"Blue looks better on you," I said as I watched a young teenage girl examine herself in the mirror, spinning from side to side.
"You think so?" She smiled.
"Definitely," I said, sitting on a chair backwards.
"Yeah," she looked one last time. "I think so too."
"Great. Get changed and I'll ring you up." I stood and headed out towards the front where I saw at least ten customers looking at different clothes.
"I got some new hangers," Jamie came in, probably just starting her shift. Her purse was still dangling from her forearm.
"Good," I let out a sigh of relief. "The other ones were getting way too beat up."
"Jamie," I heard a familiar voice call. "Good to see you again."
"Justin!"
I spun on my heels, flipping around. What was he doing here?
"I just came to say hi, like I said I would." He said as he gave Jamie a side-hug, smiling at me.
He walked over and kissed me on the lips, Amber and Morgan instantly starting to whisper and giggle.
However, that was the last thing on my mind. I could tell by the look in Justin's eye that he knew something was wrong, but there were people around, so he couldn't ask.
As much as I tried to fake it, I couldn't. The more I thought about the possibility of him being J, the more it made sense.
"How's your day been so far?" He said to me only, leaning across the counter.
"Fine," I said, focusing on the calculations I was doing.
He gave me a confused look, but shook it off. "That's all I get?"
I sighed out of frustration. "I'm great, Justin. How are you?"
"What's your problem?" His eyes grew dark, and I knew I was pissing him off.
"Thanks so much for helping me," the young girl came out with her blue dress, standing where Justin used to be.
"No problem!" I said, being extremely nice. I could see Justin from the corner of my eye, and he was probably mad that I was being nicer to some girl than I was to him. "Your total is $8.60."
She handed over the money and gave a small wave, exiting the store.
Justin came back once more, leaning back to where he was. "I was thinking, maybe we should take a road trip again," he smirked. "We could drive anywhere."
"That sounds fun," I said, making eye contact with him for half a second.
His jaw clenched, and I knew when we were alone later, he would tell me exactly how he felt about my attitude.
"Bye guys," Justin called out to the girls. "It was nice seeing you again."
He gave me one last look before shaking his head and walking out of the store.
"You're so lucky Jess," Amber said quietly, probably not even realizing the words had left her mouth.
"For real," Jamie agreed.
"Hey," Morgan stepped in. "He was mine first."
"Shut up Morgan," Jamie groaned. "We know."
I giggled, kind of forgetting I was supposed to be afraid of him.
That's the thing. I wasn't. If he was J, then yeah, I was furious. But I wasn't afraid. He could've stabbed Riley, and Jennifer, and Brooklyn, but it's so hard for me to believe that it's true, because that's not the Justin I know.
No matter what happens, no matter what he does, Justin will always have a special place in my heart. And that is one thing that could never change.
__________________________
"I made you dinner," Justin smiled once I walked in.
I forced a smile back and sat down, holding my head in my hands. "I'm, um, not very hungry."
"Jess, you haven't eaten all day. Come on," he said, massaging my neck from behind and planting a kiss on my cheek.
Usually I'd smile out of control and blush immensely, and Justin would laugh at how cute I thought he was being. But every time something like this happens, there's a voice in the back of my head telling me he's J. And it's something I can't shake off.
He then sat down next to me, touching my hand slightly. "Why are you so mad at me?" He whispered.
"I'm just so tired," I lied.
"Oh," he said quietly.
We sat in silence for what seemed like forever.
"So how was-"
"I know why." He whispered, looking at his hands.
I felt my body jolt at his words, my mouth running dry. "Y-You do?"
"Yeah," he lifted his head. "The Riley thing."
I let out a sigh of relief. However, I still needed to tell him what Sharon had told me. He deserved to know.
"Jess, I'm so, so sorry." He said softly. "You know how upset I am too."
I couldn't take it. He shouldn't be apologizing for something I wasn't mad about. "It's not that."
He eyes widened slightly, his ears perked. "Is there something else?"
I felt the need to cry. It's such a lose-lose situation. If I tell him, he'll get mad at me. If I don't, it'll forever stay in the back of my mind. "Sharon came over last night."
"What? When?"
"When you went to bed," my voice cracked majorly, but I was trying my hardest not to cry.
"What's gotten you so beat up, Jess?" He scooted closer and rubbed my back in circular motions.
"She knows."
"Knows what?"
I sighed heavily. "She knows you're J."
He froze in his place, and immediately stopped rubbing my back. He scooted away a bit, and slouched in his chair.
I could feel my eyes getting wet; he wasn't even denying anything. "I can't believe-"
"I am not J." He stood. "The fact you would even think something like that-"
"Wait, what?" I stood up too. I thought the reason he was mad was because he knew I was right, but I guess it was the other way around.
"Why would you say that?" He whispered, his eyes filled with hurt. "Why would you even think that?"
"Justin, it's just what Sharon-"
"Fuck Sharon." He spat. "Who's been there for you the entire time? Sharon isn't even her name," he hissed. "I'm the one who's been here."
"I just needed to know."
"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm, um, gonna stay at my house tonight. I need to think."
"No," I grabbed his bicep. What if he did something stupid? "You're not leaving me alone."
"Because what you did to me was so much better," he said sarcastically. "I just want to clear my mind."
I couldn't speak. He was really that upset? I didn't even know what to say.
He brushed past me and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on as he walked out the door. I however, remained exactly where I was, regretting ever opening my mouth in the first place.
Justin wasn't J, and I may have just ruined things for us. I always ruin things, but this time it was different. This time, it may not be able to be fixed.
And I, once again, was the only one to blame.
____________________________
note:
ok sorry if you considered this chapter boring/short/poorly written but im freAKING OUT BECAUSE THERES ONLY 2 CHAPTERS LEFT OF THIS BOOK. I CANT BELIEVE ITS REALLY OVER. :'(
ive been doing SO much thinking, and ive finally made a decision. there will NOT, i repeat, NOT be a sequel. just because of the way this book ends and such, it just wouldn't work. maybe i'll write another fanfic in the near future, idk. tbh, im just super super happy this book got as many readers/votes/comments as it did, and i wouldn't have it any other way.(:
one more thing, i think i don't give you guys enough credit and as much as it may not seem like it your tweets and comments and feedback literally make my day 20x better. i love you guys so much and you're positive and complementary words honestly leave me speechless. i'm so grateful. <3
well that's about as sappy as it gets, sorry for the long authors note and THANK YOU for reading. can't wait to hear your reactions to the ending omg omg omg. :O
ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BEEBIEBER14 HAVE AN AMAZING DAY BBY<3<3<3
twitter: @avonsshawtyy
next update: sunday, the 5th.