“Hey,” Mallory greeted rather friendly as she watched Justin walk up to her silently, the look on his face saying he’d rather be anywhere but there. “Long time no talk.”
“Yeah …” Justin answered uneasily when he was finally up to her. “It’s been a while huh?”
She only nodded her agreement as she watched him fidget nervously with his car keys. It was really random that Justin called her to meet up at the park. It was even more peculiar because he hadn’t talked to her in months, had actually gone out of his way to avoid her at all cost. Mallory knew this, and after every awkward situation where he’d make a dash for any exit when he saw her, she too started avoiding him. Her pride and dignity too hurt by what transpired with them to do anything else.
Mallory Thompson knew just what type of guy Justin was. He didn’t do very much to hide the fact, but being the naïve female that she was thought that it would be different with them. Thinking highly of herself, she thought that if she gave herself to him he’d want her and she could change him. She wanted to change him, she wanted him to become something to her that he wouldn’t allow himself to be with any of the other girls he fucked around with and then left alone like he had never touched them. It didn’t work out that way. She wasn’t different than those other girls, she was quite the same, and it disgusted her on so many levels to know that she had made it so easy for him to win her.
“Not because of me,” she reminded him somewhat bitterly. She took a seat at the picnic table she had been leaning against and he took a seat as well sitting across from her. Mallory glanced around the nearly empty park, looking at the kids that were playing on the swings and the trees that were losing their leaves, and then glared at Justin who had been sitting quietly observing her.
“Unfortunately, you’re right about that.”
“I know I am. But what I can’t understand is why you feel like you can ignore me and then call me up out of the blue and ask for favors.”
“It’s not like that,” he promised.
“How is it then? Because you stopped talking to me, barely make eye contact with me on a good day, and here you are trying to sit across from me like nothing happened.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“What do you want?”
Justin hung his head pitifully, because he felt horrible for the way he treated her. But unfortunately he did this to a lot of girls. He’d mess around with them and leave them and never talk to them again. It’s the guy that his friends knew him so well to be, a guy that he was trying so hard to run away from.
Mallory wasn’t picked at random. She wasn’t as popular as some of the prettier girls, but she was just as pretty if not better looking than most of them. Her sun kissed skin looked perfectly tan all year round, her dark brown hair cascaded down the length of her back, and her tight little body was sculpted but round in all the right places. It was an easy decision, even easier when all it took was one date and she was on him faster than he ever thought possible. She was easily attainable, as said from majority of the jocks in school, and she didn’t disappoint at all.
“Mallory, I really want to take this opportunity to apologize to you for my behavior. I didn’t mean to avoid you or ignore you. It wasn’t my intention.”
Justin was lying through his teeth. She knew it and he knew that she knew it. His words were cleverly crafted to make her believe more of him than he could believe in himself. It was the same line he told all the girls, a few different words thrown in here and there, but basically the same.
“Cut the crap,” she scoffed shaking her head. “We both know that you are sorry, a sorry excuse for a human being. But you’re not sorry for the things that you do.”
“I am sorry,” he reiterated.
“If you’re so sorry why did you ignore me in the first place?”
“I don’t know …” he paused to lick his dry lips. “I do dumb shit.”
“That’s for sure. Anyway, you said you needed something so just tell me what it is and we can end this painfully awkward conversation.”
“Well part of the reason I called you down here was because I do need something, but the other reason was to apologize. Honestly. I think you’re a great girl and maybe if the situation were different …”
“Then maybe something could’ve happened between us?” She finished his sentence for him, mocking him in a sugary sweet voice. “Give me a little credit, Justin. I’m not like most of the stupid bimbos you sleep with. Yeah we did mess around and I was stupid for that, but I’m not stupid enough to believe any of the stuff you’re saying right now.”
Justin frowned and ran a few fingers through hair in frustration. “I know you’re not stupid. I wasn’t saying that.”
“Yes you were!”
“No I was not,” he argued.
“You’re sitting here giving me the same lines you give every other girl that you put in this mess.”
“The last time I checked I wasn’t the only one in that bed putting us in this mess,” he growled, his patience running very thin.
