Chapter 8: No One Insults Joey But ME!!

"What do you want to see?" Taylor asked, pulling a tape cover off of the shelf.

"I dunno." Justin said, standing next to her, looking at the other selections. All three of the guys donned sunglasses and hats to hid their faces in case someone recognized them.

"Let's rent something funny." Lance suggested.

"No! Action!" JC argued.

"How about something romantic?" Taylor asked. "What!" She asked indignantly when all of the guys shuddered. "Hey, where's Mika?" She asked, looking around for her cousin.

"I'll go find her." JC offered. He walked around the video rental store, looking for her. He still felt angry at himself for that flood of jealousy he had felt when he had met Bill. He had disliked the guy immediately, not just because Mika was his, but because he had been so rude to them. "There you are," He said, seeing Mikayla standing in on of the aisles, looking at a tape.

"Hey," She said, looking up from the tape.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh," She said, a little bit embarrassed, "the Godfather."

"Which part?" He inquired.

"Two."

"Good choice, I never really favored the third part." He commented, taking the tape box from her. "I never pictured you the action lover type." He told her.

"I know, but the minute I saw that movie, I loved it." She admitted.

"Yeah, it is pretty good. Let's rent it?" He asked.

She hesitated. "I'd really like to," She admitted to him, "but I wouldn't be able to watch it tonight, because Bill's coming to pick me up for dinner."

"Why don't you watch it with him?"

"He's not exactly a Godfather fan."

"Oh." JC said, letting the subject drop before it became more uncomfortable. Mikayla could smell his cologne, the familiar scent that she had loved when they were younger. Why do I keep thinking about him like this? She screamed silently to herself. He doesn’t love me.

"You guys ready?" Justin asked, interrupting Mikayla's thoughts.

"Yeah, sure." JC said, discreetly handing the box to Justin. If she had the time, he'd ask her to watch it with him.

* * * * *

"That's for me!" Mikayla called from upstairs, fixing her hair. Chris answered the door and raised an eyebrow when he saw Bill standing there.

"Hi." He greeted Bill.

"Hey. Is Mikayla ready yet?" Bill asked, seeming to be impatient.

"Uh, she'll be down in a couple of minutes, c'mon in," Joey said behind Chris. "I'm Joey. This is Chris." He held out his hand.

Bill shook it, and went inside. There were noises coming from the den, which was where the rest of them were watching a movie. "You guys are all staying here?" He asked, his tone smug. "Couldn't you afford to stay at a hotel like most 'celebrities' do?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yeah we have friends, but unlike some people who talk to their girlfriend's guests in such a rude manner," Chris commented, enjoying the slight flush that appeared on Bill's face. Joey had to struggle not to snicker at the comment.

Bill noticed Joey's snicker despite his attempts. "Ouch, did you lose a suitcase that had all of your good clothes in them?" Joey appeared hurt, and Chris' face darkened.

"No one, but no one makes fun of Joey's tacky clothes except me!" Chris shouted furiously, launching himself at Bill. Bill was surprised by Chris' attack, giving Chris the advantage. Instead of trying to stop them, Joey cheered Chris on. Justin came out of the den after hearing all of the commotion, followed by a confused Taylor.

"Chris!" Justin yelled, shocked at seeing his friend fighting with Mikayla's boyfriend. He rushed towards them, but Mikayla beat him to it.

"Chris! Bill! Stop it!" She demanded, trying to pull them apart. Justin grabbed a hold of Chris' arms, trying to keep him from hitting Bill. Mikayla backed Bill away from Chris. Both were panting heavily, and Bill wiped a spot of blood that trickled down from the side of his mouth.

"Bill I think you should go," Mikayla said quietly. He looked at her confused. She pushed him out of the front door and followed him out.

"Why the hell should I leave?" He asked her. "He's the one who started it!"

"No, Bill, I saw the whole thing from the top of the stairs," She told him quietly, while looking him in the eye. "I know what you said to Joey, and that was just entirely out of line. I don’t appreciate you insulting my guests, and I think we should spend some time apart."

"What!" He asked, outraged that he had been dumped.

"You heard what I said, Bill. Our interests differ too much for it to work between us." She told him. She let out a yell when he grabbed her by the arm. He raised a hand to slap her, but it was pulled back abruptly. He yelped with pain.

"You lay one hand on her and I'll kill you!" JC yelled, outraged beyond imagination. Mikayla hadn't even noticed him appear. He threw a solid punch that connected to Bill's face, causing Bill to stagger backwards. He got up and ran to his car.

"You okay, Mikayla?" JC asked worriedly, trying to control his breathing. She stood there, the tears streaming down her face.

"He was going to hit me," She said quietly, her voice not wavering. Taylor ran outside and enveloped Mikayla in a hug.

"C'mon babe, let's go inside." She told Mikayla softly, leading her cousin indoors. JC followed behind them.

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