Part Two
Joey stuck a french-fry in his nose and crossed his eyes. “How am I doing that?”
Jessica reached across the table and yanked the fry out of his nose and threw it as his face. “You’re being YOU!”
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Joey muttered under his breath.
“I heard that,” she snapped and kicked him in the shin.
“Oh, what was that for?” he yelped.
“Oh like you don’t know!”
“Sweetie, are you okay?” Lance asked his girlfriend.
She smiled and turned toward him. “I’m just fine.”
Lance gave her a look of confusion and replied with, “Okay.”
“I’m gonna go inside and get some more soda. You want anything?”
“Uhm, yeah can you grab me a beer?”
“Sure,” she smiled and kissed his forehead.
“I could use one too,” Joey yelled as she was about to walk inside.
“Get it yourself.”
“Oh my God what is wrong with her?” Joey laughed.
Lance laughed right back. “I haven’t got the slightest clue.”
Jessica walked into the kitchen and stopped when she saw Mercedes sitting at the kitchen table slowly putting potato chips in her mouth. “Mer are you alright?” she asked and slipped into the chair next to her.
Mercedes snapped out of her dream world and looked up at Jessica. “Huh?”
“Are you okay?” Jessica repeated.
“Yeah I’m fine,” she perked up. “Why?”
“Well you’re in here all alone.”
“Yeah, I was just getting some chips and I sat down and lost my train of thought.”
Jessica shook her head. “Are you still thinking about what I think you are?”
Mercedes knew exactly what she was referring to. She sighed, “I can’t help it. It’s just so confusing Jes. You’re the only one that knows, unless he told someone that is.”
“And you two haven’t spoken since it happened?”
She shook her head no. “It’s been a week and we haven’t said a word. We look at each other and it’s like we just don’t know what to say.”
“Well at least the other guys just think that you’re being hateful towards each other still.”
“Exactly.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I have no idea. I want to talk to him, but I don’t,” she wrinkled her nose. “Know what I mean?”
“Yeah I do. Things will work out though.”
“I just don’t know whether the kiss was a mistake, or if he meant it, or if I meant it.” Mercedes sighed and put her head on the table. “I just don’t know what to think of any of it.”
“Honestly, I don’t either. JC is weird. I’m sure he’ll open up and say something to you soon.”
“Yeah. I mean... I can’t stand him, and yet I want him for some reason. He gets on my nerves, but he makes my stomach flutter. It’s gross.”
Jessica laughed. “I think that you like him and you just don’t want to admit it.”
Mercedes knew exactly why she was afraid of him. She was afraid that one day she’d lose him just like she lost Marc. “There’s a long story behind that. I’ll tell it to you sometime.”
“Well I’d like to hear it. Next time we go out you can talk about whatever you want. Deal?”
Mercedes smiled. “Deal. Thanks Jes.”
“Anytime. Come on out back. Justin and Chris should be done with the food soon, and JC should be back anytime with the rest of the snacks and drinks.”
“Alright,” she smiled again and sighed as she got up.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Jessica said just before she opened the door. She back tracked and opened Justin’s fridge to get a soda and a beer. “You want?” she asked Mer and held up the soda.
“Yeah,” she answered. She grabbed the cold Mountain Dew and said, “Thanks.”
“Yup, let’s go girly,” Jessica said back and held open the back door as Mercedes walked through it and into the back yard.
“Here ya go sweetie,” Jessica said as she handed Lance his drink.
“Thanks babe.”
“Ew, you really did expect me to go get my own didn’t you?” Joey made a sour face at Jessica.
“Damn skippy,” she laughed.
“Fine, I’ll do it myself,” he blurted out and got up to go inside. “Gotta make a man do all the work and,” he muttered to himself as he walked inside.
Mercedes and Jessica laughed and then Mer walked over to Chris and Justin at the grill. “Gentlemen,” she said and put a hand on both of their backs.
“Hey there girl! Where you been hiding out?” Justin asked as he turned toward her.
“Oh, I was just inside.”
“Thought you ditched us,” Chris squealed.
“Never,” she laughed and ruffled his hair.
“Hey now! Not the hair.”
“Oh come on now,” she giggled. “Like your hair is perfect.”
