PART FOUR

  “Stop the room,” Mercedes mumbled as she rolled over in her bed. She put her hands against her forehead and groaned. “My Lord,” she then said. She sat up and immediately felt sick to her stomach, so she lay herself back down. “Stop spinning!” she yelled. “Bad, bad,” she scolded herself only second later. Yelling was probably not a good idea right then. Her head was throbbing and her mouth was dry and gross feeling.
  A few minutes later she decided to try again. Slowly she sat up in her bed. She took careful breaths and held her hands on her stomach. “I need medicine,” she finally said. Carefully she staggered her way out of her bed and shuffled her feet across the cream colored rug. Mercedes held onto the railing as she took each step one at a time. Further downstairs she could hear a chipper person whistling and tossing around some plates.
  “Morning sunshine,” Chris proclaimed as Mercedes stumbled in the kitchen and threw herself in a chair by the counter. “Well aren’t we perky today,” he joked.
  Mercedes glared at him and then put her head on the counter.
  “Not feeling well?” he asked? “Had a little too much to drink last night?” he toyed with her.
  “Chris,” she said and raised her head just enough so that she could make eye contact with him. “I feel like dog ass.”
  “Well isn’t that a pretty picture,” he laughed.
  Mercedes looked up at him. “How are you so perfect right now?”
  “I’ve been drinking longer than you have.”
  “Not fair. You should be dying with me,” she sort of managed to say before throwing her head back into her hands on the counter top. Between her arms she said, “I need some medicine. Make this go away.”
  Chris chuckled and walked over to the pantry and then to the refrigerator. “Here,” he said and put a beer and two Tylenol on the counter space next to her.
  “Chris I have a hangover. I don’t want any more alcohol,” she fussed.
  “It will help. I promise. Would I steer you wrong darling?” he asked and patted her soft brown hair.
  Mercedes sighed and looked up at him. “No,” she whined.
  “Okay then. Have at it,” he said and handed her the beer.
  Mercedes stuck the pills in her mouth and then rinsed them down with a swig of the beer. Her face cringed as it went down. “If this makes me feel worse, I’m coming after your ass when I can see straight again.”
  Chris laughed at her humor even when she was hung over like a wet piece of laundry on the line. “You will be welcome to me. Why don’t you go sit on the couch with your beer and watch some TV?” he motioned to the living room.
  “Can I eat?” she asked. Truth be told, Mercedes was never a drinker. She had had a few sips of Raspberry Vodka once and simply adored it, so it’s what she told Chris she wanted. On occasion she would have a few Fuzzy Navels, or Mike Hards, but never before had she drank to the point of being drunk.
  “Yeah, I’ll make you up something that will be able to settle.”
  “Thank you,” she slurred. “I’mma go watch TV now,” she said and then slowly made her way to the couch, with the beer in her hand, and started flipping through the channels.
  “Amateur,” Chris laughed and then continued with his breakfast cooking.

  Mercedes was sprawled out on the couch when she heard the doorbell ring. “Chris?” she softly said as she looked back over the couch. She really didn’t feel like moving. “Chris?” she said a little louder.
  “Yeah,” he said and walked out of the side room.
  “Doorbell rang.”
  “And you couldn’t answer it?”
  “I’m not dressed appropriately,” she semi-lied. She had on just a long t-shirt, but the truth was that she didn’t want to get up to walk to the door.
  As Chris made his way to the door he asked Mercedes if she cancelled the rest of her interviews for the week. After all, she was already hired at one. “Why go to the rest?” he added in.
  “Well, I didn’t have one today. I’ll cancel my two for tomorrow later,” she kind of rattled off as he approached the door.
  “C man,” Chris reported as he opened the door.
  “Shit,” Mercedes mumbled and picked up her beer.
  “Hey,” JC replied and walked in around Chris. He stopped and looked at a rough looking Mercedes all over the couch and coffee table. He noticed the beer in her hand. “She’s got a hangover eh?” he chuckled.
  “Like you wouldn’t believe,” Chris answered quietly.
