Lois sighed loudly as she reached over to the table and grabbed the bowl of potato chips.
Usually, she didn't like to just sit around and eat junk food, but this was an emergency.
Scattered around her were chips, chocolate, ice cream and jelly. She was tempted to just dump a little bit of everything into a huge bowl and eat it as a party mix, but Justin thought that would be gross.
This coming from the guy who ate his own toenail clippings on a dare from Chris....
Popping a few chips in her mouth, she sighed again as she watched TV. Justin sat beside her, with Lauren laying across the couch, her head on Justins lap and her feet on Lois'.
Lois had to admit that this was doing her some good. She knew she couldn't just sit around worrying about Joey. It was obvious that he made his decision, and she had to live with that. Even if she didn't agree with it, it wasn't her decision to make. She did her part, and how he had to do his.
Sure, she would love to kick his ass. Hard. And a lot. But in reality, that wasn't really an option.
Justin offered to do it, saying that he would be privileged to do such a good deed. But Lois told him no. She didn't want things to be ruined between Justin and Joey, just because of how she felt. They had been friends a lot time, and had more to lose with each other than she did with him. They had responsibilities to Lance, JC and Chris as well, and she was about to let any personal feelings interfere with their careers.
She had felt horrible the entire drive home from the studio. She made Justin drive, while she stared blankly out the window at the world passing by.
As cars passed them, she would wonder what the lives of the other drivers were like. Were they happy? What kind of jobs did they have? Where were they going?
Did they ever fall in love with their best friend?
She knew she shouldn't be feeling sorry for herself. She was never like that. She just wasn't that kind of person. She was always the type who would cry for a couple days, then pick herself up and be stronger for it.
But she had never faced a problem like this before, and wasn't sure how to pick herself up this time.
When they had arrived back at the apartment, Lauren had ordered a pizza, bought more junk food than the fridge could hold, and rented half a dozen movies. She said they needed a night to forget the real world, and just enjoy each other. It had been a long time since they had all just sat around and talked, watched movies and ate junk.
And Lois was glad Lauren had thought of it.
Sure, the odd time Joey would pop into her mind, but she would immediately push him to the back of her head, and focus on anything but him.
Anything, like Justins feet. Laurens nails, or the little jelly stain on the carpet at her feet. Anything but him.
Justin noticed Lois' thoughts drift from time to time, and knew exactly what she was thinking about.
He didn't want her to have to worry or think about Joey anymore than she did, and would immediately say or do something stupid to bring her attention back to him.
Once, he even handed her a marker, and laid down in front of her so she could write 'focker' on his forehead. He even promised not to whine when it wouldn't come off later.
She smiled and thanked him for the offer, but it wasn't as funny if he knew it was coming.
Instead, she painted his toenails. Even added little flowers on them for a more feminine touch. She could tell he was dying to complain, but kept his mouth shut.
She smiled. Now that was a true friend.
Now, with Justins pink, flowery toes propped up on the coffee table, and the word 'focker' written across his forehead; Lauren couldn't resist him offering to allow someone to write on him, Lois was finally beginning to relax.
She grinned as she watched Shane West and Mandy Moore acting in the school play in A Walk to Remember. She loved this movie. She had seen it more times than she could count, but she still loved it.
Almost as much as her jelly.
Noticing Justin reaching for the jar of grape jelly, she smacked his hand away. "Don't even think about it, Justin." she warned. "That's my last jar!"
"But I wanna put some on my ice cream!" he whined, giving her his best puppy dog look.
She sighed, debating on whether or not to share her jelly. Staring at his toes, then the word 'focker' on his forehead, she closed her eyes and almost painfully handed him the jar of jelly.
He smiled happily, grabbing the jar and dumping a huge gob of jelly on his ice cream.
"Justin!" Lois yelled, grabbing the jelly back from him. "I didn't mean you could use it all!"
Justin shrugged as he dug his spoon in to the mess he had created. Tasting his creation, he frowned. "Needs Skittles."
Lauren shifted on the couch, as she reached beneath the couch and tossed up a bag of tropical Skittles to Justin. He bounced happily as he poured a handful of candy on his ice cream, and grinned stupidly at the TV as he ate what could only be called a disaster in food.
Turning back to the TV with a frown, Lois pouted.
Just then, the phone screeched beside her. Reaching out, she grabbed it before Justin had the chance to move towards it.
"Yellow?" she called.
A deep voice laughed on the other end of the line. "Yellow to you, too."
Lois smiled at the voice. "Hey, Willay."
"Hey Lois." Brian laughed. "What are you doing?"
"Watching a movie and eating junk food with Lauren and Focker." Lois laughed as Justin shot her an unhappy look at her nickname for him. Rubbing the word on his forehead, he faced the TV again.
"Huh. Listen, I called you yesterday, but Lauren said you were sleeping." Brian paused for a moment, his voice softening. "She told me what happened with Joey. I'm so sorry."