“Nothing like mine,” Justin laughed and ran his hands through his golden locks.
“Do I smell ego,” Mercedes laughed.
Justin reached out and started to tickle her. She squirmed and tried to get away, but she was stuck within his grasp. Chris joined in and tickled her just as frequent as Justin did. “Do I smell an apology?” he laughed.
“Never,” she managed to say between laughs and gasps for air.
“If that’s what you wish,” he said and continued to tickle her. He got her on the ground and wrapped his legs around her waist so that she couldn’t get up.
“Ha! Get her,” Chris laughed as he watched Justin tickle Mercedes.
“What in the world?” JC started as he walked out the door to the house. He glanced over and saw Mercedes laying on the ground trying to escape Justin’s grasp of her.
Lance turned toward JC and said, “She told him that he had an ego.”
“The size of a hot air balloon,” JC joked back.
“Y’all are cruel,” Jessica laughed. In all honesty she thought it was funny to all extremes.
“Yes, but you love each of us anyway.”
“Except me,” Joey pouted as he stepped behind Jessica.
Jessica had been going crazy lately when it came to Joey. Just to get on her nerves, he spent one evening calling her every fifteen minutes. It was definitely pissing her off. “No Joey, on the contrary, for some reason I do love you too.”
“Even though I piss you off?”
“Even though you piss me off,” she laughed.
Their conversation was interrupted by the brutal scream of Mercedes saying, “I’m sorry!”
“What? I can’t hear you,” Justin toyed with her.
“I won’t say it again,” she said softly.
“You what?”
“I won’t say it again.”
“Why not? You said that twice.”
Mercedes could only laugh. “I’m gonna pee on myself and you if you don’t quit.”
The thought hit Justin like a ton of bricks and he rolled off of her. “I am only letting you go because I did hear you say sorry.”
Mercedes sat up and punched Justin in the stomach. “You suck!”
“Ugh,” Justin gasped for air.
“That was harsh,” Chris laughed.
Justin flung his arm out and his Chris in the ankle and made him fall flat on the floor. “So was that.”
The entire yard was filled with laughter as the two of them lay on the floor and wrestled. Nothing like two grown men playing like they were five years old. It was something that they were all used to though because it was what kept them going on the roughest of days.
“Break it up,” Joey laughed as he pulled Chris away from Justin. “I’m hungry. Finish our food.”
“Haha! I agree,” Mer chimed in right on cue.
Chris got up off of the ground and laughed. “Only because YOU are hungry too my dear,” he directed toward Mercedes and then flipped a hamburger.
Mercedes sat at the picnic table and had to give herself a mental slap at least twice in every five minute time period. She kept catching herself looking at JC and there was no way that she wanted to get caught looking at him. There was one time when he almost caught her, in fact, he probably did. She was about to take a bite of her hamburger and she was looking his way, when he turned and looked at her, she immediately bent her head down. In the process of doing this, she sent her nose straight into the glob of ketchup hanging off of her burger. There was no way that he could have missed that.
Joey looked over at Jessica and laughed under his breath. He cleared his throat and then threw a french-fry at her. Quickly he turned to JC and said, “What other food did you get?”
“Joseph Anthony!” Jessica yelled. “Lance I am gonna detach your best friend’s balls if he doesn’t leave me the hell alone.
“Whoa now,” Joey yelped and put his hands over his manhood.
Lance couldn’t resist the laughter. “Sweetie he is just trying to have some fun.”
“Fun? Fun?” her voice got higher. “Here,” she dipped a fry into her ketchup, “you have some fun too,” she said and threw it at Lance’s face.
The french-fry fell into his lap and a trace of ketchup trailed down his cheek. “You little,” he started and smeared some of his barbeque sauce across Jessica’s forehead.
Mercedes gasped and put her hand over her mouth.
“Food fight!” Chris yelled and took his hamburger apart and threw the bun at Joey.
“Hey!” Joey yelled back and tossed a handful of fries at Chris. There were a few that fell short and hit Justin instead.
“Ew! I didn’t throw anything at you!” Justin tried to yell but was cut off before he could say more. Jessica had thrown a pickle straight at his face. “Pickle?” he laughed as he looked at it. “This should go to Joey.” The entire crowd burst out with laughter in reference to Joey’s famous ‘hold the pickle’ line. Justin couldn’t help but get Mercedes involved.
