to bring the whole topic up, or what he would end up asking her, but he needed to call her. He promised JC that he would try to find out what happened. The phone rang and rang. Finally after the sixth ring, the answering machine came on. “Damn,” Lance said.
    “Hey it’s Nikki. I can’t come to the phone right now, so leave me give me the 411 and I’ll get back to you. Laters!”
    “Nikki hey, it’s Lance. Uh I just wanted to talk to you. I talked to JC last night and he isn’t in very good shape. Give me a call when ya get home. Thanks,” and then he hung up. He figured that he would find out what was going on later that night whenever Nikki got home and returned his call. He called up JC just to let him know that he hadn’t talked to her yet, but he would let him know as soon as he did.

    Nikki leaned back in her seat as the airplane landed. She had flown in an airplane so many times, yet she was still terrified of them. She’d seen too many movies where bad things happened when people were on an airplane.
    She waited for the light to go out above her, signifying that it was alright to get up. As soon as the light changed, she undid her seatbelt and stood up. She reached above her seat and grabbed her small carry on bag and her purse. Nikki shuffled her way down the aisle to the door out of the plane. She felt safer as she walked down the terminal hallway and towards the waiting area.
    Just when she got out of the hallway she saw her best friend Lynn standing there waiting for her. She walked up to her and gave her a big hug. “Thanks for doing this,” Nikki said.
    “Girl you know I love it when you come over here. No need to thank me.”
    Nikki let out a soft giggle and said, “thanks.”
    “Oh would you quit that already! Come on, let’s go get your luggage. How was the flight?” she asked as the walked towards the round spinner with all of the suitcases and bags on it.
    “It was decent. As long as it doesn’t crash, it’s good to me.”
    Lynn laughed and was happy to see that Nikki wasn’t in a total rut about everything. They found all of Nikki’s stuff and then headed towards the exit. Lynn helped Nikki shove everything into the car and then they were off.
    About fifteen minutes later they arrived at Lynn’s place. Each of them grabbed a couple of things and then they headed towards the front door. Lynn struggled to get the key in the door, but in a short matter of time, she got it. They set some of the things in the living room and then brought the rest of it upstairs to the room that Nikki would be staying in. As soon as they had everything up there, they went back downstairs.
    “So, how about we get us something to drink, and then you can tell me about what happened.” They headed to the kitchen, got themselves a soda, then went in and sat on the couch.
    “Okay, so... this is what’s going on.....” Nikki said.

    Later that night Nikki called her house back in Orlando so she could check her messages. She heard that she had three messages. One from Justin, one from Kelli, and one from Lance. Justin obviously didn’t know what had happened yet.
    “Nikki dah’ling,” he chucked. “Hey baby I was just checking to see if you and C were gonna go to the lakeside with me and Jessica. I called C, but no one was answering. Call me and let me know what’s up. Later!”
    Nikki shook her head and listened to the next message from Kelli. “Nik, call me later tonight once you’re all settled in. Talk to you soon.”
    And then Lance’s, “Nikki hey, it’s Lance. Uh I just wanted to talk to you. I talked to JC last night and he isn’t in very good shape. Give me a call when ya get home. Thanks.” Nikki had no clue what to tell Lance. They were like best friends, but she couldn’t tell him everything or lie to him about any of this.
    She hung up the phone and then picked it back up and dialed Lance’s cell number. After the third ring, an out of breath Lance picked up the phone. “Hello,” he said as he panted.
    “Lance, it’s me.”
    “Nikki girl, hey.”
    “Hey.”
    “Uhm yeah, how are you?”
    “I’ve been better,” she said as she said in the chair next to the phone.
    “So I talked to C,” he said. He didn’t exactly know how to say what he wanted to. “I don’t want you to think that I am like taking sides or anything Nik. I love you dearly and just want to know what’s going on. JC is a mess.”
    Nikki felt her eyes fill with tears and she said, “Lance I really just can’t talk about it.”
    “Nikki did you really cheat on him? You can tell me anything you know that right?”
    “I can’t tell you right now Lance. It was hard enough saying it to JC. Please understand. I just need to have some time.”
    “Well I’d like to see you, hang out over a drink or something. Can we do that?”
    “I’m not at home Lance.”
    “Well where are you?”
    She paused for a second and said, “I’m in LA.”
    “LA?! Why?”
    “I just needed to get away. I couldn’t take the chance of running into JC after all this.”
    “What about me? What about the guys? We’re your friends too ya know.”
    “Lance this is hard enough on me as it is. Do you have to insist on making it worse?” she said in an irritated tone.
    “Look, I’m sorry Nikki. I’m sure this is just as hard on you as it is on JC. Just know that I am here okay. Call me whenever you need to talk.”
    “Thanks,” she said. “Hey, can you call up Justy for me and tell him what is up? He wanted me and JC to go with him and Jessica to the lakeside.”
    “Yeah, I’ll do that. Nikki, you take care, and please call me.”
    “I will. Thanks Lance.”
    “Talk to you soon,” he said and then hung up.
    Nikki set down the phone, wiped her eyes and then got up. She was glad that Lance wasn’t being a prick about it and hating her because of the whole thing that went down with her and JC. Though she couldn’t tell him everything now, she knew that she could eventually, and he would be there for her. Lance would most likely be upset for the choice that she made, but he would come to understand.

