�What the hell?�
�I heard you were coming home and I knew you�d be hungry.�
Chris turned around to see JC leaning against the frame to the kitchen door.
�Well� Thanks.�
�Do you forgive me?�
He hesitated. �Yes.�
�Great! So, um, I bought some dry wall thinking maybe we could put this wall back up and talk.�
�Can it wait till tomorrow? I just want to relax in my home for now.�
�Sure. I�ll see you at noon then. Have fun on your first night back,� he said walking away.
�Don�t worry, I will,� he said to himself.
�I�m trying to be good, I really am,� Crystal told Chris over the phone. �All of us are. We�re taking you up on the party offer, I hope you realize this.�
�Of course I do. Why else would I have made it? So, how are you doing?�
�Not too bad. I can�t stop thinking about you, though.�
�I can�t stop thinking about you either. I miss you.�
�Come see me.�
�I can�t right now. JC�s coming over and we�re going to fix a wall I tore down before I was institutionalized.�
�You tore down a wall?�
�With a hammer, and it was damn fun.�
�I�m sure it was.�
There was a moment of silence.
�When I get out of here I want to have sex,� she said.
�Um, I�m sorry, say that again.�
She laughed. �You heard me. It�s time to get over what happened to me, and I think this is the best way.�
�Crystal, you�re not ready, you know you aren�t, and I don�t want to hurt you.�
�I�m not a virgin.�
�No, not that way. I mean hurt you emotionally.�
She sighed. �I just want to be better.�
�Having sex isn�t going to do that. It�s going to take time.�
�All I�ve had is time. Twenty years I�ve lived with this and tried to get over it, but it�s not working. I don�t know what to do.�
�When you find true love you�ll be able to heal.�
�I love you.�
He smiled. �Love and time. How can you possibly know you love me? We�ve only known each other for like, a month.�
�I know, but I haven�t felt this way about anyone�ever.�
�I�m just saying, I�ve been burnt in the past and you shouldn�t jump to conclusions about love. Bad things happen when you do that.�
�I guess you�re right. But hey, my time�s almost up so I have to go.�
�Ok. If we finish my wall today I�ll stop by tomorrow.�
�Hope I�ll see you then. Bye.�
�Bye.�
�I talked to her,� JC said.
�Who?�
�You know who.�
It was about eight at night and they had been working on his wall for over two hours. He didn�t think it would take this long, but there was a whole lot more to it.
�When?� Chris asked.
�About a week ago. She told me what happened with the psychologist.�
�Really?� he said bitterly. �How nice.�
�She does want you to get better. And I don�t see how you could just walk out on her when you obviously still love her.�
�I don�t love her.�
�Yes you do.�
�Listen, the last thing I want to do right now is talk about her. So please, can we change the subject?�
�Alright, sorry.�
Chris awoke the next morning to pounding at his front door. He rolled over and looked at his clock to see it was only nine thirty. He groaned and got up and walked downstairs. Justin was peering through the window looking panic-stricken.
�What do you want? And why are you here so damn early?� he asked after he opened the door.
�I need to talk to you,� he said urgently.
�Can it wait until I get more sleep?�
�No.�
�Ugh, fine. Come in.�
He walked in and began playing with his shirt nervously and looking around the house.
�What in the hell is wrong with you?�
�It�s JC.�
�What about him?�
�He� I went to his house this morning and I heard the sounds of whoopi, so naturally I went upstairs to see who he had today. I opened his door a crack so that he didn�t know I was there and I saw� Chris, I�m so sorry.�
�For what?�
�He... He was with� her.� He said nothing. �I didn�t know, I honestly didn�t know. Please don�t be mad at me.�
�Why would I be mad at you? You�re not the one who stabbed me in the back by fucking my ex-girlfriend.�
�What are you going to do?�
�Kill him,� he said walking to the door.
�No!� Justin said grabbing a hold of his arms and pulling him back.
�Why the hell not?!�
�Because she�s there. You don�t want her to know that you still love her.�
�I don�t still love her.�
�Then why do you want to kill JC?�
�Because I still have feelings for her! But it�s not love! How would you feel if I slept with one of your ex-girlfriends?!�
He thought for a moment and let Chris go.
�Try not to actually kill him.�
�JC!!!! JC!!!! Open your god-damned door!!!� Chris screamed at the top of his lungs while pounding furiously on JC�s front door. After a moment he appeared in the window with a sheet wrapped around him.
�Open the door you back-stabbing mother fucker!� he said slapping the glass. He shook his head fast and looked slightly scared for his life; as he should be. �If you don�t open your door right now I will break this glass and you will pay for the injuries to my hands.�
Reluctantly he unlocked the door and opened it a crack.
�What?� he asked quietly. He ignored his question and pushed the door open, nearly knocking JC over. �Hey!�
�I should kill you,� he said darkly.
�Wh-why?�
�You know damn well why. How could you have the audacity to come over to my house and act like you were my friend?� he asked walking up dangerously to him.
�I-I am your f-friend,� he said backing up.
�You are not,� he said slowly. �You�re sleeping with my ex-girlfriend: the woman I used to love with my whole soul.�
�I�m not sleeping with her.�
�Bull shit. Justin came here this morning and saw you.�
�What?�
�Oh yes, so don�t you even try to deny it.�
By this time JC was backed against the wall with Chris in his face.
�What are you going to do?�
�Beat you so you are unrecognizable to your loved ones,� he said raising his fist.
�Chris!� He looked up and saw her wearing another sheet, standing on JC�s landing. �Don�t do anything to him.�
�What?!�
She walked down and stood next to him and a panic-stricken JC.
�Don�t hurt him. He was there for me when I was feeling terrible about us.�
�You fucking broke up with me! You have no reason to be upset!�
�Yes I do! We went out for three years! For crying out loud, we moved in together!�
�Then why did you break up with me?� She was silent. �Yeah, that�s what I thought. Now, if you don�t mind, I�m going to beat the shit out of this asshole.�
He raised his fist and threw it as hard as he could at JC. He hit his stomach and he doubled over, the wind knocked out of him. She threw her arms around his neck and tried to drag him backwards. He threw himself back and she fell onto the floor. The door flew open as he went to hit JC again. A flustered Lance ran into the room, obviously sent by Justin to break the fight up.
�Chris, stop it!� he yelled taking his arm and pulling him away.
�Why are you people all taking his side?!�
�Because he�s your friend.�
�He is not! God, get it through your thick skulls that he will never be my friend again for as long as I live!� he jerked his arm away and stormed out of the house.
�Chris, you need to come out of your room,� Justin said through his bedroom door.
�What�s the point?�
�You need to eat and we need to talk.�
�About what?�
�Everything that�s happened.�
He opened his door and walked past Justin.
�Where are you going?�
�I told Crystal that I�d go see her today.�
�Who�s Crystal?�
�The woman I�m in love with,� he said leaving the house.