The Girl Next Door > jariana (COMPLETED)

seventeen

It was nearly dark and my stomach was in knots with the anticipation of the evening's unknown events. I said goodbye to my parents and walked out the door, hoping they wouldn't ask questions. I cut across our freshly mowed lawns, looking around to see if anyone was watching me. I felt like I was doing something wrong – which I was. If my dad knew what I was up to he'd lock me in my room with a dead bolt. I knocked softly on the door and waited. I was hoping it would be his mom who answered the door, but it was Justin, in all of bright-eyed perfectness. My knees buckled.

"Hey," he said, smiling, not too surprised to see me. As I walked past him he leaned into me and sniffed my hair. "Strawberry girl."

"Hey." I giggled in return. "Where's your mom?"

"She's getting ready to go to Notting's."

"She's seeing your manager?" I asked, curious.

"Um, well, not sure really," he said laughing, "I personally think so, but they keep it on the down low, you know. They talk band strategy." He sniffed, gesturing with finger quotations. "I know Notting's in love with her, but she's still stuck on who knows what. She has issues."

"That must suck, for Notting I mean."

"Yeah, I'm sure it does." A hint of sadness emitted from him as he agreed with me. He turned staring at me for a moment. "Let's go to my room. Unless you want to stay out here?" All I could do was shrug off the weirdness that filled me and follow him, wondering a bit more about his mom.

"Isn't it weird for you, knowing that your manager is into your mom?"

"There's so much to it, Ari," he said, almost contrite. "Notting's been around a long time. You don't remember him?"

"Not really." I admitted.

"Notting's been like a father to me, and not just managing the band. Him and my mom, they work together as a team."

"Oh, wow. That's awesome. "

"Yeah, it's been cool. I guess." He shrugged. I felt as if he was trying to convince himself.

We settled into a conversation about his upcoming tour and the cities he was going to. This was a West Coast tour: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. Two dates were right here in the Hollywood and Orange County area. I was dying to be at each of them. I wondered if Rachel and Sienna normally traveled with them, and if they would this time, too.

"Justin," I asked, hesitant. "I have a question."

His eyes lit up cautiously. "Hmm?"

He cocked his head waiting for me to spit it out.

"Ok, well, I just want to know what you meant by hooking up with Rachel."

I gave a little emphasis on the hooking up part. It was now out there in the universe and I couldn't take it back. Justin's grin disappeared from his face and he squirmed, bending his neck from side to side.

"Ari, look..." he began to explain and I interrupted him.

"Did you sleep with her?" I whispered firmly, looking him straight in the eyes.

Justin leaned way back and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Ari, it doesn't matter what happened with Rachel." He pleaded and his shoulders slumped. He looked ill as he continued. "Ok, look, I'm not gonna to lie to you. Yes. I did. But it was...it was something that shouldn't have happened."

He fessed up, and it made my head spin. I just knew it, but I was praying the answer would be no. "So what you're saying is...you hook up with girls that you don't care about, and it means nothing for you to do so."