  “Anyway,” he tried to change the subject, but didn’t take his eyes off of Mercedes. “I left my watch here last night.”
  “So?”
  “So I need it.”
  “Well, where is it?”
  “I took it off in the kitchen I think,” JC tried to remember.
  “I’m not looking for it,” Chris immediately said back.
  “I’m going,” JC said and headed for the kitchen. “Don’t you look like Miss America,” JC teased as he passed Mercedes.
  Her hand went straight in the air and her favorite finger shot up. “Shove it,” she simply stated and then remained silent and focused on the TV.
  JC rolled his eyes and continued into the kitchen. He looked around and then finally found his watch next to the window by the sink. “Found it,” he told Chris.
  “Are you leaving now?” Mercedes asked in hope.
  JC couldn’t resist the chance to be mean. “Actually beauty queen, I’m not.” He slowly approached her. He placed himself in front of the TV and waited for her to say something.
  Forget the words. Mercedes beamed the plastic cup holder right at him. JC caught it as it hit him in the stomach and he groaned in the process.
  “You’re in my way,” she spoke.
  “And you just threw something at me.”
  Chris just watched from the kitchen.
  “Like I said, you are in my way.” Her tone was not exactly the friendliest sounding he’d heard.
  “Why are you so cruel?” he finally asked.
  Mercedes eyes were cold as she stared into his. She abruptly stood up and slammed the remote on the coffee table. Her long t-shirt went to about mid thigh and her hair was in a messy pony tail. She walked up to JC, shoved him and then walked out of the living room. Actually, she stormed out of it. She hit her hand hard on the railing and stomped her feet up the stairs.
  JC hit the TV when Mercedes had pushed him, almost causing him to break a crystal on Chris’s hutch. “What a...”
  “What is this deal with you two? Jesus. C, if you like her, tell her. Don’t be such a prick.”
  “A prick? I am not! Did you see how she was towards me? Why should I be nice to that? And hell no I don’t like her. Shit Chris.”
  “Then why are you getting so defensive?” Chris pointed out.
  JC stood there silent. “You know what. I’m outta here. I’ll talk to you later,” JC said and then turned to leave.
  “C, I’m sorry man. I’m just getting sick of it all. You two are horrible,” he followed JC toward the door.
  “You think I don’t see that?”
  “You’re the only one that doesn’t like her C.”
  “Not true. Bobbie can’t stand her.”
  “I wonder why! Bobbie doesn’t like anyone who she finds threatening to herself and her ‘property’,” he commented.
  “I’m not her property Chris.”
  “Stand up to her then man. Why you keep letting her come back?”
  JC was silent.
  “Don’t take out your stress with Bobbie on Mercedes.”
  “No offense to you or anything Chris, but Mercedes is a bitch. So anything that I say to her is because of who she is, not because of what Bobbie and I are going through. Got it?” he snapped.
  Chris crossed his arms. “Got it.”
  JC’s face crinkled with anger. “Chris I don’t want her being here to screw with us. She’s just a chic.”
  “Yeah,” Chris said. “But either way, she’s my friend too JC. I can’t choose sides here. If you want to hate her, go right ahead. I’m obviously not capable of changing your mind on this situation. Maybe you should stay clear of her for a day.”
  “Fine by me,” JC stated.
  “We’re gonna be alright by the day after tomorrow right man?” Chris asked. He really didn’t like the fact that they were fighting.
  “Why then?” JC asked not knowing why Chris picked that day in particular.
  “The dinner thing we all have to go to. And that little get together deal afterwards.”
  “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
  Chris wasn’t surprised.
  “Yeah, we’re cool. I’m sorry. I’ll try harder to cool it with her. I didn’t know us hating one another would fuss with you.”
  “Just don’t hiss and she won’t bite.”
  JC let out a small laugh. “I gotta go. I need to see if Bobbie can stay out here for that dinner thing.”
  “Okay. Later man,” Chris said and gave him a friendly hit on the back.
  “Later,” JC said back and dug into his pockets for his keys as he walked toward his car.