“You’re right. I was there too, because I was stupid enough to believe that we had a chance at something.”
“We went on one lousy date, dinner and a movie,” he reminisced. “The movie sucked and we didn’t talk much during dinner, so I don’t get how you’d think that we had a chance at anything. It’s not like I lead you to believe that.”
“That’s not how it was for me. And we did talk during dinner …well I did, but I guess you just zoned me out. I’m so sorry you considered me such a lousy date and I guess a lousy lay since I haven’t heard from you since.”
“Mallory, don’t try to run this game with me. Don’t put this on me like you haven’t done the same shit with every other guy in school,” he accused. Suddenly he regretted the words as they fell out of his mouth. This wasn’t exactly how he pictured this meeting going. And he wasn’t helping his cause one bit by calling her a whore.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” She sneered, narrowing her eyes at him. Her fists were balled up under the table, the only thing keeping Justin from a punch in the face being the table between them.
“It …it doesn’t matter,” he immediately digressed. “I don’t want to go there with you.”
“No, I think you already have. What right do you have calling me a slut?”
“I didn’t call you--,”
“Maybe you didn’t use the words but that’s what you’re implying right?” Justin only shrugged his response, looking down at the wooden table. “You sleep with anything that can walk and you’re calling me a slut?”
“I didn’t call you a slut, Mallory.”
“Then what were you saying?”
“Nothing,” he relented. Justin knew well enough to know that girls take everything the wrong way, and he was already in a boat that was sinking. “I wasn’t saying anything.”
“You obviously know me so well …so tell me.”
“I hear the rumors,” his eyes darted from Mallory to something behind her. “Guys tell me stuff …about you …about all of the girls.”
“Do you listen to all of the rumors?” She asked, genuinely curious. “Do you hear half of the stuff being said about you? About your boys?”
“That’s what I mean,” he nodded his head. “It’s all true.”
“No ….some of it is true, not all of it. I don’t know why I’m trying to explain myself to you …but,” her gaze faltered into something less angry. She folded her arms and cleared her throat. “I’ve had a crush on you since I can remember. But what girl hasn’t? It’s so easy to fall for your charm …whether it’s real or not …it’s hard to ignore.” Justin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes glued to hers. He could deal with girls hating him after treating them the way that he did, but seeing someone hold so much admiration for him after the fact was a hard pill to swallow. “I fell for your charm and I was hoping that …I don’t know …I was hoping I could make you feel the same way I felt about you. I thought if I gave you what you wanted you’d like me better.” Her head fell down in shame at her admission. She knew how horrible it sounded. “But that doesn’t mean that just because I was so easy for you that I open my legs up for anybody, because I don’t. I’m not a slut.”
“I know you’re not,” he replied.
“I don’t think you do but thanks.”
“I really didn’t know you felt that way about me.”
“If you had known would it have made a difference?” She wondered.
“People make mistakes and sometimes we hurt people, but we don’t always do it intentionally. And the same is true for me.” Mallory made an indescribable noise. “Like I said before I’m so sorry for how I treated you. And I wish you would believe me because I don’t make a habit of apologizing to everybody.”
“I wish I could believe you enough to forgive you. But even after so many months …I can’t.”
“And I get it. I just hope that some time down the line …maybe we can learn to be friends,” he offered with a small smile. He’d never admit that the only reason he was offering was because he wanted something else from her.
“I don’t think so,” she rejected solemnly, but still managed to return a smile. “I hate you too much for making me hate myself that I can’t stand talking to you right now like this.”
“I guess I deserve that.”
“I really wish things could’ve been different. I never considered you a bad guy. You’re just someone who got stuck in the wrong crowd, that’s always how I pictured you. But when you did that to me …it totally changed my feelings and thoughts about you. You become all the guys you hang around and I lost all my respect for you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah …well. You said you wanted something and it obviously wasn’t to apologize like you’re claiming so what is it?”
“I just need a little info,” he requested.
“I’ll try my best.”
“You’re friends with Jordan, right?”
“Yeah …”
“That’s why I brought you down here to ask you some stuff about her. Get to know her a little better through you.”