“Jesus!” she yelled as she felt cold ice go down the back of her shirt. She reached for the first piece of food that she could reach. A handful of potato chips.
“Whoa that wasn’t right,” Justin flinched as the crumbled chips went down the front of his jeans.
“Crunchy dick! Crunchy dick!” Chris yelled.
“Gross, why are you thinking of that?” Lance asked almost before Chris finished saying it.
Chris shrugged, “Why aren’t you wearing any more food?” he asked back and then threw the other half of his bun at him.
Lance jerked sideways when it hit him and answered Chris with, “The same reason JC isn’t wearing any food.”
“No way!” JC declared. “Not getting caught up in this,” he tried to say.
“Sure you are,” Joey fixed his statement and smeared mustard all over JC’s face.
JC did his best to keep away from Joey’s hands, but his attempts failed. “You’re gonna pay,” he stated and splashed Jessica’s soda all over him.
“Damn C, that’s sticky,” he complained.
“And I have mustard all over me! Get over it,” he laughed.
“Oh I’ll get over it alright,” he laughed and shoved more stuff in JC’s face.
This charade continued and everyone was soon covered in every type of food or drink that was on the table. No one was spared. The girls had junk all in their hair and mashed into their clothing. They were sure that Joey and Chris’s girlfriends would be glad that they couldn’t make it to Justin’s for this particular event. It was all in fun though. The only bad thing would be cleaning it all up.
“I will not pick that up,” Joey stated.
“Yes you will,” Justin demanded. “You threw it. You pick it up.”
“But J, look at it,” Joey said and looked at the pile of gross stuff laying in the yard. “It’s gross.”
Justin shrugged.
Mercedes was on her hands and knees with a scrubber and was trying to get the red soda stain out of the rug by Justin’s back door. She knew that she had thrown the soda, so she should have to clean it up. Justin knelt down next to her and Mercedes just laughed.
“You don’t have to do this Mer,” he said.
Mercedes looked at him and rolled her eyes. “I just heard what you said to Joey. I’m cleaning my mess.”
“Damn straight you are,” Joey butted in.
Justin turned and gave him a dirty look.
“I agree,” JC said to Joey. JC was picking up trash off of the table and couldn’t help but stick his nose in.
Mercedes heard JC and her ears turned red. All afternoon people had been having fun and JC never once said a word to Mer. He didn’t even throw anything at her. Then again, she didn’t try to connect with him either, so she really had no room to speak. She just didn’t like how when there was an opportunity to put her down or disagree with something dealing with her, he jumped at the chance.
“Thanks bro,” Joey laughed.
Lance and Jessica were walking out to the front of the house with a bag of trash, while the others continued to clean. “What’s the deal with you and Joe?” Lance asked.
“What do you mean?” Jessica said back, not bothering to look up.
“You guys have been arguing all day. Y’all are making up for the weird silence between Mer and JC.”
“He’s just being his normal self. He’s been trying to piss me off and he’s succeeding.”
“What’s he doing?” Lance asked and lifted the garbage lid and placed the bag inside it.
“He called me thirty-four times within a two hour period the other night.”
“Thirty-four?! Wow,” Lance laughed. Joey had once called him fifteen times, but thirty-four was a bit extreme. He must really want to get on Jessica’s nerves.
“It’s okay. I’m just trying to think of a good way to get him back.”
“We’ll think of a way,” Lance chuckled. “I’m sure he just decided to mess with you this time because he couldn’t mess with Chris, since he was kind of living there at the time.
Jessica laughed. “Yeah, I guess. I just figure that I can be mean to him for awhile and it will make him mad until I can find something mean to do to him.”
“Sounds like a deal to me,” he said and walked through the gate behind Jessica. “Let’s finish cleaning this mess so we can actually have more fun.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” she smiled and continued to help pick up the extreme mess that they had all made. At least they had fun doing it.
“Mer can you go get me a rag?” Justin asked Mercedes.
“Sure,” she smiled and got up off of the ground. She trotted up the stairs to the back door of Justin’s house and then entered the kitchen. She quickly turned the corner and ran straight into someone. “Sorry,” she quickly said before even looking up.
