Jeff made his way around the house,
feeling a twinge of anger growing in the pit of his stomach. He
walked to where Shane was sitting, pretending to pay intricate
attention to his now empty plate. "We need to talk." Jeff told
him. "No. I don't believe we do." Shane said, not looking up.
Jeff leaned down so his face was
level with Shane's. "yes, we do. And either we do it in
semi-private, or we do it here." Shane groaned as he stood up and
went to follow Jeff around the side of the house. "No bleeding in
the grass!" Kali yelled.
"What do you want Jeff? You've got
the girl, do you want to gloat?" Shane asked as soon as they were
out of sight and earshot of the group. "This isn't about winning!
Jaylynn isn't some fucking prize! She's a woman. A great one at
that. Not some damn possession." jeff told him.
Shane lowered his gaze guiltily.
"You're right. I'm sorry. What do you want?" Shane asked. "I want
you to know that I know you care about Jaylynn an awful lot. Maybe
you ever love her. And that we didn't do anything to try and hurt
you. I want you to know the truth. What I said earlier was me
being stupid. Jaylynn and I did sleep together, but only because
we were to drunk to know what was going on. And I don't know what
the future holds for us...but I do know that I don't want to lose
you as a friend." Jeff spoke honestly, surprising himself at the
way his heart took over his mouth.
Shane nodded. "Thanks man. For being
honest that is. Are we done now?" Shane asked, his voice still
holding a bit of bitterness. "No. I also want you to stop treating
Jaylynn like a piece of shit. You are suppose to be her friend.
That means thru the good times and the bad. She chose not to
pursue a physical relationship with you. And you chose to pursue
one with Angela. Deal with it." Jeff growled.
"Listen, stay out of my business and
I'll stay out of yours, ok?" Shane said, turning to lave. Jeff
grabbed his arm. "Fine, but Jaylynn is my business." Jeff reminded
him before releasing his grip.
***
Jaylynn blew on her fingernails,
hoping that the black polish would dry before she managed to
smudge them. She groaned when she heard someone knock on her door.
Why was it that she could hardly ever get a quiet night at home?
Jaylynn stood up, glad that she had
opted for a pair of gray shorts and a gray tank top instead of
pajama's as she went to answer the door. She was more than a bit
surprised that Shane Helms was standing on her doorstep.
"Shane, what are you doing here?"
Jaylynn asked. "I thought we should talk." He replied. Jaylynn
motioned him into her living room, giving up on her nails. He sat
at one end of her couch and she sat at the other end.
"So...what do you want to talk
about?" Jaylynn asked, confused by the visit. "Listen, I wanna
apologize for being a jerk earlier. Or actually for being a jerk
the last few days. I guess I Just felt rejected that you keep
choosing other guys over me." Shane admitted, surprising himself
with the confession.
"Shane, it was never like that. As
much as I'd love to be with you...we can't be. For one thing
you're with Angela and I seem to have this thing with Jeff. And
then...it's just not right. The timing is off. If we were to get
together now, we'd only hurt each other...and I can't bare the
thought of that." Jaylynn told him.
Both remained silent for a few
moments, lost in their own thoughts. Unsure of how to continue.