Mallory’s heart stopped, skipped a beat, and then ran faster than normal. Justin never dated anyone, never asked around about girls, so the fact that he was asking about Jordan meant something. Something that Mallory didn’t want to be a part of. She could handle seeing him with other girls that she had no ties to, but Jordan? That wouldn’t be possible. She couldn’t handle that.
She took a slow calming breath before asking, “What type of stuff do you want to know?”
“Like …I don’t know. I want to know about her and Jimmy. She told me that there wasn’t anything going on with them. But he likes her, right? At least I think he does,” he mumbled uncertainly. “Maybe give me her number so I can call her sometime?”
Mallory busted out in a fit of giggles, bending over her legs and clenching on to her stomach. Justin sat there watching unamused, feeling his temper rise. He wasn’t used to being so vulnerable about girls, maybe because she wasn’t just any girl. Mallory calmed down some, lifting her upper body and sighing. She ran a hand through her brown locks and smiled at him.
“That was funny. Thanks …I needed that.”
“I don’t see what’s so funny. I’m serious.”
“Sure you are.”
“I am,” he locked eyes with her, and in that instant she knew he was serious. But she couldn’t be.
“Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I can tell you that her and Jimmy are nothing more than friends, and that’s the truth, but I can’t give you her phone number.”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Were you a part of the conversation we just had? I’m not putting Jordan through that. “You’ll have to find some other way.”
“Look,” Justin searched for something to say. He was trying to be as nice as he could to Mallory but she was making it extremely hard to do. “I said I was sorry and I am, but …I like Jordan --,”
“You like her?” She cut in, arching her eyebrow.
“Yeah, I like what I know about her, which I guess isn’t much, but I want to get to know more about her.”
“You want to get to know her for what?” Mallory interrogated suspiciously. “To add to your long list of girls that you use? No. I’m on that list and it doesn’t feel too good. I wouldn’t put her through that.”
“That’s not what this is about though is it? You try to come off so calm and unaffected, but I know better. You’re still upset about me and you, and it’s probably hurting like hell that I’m telling you I like Jordan. This isn’t about saving her feelings, this is about saving yours.”
“Don’t try to analyze me like you know me, Justin.”
“Then tell me it’s not true,” he smirked.
“I care about Jordan way more than you ever could. She’s my best friend, so yes, when I say that this is about helping her that’s what I mean.”
And to an extent that was true, but he was right as well.
“Come on, Mallory. Give me a chance. I wouldn’t do that to her.”
“That’s the same thing you said to me, to every other girl you come into contact with. That is your automatic response. You say you won’t hurt us, and maybe that’s not your intention, but in the end you do end up hurting us.”
“Then let her make that choice!” He shouted, forgetting where he was. “Don’t sit here and act like you have a say in what she does and who she chooses to talk to, because I might not know her as well, but I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t like someone making decisions for her.”
“And you think that if she knew anything about what we did she’d give you a second look?”
Justin’s face crumpled into a heap of worry. If Jordan knew half of the things that Justin had done to so many girls at school she wouldn’t give him a first chance.
“You haven’t told her have you?”
“Of course not. I don’t want her to know, either. But …there have been rumors for some time now, even if I didn’t tell her someone probably has already.”
“Then I’ll have to take that chance,” he told her. “I want to get to know her, Mallory. And I will with or without your help, but I’m hoping you’ll help anyway.”
****
Jordan dragged her tired feet out of the empty supermarket, taking off her red mock and replacing it with a black jacket. It wasn’t really cold, but chilly enough for a light jacket. Her shift had ended forty minutes ago, but being on the night shift involved cleaning and putting up the items that people didn’t want. It was only four to six hours a day, but it was still tiring when she had school before and homework after. She walked through the dark empty parking lot and found her red Honda Prelude. She unlocked the door, let herself in, and as soon as she the door her cell phone started ringing. She reached into the glove compartment, grabbed the phone, and pressed the talk button.
“Hello?” Her voice was slow and tired.
“Hey,” Mallory’s voice filtered through the line. “Are you just getting out of work?”
“Yeah, I’m on my way home now.” She placed her key into the ignition, turned it until the engine turned over, and drove out of the parking lot down the desolate street. “What’s up?”