  Chris shut the door and sighed as he walked back into the smaller room off of the living room. All the meanwhile, Mercedes sat at the top of the stairs with her arms wrapped around her knees. She had heard the whole thing. She didn’t realize what all the crap with her and JC meant with Chris and JC’s friendship. It was plain and simple. She’d have to try harder.

  A couple hours later Mercedes was sitting at the glass table in the den. She wore her hair back in a french twist, and her clothes were cute but comfortable. She couldn’t believe that Chris’s remedy with the beer and Tylenol would actually work. At least now she knew for next time.
  “Yes, this is Mercedes Cooper. I need to cancel my four o’clock with Mr. Roberts.”
  “Okay Miss Cooper. I have taken you off of the list. Do you need to reschedule?” the receptionist asked.
  “No thank you I don’t.”
  “Ok. Thank you for calling Altine Law Firm. Have a nice day,” the woman said.
  “You too,” Mercedes said and they both hung up. “One down, two to go,” she said as she marked Altine off of her calendar.
  “What are you doing?” Chris asked as he walked in the room.
  Mercedes turned around and saw him sitting at the turn table on the other side of the room. “Just canceling the rest of my interviews.”
  “So what, you just tell them you got another job?” he asked.
  “No. You just cancel it. They don’t ask specifics.”
  “Sweet,” he said and then continued to shuffle through his CD’s.
  “What are you doing today?” she asked.
  “Ah, I don’t know.”   “No big plans. That’s so unlike you,” she laughed.
  “Yeah well,” he smiled. “Hey, you’re coming with us to that thing tomorrow night right?”
  “Tomorrow night? What thing?” she played innocent.
  “Nah, it’s the day after actually. Uhm, I don’t know really. It’s a dinner thing and then a little get together reception like thing.”
  “You don’t even know what you’re going to Chris?”
  “I just go where I am told,” he laughed. “Are you going or not?”
  “I don’t know,” she looked down. She really didn’t want to have to be around JC any more than was really called for.
  “I think Justin is going to ask you to go with him,” Chris added.
  “Why?”
  “Why not?”
  “He doesn’t, like, like me does he?” she asked.
  “Well duh Mer, he is attracted to you. But Justin’s not dumb. He can tell that you aren’t interested. I think he’s just trying to be nice is all.”
  “Well, if he asks, I’ll go. Otherwise I am gonna just hang out here and order pizza or something.”
  “Whatever floats your boat, but I am sure that J is gonna ask.”
  Mercedes smiled. Deep down, she was happy that Justin was being so nice. He did pay her plenty of attention. She just wanted to make sure that she wasn’t leading him on. She liked him and all, but she didn’t want it to go any further than a friendship with them. “I need to finish these calls,” Mercedes said. “Then maybe we can go out for ice cream or something.”
  “Sounds good to me,” he said and then stood. “I’m gonna go out there so I don’t make too much noise.”
  “Thanks Chris,” she said and watched him as he walked out of the room. Mercedes sighed and looked in her book for the next number that she had to call.

  “I’ll get it!” Mercedes said and ran down the rest of the stairs that she was already half way down. She jogged to the door and then pulled it open to find a Justin Timberlake standing up against the wall. “Hey,” she said and leaned against the door.
  “Hey,” Justin replied and pulled himself off of the wall.
  “Come on in,” Mercedes told him.
  “Chris here?”
  “Yeah, you want me to go get him?” she asked and motioned to the back room.
  “Nah it’s cool. I came here to talk to you actually,” he said and walked into the living room.
  “Really?” Mercedes smiled. She bet ten bucks she knew why he was there.
  “Yeah,” he said and stood against the back of the couch with his arms folded over his broad chest. “So uh,” he all of a sudden got shy.
  “Yeah?” Mercedes said softly and sat on the arm of the same couch Justin was leaning on.
  “I was just wondering, I mean, I know you just wanna be friends, and that is way fine with me, but would you maybe want to go with me to the dinner thing we have the day after tomorrow?”
  “Like a date?” she smiled.
  “Well no, but uh,” he started.
