"Okay Jenna, I've had enough of you hanging around the house all mopey and shit. You are coming with me tonight to a club." Julia was trying to get her best friend back into the groove of things after breaking up with the world's worst boyfriend.
"Jules, I don't want to go out. I don't want to be around people. I just want to sit here and watch a movie." Jenna had no intention of getting all dressed up, doing her hair and putting make-up on just to stand around and look at people.
"Jen, it's been two months. TWO MONTHS. You know, if Kevin was actually a decent human being, I could understand this bizarre mourning thing you've got going on here. But he's not! He's an asshole, always was and always will be."
"It's not that easy Jules." Jenna had become a shell of herself. There was no color in her face, no sparkle in her eyes. It was like she had given up on everything.
Julia walked over to where Jenna was sitting on the couch and stared directly at her. "Look at me Jen." She waited for her friend to stop watching Jerry Springer. "Who cheated on who in this relationship?"
"That's not the point." Jenna replied weakly.
"How can that NOT be the point? He slept with another girl Jen. MANY girls."
"Thank you for reminding me Jules." Jenna was starting to get pissed at Julia. Any reaction was better than none at all, so Julia kept it up.
"Well, someone has to remind you of what a pig he is."
"Well, thank God you're here." Sarcasm radiated from Jenna's reply. Julia didn't think it was going to be this easy.
"Listen to me Jen. You are going to get up, get in the shower, get dressed, get ready and you and I are going to this club!" Julia was not taking no for an answer.
Without saying a word, Jenna got up from the couch which had been her safety zone, and walked into the bathroom. Moments later, Julia heard the water run for the shower. She smiled in triumph.
The two girls had lived together since they were juniors in college. After their graduation one year ago, they decided to head to New York City to begin the next chapter in their lives. Julia had found a job as a reporter for a small, underground newspaper while Jenna found one at a local radio station as a talent coordinator. Everything was going just as they planned until Jenna met David. It was about two weeks after their move and they had been at a party for the radio station when Kevin made his move.
He swept Jenna off her feet with flowers, gifts, weekend getaways...the whole deal. He was the perfect boyfriend. Too perfect in Julia's opinion. She had a bad feeling that Kevin was hiding something from Jenna, but she never thought it would be as bad as it turned out to be. In the blink of an eye, Kevin took Julia's best friend away from her and now it was time she got her back. Starting tonight, Julia was going to pull Jenna back into the world again, no matter what.
****************************
Lance was walking around the club going over all the details from the music that the DJ was going to play, to the stirrers the bartenders were going to use. Tonight was the night. His club was finally opening to the public. He was more nervous for this than any concert he performed in with his four best friends, better known as *Nsync. The last list he had to go through was that of the media who were going to be reviewing the *new hot spot.*
There was a knock at the office door. "Yeah come on in." Lance's Mississippi drawl was unmistakable.
"Hey man, the place looks great." One of Lance's best friends, JC Chasez walked in.
"Thanks. I like what the decorators did."
"You ready for tonight?" Josh (what his friends called him) sat on the plush leather sofa.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Lance got up from behind his desk and walked over to the mini bar. "Want a drink?"
"Yeah, sounds good." Josh looked down at his Rolex watch. "When are the rest of the guys getting here?"
The remaining three members of their group, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone, were all supposed to be there for the opening. Whenever any of the five of them became involved in a project outside of *Nsync, rumors would ignite that the group was breaking up. There was never a question of them not supporting one another in their other interests.
"Justin should be here any minute and Joey and Chris are coming together. They should be here in about an hour."
Josh nodded and took the beer from Lance. "So uh....is Kate going to be here tonight?"
Lance's jaw instinctively clenched. "I have no idea. She got an invitation."
"You sent your girlfriend an invitation? Why would she need one? Why isn't she here already anyway?" He looked at Lance questioning him.
"I sent Kate an invitation because we aren't talking to each other at the moment."
"Why aren't you talking to each other?"
"Because she told me she doesn't want to be with me anymore." Lance sunk into the couch.
"Ouch. What happened?"
Lance shrugged. "I couldn't be there for her when she wanted me to be. She was tired of having a relationship with my voice mail."
"I'm sorry man. Maybe it's for the best?"
"Yeah."
Lance and Kate had been dating for almost a year. They met through mutual friends, and hit it off the moment they met. Sparks flew. Fireworks went off. All the things a person feels when they're immediately attracted to someone, Lance and Kate felt. She was beautiful and elegant. Lance was bored within the third month. He had feelings for her, he even loved her, he thought. After the initial attraction and newness of a relationship wore off though, Lance's feelings for Kate weren't exactly equal to those she felt for him.
He stayed with her because it was comfortable and he liked having someone be there for him. It was completely selfish of him, but it was the truth. He never cheated on her or even looked at other girls. He was committed to his relationship with Kate whole heartedly. He just didn't have that feeling for her anymore. The feeling where you know you can't breathe without someone. When they're the last thing you think about when you go to sleep at night and the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning. When you're sitting at work in the middle of the day and all of the sudden, wonder what that someone is doing at that same exact moment.
Lance missed that feeling. He missed feeling that with Kate and deep down inside, he knew it was gone. He loved her, he just wasn't in love with her anymore. He wondered if he ever really was.
****************************
"Ooh la la! Jen, you look wicked good!" Julia hadn't seen her best friend look so alive since her break up with Kevin.
"Thanks. It's just clothes and make-up. No big deal." Jenna just shrugged the compliment off.