“Not much. Hey, can you drive by my house before you go home?”
“I don’t know,” she heaved out a sigh, already turning to go the way of Mallory’s house. “I’m tired.”
“It’ll only be a few minutes. Rachael brought the wedding dresses by, and we need to try them on to make sure they fit, and I need to talk to you about something.”
Jordan chuckled sleepily, running a hand over her face trying to wake herself up. “How the hell did we get talked into being bridesmaids at her sister’s wedding anyway?”
“Because we love Rachael and her sister was desperate to have someone other than just Rachael be her bridesmaid,” she reminded her, laughing as well.
Rachael’s sister Beth was a loner; the fact that she was getting married had surprised a lot of people. She didn’t have a lot of friends, and Rachael felt bad for her that she was her only bridesmaid. A few hours of begging and promises of all the champagne they could get their little hands on Mallory and Jordan had agreed. Jordan had never been to a wedding and she thought it might be fun to get all dolled up for such a special occasion.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Oh …we’ll talk about it when you get here,” she said. Jordan thought that she sounded strange, but she chalked up to her own fatigue.
“Ok. Did your mom cook?” Jordan asked hopefully. “I’m starving.”
“Yep, we had lasagna, and some garlic bread, and salad. I’ll heat up a plate for you and you can eat while we try the dresses on.”
“Awesome. I’ll be there in a few,” she promised before hanging up.
Jordan drove silently the rest of the way there, the sounds of her stomach growling being the soundtrack for the ride. She hadn’t eaten much that day, just a quick sandwich that she grabbed at home after school on her way to work. She turned down Mallory’s street and parked behind her mom’s car in the drive way. She sluggishly exited the car, pressed the button on her alarm key chain to activate the alarm, then jogged up the few steps to her friend’s door. Knocking twice, she didn’t wait for anyone to answer; she let herself in quietly calling for Mallory.
Mallory appeared from the kitchen in a t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. “You look tired,” she observed almost immediately. She handed Jordan a plate with a huge piece of gooey lasagna, crunchy pieces of garlic bread, and a small side of salad. It looked delicious and Jordan accepted it graciously, digging in as soon as she could grab the fork.
“I am,” she chewed quickly and swallowed. “Two people called in tonight and so then it was just me and Rita. And Rita …you know she never does anything.”
“She rings up like two people and then goes and talks to Dan the rest of the time. I’m so glad I didn’t have to work today. I don’t know why Dan doesn’t fire her.”
Jordan shrugged her shoulders while taking another bite. “I think Rita and Dan have something going on. Why else hasn’t he gotten rid of her? Dan has no problem firing people. And whenever they work late they always leave together …and I always get that vibe. Like, if I know they’re both in the stock room I always get this feeling like I shouldn’t go in there,” she giggled, holding her hand over her mouth while she swallowed another tasty bite.
Mallory’s eyes widened, but then she laughed too. “That really wouldn’t shock me! Dan’s so desperate and Rita is lonely …it would make perfect sense.” Jordan nodded. “Okay, well, come to my room and we can try this stuff on.”
She led the way up the stairs and down the hall. Filled with bright pink colors and purples, her room definitely fit her personality. Jordan plopped down on her neatly made bed, placing her plate beside her as she watched Mallory looked through her closets to find dresses.
“I really don’t want to go to this wedding.”
“Yeah, well, neither do I. But I figure it this way,” she emerged from her closet with two gowns on hangers neatly tucked into dark bags. “Rachael has a ton of cute cousins and stuff …it’ll probably be boring but at least we can talk to some guys.”
“You can talk to some guys.”
“You can, too,” Mallory eyed her curiously. “You’re single, you’re young, and you’re gorgeous. You not having a boyfriend is your own fault.”
“Whatever,” Jordan rolled her eyes. She snatched one of the dresses from Mallory and ripped open the bag. The dress, much to Jordan’s surprise, was actually decent. Mixed with royal blue and light blue, it was made to fit tightly around the bust area and flow straight down. “Wow, this is pretty.”
“Right? So we won’t have to embarrass ourselves in tacky dresses. Now get your ass out of that uniform and try it on. I told Rachael I’d have this done by tomorrow.”