Lois grinned sadly. "Its okay. Its not your fault." Shrugging, Lois tilted her head. "His loss, right?"
"Right." Brian agreed. "So you okay?"
"Ive been better, but Ill live." she said, tossing a chip at Justin for no other reason than to annoy the shit out of him. Smiling at herself, she took pride in her success as the chip landed in his ice cream.
"What do you say we go out to lunch tomorrow? Ill take you anywhere you wanna go."
Lois smiled.
If she didn't love Joey, she would be all over this man. God damn Joey straight to hell, she thought.
"Sounds great. But just so you know, I have expensive tastes." she joked.
Brian smiled. "No problem. In all fairness, you warned me first, right?"
"Exactly."
Sighing, Lois' smile faded. "Willay?"
"Hmm?"
"Is it supposed to be this hard?"
Brian was silent for a short while before answering. "I don't know." he said. "I mean, Ive never been in love before, so I cant answer that for you. I know its probably not easy, but nothing is. Nothing that matters, anyway. Its the tough times that make you appreciate the good stuff, you know? Like, you wouldn't be able to feel this way, without knowing the shitty things first."
Lois laughed. "Well, I think I'm knee deep in the shit right now. What does that tell you?"
Brian just laughed. "Listen, no matter what happens, you will always know how much he means to you. You will know that you were right, and that you did the right thing. I don't want you crying over this, Lois." he said firmly. "No man is worth your tears and the one who is wont make you cry."
"Well, Ive been crying my ass off. Not that I have much of an ass, but you know what I mean." she joked. "Does that mean he's not the one?"
"Maybe." Brian said. "But no matter what, don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened. You will always have the guys in your life. I honestly cant see Justin leaving you behind just because of this, so you wont lose everything."
"Huh, I almost wish I would lose that part of this." Lois laughed.
"Aw, you love him. You know it."
"Yeah, I do. But if you tell anyone that, you're a dead man, Willay."
Brian laughed at her. Lois was silent for a while before speaking up again.
"You know, Joey always said that he wished he could find someone you loved him for him. You know? Most of the girls he met, were mainly interested in him for who he was. That is one thing I have that they don't. I don't love him for who he is. I love him for who I am when I'm with him."
Brian smiled into the phone. "Then that just proves even more how much he is losing out on."
"Ugh, I just wish I knew what to do, you know? Where I should go from here." Lois whined, tossing her head back on the couch.
"You can go anywhere you want to go." Brian said. "Or maybe you're already there."
Brian could almost see Lois' confused expression through the phone, and quickly explained.
"Sometimes, you have to realize that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. If you can just get out of your own way, you will go where you're meant to go."
Lois smiled. "Billy Holiday said that."
Brian laughed. "Yeah. You didn't think I came up with that on my own, did ya?"
"Naw, I knew better than that."
Brian laughed along with Lois. "Listen, I just wanted to call and make sure you were alright. Ill let you get back to your movie."
"Okay. Thanks Willay."
"Anytime." he said. "Ill pick you up around noon tomorrow."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Hanging up the phone, Lois turned to see Justin and Lauren watching her.
"What?"
"Nothing." Lauren smiled. "Its just good to see you smiling a little."
Lois smiled at her words. "Its good to be smiling a little."
Justin smiled stupidly at her, before offering her a spoonful of his ice cream / jelly / Skittles creation. "Its good!" he yelled, when she looked at the spoon like it was an intrusion.
"Ill just take your word for it." she said, moving farther down the couch.
Justin pouted, pulling back the spoon. "Its okay little jellycreamskittles." he said to the goop. "I luff you."
Lois laughed at his stupidity. Only Justin would talk to the food on his spoon.
Settling back in to watch the movie, she groaned when a knock sounded at the door.
"Ill get it!" Justin yelled excitedly as he jumped up from the couch.
Forgetting Lauren was laying on his lap, Justin's quick movement sent her falling to the floor.
He froze when he realized what he had done, and looked down at her frightened.
Laurens head slowly raised from the floor, her eyes burning at Justin.
Justin reached down to help her up, but she smacked his hand away. "You stay away from me, focker." she yelled as she pushed herself up from the floor to sit beside Lois.
"Im so sorr--" he was cut off my Laurens hand in his face.
"Shhh!"
"But Laur--"
"I said SSHHH!"
"But--"
"Knock knock."
"Whos there?" Justin asked, confused.
"Shh!"
"Lauren--"
"Let me tell you a story about a man named SSHHH!"
Rolling her eyes at the two who were still shhhing each other, Lois pushed herself up from the couch. If she waited for them to stop arguing, whoever was at the door would be old and gray. That is, if they weren't already.
Shuffling across the floor to the door, she pushed her messy hair out of her face as she pulled the door open.
The second she saw who was on the other side of that door, she wished to God that she had just stayed on the couch and waited for Lauren and Justin to be done shhhing.
