It was two weeks later and only 2 days until Christmas vacation. Justin still hadn’t told JC that he liked him like he had promised Britney he would. Britney wasn’t mad, but she was starting to get a little annoyed about him talking about him twenty-four seven.
They still had their joke even though almost everyone knew that it was a joke. People would wonder why they kept it up. When they would ask Justin he would just say, ‘It’s fun.’ And when they asked JC he would just simply answer, ‘I don’t know.’ It was only Britney... and Paul who knew the truth.
They had even gotten into some trouble about it in school by a few teachers. They said that that wasn’t ‘Catholic School behavior,’ but they didn’t care. They still did it any way. They’d walk to their classes holding hands or in the hallways. Justin would even sometimes go and sit on JC’s lap when they were in the cafe.
They even started giving each other pet names. Most people thought that that was overdoing it a bit, but they didn’t care.
Justin was still mad at his mom, they were at least talking now, but every since she yelled at JC like that they haven’t been the same. He really wanted to amends with her especially because Christmas was right around the corner. It was selfish, he knew that, but he really didn’t want suckie Christmas presents.
*****
Justin walked up behind JC while he was at his locker and wrapped his arms around his waist.
“Jus, what are you doing here? You have never finished before me.” JC laughed. Justin kissed his cheek and let go of JC’s waist and leaned against the locker next to JC’s.
“Chasez! Make him move.” The owner of the locker Justin was leaning on said. JC pulled Justin away from the locker as he closed his own.
“So you coming back to my house?”
“No!” Justin sighed. “SHE’S making me come home. My brothers want to decorate the tree, so I HAVE to be there.”
“Decorating the tree is fun!”
“Yeah right!” Justin laughed bitterly. “You have you have to decorate your tree with a fifteen-year-old and a twelve-year-old. I have to do it with a five-year-old and a seven-year-old.”
“It can’t be THAT bad?”
“It is.” Justin pouted.
*****
“Justin, Justin, mommy said we can decorate the tree.” Stephen beamed running to meet Justin at the front door when he got home from school.
“Oh yay!” Justin smiled, his tone sarcastic.
“Justin!” Lynn warned. “Your brother’s are excited. Remember when you were little.”
“I don’t want to decorate the tree. I’m going to my room.”
“Justin!”
“You can’t force me to decorate a stupid Christmas Tree.”
“No, but it would be nice.”
“Whatever. I’m going to my room.” Justin started to walk to the stairs when Jonathon ran by him with a small box of ornaments with Paul following behind him.
“Justin’s a party pooper!” Jonathon yelled and ran over by the tree.
“Bite me.” Justin grumbled and walked up the stairs to his room.
*****
Where’s Justin?” Paul asked as he picked Jonathon up to put an ornament on one of the top branches.
“Sulking. He doesn’t want to decorate the tree this year.” Lynn said.
“Maybe you should stop acting like that to his best friend.”
“Well he’s trying to corrupt my son.”
“He’s not corrupting him.” Paul defended. He put Jonathon down after he hung the ornament.
“Yes he is.”
“What would be so wrong if he was?”
“Him corrupting my son?”
“No. Justin being like that, why would it be so wrong?”
“It just is Paul. You said so yourself, it’s not normal.”
“Lynn, that’s your son you’re talking about.”
“I know and that’s why.”
“You don’t understand. You really don’t.”
“I don’t want him with that boy. He’s trouble.”
“How is he trouble?”
“He just is!”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes I do. He is.” Lynn argued. “I see him with that boy again, I don’t know what I’m gonna do...I’ll do something.” Paul glared at her. She really didn’t understand it at all.
“Why are you fighting?” Stephen asked looking at both his parents.
“We’re not fighting baby.” Lynn said.
“Are you guys mad because Justin likes boys?”
“Stephen just finish decorating the tree.” Lynn said and Stephen did as he was told and continued to pick up ornaments and put them on the branches that he could reach.
*****
“Hello?”
“Joshy!”
“Hey Jus.” JC sighed. “Can I call you back later?”
“No!”
“Jus, Christina’s on the phone and I need to her house and rehearse.”
“Can you pick me up?”
“Did you just not hear what I said?” JC was getting annoyed. “Justin, Christina is on the other line. No I can‘t come over and get you. I am going to Christina‘s.”
“Why?”
“To REHEARSE!” JC yelled. “Justin, why do you have to be so difficult?”
“Take me with you!”
