Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Twenty-Four

PRESENT TIME
JUSTIN'S LOCKER
IMOGEN'S POV

"Hey, there." I said, coming up behind Justin and wrapping my arms around him, while laying my head on his back. It honestly felt really good to be public with him, and I had no shame in hiding it. Now, I know there was a talk that needed to be had with my parents. But I feel like they won't be too hard on us, since Justin is in the out-house, and I'm not.

"Mimi. . not now." Justin said, trying to unwrap my arms from him, but I didn't let him, and I kept them resting on his torso.

"What? We're public." I said.

"Yeah, and it feels like you're making a big show out of it." Justin said, turning around, and I rolled my eyes but I was still smiling. I was not going to let him ruin this. He's been around Clay too long, he's starting to internalize too.

"What the hell does that even mean, J?" I asked.

"It means that it doesn't feel like it's about us, it feels like it's about you." Justin said, before walking away, which made me furrow my eyebrows as I followed him.

"It's not! What's going on with you?" I asked.

"Just stop using me to make a fucking point!" Justin said, slightly snapping at me.

"I'm not!" I snapped back, before grabbing his arm and making him turn around to face me. "The only point I'm making is that I love you and that is the only thing that matters." I said.

"Okay, well. . you shouldn't love me. You shouldn't." Justin said, shaking his head, which made me sigh. Not this again. Back when all the tape stuff started happening, and I think Justin was starting to feel his guilt about lying to me about Bryce, he would always say that I shouldn't love him, or he never understood why I did.

Something happened. And he's not telling me.

"What? Why not?" I asked.

"Because I'm fucking bad for you." Justin said, before trying to walk away again, but once again, I caught up to him, because I wanted to know where all of this was suddenly coming from, when just three periods ago, he was all over me just as much as I was all over him in the hallway.

"Hey, what are you saying right now? Justin, talk to me, what is going on? What happened?" I asked, because I know something did. Something had to change his mood very quickly. Someone must've said something to him.

"I cheated on you." Justin said after a long pause, and you would think that would shatter my heart in pieces right now, hearing him say that, but it didn't, because I didn't believe him. Want to know why I didn't believe him? Because he wouldn't look at me.

Justin always can't look me in my eyes when he's lying to me.

"What?" I asked, just to see if he would stick to this story.

"I said I cheated on you!" He said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Justin, I don't believe you. You can't even look at me right now. You've never been able to look at me whenever you're lying." I said, and then he slightly looked up.

"Okay, well, it's true. You should." He said.

"When? Huh? When did this happen?" I asked.

"Homecoming night. You said you tried to call me. That's where I was. I was with some other girl." Justin said, but I still didn't believe him. Even though, this time he was looking at me, I didn't believe him.

"Who? What's her name?" I asked.

"Mimi, it doesn't matter. You just shouldn't be with me, okay?" He said. I did have tears in my eyes, not because I believed him, because I don't. . but I just hate that when he gets upset, instead of trying to let me in and help him through it, he tries to push me away by trying to hurt my feelings so I won't want to talk to him, but his next words did break my heart.

"It's fucking over."

―

OUT-HOUSE
IMOGEN'S POV

"Legally, it should have no bearing on the adoption proceedings, but uh. . Clay and Imogen are over 18 now, and if any adult living in the household has been convicted of a felony. . the adoption will be denied." My mom was explaining to us, and I sighed. Even though I am so pissed at Justin, because I know there's something he's not telling me, I don't want the adoption to be denied.

And I don't want Clay convicted of a felony he didn't even commit.

How did our family go from almost having it all. . to basically on the brink of losing it?

"So. . what do we do, Mom?" I asked.

"For now, we wait. They won't recommend your case to a judge until. . until they have some clarity on Clay's situation." Mom said.

"Okay." Justin said, and I could tell that he looked worried.

"Justin? You always have a home here, no matter what. Okay?" My mom said, which made me happy on the inside. I obviously could tell how much my parents have grown to love Justin. I know they didn't know him much while he was my boyfriend, but now they see him in a different light.

"Yeah, I know." Justin said, and then my mom took a deep breath.

"Can we. . talk about the two of you?" My mom asked, looking between me and Justin.

"Mom. . there's really nothing to talk about, right Justin?" I said, looking over at him, and I could see the guilt in his eyes about what happened in the hallway.

"I just wanted to say. If you two are back together, that's completely fine with me and your father, honey. We obviously know you two have a long and deep history that runs way before us trying to adopt Justin. And you're 18, so I legally can't tell you how to live your life, but still just be respectful, okay?" Mom said, and I knew what she was referencing to.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm always respectful." I said, and she smiled at us.

"You kids get some sleep, okay?" Mom said, and then the two of us walked out of the out-house to leave Clay and Justin on their own.

Sleep is exactly what I need.

―

I was gonna do the scene where Clay tells Justin he would do anything for him (because my precious babies and their beautiful relationship development), and i was gonna add imogen into that scene, but i didn't want her to know about justin's drug use again yet, so i couldn't.

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xoxo.