  “I’d love to.”
  Justin smiled. “That’s great,” he said.
  “Just as long as it’s just ya know, as friends.”
  “Friends, that’s it. I promise,” Justin said immediately. “I know that you don’t want anything more. I am really fine with that. I just thought ya know, that you might want to go... meet some of our management... all that stuff,” he added.
  “I’d like that yes. I’m gonna be moving here soon so I would like to meet more of you guys’ friends.”
  “Cool.”
  Mercedes smiled at his nice gestures. “So what are you doing tomorrow?” she asked.
  “Uhm, I was going to go over to the studio and kind of fool around. Why?”
  “Well, since we’re friends and all now... I thought maybe we could hang out or something. But since you’ve got...”
  He interrupted her. “No I’d like that. For us being friends, I don’t know a lot about you,” he laughed.
  “I don’t know a lot about you either,” she laughed too.
  “So come with me to the studio?”
  “You wouldn’t mind?”
  “No, not at all.”
  “Okay then. That sounds good.”
  “Good,” he moved off of the couch. “Well I gotta get going. Uh tell Chris I stopped by and that I’ll talk to him later.” Justin slowly moved towards the door.
  Mercedes followed him. “So what time?”
  “Oh yeah. I was going to go over around ten or so. Is that okay?”
  “That’s fine,” she said and stood by the now open door.
  “Cool. I’ll see you then.”
  “Okay,” she smiled.
  “Later,” Justin said and then walked down the small pathway to his motorcycle. He grabbed the helmet, put it on his head, straddled the bike, turned the handles, and left the driveway.
  Mercedes shut the door and then went into the kitchen, where she was headed when Justin rang the doorbell. “What to have for dinner,” she said as she opened the fridge and began her quest for food.

  It was a couple of hours later when Mercedes sat on her bed with the phone in her hand in the guest room. “Yes daddy,” she said and leaned back on her bed.
  “So is Chris the same as he always was?”
  “Exactly,” she laughed. “I am so glad that I am getting to spend time with him. I had forgotten how much fun I had with him.”
  “Have you met his other friends?” her father asked.
  “I’ve met the rest of the guys in his group, yeah.”
  “Are they like Chris?” he asked as he grabbed a coke out of the refrigerator.
  “Well they all have their own personalities of course. They aren’t quite as weird as him I don’t think,” she laughed. “They all blend great together though. They are such sweethearts too. Well, almost all of them,” she said. She couldn’t forget about JC and his arrogant self.
  “What do you mean?”
  “I just don’t get along with one of them. He’s really full of himself I think. Just... I don’t know dad. It’s weird. We can’t be in the same room together without yelling.”
  “Mer, that’s not like you. You get along with everyone,” he was surprised.
  “I know! I don’t get it. The others are wonderful though and they make up for it. Justin, he’s the youngest but only three years younger than I, he’s a doll. We’re cool though. Working through it all as just friends.”
  “Just friends?”
  “Yeah. He’s so sweet and all, but I just want friends right now. Not relationships.”
  “That’s understandable. So baby, I can’t believe you got the job. When are you coming back home?”
  “Well, I’m still coming home as scheduled. Three days, in the evening sometime. I’ll be home for a while... until I can get someone to hook me up with a place here. The firm said that they will have my office in a month, so I am hoping to find a good place by then. If not, I’ll probably come stay with Chris for a few days or so.”
  “Well I miss you sweetie. I can’t wait to see you.”
  “I can’t wait to see you either daddy. I’ll be home soon though.”
  “And I am glad to hear that.”
  Mercedes smiled. She really did miss her father. Spending six years away from him was hard. And now she’s moving to Orlando and away from him again. Just a part of life though she figured.
  “Now Mercedes, you be nice to that boy okay?”
  “Me, to JC? Ha,” she laughed. “Actually, I’ve got to try a little harder. I think all the fighting between him and I is bothering Chris.”
  “Why?”
  “Just cause he considers me like his little sister I guess. I’m not sure.”