“No. I can’t. You’ll distract me. You can’t just watch us, you’re like a three-year-old.”
“Fine.” Justin sighed. . “You said I could come over before.” JC could tell he was pouting
“Babe. I’m sorry ok. But right now this is more important.”
“Josh please.”
“No. Call Britney. Do something with her. Walk to her house.”
“It’s freaking cold out.”
“Then don’t. But babe I really gotta go. I’ll call you when I get home.”
“Fine, bye.”
“Bye.” Justin hung up the phone and pouted. He hated him going to Christina’s like 3 times a week or her going to his house. It’s that that he didn’t like Christina, he loved Christina. She was one of his best friends. He just didn’t like the idea of her spending more time with him then he was.
*****
Justin ran down the stairs and grabbed his coat on the way into the living room.
“Where are you going?” Paul asked.
“Britney’s.” Justin said walking to the front door.
“Why?” Lynn asked.
“Cause I’m supposed to be with Josh but he’s at his girlfriends house.” Justin put his coat on as he rolled his eyes.
“He has a girlfriend?” Lynn asked. Justin didn’t answer.
“I’m going mom.”
“You want me to drive you?” Paul offered.
“No. I’ll walk.”
“You sure? It’s cold out there.”
“It’s ok. I’ll walk.” Justin opened the front door and walked outside and immediately walked back in the house. “Ok can you drive me?”
“Cold right?” Justin nodded. “Let me just get my coat.” Paul walked over and grabbed his coat off the back of the chair.
“Daddy can I come with you?” Jonathon asked.
“I’m only bringing Justin down the street to Britney’s house. Stay home and decorate the tree some more.”
“No I want to go with you!” Jonathon said starting to pout.
“I want to go too!” Stephen chimed in.
“Oh my god! All you’ve wanted to do was decorate the tree.” Justin yelled looking at his two younger brothers. “ Just decorate it.” Justin shook his head, he didn’t remember being that much of a brat when he was their ages. “Paul can we just go. I would have been there already if I froze my ass off and walked.”
“You boys are staying home...Come on Just.”
*****
“Call me when you want me to pick you up.” Paul said.
“I will.” Justin said opening his door and getting out. “Bye.” Justin closed the door and Paul drove off once Justin was in the house.
*****
“I hate your best friend.” Justin mumbled staring at the TV.
“You do not.” Britney said pushing Justin’s head out of her lap.
“Yes I do! She’s taking Josh away from me!” Justin pouted sitting up.
“Well maybe if you did what I said and told him you liked him that wouldn’t be a problem.”
“And he doesn’t even care that he’s leaving the day after tomorrow.” Justin was still pouting.
“You know you pout better then my little sister.” Justin grinned. “That was not a compliment.”
“Well I take it as one.” Britney rolled her eyes.
“When he leaves, you’ll still have me.”
“Yeah comforting.” Justin sighed, leaning back on the floor.
“Hey!”
“What?” Justin asked innocently sitting up again and looking at Britney.
“What do you mean what? That wasn‘t nice.”
“He shouldn’t have to go.”
“I think he wants to go Justin.”
“Well he shouldn’t.”
“Justin you’re acting like a baby.”
“Good.” Britney laughed.
“That’s what I mean.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should have told him Justin.”
“No I shouldn’t have.”
“Yes you should of.”
“No because then it would of been even worse when he has to leave.”
“Justin he’s not gonna be gone that long. And he IS coming back.”
“Yes I know.”
“Well you’re acting like he’s moving to Guam.”
“Shut up!”
“You!”
“You!”
“You!”
“Why don’t you both shut up. Justin your mom’s here.” Britney’s brother Bryan said. Justin looked over at Britney.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Justin said standing up.
“Ok, do we have classes tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Yay!”
“No uniform either.”
“Even better. Bye.”
*****
“Justin I can’t breathe.” JC laughed as Justin had his arms wrapped tightly around JC’s neck as he was hugging him. They were still in the cafeteria in the morning.
“Sorry.” Justin smiled at him. JC rolled his eyes and pulled Justin’s arms off of him and sat down at the table. Justin just sat down on his lap.
“Do you mind?”
“Nope!”
“Get off Justin.”
“No.”
“Jus, come on get off of me.”
“No.” JC shoved him off.
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
“What’s your problem?”
“What’s yours? You always let me sit on your lap.” Justin stood in front of him looking down at him with his arms in front of his chest. He glared at JC before walking away from him.