    “Lance, did you talk to her?” JC asked as he stood before his friend.
    “Yeah I did.”
    “And?”
    “I dunno C. She didn’t really tell me what all happened or what was up. I think she just needs some time.”
    “So you don’t think she cheated on me do you? Do you think I just started to bore her?”
    “JC I don’t know if she cheated on you or not. She really never said that she didn’t and she is a horrible liar.”
    “So you think she did,” JC paused. “Damn her,” he said. “I gave her everything. Why would she do that?!” JC threw himself on the couch and put his head in his hands. “Damn,” he repeated again.
    “I’m sorry C. I’ll talk to her again and see what I can get out of her.”
    “Thanks Lance, but I don’t want to know now. I’m through with her. I don’t need that shit. All these girls out there would die to go out with me. Maybe I will call up Elizabeth or something.”
    “JC, don’t go doing anything stupid. You and Nikki just broke up man.”
    “She didn’t have a problem doing something while we were together, so why should I care now that we are apart.”
    “JC, just take some time alright man. I mean, maybe things will work out.”
    “What, so you want me to call her and beg her to forgive ME for getting mad at her because SHE cheated on me? What’s that all about?”
    “JC I didn’t say that,” Lance said in his own defense.
    “It’s what you implied.”
    “But it isn’t what I meant.”
    “Well, maybe I will wait a little, but if she is going to slut around, I don’t need her. I know y’all are cool and all, but she just dissed on me man. Don’t you care?”
    “C, she is my friend and I can’t change that no matter what. And you know that she isn’t a slut.”
    “How do I know she didn’t sleep with someone else?” JC said and then Lance was silent.

    Two days later Lance was sitting by his computer and his phone rang. He picked it up after the second ring and said, “Hello?”
    “Lance?” Nikki said.
    “Yeah Nikki it’s me. Is something wrong? Are you alright?”
    “I’m fine Lance, but I am ready to talk.” Nikki had spent the previous day with Lynn and told her ERYTHING that time. Lynn stood by her side and though she wasn’t sure if Nikki had been all together smart in her decisions, she didn’t put her down for them. They figured out what they needed to tell Lance also.
    “I’m here. Talk away girl.”
    “Yes,” she said and then didn’t speak.
    “Yes what Nikki?”
    “Yes Lance, I cheated on JC,” she said and then licked his lower lip and chewed on it.
    “Why Nikki? I thought you two were so happy.”
    “I thought so too. I... I was uh... drunk.”
    “You didn’t...?” he said in hope that she wouldn’t say what he thought she was going to.
    “I did.”
    “Nikki,” he said with a sigh.
    “I... I’m sorry Lance,” she said. She was more sorry than he knew.
    “Who was it Nikki?” Lance asked.
    She was quick to say, “I don’t know.”
    Lance shook his head. He couldn’t believe that his sweet angelic friend could have done such a thing. “You didn’t even know him?”
    “No,” she said and continued to chew her lip. She couldn’t continue this much longer. “Lance I gotta go.”
    “But you’re... ya know... alright?” he asked kind of worried.
    This hurt her so much to say, but she replied with, “other than the fact that I hurt JC like I did... I’m fine Lance.”
    “Well, please keep in touch with my Nikki. We all do miss you.”
    “JC?”
    “He’s not doing so hot, but I’ll try to keep him in track. He wanted to hook up with some chic just because he was mad, but he didn’t do anything.”
    Nikki silently sighed in relief. It would have killed her if she knew that JC went right out and slept with someone else. “I gotta go Lance.”
    Just as she said that she heard a voice come into the room that Lance was in. “Who you talking to Lance?”
    Nikki knew JC’s voice anywhere. “Don’t tell him it was me please Lance,” she said quickly and then hung up.
    “No one,” he Lance told JC. “Just a wrong number.”



Part Four