Mallory, not being the type to be shy about her body, snatched off her t-shirt and yanked off her pants. She pulled the dress over her head and let it fall to the floor. It fit her perfectly. Jordan gazed on, envy dripping from her pores. She wished her body was more like hers. There wasn’t much difference between her and Mallory, Jordan was a tiny bit shorter than her and bigger in the chest, but their bodies weren’t different at all. But in Jordan’s mind her body was built like a balloon while Mallory held the body of a Goddess.
“What do you think?” She twirled around, turning her head up and placing her hand behind her head like she was bunching up her hair seductively.
“It looks really good.” Jordan answered honestly, her eyes lost in the way her dress fit to her like a second skin. It made her nauseous. “I’m going to change in the bathroom.” She lifted her tired body off of the bed and made her way for the door.
“Why?”
“Not everybody can be as comfortable with their body as you are.” She tried to say it in a joking manner, even smiled a little, but it still sounded tense to her.
“Oh please,” Mallory waved her off. “Well go on then …we don’t have all night and I still need to talk to you.”
“Alright, I’ll be right back.”
Jordan changed swiftly in the bathroom, looking at herself from every angle. She didn’t hate it, but it looked nothing like it did on Mallory. When she showed Mallory she loved it and gushed about how great they were going to look a million times over. She continuously told her she looked beautiful and once their hair and makeup were done they’d both have dates afterwards. It eased Jordan out of her funky mood a little. She couldn’t understand where her displeasure for her body was coming from because she had never had one before.
Later after the dresses were put up and Rachael was called to tell her that the dresses didn’t need any alterations, Jordan and Mallory were sitting on her front porch on the swing idly chatting about their day.
“I bumped into Justin today …”
Jordan looked up from her shoes and glanced at her. “Justin who?”
“Rachael’s cousin.”
“Oh …ok?”
“He, uh,” she scratched her thigh, suddenly feeling itchy. “He asked about you.”
“Did he?” She asked, completely disinterested.
“Yeah, it was strange.”
“Doesn’t really surprise me,” Jordan mumbled while rolling her eyes. “Wait …since when do you and Justin talk?”
“We don’t …he just wanted to know some stuff. But I wasn’t aware that you and him were talking.” Mallory tried to make it sound like she was genuinely curious and not jealous, but she couldn’t fight the feelings that it should be her that he was inquiring about and not Jordan.
“Trust me we don’t,” she answered.
“Well he asked for your number.”
Jordan’s eyes widened with disbelief. “My number?” Suddenly she started laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world, something Mallory couldn’t share in. “I tell you …him and his friends are really working hard to fuck with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that when have you ever known Justin to take an interest in anyone but himself?”
“Never.”
“Sure he’s cute as hell and I want it …” she gazed off dreamily before shaking her head from those thoughts. “Boy do I want it.”
“You want what?”
“His attention …some type ...any type …but not like this. He’s up to something. I don’t know what or why but I’m involved in it I’m sure.”
“I didn’t think you liked him,” she said.
“I don’t like him, Mal. I have a little unimportant crush that will blow over.”
“I didn’t know that, but I didn’t give him your number.”
“Good …he doesn’t need it,” she decided.
“I just wonder why all the sudden interest in you?”
Jordan knew that she didn’t mean it the way it sounded, or at least she thought she didn’t, but it sounded like the thought totally baffled her. “What do you mean me?”
“Not like that, babe,” she laughed very obnoxiously. “It’s just that …Justin has a certain type of girl that he likes. I mean you know that. And I don’t know …” she trailed off when she noticed the glare that Jordan was giving her.
“And you feel like I’m not his type?”
“Jordan! I’m not meaning it like you’re taking it. I’m not saying you’re ugly because you’re not, or that he wouldn’t be lucky to have you because he would. I’m just saying that normally he goes for other types of girls.”
The more Mallory spoke the more it upset Jordan. Sure, she knew that she wasn’t Justin’s type, and yes, he did have certain types of girls. The bubbly blonde heads that were pretty and flirty or the vivacious brunettes that were seductive and sweet “ the ones he didn’t have to work for. Jordan wasn’t like that, and she knew that, but it felt like Mallory was insulting her.