“Jus.” JC said. “JUS!” JC sighed and followed him. He was walking towards the bathrooms. “Justin!” Justin walked into the bathroom and JC followed him. “What’s your problem Justin?”
“I don’t have one.” Justin said with an attitude.
“Yeah you do.”
“No I don’t.” Justin sniffled.
“Jus don’t do that.” JC walked closer to him.
“No get away from me.”
“Stop Justin, don’t do that.” JC said softly coming closer to him. “Come here.” Justin walked closer to him and buried his face in JC’s shirt. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.”
“Why’d you push me off?”
“That’s why you’re upset?”
“No. But why?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry ok.”
“No you’re not.”
“Justin, come on you’re acting five again.”
“I like acting five.” Justin laughed even though he was still crying.
“I can see that.” JC laughed. “Now come on and tell me why.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
“This is what this is about?” Justin nodded. “Babe, I have to go. I wanna go. I haven’t seen my grandparents in a long time.”
“You’re gonna be gone a long time.” JC laughed.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“I don’t know.” Justin shrugged.
“You don’t know.” The door to the bathroom door opened. “Come on, we gotta go.” JC kissed Justin’s forehead and Justin smiled pushing JC.
“Queers.” The kid said as they were walking out. Justin turned and looked at JC. “Don’t listen to them. They’re stupid.”
*****
“Josh, what are you doing over here?” Justin smiled.
“I came to sit over by you.” JC said smiling back at him.
“You’re gonna get in trouble.” Justin said moving down one chair so that JC could sit down in the one next to him. They were in the auditorium and you had to stay with your homeroom, which meant that different grades especially weren’t allowed to sit near each other.
“No I won’t.” JC said just as the prayer service was about to start.
*****
“Did you guys have fun looking like a happy couple that’s not really a couple?” Britney asked sarcastically as she walked over to Justin’s locker where they were standing.
Justin was getting his backpack out and looking for a book that he needed to read over Christmas break.
“What are you talking about?” Justin asked kneeling down on the floor to look in the bottom part of the locker for the book.
“Nothing, you two are oblivious.” Britney said shaking her head and walking over to meet one of her friends.
“Found it!” Justin said and shoved the book into his backpack.
“You ready to go Josh?” Heather asked as she walked over to Justin’s locker where she knew her brother would be.
“Umm yeah, just give me a minute.” JC said looking at his sister. She nodded and walked over to talk to one of her friends that’s locker was over by Britney’s.
“She’s actually coming home on time?” Justin laughed and closed his locker.
“No.” Justin looked at him strangely. “My parents are picking us up.”
“Oh why?”
“Cause we’re leaving from here.”
“WHAT?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t have time last night to call. And I seriously forgot today.”
“Of course, you were too busy with Christina.” Justin crossed his arms over his chest.
“Jus, what’s your problem lately and why are you acting like that towards Christina? What are you jealous or something?“
“No I’m not jealous, but for the last two weeks that’s all it’s been about was her. I call you and I have to call you back LATER because you’re on the phone with HER. If I wanna do something with you I can‘t because you‘re rehearsing. WITH HER!”
“You are jealous.” JC smirked.
“I am not.”
“Fine you’re not. But she’s gonna be taking up a lot of my time until the show.” Justin just pouted more. “You gotta except that Jus.”
“Whatever.”
“And I have to go. My parents wanna leave now.”
“Fine.”
“Come on, walk with me downstairs.”
“I have to go down there too you know.” JC wrapped his arm around Justin’s shoulder.
*****
“Ok...so I’ll call you sometime while I’m there ok.” JC said. Justin nodded. “You’re not gonna be mad at me are you?” Justin shook his head no. “You sure?” Justin nodded. “Talk.”
“What?” Justin smirked.
“So I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Ok.” Justin nodded.
“I gotta go now, okay?” Justin nodded and JC pulled Justin into a hug. Justin leaned his forehead on JC’s shoulder as he hugged him back. JC pushed Justin off of him and looked at him. “You’re gonna miss the bus.”
“Then you’ll have to drive me home.” Justin smiled.
“You’re out of the way this time babe.” Justin frowned. “Stop. It’s not for that long.”
“Yes it is.”
“Ok it is. I’ll call you when I get there ok. The first hotel we stay at.”
“Ok.” Justin smiled a little. JC kissed Justin’s forehead and then pushed him in the direction towards his bus.
Justin sighed as he got closer to the bus. This was gonna be the longest two and a half weeks of his life.