JC stared straight at her. Soon his eyes met hers. “It’s okay.”
“I wasn’t watching where I was going. Sorry,” she stumbled to say and then went around him to the sink.
JC watched as she turned on the water and wet the rag she had just taken out of the drawer. “So how are you?” he tried to be humble and ask what any other person would.
Mercedes was surprised that he actually seemed to care. After the comment that he had made earlier. Sure, it wasn’t a true rude comment, like she had become accustom to, but it wasn’t one to defend her either. “I’m alright.”
“That’s good,” he sighed. “Look...about...”
“Last week,” she was quick to say. “It was a mistake, I know.” Mercedes shook her head and looked down as she spoke.
Not exactly what JC was going to say, but he agreed anyway. “Yeah.”
“You still don’t like me and I still don’t like you,” she tried to convince herself.
“Right.”
“And nothing is going to change.”
“Right,” JC tried to agree again. He held his beer within both hands and kept his head held low. He didn’t know what to say. Maybe what she was saying was all true. Maybe it was a mistake to kiss her. Maybe their hate was strong than any love that had the potential to grow. Maybe.... Maybe Mercedes was dead wrong.
Mercedes turned off the water and looked over at JC. His head was still held low and he didn’t say a word. “I’ve got to go help Justin.”
“Right,” he said quietly.
Mer stopped dead in her tracks. “Is that the only word you know how to say?”
JC thought for a second. “No, but if I said what I was really thinking you would probably just start arguing with me again, and right now I don’t want to deal with it. Things have been good today and I don’t want you and I to have a confrontation and screw it all up.”
Mer nodded but said nothing. She turned quick on her toes and opened the door again and then took two steps at a time down to Justin. “Here,” she said to him in a sullen tone.
Justin looked up at her as he took the rag. “Thanks. Mer, are you alright?”
“Fine,” she gave a fake smile. “Just have a slight headache is all.”
“Joey’s complaining is finally getting to her,” Chris intruded.
“She’s not the only one,” Jessica said under her breath.
“I heard that,” Lance laughed. Jessica smiled up at him and kissed his cheek.
JC finally opened the door and came back out of Justin’s house. “Here,” he said as he approached Joey and handed him a beer.
“Thanks bro. Thought you got lost.”
“Kinda did I guess,” he said in a quiet monotone voice. He glanced at Mer sitting on the ground and then pulled himself up a spot next to Joey, and went on like nothing had happened.
“Wow, this place looks as good as new,” Jessica laughed.
“Yeah it does,” Justin agreed. “Thanks for helping clean it all up.”
“You didn’t make the mess yourself,” Mercedes stated.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Justin chuckled. “I say we all go out. Hit the bowling alley or something.”
“Sounds good to me,” Joey said and imitated a bowling stance.
“Me too,”’ Chris said. “I haven’t been out bowling in a long time.”
“There’s seven of us though. We can’t make even teams.”
“Well I guess one will just have four then,” JC said.
“Mer, Jess, you gals any good?” Justin asked.
“I’m pretty bad,” Jessica laughed.
“And she’s very truthful,” Lance laughed as well.
“Hey,” Jessica yelped and hit Lance.
“I used to bowl a lot,” Mer added in.
“Sounds good to me,” Justin said after Mer spoke. “Me, Lance, and the girls. Then you three,” he pointed at JC, Joey, and Chris.
JC looked at his team. “We’ll whoop y’alls asses.”
“Yeah we will!” Joey agreed.
“I’m with them,” Chris said.
“Alrighty. Let’s go get cleaned up, then we can head out around nine or so.”
“Meet back here in an hour?” Chris asked.
Everyone looked at their watches. “Yup,” Joey said. “I’m off to take a nice shower.”
“I’m totally with Joey. I feel gross,” Mercedes added.
“You wanna shower with me?” Joey twisted Mercedes’s words.
“Not a chance,” she giggled. “I’m going to my house to get in my shower. You’re on your own buddy.”
The rest of the group couldn’t help but laugh. All but JC, with half a smile on his face he just stood there and looked at Mer.
An hour later, everyone had showed back up at Justin’s house and they were all ready to head out to the bowling alley. “We should call and reserve two lanes on the far right side,” Justin suggested.