“And how would you know what Justin likes? You haven’t talked to him a day in your life other than today and now you’re suddenly an expert?”
“If you’re not talking to him and he doesn’t have a thing for you then why the hell does it matter what I think?” Mallory folded her arms over her chest defensively.
“And if you haven’t talked to him ever and he’s nothing to you then why are you acting like I’ve done something wrong?” Jordan jumped from her seat, staring down at her friend accusingly.
“Because I slept with him!”
Jordan stumbled back as if the words physically hit her, the force of them so strong. Everything got eerily quiet. The sounds of the cars roaming down the street disappeared, the crickets weren’t chirping as loud, it was completely quiet.
“What?”
“I slept with him,” she confirmed shamefully. “I don’t know why …or “ I mean I guess I do. But it was a long time ago and then he called me to ask about you and …”
“You slept with Justin?” Jordan repeated.
“I know …ok? I know. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want your opinion of me to change. I act like I’m so above these girls that take their panties off for anyone, and in reality, I’m no better.”
“So …he slept with you and never talked to you again?”
“Pretty much,” she answered, sinking her head down even further.
Jordan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her perspective was changing. Instead of thinking that Justin was trying to humiliate her in some way, now she was thinking that he was trying to get back at Mallory for something. Maybe he was trying to go for the jugular, date her best friend, and make her angry. Either way, he didn’t honestly like her.
“Mallory …do you like him or something?”
“No, no, no, no …not at all. Not at all, not even the littlest bit,” she shook her head furiously.
“Because that would be stupid,” she announced bluntly. “He fucked you and ignored you. There is nothing to like …” Jordan was saying the words to Mallory, but the words were more for her benefit than anything else. He wasn’t worth liking. She had heard the rumors about him and didn’t believe half of them, but the truth was staring her right in the face. It disgusted her.
“You’re right. I got a little jealous about you because I’ve wanted that spot for so long. But I’m over it and honestly I don’t like him,” she fibbed.
Jordan didn’t believe her. She was too hung up about Justin showing any interest in her. Why would she do that if she didn’t care?
“I can’t believe he’s all smiling in my face like he’s this good guy. Desperately trying to make me believe that he’s not as bad as I think …and here he is fucking my best friend and purposely forgetting you exist.”
“He’s a guy,” she reminded her. “He’s a guy that chases after girls and when he catches them …kinda just throws them away.”
“And I could’ve given him a chance!” She revealed, almost relieved that she didn’t have to. “If I didn’t know this …like if you hadn’t told me …I would’ve tried to give him a chance, and then what? I’d be in the same place. It pisses me off that he thinks he can use girls like this and he thinks he can move on to some one else when he gets bored.”
Mallory let her vent. She didn’t want to let on that Justin was serious about her, more serious than he’d ever been about someone. It’d be her own little secret that she’d keep to herself at all cost. It wouldn’t harm Jordan if she didn’t know, in fact, she was helping her. Justin used girls often, sometimes twice in one day. Jordan didn’t need that in her life.
“That’s a typical guy for you.”
“I’m sorry I snapped at you, girl. I honestly didn’t know.”
“No please,” she shrugged it off. “I …I reacted badly.”
“It doesn’t matter. From here on out let’s just pretend like Justin Timberlake doesn’t exist. We don’t need to be around him and we don’t have to talk about him.”
“Well, there’s one minor problem. I’m pretty sure he’ll be at the wedding,” Mallory informed her slowly.
Fuck. She hadn’t thought of that. Of course he’d be there; Rachael’s sister was his cousin, too. Well, she’d ignore him for two weeks, spend a few hours in the same area as him, and then go back to ignoring him.
Easy as pie.
“I guess I better go,” she glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearing midnight. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Better than fine. How about you?”
“I’m good. It doesn’t affect me in any way.”
The two girls hugged and said their goodbyes, but they both left each other knowing the other was lying.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Hiii, ladies! Here's another chapter for you. I know it's going kinda slow, but it'll pick up soon. Promise!
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Devon is the author of 3 other stories.
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