Justin dribbled the ball around the court, waiting for Jc and Whitney to show up. Denise stood by, with her arms crossed over her chest, watching as he dribbled and made a lay up. "Am I ever going to get to shoot?"
He stopped dribbling and looked at her. "Sorry..here," he said, bouncing her the ball. She bounced it a few times, before stopping and making her first shot. They had been warming up for around fifteen minutes, when Whitney and Jc arrived.
Jc looked around nervously, making sure that there weren't too many fans around. All they wanted to do was enjoy a simple game of basketball without any interruptions. "Well, lets get this started."
Justin bounced Jc the ball. "You don't need to warm up?"
Jc shook his head. "We're ready to take your ass down..Denise..we're not after you..just Curly here."
She laughed. "That sounds pretty good to me."
They threw the ball in, with Jc and Whitney getting the ball first. Denise, was of course guarding Whitney, and Justin had Jc. Since both teams were pretty average at the game, it wasn't a run away. Half way through, they decided to take a break.
"Damn its hot out here," Justin said, wiping the sweat from his foreheard.
Denise took a long sip of her water, and sighed. "I have to agree with you there."
Whitney laid back on the court, and her shirt rode up. Jc's eyes immediately went to the exposed skin, and he sighed. "Yes..its very hot out here."
Justin laughed, as he looked over Jc's shoulder. His eyes narrowed at what he saw. There was a girl standing at the fence, looking at them. She looked familar to him. "Hey,C, do you know that girl?" he said.
Jc looked behind him, and felt his face go pale. "Ohmigod...it..it can't be.."
When Whitney heard his voice change, her eyes immediately followed his. "Is that..oh hell yes it is. I've been waiting for this day..." she said, moving to stand up. Jc grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.
"We don't know for sure that's her..I mean it could be someone else and we're mistaken her."
Denise looked at the scene before her. "Um guys..I'm so lost that its not even funny."
Justin kissed her cheek. "I'll explain later."
She nodded her head, and watched as Whitney managed to pull free from Jc's grasp. She stood up, brushed herself off, and made her way towards the fence.
Denise looked at Justin. "Will she do anything to that girl?"
Justin nodded his head. "Jc..get over there..."
He didn't have to finish. Jc was already on his way over to her. His arms encircled Whitney's waist, so that he could have a firm hold on her. The other girl's eyes narrowed as Jc walked over to them.
Denise turned to Justin. "What's going on?"
Justin sighed. "Did Whitney ever tell you about Jc and the night before his birthday?"
Denise nodded her head, recalling what Whitney had told her. "Yeah, she mentioned that she caugh Jc with some girl."
Justin looked over that the fence. "That's her."
Denise's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Justin shook his head and sighed. "Unfortunately no. If the girl doesn't leave, then there's no telling what Whitney might actually do. That's why Jc's holding her like that. It'll take a miracle for him to actually hold her back if she decides to attack. She's small, but I swear the girl has some strength."
Denise nodded her head, turning her attention back to the display before her.
The girl nodded her head. "I remember you..you're that bitch that's dating Jc.."
Whitney's eyes narrowed as she looked at the girl. Jc's arms went around her waist, and she couldn't help but smile as the girl looked on with envy. "Bitch, huh? Why do you say that? I'd rather be a bitch than a whore, who doesn't know when to keep her hands off of things and back off. Don't think that this is the first time that we've seen you hanging around."
She laughed, ignoring Whitney, and turning her attention to Jc. "How have you been,baby?"
Jc cringed at her sweet voice. "I'm fine, but I'm not your baby."
Her smile grew larger. "That's right..you're a man."
Jc felt Whitney tighten up and knew that she was being pushed, and was about to reach her limit. "Umm..listen..umm..."
"Heather," she broke in.
"Yeah, um Heather..I don't want to start anything, so I think its best if you leave."
Her lips began to pout. "But, remember that one night that you said you wanted to be with me."
He sighed, and knew that Whitney was about to blow. "That was a long time ago, and that wasn't me talking. It was alcohol. I have the only girl that I could want."
She laughed. "You think she can satisfy you? You need a woman,...not some chick."