“I’ll call,” JC said. He went to the alley quite often, so they would know who he was when he called. JC pulled the phone off of the cradle and dialed the alley’s number.
“Romper Lanes, this is Kat speaking. How can I help you?” the lady at the desk said when she answered the phone.
“Kat hey, it’s JC.”
“Hey C. You want a lane?” she knew exactly who he was.
“Yeah. Two actually. All the guys are gonna go.”
“You want the usual lane?”
“Yeah, the last two on the right if you can.”
Kat clicked a button on her computer and saw that there were a total of five lanes open, and two of them just happened to be the ones that JC wanted. “They’re open,” she smiled. “We’ve got a pretty full house tonight C,” she told him.
“Eh, is that bad?”
“Nah, I would say that you’re pretty safe. The elder’s league is here tonight. We’re not allowed to let families in when there is a league here.”
“So should we not come? I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“Nah, it’s okay. Dan says it’s okay for you to come in. I think it’s just a rule so that there aren’t any kids.”
JC laughed. “Chris is coming though.” Chris turned at the mention of his name. JC just held up a finger and waited for Kat.
She immediately laughed. “I think he’ll be alright.”
“Okay, thanks. We should be in pretty soon here. Just gathering our junk in the car.”
“You guys going to need anything specific?”
“Nah,” JC shook his head as if she could see it. “Thanks Kat. See ya later,” he said just before hanging up.
Kat hung up the phone and clicked their slot numbers into the computer just to save their spots. She wanted to make sure that non of the league members got a hold of those lanes if one of theirs went out.
“I didn’t know you knew all the people there,” Chris laughed.
“I don’t know them ALL,” he stressed. “Kat is just there a lot when I go in.”
“Are we gonna have major competition?” Mer whispered to Jessica.
“He’s pretty good,” she whispered back.
‘I bet,’ she thought to herself. “Well we’ll just have to show him up,” she laughed quietly.
“Not with my help,” Jessica giggled. “I suck to all extremes.”
Mercedes laughed at her pure confidence of failure. “Lance she isn’t that bad is she?”
Lance looked at Mer and then at Jessica. “Uh...”
“It’s okay baby. I won’t hit you.”
“Yeah, she sucks a lot.”
Jessica shrugged and made the most adorable face. “Told ya!” she flaunted.
Another giggle escaped Mer’s lips. “That’s okay. I’ll make sure we whoop up on him.” Mercedes just wanted the satisfaction of winning. At that point in time she didn’t care what she had to do. JC’s team would lose.
“Tell me she is not about to bowl like that,” Chris laughed when Jessica stood in front of the alley to bowl.
Lance laughed. “Oh yes she is.”
Mercedes covered her mouth to try to hold back the laughter. “Girl you are crazy.”
Jessica sat down in front of the alley. She faced the pins and put the ball right on the small black line. She pushed her butt back and then extended her legs. Jessica turned her head and looked back at her team. “I can’t bowl so I might as well keep it interesting.” Just as she said that, she kicked out her feet and they hit the ball and sent it rolling down the alley.
“Oh my God, she SO just kicked the ball down the lane.”
“Aren’t there rules against that or something?” Joey asked in a joking matter.
“I don’t think she’d care,” both JC and Mercedes said at the same time. The two of them looked at one another and then tried to ignore what they had just done.
Jessica got off of the floor and walked towards them. She turned just in time to see that her ball had knocked down two pins. She jumped and said, “Go me!”
Mercedes gave her a high five. “Power to you girl.”
“Ha, thanks. Oh, and you’re right. I don’t care,” she said loud enough for Joey to hear.
“You’re still up you know,” Joey stated and pointed at the monitor above their heads.
Jessica giggled. “Oh yeah.” She grabbed her ball and made a smirk. “Ya know, I wanna try this the right way. Joey, can you help me?”
“It this a trick?” he asked.
“Oh I don’t want to know what she’s thinking in that head of hers,” Lance whispered to Mercedes.
Justin overheard and said, “I think that we’re about to find out.”
“No I’m not trying to play a trick on you,” she said with a puppy look.
