The Relationship Status (1)

Jordan

Oh no he didn't! I broke them apart after stinging tears filled my eyes. I grabbed Joey from the back of his collar and took him outside.

I beat the living crap out of Joey, but I still felt fumes coming out of my ears. In the end, I put him in a rear naked choke hold and Joey finally tapped out (even after the bloody nose and black eye). He whimpered, "Jordan! Stop! It was a dare! It was all Donnie, I swear!" I let go of my grip and he drops to the ground. I stood there looking out into the distance with clenched fists. Donnie did this. Donnie Wahlberg did this. Joey ran for the hills as soon as he got some strength back.

I walked back over to the Teen Club and slammed open the door. The entire room was silent. Even somebody killed the music from the jukebox to add effect. It looked like Donnie and Stephanie were about to leave through the back, too. But I caught them in the nick of time to give Donnie a piece of my mind.

Warm tears rolled down my face as I screamed at him, but I didn't care, "HOW COULD YOU!? I WAS YOUR BEST FRIEND!" I ran off, accidentally leaving Jennifer in the dust to catch up with me.

"Jordan, wait up!" She called from behind. I wiped my tears on the back of my hand, and then wiped my hand on the side of my pants as I ran. I used the stop sign as a checkpoint to where we could regroup.

We caught our breathes, and I started with, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But are you ok? I don't even know who to be mad at anymore!" Jennifer threw her hands up in the air. "Donnie sabotaged you with Joey, thus making you beat him up in the parking lot. Like, where do I go from here, am I right?"

I stared at her blankly while she covered her mouth to hide her giggles.

We snapped out of it and I began with, "I don't really know where to go from here, Jenn. In the past week I gained a friend and lost one. My best friend. We bathed together, Jennifer!" Tears stung my eyes as I gripped Jennifer's arms, as if they were gonna stop them from rolling down my cheeks. "I looked up to him. He was like the older brother I never had. He was never like Mark. And I knew it, too. I was probably one of the few people who believed he wasn't a clone of Mark. And even when people thought he'd turn out just like him, he'd just shrug it off and continue to be himself, trying to recreate the Wahlberg stereotype. But now I realize... he really is turning into Mark." And just like that, those last words flew out of my mouth like nothing, but made me want to break down onto the ground and regret every word.

"Oh, Jordan..." Jennifer sympathized. "You know you don't mean that." And of course I didn't.

But at the same time, I felt like I was talking to my mama, "You're right..."

"And you know what else? It was kinda different seeing you angry like that." She rubbed my back as we continued to walk home. "You're always so sweet and tonight, you were like a beast!"

"Well, I don't like it when people mess with my girl. I have to make sure she'll always be protected!" I smiled.

Jennifer looked at me flushed and says, "I'm your girl?"

I figured now was a good time as any to hold her hand, "You don't even have to question it."

And we walked back to our neighborhood holding hands the rest of the way.