"It's not over yet, J." Colin replied calmly, his eyes on the television as his character was decimated by Justin's. "Okay, now it's over."
Justin jumped up and did a victory dance. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, I'm the greatest ... " he drifted off. "And damn, why isn't anyone else ever around to see it when I win?"
"Could it possibly be because you're a sore winner?" Colin raised an eyebrow at him.
"Maybe," Justin laughed as he flopped down on the couch. "So ... you talked to your girl lately?"
"Last night - I called to tell her Shannon's good news, they're really good friends." Colin explained.
"You should see if she can come and see you up here - we could always score you tickets again," Justin suggested, a slow smile coming over his features.
"I keep trying, but money's still real tight - she pays for college herself, so she's working a lot of hours ... dude, why are you smiling like that - it's starting to freak me out." Colin gave Justin a strange look.
"Sorry ... I kinda have a confession to make," Justin grinned. "She'll be here tonight."
"Who will?" Colin's eyes were huge. "Ammie? Here?"
"Yup - I got all the info from Shannon and we called her up and decided to surprise you. Guess it worked," Justin laughed.
"Wow ... man, I don't know what to say," Colin stared at him dumbfounded.
"It's nothing, really ..." Justin protested.
"It's not ... seriously, Justin, thank you." Colin grabbed him in a quick hug.
"You're welcome," Justin's smile quickly faded as Lance entered the room - strutting. Gloating was more like it, with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Hey Colin, what's up?" Lance nodded in greeting, his eyes passing over Justin. "What's wrong, Just?"
"Nothing - till you came in."
Colin looked back and forth between the two of them. "Um ... maybe I should go."
"No, maybe he should go," Justin glared at Lance, who stepped back.
"Okay, Justin - this is totally getting out of hand. Why are you so pissed off at me? It's not like I have a hand in this decision of who gets to go, Shannon has to decide that. Besides, we don't even know who she's going to pick - it might not be either Des or Michelle." Lance said, much too calmly for Justin's liking.
"You know something, don't you?" Justin's eyes flashed blue fire. "You know who got picked!"
Colin sighed and stepped between them. "It's Destiny. They decided last night, when Shannon got home."
Justin's shocked gaze settled on Colin. "What? How ...?"
"It was a group decision, Shannon was so torn she let Des and Shelle decide ... Shelle said Destiny should have it, that she'd rather stay with Marriott -"
"What?" Justin's grew angry again. "She just ... handed it to Destiny? She didn't even want it?"
"Justin, it's not like that." Colin insisted, as Justin paced furiously, then glanced at his watch.
"I've got to go ... I just have to ... go." Justin bolted for the door, slamming it behind him. Colin shook his head and looked at Lance, who was staring at the door in shock.
"That wasn't cool, Lance."
"Excuse me?" Lance raised his eyebrow.
"You knew how much it meant to Justin to have Shelle on the tour with him, it just wasn't cool for you to come in here like that - all gloating and shit." Colin frowned.
"This isn't my fault, Colin," Lance fought to keep his voice steady, anger clouding his eyes.
"Well you certainly didn't help matters any ... now he's so pissed that I doubt anyone will be able to talk sense into him."
********
Michelle breathed a sigh of relief as she clocked out for the day, using her hand to wipe the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead. It had been a long day, starting with her telling her managers that she would be moving to Orlando, then putting in for a transfer down in Human Resources, followed by a huge pile of paperwork to seal the deal. Her only desire was to take the bus back to the apartment, take a cool shower and get ready for the concert that night. A smile came to her face then, as she thought of Justin. She had always considered him the baby of the group, and she had never imagined him to be as mature, thoughtful and loving as he was.
"And he's mine," Michelle whispered to herself, smiling dreamily. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the person waiting for her by the staff entrance until she bumped into him. "Oh! I'm sorry - Justin? What are you doing here?" Her face broke into a smile that faded quickly when she saw the look on his.
"Is there maybe something you'd like to tell me?" Justin seethed anger, she could feel it.
"Um ... I guess you heard about Destiny being the new costume assistant." Michelle sighed. "Listen, my decision has nothing to do with our relationship or you -"
"Nothing to do with me or our relationship? So that's what you think of it, huh? Never thought that maybe I would want you there, never gave one thought to how I'd feel when I heard that you just gave the job away so thoughtlessly ..." Justin searched for the right words. "Is this how you feel about our relationship? Do I mean this little to you?"
"Justin! I only met you four days ago! We barely have a relationship and if you'd just be rational and let me explain -" she reached out to him.
"Explain what? That you'd rather stay with Marriott?" Justin pushed her hands away. "You know, maybe you were right ... maybe I am to young for you. I guess I was just too blind to see that." Justin turned and ran back inside the hotel, leaving Michelle dazed and angry.
She screamed in frustration. "Damn stubborn idiot!" She ran after Justin, catching up with him by the service elevator, where she grabbed his arm. "Don't run away from me before I can fully explain my decision to you!"
"I have nothing to say to you," he said softly.
"Well I have something to say to you, if you'll just calm down and let me explain." Michelle's eyes searched his for some understanding before she continued. "Yes, I let Destiny take the position, and yes, I told Shannon I want to stay with Marriott - but - I'm following them down to Orlando and living there. I put in for the transfer today."
Justin's eyes slowly lost their anger and his jaw began to relax. "You mean ..."
"I do care about our relationship, Justin, and yes, I'd love to tour with you. But the position is much better suited to Destiny - she's visually artistic and I'm not. At least in Orlando I'll be closer to you and I'm sure I'll see you a lot more than I would if I stayed here - that is, if you still want to see me after this." She smiled ruefully.
"I'm sorry ... I had no idea ..." Justin apologized, a faint blush creeping over his cheeks and ears. "Forgive me?"
He looked so much like a beaten puppy Michelle had to laugh. "This time. This time I'll forgive you. But I swear, you'd better not do this everytime we have a miscommunication, or else I'll have to kick your ass."
Justin looked at her petite frame and giggled. "You? Kick my ass? Right."
"So I'll have to enlist some help - I'm sure Mike and Eric would love to help me kick your scrawny white butt." Michelle's eyes twinkled.
"Hey! My butt's not scrawny! I have a very nice posterior, I'll have you know," Justin smiled, putting his arm around her waist.
Michelle looked behind him and grinned. "I've noticed."
Chapter Index
Back to Hosted Fiction
Back to the Den