Chapter
Twenty-One
Larson opened her door and dropped her keys on the table. Chris had just dropped her off from spending
the night at his place. It was the one
place she could feel like herself again.
She went down into her living room where Mel was watching TV.
“Hey.” Larson said before
heading to the kitchen.
Mel jumped up from the couch, nearly spilling her cereal all over
the floor, “My God, you’re finally home.
Do you know how worried I was?
Where have you been?” She asked
as she followed her into the kitchen.
Larson sighed and reached into the fridge for a bottle of water,
“Really Mel, I don’t need the lecture.
I just want some water and then I’m going to do the work I’ve been
putting off.”
Mel crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe of the
kitchen, “Were you at Chris’s all night?”
Larson sighed and rubbed her face, “Will you leave me alone if I
say yes?”
Mel looked like someone had kicked her, “Why won’t you tell me
what’s going on? You always do.” The hurt was very apparent in her voice and
Larson just didn’t want to deal with it.
“Maybe I don’t feel like it.”
Larson retorted as she left the kitchen.
Mel’s hurt, fueled her anger, “Okay, stop right there missy and
get your ass back here.” If there was
something going on between Larson and Chris, Larson was going to tell her,
whether she liked it or not.
Larson retracted a few steps, “Mel, really.” This was the last subject that she wanted to
talk about.
Mel put her hands on her hips, “I don’t care, you’re my best friend
and you are going to tell me what the hell is up with you, starting with last
night.”
Larson rolled her eyes, “Nothing’s going on. Chris and I left the party, got something to
eat and then I crashed at his place.”
Mel didn’t lift her glare, “Why didn’t you come home?”
“Because I didn’t feel like it, okay mom?” She retorted with another roll of her
eyes. She was not in the mood for Mel’s
interrogation. In fact, it was better
that she wasn’t there last night, that way Mel could do whatever she wanted
with JC and Larson didn’t have to witness it.
There could be only one reason why Larson was being so distant,
“Is it because you were making out with Chris at the party?” Mel accused,
Larson’s jaw dropped, that came out of left field, “What?! Who said that?!”
“JC, he said that he walked in on you and Chris making out
upstairs.” She replied crossing her
arms.
Larson threw her hands up in the air, “We were talking, that’s
it! Nothing happened nor will it ever
happen between me and Chris! We’re just
friends! Why would JC say something
like that!? Ugh that jerk!” She exclaimed.
Mel realized that Larson was telling the truth. She never flipped out like that unless she
was truly upset. “Dude, it’s okay. JC just said it to me, no biggie!” She tried to calm Larson down.
Larson looked around, searching for something. Finally she found her car keys, “I’m
out. See ya later Mel.”
She said stalking out the door and slamming it as she left.
Mel sighed and flopped down on the couch. Reluctantly she grabbed the phone and dialed
up JC.
“Hello, Mel.” JC answered, obviously not in a good mood.
She leaned back on the couch, “I have the best news for you. L, doesn’t want Chris. She wasn’t making out with him last
night. They were just talking.”
JC was pretty sure of what he saw, “Are you sure?”
Mel took a deep breath, “Positive, Larson was in her ‘I’m too
pissed to lie’ mood.”
JC frowned at hearing Larson was upset, “Why was she upset?”
“Because I was interrogating her about last night.”
“Did she just get up?”
“No, she just got home, she stayed the night at Chris’s.” She replied and JC suddenly hung up the
phone, “JC? JACE!?”
JC pounded on Chris’s door, “Open up Chris!” He shouted till Chris opened the door.
Chris was surprised to see an enraged JC on his doorstep, “C,
where’s the fire?”
JC pointed a finger in his face, “You fuck head! What the hell do you think you’re doing with
Larson?”
Chris took a step back, completely confused, “Doc? Uh, nothing?”
“Nothing? I don’t recall
spending the night with you as nothing!” JC accused.
Chris crossed his arms and leaned against his doorframe, finding
JC’s jealousy amusing, “Why are you so upset?
She’s not YOUR girlfriend, you’ve got Mel.”
“I don’t want Mel!” JC exclaimed, throwing up his arms.
“You don’t want Mel?”
Chris asked confused, “What do you mean you don’t want Mel?”
“It’s all a ploy to make Larson jealous and make her realize that
she wants me too!” JC tried to explain.
This was too good to be true, “Wait, you want Larson?”
“Yes!” JC exclaimed, completely exasperated at the situation.
“Aw man, are you fucking screwed.” Chris said and JC grabbed him
by the shirt,
“What did you do to her?”
Chris held up his hands in surrender, “I didn’t do anything, but
you screwed up big time with your little game.”
“What do you mean?” JC
asked and Chris removed him from his shirt,
Chris crossed his arms, “I mean, Doc won’t go near you if she
thinks that Mel wants you, is with you or starting something with you.”
“You’re kidding me.” JC
said running a hand through his hair.
Chris shook his head, “Not a bit my man. Why the hell would you think that making Doc jealous with Mel,
would get her? It’s her best friend!”
Chris couldn’t even believe that JC could think that kind of plan would work.
“It was Mel’s idea!” JC
blurted out.
Chris was completely shocked at that revelation, “It was Mel’s?!”
“Yeah, she knew this was the way that Larson would realize her
feelings and fight for me. We didn’t
want to hurt anyone else so Mel volunteered.”
JC confessed with a shrugged.
Chris sighed and rubbed his forehead, “Well, you did hurt someone,
you hurt Doc. She felt like you
replaced her with Mel. I doubt that
she’s going to go near you anytime soon.” Chris said shaking his head.
JC began pacing in front of Chris, “Shit, I have to find her and
make her understand.”
“Well last time I knew she was at home.” Chris suggested.
“I have to find her.” JC
said running to his car and speeding off.
Larson angrily drove over to JC’s except he wasn’t there. She sped off again trying to calm herself
down.
“Where does he get the gall to tell people my business? I can’t believe that I would ever even think
of dating him!” She yelled out in her
car. “What a fucking jerk!”
Larson finally came home after wasting a
tank of gas. She walked into her
apartment a little calmer than before.
“L?” Mel called out to
her,
“What?” She snapped from
the top of the stairs.
Mel winced at the harsh tone, “I just have some messages for
you. Chris called and JC stopped by
looking for you.”
“Thanks.” She said shortly
and began to walk down the hall.
“Wait,
L! I wanna talk-” She heard Larson’s
bedroom door shut, “to you.” She
finished with a sigh, “Man, this is so fucked up.”