That was all it took. Since they were standing close to the door of the fence, she was out it in a minute. She didn't do anything right away, just stood there, with her hands on her hip. "Who the hell do you think you are, waltzing up here and talking to him like you're best friends? What right do you have to stand here and put me down? You DON'T have that right, and if you're not gone by the count of three..then you're going to regret every second that you stood here, and didn't turn on your heels and leave."
The girl didn't back down. "What right do you have to stand here and tell me what and what not to do? If Jc wants to talk to me, then he's allowed to. He doesn't have to listen to your every command."
"He asked you to leave."
Justin and Denise walked over to join a confused Jc. Justin leaned up against the fence. "Whitney, leave the girl alone."
Whitney didn't move. "Listen, Heather, you're just going to cause trouble here. Get the fact through your dense head that he doesn't want you."
Heather stepped closer. "Why don't you let him be the judge of that. If you hadn't walked in that club that night, we would have been up in the bedroom in five minutes."
Jc's stomach flipped. He closed his eyes, and the look that had been on Whitney's face flooded back into his mind. "Just stop," he whispered, looking at the two girls before him. "All of that's in the past, leave it there."
Heather turned away from Whitney, and turned her attention to him. "What's the matter? Do you regret not following me up to my room? You know, I can give you so much more than she can. I'm a woman, Jc..not some girl who is a wannabe."
Jc swallowed. "Heather, I would just shut up..." he said, as Justin moved outside the fence to grab Whitney. "Let it go..keep walking...she wants you to react this way."
"Well if that's what she wants, then that's what she's going to get."
The next comment pushed her over the edge. But, what pushed her was it was from Jc. "Heather, I won't lie to you, that night I wanted you...but..I want Whitney now."
Whitney, along with Justin's eyes flew to Jc. There were no tears in her eyes, just anger. She broke her hold from Justin and took off running, leaving everyone standing there in shock. Jc didn't move, but watched her figure retreat. Justin threw a look of disgust towards Jc, and took off after his best friend. Meanwhile, Denise was standing there, shocked from the scene that was before her. She didn't know the whole story, but Whitney had come to be her friend, and she wouldn't let Jc talk to her that way.
"Jc..what the hell was that? You...I can't believe you just said that to her!"
He closed his eyes. "I..I wasn't thinking..."
Heather smiled. "I knew you wanted me..now come on we have things to pick up on."
Jc's eyes shot opened, and they narrowed. "You've caused enough trouble..get the hell away from me and stay that way. I don't want you, never have, and never will."
Heather's mouth dropped. "But you just said..."
"That wasn't me that night that wanted you. It was the alcohol and the fact that I missed her. I shouldn't be explaining this to you. Just get the hell out of my sight."
She huffed and spun off on her heels and disappeared into the parking lot. Jc's attention turned back to Denise. "I have to find her."
She placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Not only if you find her, you're going to have to deal with her and a very pissed Justin..and you don't want that. Just let them come back..."
He shook his head, and ran his hand through his hair. "You don't know how much that night haunts me in my mind."
"Believe me, Jc..I have some type of idea..."
"I forgot about that...I'm sorry...its just that my mind is just swirling right now..I have to talk to her."
She wrapped him in a hug. "She'll be back, don't worry."
Her legs gave, and she fell into the grass, finally letting a cry escape from her lips. Justin approached her, and sat down beside her on the grass. He wrapped her in his arms, and let her cry.
"That asshole," she said, once she had gained composure. "He..he said that so easily..Justin...what the hell happened back there?"
Justin shook his head, and pushed her hair back off her face. "I honestly don't know, Whit..I don't know..but whatever he was doing, I'm sure he knows why he said that..just ask him."
Her eyes narrowed to where they were slits. "I'm not talking to him..."
"Whitney, you can't just assume things..."
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do! If I want to presume that he's sleeping with that whore, than I can!"
Justin chuckled. "Easy, Shorty."
She smacked his shoulder. "Don't call me that!"
He stood up, and extended his hand. "Come on, I'm sure that they're worried by now."
She leaned against him and sighed. "Let him worry..I didn't see him sprinting after me."
"It's cause he's old remember! I'm the young one.."
She smiled, as they neared the basketball court. She could see Denise standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, and Jc was sitting down, his head hung. He knew that he had messed up, and she couldn't wait until he tried to get himself out of this one.
