Helplessly Aware
By Charlie burton
Chapter 3
JC
pulled back the long drape from one window and looked down at the hotel and
small apartments, which had lights on in most windows still. He could just see down to the front of the
main building where a fountain bubbled, it’s turquoise water lit from beneath.
“Who’s
that guy out there with Grace?” he asked, briefly turning to look back at the
other’s who were muddling around in the room.
Lance
was at an expensive antique table with his laptop out, e-mailing his parents,
Chris was laid out on the couch with Busta, lazily tugging at its ears, and
Joey and Justin were playing pool in the center of the room. Justin and Joey put down their sticks and
walked over to the window where JC was standing, and Lance looked up from the
laptop to see what was going on.
“Dunno, never seen him before,” Joey answered, peering over
JC’s shoulder.
“Probably some guy she met out line dancing,” Justin said
casually.
“Now you’d have a problem with that,” Chris called from his
comfy position in front of the television.
“I thought you were watching TV?” Justin called back.
“Still listening to your conversation. Get over it Curly, she’s a young girl, she’s
gonna get hooked up sooner or later.”
“Why don’t you guys get it? We’re jus’ friends?” Justin protested in a friendly manner.
“Yeah Justin, whatever,” Joey replied, slapping him on the
shoulder and walking back over to the pool table.
“Don’t think he’s being a nuisance do you?” JC asked,
continuing to watch them through the window.
“Just some guy,” Lance assured him. “Don’t sweat it.” He kept on tapping at the keys as he finished his e-mail.
“You’re probably right, but we gotta look after her, she’s
always looking out for us,” JC said, letting the drape drop back and walking
over to a large reclining chair near Chris.
“Yeah, but she doesn’t want us cramping her life,” Chris
said. “She’s a mature girl, doing
kick-boxing too may I add.”
“She can’t make the Orlando party,” JC announced.
“What?!” they all exclaimed, looking up from what they were
doing.
“She’s got an art thing Friday afternoon she wanted to go
to, so she’s leaving Thursday sometime,” he continued sullenly.
“Aw that sux!” Justin cried, banging his stick down on the
floor.
“Looks like it’s back to good old fashioned pulling,” Joey
said, taking his shot.
“Ha, ha, and you’d know all
about that,” Justin teased.
“He’s a la-dies
man!” Chris said loudly. “Get over her
Curly, she’s probably got some guy at College she’s into, like she’d tell
us?! You too JC, you need some girl to
spice up your evening on Friday.”
JC looked up at him with his gentle, tired blue eyes, and
smiled a little. “Something like
that. Not possible with our work
though.”
“Joey pulls it off,” Lance said.
The door opened and Grace walked in, slumping back against
the door as it clicked shut behind her.
She sighed loudly and looked round to see all five of them watching her.
“What?” she asked innocently, standing up straighter and
smoothing out her skirt.
“Have fun doin’ a little ye ha stuff out there?!” Chris
said, putting his pup down on the couch and starting to do his own form of line
dancing as he crossed the room.
“Oh great fun!” Grace enthused sarcastically.
“So who’s the lucky guy down there?” Lance said casually,
pressing ‘send’. “Joe’s jealous and
thinks he’s doin’ somethin’ wrong.”
Joey gave Grace a cute but cheesy grin.
“You were spying on me?”
“Looking out for you,” JC insisted. “We didn’t mean to-”
“Meet him line dancing?” Chris asked.
“Him? That dude down
in the parking lot?! I think not. More like some sly bastard if you ask
me.” Grace dropped her keys down on a
chair and wandered over to Lance.
“Is everything okay?”
JC’s face flooded with concern.
“Gracie?” Justin said, putting down his pool cue and moving
towards her.
“Just some sleazy loser trying to get some made-up shit on
you guys. Didn’t take ‘no’ as an
answer,” she mumbled, fiddling with her fingers. “Don’t worry, no concern, I can take care of myself.”
“Hey, hey, hey – whoa up babe,” Justin exclaimed. “It is a concern and I am worrying, we all are, ‘specially when it’s guys harassing you
coz of us. Okay?”
“So...?” Lance enquired, looking up at her. “He’s right.”
“He was some journalist guy – Oz Quest, wanting some dirt
on who you guys were dating, twist a few things. Said if I wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to know (for good
money, of course),” she pulled a face, “that he’d jus’ have to write something
about Curly and his blond bimbo.”
Justin’s face became more intense and he moved towards her,
to comfort the seemingly fragile body that stood before him slightly
trembling. Grace raised her hands and
stepped back.
“Don’t, please, I can take care of myself.” Then she saw Justin’s disheartened face and
continued, “I know you mean well, but I’m fine, really. Guys like him jus’ really get to me; he jus’
wanted to stir things up and gets a kick out of it – money too. Thankfully Wes came out.”
“- Jus’ don’t get hurt,” JC advised, his voice quiet and
face full of surprise that he’d actually spoken his mind – not what he was
supposed to do and completely random at that.
Grace smiled at the comment and looked round at him,
noticing he’d been studying them all quietly with his tender eyes.
“I won’t.”
Lance saw JC’s expression and turned back to his laptop,
biting his tongue in order to hold back a comment. Joey and Chris exchanged a few looks and then Joey let out a loud
whistle to catch Justin’s attention.
“Hey Curly, your shot!”
“Yeah,” Justin replied.
“You tell us if you need someone sortin’ out.”
“He’s jus’ talking outta his butt,” Chris cut in.
“Movie! How ‘bout
we all chill and watch a movie on the wide screen in my room?” JC suggested,
trying to avoid a loud argument.
Joey put down his cue on the pool table and walked over to
Chris. “Yeah, how was it he got the
largest bed with a wide screen
television and a video player?”
“He’s da boss,” Justin replied in a rich southern accent.
“Nah, he jus’ likes to sleep-” Lance said.
“Does he now? With
who?” A cheeking grin breaking into her
face.
“Heeey!” He grabbed
Grace around the waist with one strong arm and pulled her into his body,
tickling her.
She let out a loud scream and tried pushing him away, both
hands against his firm chest but in vain.
The door opened and Lonnie stuck his head around, looking into the room.
“Everything’s fine,” Lance assured, closing the top of his
laptop, standing up and stretching.
“JC’s gettin’ the groove on with Gracie,” Justin said.
“Nothing serious,” Chris added.
“Why aren’t I involved?” Joey exclaimed.
“You’re dead Curly!” JC cried, releasing Grace and diving
towards Justin, grabbing him in a friendly headlock.
Lonnie laughed deeply.
“You ‘kay Grace?”
She smiled and put her hands on her hips, slightly out of
breath. “Uh-huh. I’m jus’ gonna go change into something more
comfortable. C’ya guys in a moment.”
“Bye!” Lance called, pouring himself a glass of water. Justin and JC were still involved in a
moderately playful fight in the middle of the room.
“Don’t hurt him too
bad JC, there’s alotta girls out there who want him to ‘marry me Justin!’”
Lonnie said, laughing a little and allowing Grace past.