THE MALL As soon as they arrived, the boys paired into twos; older with younger. Same with the girls. The two groups split up, promising to be back in two hours, and went their separate ways.
First up were the girls. They had the given $20 but also some from their parents. First, Britney and Rhona went into Old Navy. “So, what are you getting for TJ?”
“Oh, I don't know. He’s kind of a jock but also still like a dorky brother, you know?” the young blonde answered.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” They looked for a while before finally finding something. “How about this?”
Rhona held up a pair of regular cut dark jeans. “That fits this perfect!” Britney squealed holding up a t-shirt that read ‘the cool kid just showed up’.
The two laughed and went to checkout.
---
“Ryan’s going to flip when he sees this,” Christina told Keri.
“See what?”
The girl held up a copy of Ryan’s favorite movie. “He’s always talking about it but doesn’t have it.”
“That’s a very good gift.”
“Thanks. Hey, where’s Nicole?”
“I think her and Nikki went to a jewelry store before getting Justin's present.”
---
Ryan, TJ, Dale, Tony, and JC watched Justin stare intently at the display case. He tapped his fingers lightly against the glass, a far away yet concentrated expression on his face. “that one,” he told the jeweler.
“Whoa, Just, wait. Are you sure, Justin?” JC asked quietly.
“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” the boy answered as if it was obvious.
“That’s a big step, I just want you to be sure.”
“I am.”
---
THE NIGHT BEFORE VALENTINE’S The guys were sprawled out in front of a small TV playing video games. JC walked in with more drinks, setting them on the table. It was then that he noticed the game was between Ryan and Tony. TJ was rooting them on while Dale and Matt went to pick up the pizza. He noticed Justin was laying in his sleeping bag, staring into space.
He walked up to his best friend and crouched beside him. “What are you thinking about, little man?”
Justin didn’t hear him; lost in his own world and remembering eight months ago.
FLASHBACK TO LAST SUMMER Justin walked down the hall. He heard loud chattering of kids waiting to audition. He wished them luck, remembering a short time ago when he was one of the hopefuls. He stopped, hearing a little girl in the room singing for Mark. She looked awfully nervous as she bit her lip between verses. Justin carefully poked his head in the door, knowing it was against the rules but wanting to see who had that voice.
There she was, a small girl of only 11. Long brown hair that went to the middle of her back, big blue eyes that darted all around, and a bright blue wheelchair. He held his breath as she did and Mark announced she had a role. As she wheeled out of the room to her mother, she passed by him.
“Good job,” he said with a big smile. “I’m Justin.”
“Nicole.” END FLASHBACK
“Juuuuuust,” JC called.
Justin startled, looking around before seeing the dark haired teen above him. “Sorry, Josh, what'd you say?”
“You thinking of a certain 12 year old again?” The 13 year old blushed and looked down. This was the third time this week JC had caught him daydreaming. “Come on, let’s take a walk.” He lent his hand and pulled the boy up.
“So, what's going on up there?” JC ruffled Justin’s curls.
“C!” he groaned. “I don't know, nothing. I guess I’m just thinking.”
“Nothing, huh? Let me see if I can guess. You nervous about the dance tomorrow?”
“N-n-no,” he lied. Then he smacked his forehead in frustration. “I guess so. I mean, come on, JC, what if Nicole doesn’t like what I got her? What if she wants to dance with Ryan or one of the other guys? What if she doesn’t want to be there or there with me?”
The older boy chuckled at the rambling; he’d never seen him so flustered. It was kind of cute in a way because Justin was like a little brother to him. “Ok, dude, breathe. Have you asked yourself what if she likes what you got her? C’mon, Just, open your eyes and look around. You got it bad, kid, you got it bad. It’s ok to be nervous, it just means you've got your first crush.”
“Really? So what do I do?” he asked in childlike innocence.
“Look, before you go rambling again, answer me something. What do you feel when you're hanging with Nicole?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you guys have fun?” Justin nodded. “Do you like making her smile?” Another nod. “And you guys tell each other everything?”
“Yeah, so what does that mean?” Justin asked again. He was so confused by everything running through him.
JC kneeled down in front of Justin who had sat against the wall. “One more question: Do you think she’s cute, like would you want to kiss her?” This caused the younger boy to blush furiously and he laid a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Well, kid, you definitely are crushing on Nicole. And trust me, the way I’ve seen the girls talking, she feels the same.”
“Really?!” Justin said hopefully.
“Yeah, man. Don’t worry, just do what feels right. Now, c’mon it’s late and we have to get some sleep. We have to be rested to flirt with the ladies tomorrow, right?”
“Aw, Josh! Nicole ain’t like that. She’s sweet, funny, her face scrunches up when she laughs...” Justin started on another daydream.
“Ugh, J, if you don’t shut up I’m going to clobber you.”
Chapter End Notes:
AN: next chapter i will try to show the girls' sleepover if i can come up with something for them. if i cant, get ready to see the dance.
Story Tags: Be the first to add a tag to this story
