Chapter 35

( Last week of July )

Justin stared at the numbers on the door in front of him before he finally reached out and knocked on the door.  He was at Kerrigan’s apartment.  He’d just flown back in from Virginia Beach.  He’d been there since right after Challenge had ended.  He wanted to continue working on his album and so he hadn’t seen Kerrigan since they’d gotten back from Virginia.

Justin had spoken to her on the phone a few times but she was always busy.  Her and Cody were always doing something, or she had a doctors appointment.  Something was always going.  So even though he’d spoken to her on the phone, it had only been briefly and he was missing the hell out of her.

She was after all his best friend, but it seemed like she was hardly a part of his life anymore.  He never got to see her.  Never got to talk to her.  And it was really starting to bug the hell out of him.

He’d been trying to distract himself with working on his album, but that wasn’t even doing it anymore.  He missed having her around.  She been right by his side for the last three years, since she had turned eighteen and he had flown her down to Florida.  And to now suddenly find her place absent, it was disheartening.

Justin looked up and focused on the person standing in the doorway when it slowly swung open.  Great, his favorite person in the world, he thought as he gave Cody a quick look over.  “Kerrigan here?” he asked.

Cody didn’t seem pleased to see him, but nodded and invited him in none the less.  “Yeah, come on in.” he mumbled.

Justin brushed past Cody and walked into the living room.  It was weird to him that she had lived there for a couple months now but he had only been to her apartment once.  And that was when it was still empty, right before he had left for Virginia Beach the first time around.

“She’s in the bedroom laying down, I’ll go get her for you.” Cody said before disappearing down the hallway.

Justin walked over and took a seat on the sofa.  He was getting a really weird vibe from Cody but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.  Sighing, Justin shook it off.  He wasn’t there to worry himself with Cody, he was there to see Kerrigan.  He missed her and couldn’t wait to see her.

A few minutes later an exhausted looking Kerrigan came walking into the room dressed in sweats and a baggy t-shirt.  “Hey, J.  What ya doing here?” she asked nonchalantly, as she sat down in an oversized chair across from him.

“Well, I just flew back into town this morning and I haven’t seen you in forever so I thought I’d stop by and see how you were holding up.  How's pregnancy treating you?” he smiled at her.  From her appearance, it didn’t seem to be treating her too kindly, she looked horrible.

Cody chuckled as he entered the room, walking over to the chair Kerrigan was sitting in.  He motioned for her to get up and then he sat down in her place.  Pulling her down on his lap.  “She’s been sick as a dog.” he finally said, explaining his reason for laughing.  “The porcelain thrown has been her new best friend.”

“Yuck.” Justin stated, making a face.

“Yuck is not the word for it.” Kerrigan sighed, leaning back into the firm grip Cody had on her.  She could feel his possessiveness in his touch and knew she was going to be hearing about this later.  Perhaps even feeling it.

Justin smiled at her.  “Well, other than that, how have you been?”

“I’ve been good.  Just tired and running on empty but the doctor says it’s normal in the first trimester.” she shrugged.

Justin nodded, not really sure what to say in response to that.  He didn’t really know anything about what to expect during a pregnancy.  And he honestly didn’t want to linger on the topic.  He was still unhappy with the fact that Kerrigan was having Cody’s baby.  He couldn’t do anything about it, but he could choose not to talk about it.

“Well, I’m glad things are going good with that.” he stated.

Cody could sense the resentment in Justin’s voice and he knew it bothered him.  Which in turn made him smile.  “So why’d you stop by?” he asked.  He wanted to get this little visit over with as quickly as possible.  He’d been in heaven over the last few weeks not having Justin around.  And he wasn’t pleased that the guy had just showed up on Kerrigan’s doorstep uninvited or announced.

Justin looked from Kerrigan to Cody and back to Kerrigan again.  It really irritated him that Cody had to be in the middle of their conversation.  It wasn’t any of his damn business why he was there.  He could stop by and see his friend if he wanted to.

“Well, like I said I just flew back in from Virginia and thought I’d stop by.” he paused.  “I’m flying out to California in a few days to sign the deal on my new house.”

“So you got it?” Kerrigan asked before thinking.  She was mentally kicking herself for that slip.  That right there told Cody she had in fact at least been talking to Justin on the phone.

Justin smiled.  “Yup, they accepted my offer the other day and I sign the papers next week to close the deal.”

“That’s great.” Kerrigan smiled proudly.

“Yeah, I’m excited.  This place is HUGE, Kerr.  I can’t wait for you to see it.” Justin beamed.

And Kerrigan grew uncomfortable.  Did he have to say that in front of Cody?  But then how was he supposed to know that she had been forbidden to be around him?  Wasn’t like she had actually told him that.  She didn’t have the heart to tell him that.  And she could tell by the tightening in Cody’s grip on her that she’d be hearing about that later too.

When Kerrigan didn’t say anything in response to his statement, Justin eyed her carefully.  She didn’t look as excited as he had expected her to.  In fact she looked somewhat distracted, lost in thought.  Hoping to somehow gain her attention, Justin carried on with his good news.

