“I’ll be back.” Chris said standing up and then walking towards Leslie’s room. “Leslie.” He called knocking on the door. There was no answer, so Chris peeked his head cautiously into her room. “Hi.” Chris sat next to her on her bed.
“Hi.” She repeated looking into his eyes for just a split second.
“How you holdin’ up?”
“Fine I suppose. What about you?”
“Busy.” Chris smiled. “We really miss you, Leslie.”
“Who are we?”
“Everybody. Me, the guys, the band… Everybody.” He told her.
There was a long moment of silence.
“You do know it’s okay to admit that you miss him, right?”
Leslie stared at her hands. Am I really that transparent?
“Why do I have to go?”
“Because we’re…” They all picked up something that would occupy their time, “we’re busy.”
“Whatever.”
“Just go.”
“Fine.” JC stomped off towards Leslie’s room. “Hey, Chris,” His voice came from the doorway, “they want to talk to you.”
“Okay.” Chris retreated from the room. “You stay here.” He shut the door before JC could say anything.
“Hi.” Leslie greeted him quietly.
JC didn’t respond. He just stared at her.
The phone began to ring, but Leslie ignored it. After about three rings the sound stopped.
“I think we really need-“
“Leslie,” Nicole opened her best friend’s door, “phone. It’s some guy. Said it was important.”
Leslie nodded reaching for her phone. “Hello. Oh, hey Tyler. Yeah, I remember. They did!? Are you serious!? Oh my gosh! Tonight? I guess… What time? Ten? But I have no time to- Okay, bye.” Leslie looked at JC; she could see the questioning look in his eyes. “It wasn’t your brother.” She reassured him.
It had actually been her agent. She had been trying to pursue a career in modeling since she quit the band. Tyler had called to tell her that he had gotten her a meeting and that it was for that night.
JC sighed quietly around the time that Leslie walked out of the room, leaving him all by his lonesome.
“That’s not going to work.” Nicole said.
“What other choice do we have?”
“Nicole, I’m going to borrow your little red shirt, k?”
“Okay. Wait! Why?”
“I’m going out.”
“Where to?”
“I’ll explain it to you later.” Leslie walked back down the hallway, leaving them to discuss what they had been when she interrupted them.
JC watched as Leslie searched through her closet of clothes. He continued to stare as the woman that he still had strong feelings for. Again, Leslie left. After ten or so minutes sitting alone in a room that reminded him of so many things the he would never get back, JC got up and began making his way to the living room. As he slowly approached it, he heard his friends discussing something. So, he hid in the hallway to see if it involved him, considering that he heard his name.
“I just feel so bad for him.” Lance stated.
“Why him?” Nicole questioned. “He broke up with her. Remember? I mean she loved him so much. She would have done anything for him just to make him happy. I mean anything. Even if it meant she would be unhappy.”
Loved? Would have? JC ran all of these past tense words through his mind.
“And how did he treat her the majority of the time? I mean he barely spoke to her the last two months they were together. I know he’s busy and all, but…”
“But what?” Questioned Justin.
“All I’m saying is that if he really did love her, then he wouldn’t have broken up with her because she slept with TJ before they were even-“
“Slept!” JC yelled walking into the living area.
“Did I say slept? I meant kissed.” Nicole said quickly. “Where’d you come from?” She asked almost immediately after her previous question. Leslie then walked into the room wearing a smile for the first time in a few weeks. All eyes were on her.
“What?”
“You slept with him?” JC yelled in outrage.
“What are you talking about?”
“Tyler! You slept with him!”
“Please JC, not now.” She pleaded with him.
“Yes, now!”
“I’m going to be late.”
“Well, did you screw my brother?”
“No, well yeah, but-“
“You fucking whore!” He spat out.
Leslie looked at him shocked and angry, with a twist of hate. Not the expected emotions of hurt and pain. She turned on a dime and headed for the door. But before Leslie left she faced JC. “I can’t believe I ever loved you, cared for you, or felt any emotion except hatred for you Joshua Chasrz.” She didn’t yell or cry. She just sorta said it… Like it was nothing. Like people said those things daily. After that she disappeared. First into the hallway, then into the elevator.
In Their Apartment
Everyone stared open mouthed at JC who stood in the middle of the room breathing heavily.
“You asshole!” Nicole screamed
“What did I do? She’s the one that fucked my brother!”
“What the hell? You didn’t even like each other when that happened. You were barely even friends, JC! For God’s sake! Plus, you just called my best friend a whore!”
“She still slept with him! And I called her fucking whore!”
“Get out! Now!”
“Gladly.”
“GO!”
“I’ll see you guys later.” JC said then left.
“I cannot believe he said that to her!” Nicole fumed.
“He’s just hurt and upset.” Chris analyzed the situation.
“He still had no right.”