“Okay look,” he said and led her to the first set of dotted lines. “Put your feet here,” he placed his toes just before the dots. “Then step out and bring your arm back,” he demonstrated. “Then when you get here, you release,” he said as he got to the solid line at the end of the lane.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah,” he said.
Jessica shook her hips and smiled. “I can do this."
Joey went back and stood right behind the dotted line. “Go for it.”
“So I just,” she said softly and stepped in front of him.
Joey turned back to look at Lance. He mouthed the words, “She’s nuts.”
Just as he had turned, Jessica took her first direction. “I just do this,” she said before Joey turned back around. Before Joey had time to respond Jessica was already in action. The only problem was that she forgot to step out first. Her arm swung straight back. That’s right. The bowling ball went straight at Joey’s groin. It was no mistake. Jessica knew exactly what she was doing, and she thought it was funny. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed when she heard Joey squeal. Her bowling ball then fell right on Joey’s foot.
“Jesus! Oh my, fuck!” he yelled.
Jessica’s jaw dropped when Joey hit the floor. “Oops,” she said innocently. “I think I forgot to step out.”
Joey huffed and puffed and everyone gathered around him. They were all laughing hysterically but they felt that they needed to check on his. “Whoa bro, you okay?” Justin asked as he knelt next to his groaning friend.
Joey’s face was bright red and he couldn’t answer in a complete sentence. “Was..... wrong..... bad......”
“I admit that was all kinds of wrong,” JC laughed.
Joey shot him an evil look.
“Whoa dude. I was agreeing with you,” JC defended himself.
“Did I break your foot Joey? I’m so sorry!” Jessica finally said.
His teeth were grinding as he held his hand over his man hood. “Feet... pain... okay...”
“Eek, you’re not talking too good,” she grinned.
“If I could get up I would hurt you,” Joey finally said a full sentence.
“I told you I couldn’t bowl. I guess I can’t learn either.”
Lance wanted to fall on the ground laughing. He knew that Jessica had pleasure his hurting Joey that way. It was her payback. “Here man, let’s get you off the floor so the next person can go.” Lance, with the help of Chris and Justin, pulled Joey to the chair where Joey propped up his feet and kept close guard of his family jewels.
“That was classic,” Mercedes laughed as she walked to the other bench with Jessica.
“Hopefully that will teach him not to call me thirty-four times at night!”
“Jess you still have a turn you know,” Justin said.
“Oh,” she said and then hurried to grab a ball. This time she did exactly what Joey said, and she got a gutter ball. “I do better when I’m on the floor.”
Chris burst into laughter and looked at Lance. Lance just smiled and nodded. “Comedy!” Chris then shouted. “Jess likes the floor.”
Jessica frowned and walked briskly to Chris. With her firsts balled up she said, “Do you want black and blue balls to match those of Mr. Fatone’s?”
Chris covered himself immediately and answered with, “Sorry.”
“That’s what I thought. Justin, you’re up,” she said and then took her seat next to the now laughing Mercedes.
They had played six frames and it was JC’s turn again. He spun the ball in the shoot and then stuck his fingers into the three holes of the ball. He picked it up and walked onto the alley. Mercedes couldn’t help but watch him. JC took a deep breath and then stepped forward. He stopped just before he got to the line and looked behind him. His eyes dead locked with Mer’s.
JC tried to play it cool. It looked away from her and put the ball down between his feet. He knelt down and tied his shoes and peeked over his should just long enough to see that Mer was still looking at him. He smiled half a smile and then stood up and took a few steps back and then started over again. He stepped out and released the ball. The blue and black colored ball spun down the lane and collided head on with the first three pins. Those pins hit the others and JC yelled, “STRIKE!” when each of them had fallen.
“Whoa, that makes four in a row buddy,” Chris laughed. “And here you guys thought you’d win. Just because one of our men is slightly out of function doesn’t mean that C and I won’t back up his plays.”
“I do believe that the scores are almost tied aren’t they?” Mercedes stated.
“Not for long.”
“Whatever,” she said. “Justin, it’s your go. Get us a strike!”
“Will do,” he smiled and went out to the lane. He did exactly what he said too. “Yeah!” he yelled when he too got a strike.
“Yea!” Mer smiled and jumped on him. She just happened to look over his shoulder and catch JC looking at them with disgust. He was jealous to all extremes, and this time she wasn’t even trying to do it to him.