“Anyway, like I said I fly out in a couple days and I sign the papers next week.  I’ll be moving in like the week after that.  Trace, is flying out with me to help me pick out some stuff for the place.  And Mom’s gonna be there too.  She said that she was not about to allow me and Trace to decorate the house.  Said we’d ruin it’s beauty or some shit like that.  Can you believe what little faith she has in me?” he joked.

Kerrigan gave Justin her best smile.  She was happy for him.  More than she could show at the moment, but she was definitely happy for him.  “Well, Justin your Mom knows you better than anyone.  And if the house is as nice as you say it is, then I think it’s probably best that she does decorate it.  God, only knows what it would look like if it was left up to you and Trace.”

“Thanks.” Justin scoffed.  “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Mother knows best.” Cody mocked out of no where.

Justin glanced at him, choosing to ignore his comment he went on.  “Anyway, I was gonna see if you wanted to come out with us.  I mean we haven’t seen you in a few weeks, since we’ve all been extremely busy.  And well, this is kind of a big deal for me and I’d like to have you there.  Plus, we’re throwing a surprise Birthday party for JC the following weekend as well.  So you gotta be there for that.”

Kerrigan shifted on Cody’s lap, trying to find a more comfortable position considering he was practically squeezing her to death.  Her mind was running over excuses she could give Justin.  She really wanted to go with him but knew that Cody would have a fit.  She could attempt to talk to him about it later, but there was no way she could agree to it right then.

“Well, I’ve got some more doctors appointments over the next week, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make it.  Plus, I don’t know that traveling in my current condition is such a wise decision.  I haven’t been straying too far from the bathroom if you catch me.” she said, hoping he would except her feeble excuse.

“Oh, I see.” Justin said, looking down at his hands.

“I’m sorry J, it’s just been crazy lately and I’ve been really sick and it’s just really not a good time.  You know I’d be there if I could.” Kerrigan said, hating herself.

She missed Justin and Trace so much and it was killing her inside not being able to see them like she used to.  Talking to them on the phone every now and then was not cutting it, but she didn’t know what else to do.  Cody had made it crystal clear that he didn’t want her anywhere near Justin, hell he didn’t even want her talking to him on the phone.  And she was so caught up in trying to do what she thought was the right thing for the baby’s sake that she just went along with everything the best she could.

But her best did not include telling Justin that she could no longer be his friend as Cody had instructed her to, several times.  Kerrigan could not find it in her heart to tell him that.  Because in her heart he would always be her friend no matter what Cody said or did.  She was staying away from Justin and as far as she was concerned that was enough.  She was more than meeting Cody half way.

“It’s ok, I understand.” Justin said getting to his feet.  He literally felt like crying, he was so confused.

Kerrigan had always been right by his side.  She had ALWAYS been his best friend.  There for all the special moments and now she was telling him that she couldn’t be and it hurt.  It hurt him deep to the core.

“Well, I’m gonna run.  I just remembered that I’m supposed to stop by Johnny’s to go over some things with him.” Justin said making his way towards the front door.

Kerrigan pulled free from Cody’s grasp to follow Justin.  “J, I’m really sorry.  Please don’t be mad at me.” she pleaded, feeling horrible.  She could tell he was really hurt by her rejection.

But Cody was quickly following the two.  He was not about to leave them alone for a second and he was really loving the way Justin was sulking about the whole situation.  He was gaining immense pleasure from Justin’s very visible pain.

“Dude, it’s not her fault she can’t travel because she’s pregnant.  Don’t be selfish.” Cody called after him, trying to incite Justin’s anger.

Justin stopped at the door and turned to look at Cody who was standing behind Kerrigan.  “I would NEVER ask her to do something that would be unhealthy for her and the baby.  I’m disappointed that she can’t make it.” he said to Cody but then turned his attention to Kerrigan.  “But I’m not mad.”

“I’m really sorry, Justin.  It’s just…”

Justin cut her off.  “Kerr, you don’t need to explain.  I understand.  It’s cool.  Just take care of yourself and the baby.  That’s more important than anything else.” he smiled at her and then reached out to pull her in for a hug.  “I love ya, Kerr.  I’ll call you later or something.” he said as he released her.

Kerrigan stood there somewhat rigid as Justin released her and opened the front door to leave.  That was going to cause a whole slew of problems for her, but at the same time she would happily accept them because it felt incredible to be hugged by Justin once again.  She missed  him so much.

“I’ll talk to you later.” she called after his retreating back.

Justin stopped at the stairs and turned to smile and give Kerrigan a final wave before he trotted off down the stairs, disappearing from her sight.

Kerrigan sighed and shut the front door.  He heart had been breaking more and more with every day that went by without seeing Justin.  But now it was magnified.  Seeing him caused her to realize just how much she had missed him and just how important he was in her life.  The whole situation was getting way out of hand and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.  Or why she was taking it for that matter.

But she was quickly reminded when Cody suddenly grabbed her by the back of her head, pulling her along behind him towards the bedroom.  “YOU’VE BEEN TALKING TO HIM ON THE PHONE?” he yelled.  “HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING AT ALL?”

“Cody, please.” Kerrigan pleaded.  She was in enough turmoil as it was, she didn’t need this stress on top of everything else.

“Don’t Cody please, me!” he spat.  “I’m sick of this Kerrigan.  I guess I need to remind you of what the consequences of your actions are!” he said as he spun her around and his fist collided with her face.