| Chapter Fifteen Patty smiled warmly as Elizabeth gave her a hug. �How did you get roped into becoming Joey�s date?� Patty asked. Elizabeth waved her hand. �He�s sweet.� She lowered her voice to a whisper. �He�s kind of cute, too.� The girls giggled. �Hey, I ain�t all bad,� Joey interjected from the living area, where he was busy setting up the stereo system. The room fell silent. Joey noticed and looked around. �Yes you are,� everyone intoned. Joey�s expression went from shocked to bashful. �Yeah, I know,� he said shyly, as if it was a compliment, and went back to hooking up speakers. Elizabeth grinned at him. �Yeah, he�s a keeper.� Patty gazed at JC, who was telling Joey how to set up the CD player. Joey was doing a good job of ignoring him. �Yeah, I think Joey�s a good one.� Elizabeth frowned as Justin walked through the living area to the bathroom. �Who is that? I know that guy from somewhere.� *~*~* Justin was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Avoid. Yeah, that�s how I�ll get though this, he thought. I�ll just avoid her. It won�t be hard; if she�s Patty�s friend, she�ll be tied up all night. Justin ran his hands shakily over his short hair and said a prayer that she wouldn�t remember who he was. There was a soft rap on the door. Justin jumped, his eyes wide with fear. �Hey Justin? Are you okay?� It was Jade. �Yeah, just don�t feel so good,� he said. He stood up and gazed at his reflection. His eyes were big and scared, his complexion almost a greenish shade. �Are you going to be alright?� Jade asked. She chewed her fingernail nervously. She knew it wasn�t anything she had done; he�d looked like he�d seen a ghost when Joey and that girl showed up. Maybe it was the �her� he had mentioned earlier. �I�ll be out in a minute,� Justin said. �Okay.� Jade went to find out what was going on by asking Patty. *~*~* �I�ve got it!� Joey stood up and flexed his muscles, Superman style. �It takes a man to do these kinds of things.� He winked at Elizabeth, who giggled and turned pink. JC rolled his eyes, an action that was met with a laugh from the crowd. �Right. You couldn�t have done it without me.� Joey made a �talk to the hand� gesture and threw his arm around Elizabeth, who giggled again. �Okay, JC Cheesy, you win.� �Whatever,� JC laughed. Jade tapped Patty, who was chatting with AJ and D, on the shoulder. �Hey, what�s the deal with Justin? He�s acting weird,� she said. Patty opened her mouth, then closed it again when Justin came up to them. �Nothing is up,� he said, pasting a smile on his face. �I�m okay now.� �Good, good,� Patty said. �Joey got the stereo hooked up, but no one�s turned it on yet.� �Oh, I�ll do it,� Justin offered, seeing that Joey and Elizabeth were talking to Jacob, Dan, and Lance in the other corner. �Just put on the radio,� JC said. He was standing with Patty, who was laughing at something Dawnovan said. �Put it on 105.5!� D shouted from the sofa. �That�s the station where I work,� she told AJ. �Cool,� he said, as if that was the most fascinating thing he could have heard about someone. Justin nodded and found the radio station. The song that was playing was unfamiliar and he went back to where Jade, Dawnovan, Patty, and JC were talking. Justin was silent; his attention had been diverted, and he was listening intently to the words the man was singing. And it's been awhile Since I could hold my head up high And it's been awhile Since I first saw you And it's been awhile Since I could stand on my own two feet again And it's been awhile Since I could call you Justin went to turn it louder. This man was singing about him. That was his life. The song continued Justin reached up and wiped his eyes. I�m crying, he thought. I�m crying and everyone can see me. This song is me. He listened on. And it's been awhile Since I've gone and fucked things up just like I always do Justin sniffed. He could hear Jade�s voice. �Is he- Oh my God- is he crying?� Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Patty or Lance. �Hey are you okay? And, you look so familiar. Do I know you?� Elizabeth asked �I don�t know you. I don�t fucking know anything! All I know is I�ve fucked things up, like I always seem to do!� Justin screamed and ran from the room and into the bathroom, where he locked himself inside and sat down on the floor, sobbing. The song finished as everyone stood in shocked silence. It�s been awhile Since I could say I�m sorry� Chapter Sixteen HOME |