  “Well if you and this JC boy don’t get along, you really should talk to Chris. Tell him you are a big girl and that you can deal with him yourself. You and this boy shouldn’t have an effect on him.”
  “I know. I’ll talk to him about it.”
  “You do that sweetie. Well, your old man is getting tired. I was up early this morning.”
  “Okay. Well, sleep well. I will see you soon.”
  “You too sweetheart. I love you.”
  “I love you too. Bye,” she said and then waited for him to say bye back and then she hung up. She rolled over in bed and then decided that she really should go talk to Chris and just get it all over with.

  Mercedes slowly popped her head in the door to Chris’s room. “Chris?” she said quietly.
  Chris turned in his chair. “Mer, you okay?” he asked right out of concern.
  “Yeah, no I’m fine,” she stumbled out. She stepped into the room and leaned against the wall. Her long white shirt hung to her knees and her hair was lightly pulled back. “Can we talk?”
  “Yeah, sure,” he said and pointed at the couch near him. “What’s wrong Mer?”
  Mercedes walked over to the couch and sat with on leg curled underneath her body. “We need to talk about this whole JC thing,” she started.
  “Mer,” Chris interrupted.
  “No,” she cut back in. “I heard what you guys were talking about this afternoon.”
  Chris bit his lower lip. “All of it?” he asked.
  “Yeah. I heard it all. Look,” she said and shook her head. “I don’t want this to be effecting you and JC’s friendship. This has nothing to do with you two. He and I just don’t get along is all.”
  “But Mer you’re like,” he began.
  “I know. You just don’t want us to fight because you’re afraid that maybe I’ll take something he says too serious, and get hurt in the process. Well Chris, I’m all grown up now, and I need to fight my own fights. If JC and I want to fight, let us. Please.”
  “Do you like fighting with him?” he asked confused at her reaction to it all.
  “No,” she spoke with her hands. “I just don’t want it to bother you and him. I want to be able to yell at him and not feel like I am betraying my best friend.”
  “Well I’m not gonna lie Mer, I wish you two didn’t fight.”
  “I know that, but some things just can’t change. We don’t get along. We can’t hold a conversation together no matter how hard we try. It just isn’t going to happen.”
  “So you want me to just back out?”
  Mercedes just looked at him. “I don’t mean it like that Chris. You know that. I just don’t want it to mess with this you and JC have. You guys are like brothers... I can’t fool with that.”
  Chris had his fingers locked together and he just blew his cheeks out and looked at Mercedes.
  “Maybe I should go home early and let you guys have some down time.”
  “No No. Mer, stay. Things are fine with C and I. I just won’t take this all so personal anymore. It’s your battle to fight, and if you wanna bitch slap him again, go for it,” he laughed.
  A smile sparked up on Mercedes’s face. She laughed, “I think that if he gets cocky with me again... it might just happen.”
  Chris couldn’t help but laugh.
  “I could tell you that I would try again to be nice, but I’ve said that a few times now...”
  “And you have failed at each attempt.”
  “Exactly.”
  “Then again, JC said the same thing. Eventually the two of you could be able to sit in the same room together and possibly say something nice to one another.”   “I’ll make sure not to hold my breath,” she giggled.
  “Well with as stubborn as you both are... don’t hold your breath,” he laughed too. “Look Mer, uhm, thanks for you know,” he tried to say.
  “I just didn’t want things to be weird.”
  “Thanks,” he said as he watched her rise.
  “Well, I’m tired. I gotta be up to go to the studio with Justin tomorrow.”
  “You’re going out with Justin tomorrow?”
  “Yeah, you know. Just a friend day.”
  “Uh huh, sure. I know how Timberlake works,” he chuckled.
  “Well Timberlake knows how bitchy I can be, so I don’t think he’s gonna disrespect my wishes of us just being friends.”
  “True. J wouldn’t want a black eye.”
  “And I might possibly feel bad if I had to give him one.”
  Chris laughed and stood up. “Sleep well,” he said and kissed her cheek.
  “You too,” she said and then found her way out of the room and back up the stairs to get her beauty sleep.

Part Five