Justin spun in a circle with Mer in his arms and then he set her down and said, “Go get another strike for us.”
They were all on the last frame of their game and the scores were close to even. If JC got this next strike, their team would win. If he didn’t, his pride would fall as Mercedes’s victory took stand. Chris and Joey sat on the bench and waited for JC to make his move. Mercedes couldn’t allow herself to just sit there and watch JC get the strike that he was destined to get. She had to do something.
Pushing away all of her previous beliefs, she cleared her throat and walked over to JC’s side of the lane. “JC,” she said.
Jessica and Lance faced one another with a look of confusion covering their faces. Chris and Joey did the exact same thing. Justin sat with his legs underneath him and just watched what was going on. He knew that Mer and JC hadn’t been on speaking terms, so he assumed she was just trying to break his concentration.
JC turned and his eyebrows raised. “What? Afraid you’re gonna lose?” he smarted off.
She got really close to him and put her hand on his shoulder to get him to lean down a little. He did so and she put her mouth next to his ear. “I just wanted to say that I was sorry for this afternoon,” she whispered. Before backing away she lightly blew in his ear and then flicked her tongue ever so lightly against his ear.
This simple act alone sent chills through JC’s entire body and his knees felt weak. “Uh huh,” he managed to utter. His heart was beating at a much faster rate and his hands were shaking. No one else could see what she did or hear what she said for that matter. They were all left to wonder. The next move was what they were waiting for.
“Get with it C,” Joey yelled.
JC turned toward them and then back to Mercedes. She glanced up at him and then headed over toward Justin. But she stopped just a few steps before she got to him. She looked over her shoulder at JC and he was still looking at her. ‘Perfect,’ she thought to herself. Mercedes lifted her right leg ever so slowly and then placed her foot on the chair. Her long fingers glided down her smooth leg and then stopped at the foot, so she could tied the lace that had somehow come loose. After she tied her shoe, she turned over he shoulder and said, “Yeah. Get with it C,” in an extremely seductive voice.
‘That was so unfair,’ JC thought. He used his free hand to touch the ear that Mercedes’s lips had just come in contact with. He shook his head and then stepped out to bowl. The ball hit the lane and spun down the alley. With his teeth clenched, JC watched as the pins started to fall. Three. Five. Eight. ... That was it. He didn’t get the strike. “Shit,” he cursed.
Mer, Justin, Lance, and Jessica all laughed and yelled as they had just won the game. “Oh yeah!” Justin yelled.
“Mer you were wrong girl!” Chris yelled back.
“What are you talking about?” she laughed.
“What the hell did you just do?” Joey asked.
“Were you not watching? Need me to do it again?” she said sarcastically.
“Mer that was all kinds of wrong,” JC said as he got closer to her.
“It’s life,” she said and tried to distance herself from him.
“And,” he pointed to his ear and then looked at her for an answer.
Mercedes licked her lips and replied with, “I told you I’d win.”
“THAT wasn’t a game Mercedes and you know it.” JC wasn’t please with what she had just done. She apologized and only did it for the sake of the bowling game.
“Anything to do with me and you is a game JC. If you can’t handle it, turn in your game piece.”
JC took a deep breath and let it all out. “You can be such...”
“Such a what?” she provoked.
“Guys, let’s not do this alright,” Justin said. He didn’t want to see them fighting all over again. He liked it better when they were playing the silent treatment with one another.
Mercedes ran her tongue over her teeth and then put her hands on her hips. “I agree,” she said looking right at JC.
“I’m ready to go,” JC said and turned abruptly on his toes.
Justin turned to Mer and asked her what her deal was. “Nothing,” she answered back. “He just gets on me nerves.”
“What did you say to him earlier?”
“Nothing,” she mumbled. “Look... can we just go? Please?”
“Yeah. Y’all ready?”
“Yeah,” they all answered back. They weren’t sure of what had just happened but they hoped that things got better soon.
Mercedes looked over at the angry JC and she actually felt bad. She didn’t know what to say to him. She honestly wanted to apologize, but she knew that she had messed up bad that time. She dropped the thoughts from her head and promised herself that she would try to fix them the next day. Just her and JC.