Whitney kept walking towards her car. She knew that Jc's eyes were on her, and that was one reason that she kept walking. When he saw that she wasn't going to stop, he ran after her, but didn't run fast enough, because he had a run in with Justin. "I swear..Jc..we may be friends, but if you hurt her...I'll kick your ass..and I'm not joking."
Jc shrugged away from him, and took off towards Whitney, while Justin and Denise stood there with each other. "I can't believe him," Denise said, as she watched the car pull off.
Justin shook his head. "I know..I can't believe that he just said that, especially in front of her. You don't know how much I wanted to hit him.."
"You care a lot about her, dont' you?"
"You just wouldn't understand on how much of a level she's been there for me. I mean, through the period that we were broken up, she was there for me to lean on..I owe her a lot."
Denise kissed his cheek quickly. "Come on, lets go home..I want to take a shower."
He smiled evily at her. "Can I join you?"
She laughed and swatted him on the butt. "I don't think that will be happening, but hey Justin..you can dream."
"You know, you're in no position to be changing my radio right now..."
He immediately changed it back and sighed. "Whitney..."
"Don't start. I don't want to talk to you right now."
"Don't shut me out...that's not going to accomplish anything."
She hit the steering wheel. "Don't shut you out, huh? Well was that or wasn't that you that shut me out the night that Justin said all that stuff? So, its ok, for you to do it..yet I can't..."
"God, Whitney, I made a mistake...back there..I don't know where that came from. I just thought if I told her that,she'd go away."
She pulled over in a parking lot, a mile away from his house. "So you're saying that you didn't mean any of that?"
His head dropped. "I meant some of it."
She sighed. "Damn it, Josh, don't beat around the bush here. Just come out and say it so that you'll save us a lot of trouble."
"Ok, I meant it all..there are you happy? I won't sit here and lie to you and say that night that I didn't want that girl. I love you too much to sit here and lie to your face, but...if I had went through with that..then I would have lost you forever, and there wouldn't be a day that went by that I didn't regret it."
"I can't believe you just said that with so much ease. You stood up for her back there! Instead of siding with me, you sided with her..do you know how that makes me feel, Jc?"
He touched her arm gently, but she jerked it away. "Don't touch me."
He threw the door opened and got out. He walked around to her side, opened the door, and pulled her out of the car too. "What do you want me to say? Do you want to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness? I don't want her..God, it was the alcohol that night in me. There isn't a day that doesn't go by that the replay of your face doesn't go through my mind."
"Do you not think that the replay of her lips on yours doesn't go through my mind? You're not the only one that regrets that night. I regret turning away and running, instead of standing up for you, yet I regret for not slapping the hell out of you for doing that!"
He wiped away a tear that had slipt away. "Hit me."
"What?" she asked, her eyes shooting up to his.
"You heard me..hit me..get the anger out of you so we can move on past this."
She shook her head. "I'm not going to hit you, Jc..I wouldn't intentionally hurt you."
"I know that...that's why I want you to hit me. Hit me for the fact that I didn't stop her from kissing me. Hit me for the fact that I didn't run after you at the club..take out the anger. I know you have it. Dig deep...I shut you out, not giving you a chance to explain that one night..."
"SHUT UP!"
"No, come on...hit me for what happened back there. I took her side, not yours. I openly said that night that I wanted another girl..."
That was all that it took. Her had came back and connected with his face. "Just...just stop...please..."
His hand touched the stinging spot on his face. "Thank you."
Her eyes were red, and her hands were trembling as she reached up to touch the spot that she had hit. "God..Jc..I'm...I don't know why I did that.."
"You did it because I told you too. I made you do it, now don't apologize...but listen to me...I love you and I know that you know that. You know in your heart that I don't want another girl, because I've fought too long to hold on to you. You don't know how many times I've thanked God for keeping you with me another day."
She touched his lips. "Stop..."
"No, you're going to know this..."
"Jc..I know. I'm sorry for acting stupid...and I'm sorry for hitting you."
"It's ok," he said, hugging her close to him. "Let's go home..I need to pack."
She nodded her head, and got back in the car, wiping the tears from her eyes. Jc got in the passenger seat, and grabbed her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. They were stronger now, and together they could overcome anything.