Closer Ch. 06

"You're too cute. Now, I know why Justin is sooooo in love with you. You've seriously got him sprung," Cole stated, patting Justin on the shoulder.

Barry began singing I'm Sprung by T-pain. Cole giggled like a little school girl and gave a high-five to Barry. They began singing it together until Justin threw something at them. Kim couldn't tell what it was though.

"If you're ever interested in posing for Playboy, or Penthouse, or even Hustler, I have connections," Barry said with a sly smile and wink.

"Umm, thanks…I guess," Kim replied, exchanging glances with Justin. Would he just get rid of them already? They were freaking idiots.

"Shut up, Barry. It's time for you two to leave," Justin said, getting out of his chair and pushing the boys towards the door.

"Aww, shucks, do we have to go?" Cole asked, feigning innocence.

"At least tell us if you're going to the party," Barry replied as Justin continued to push him towards the door.

"I'll go if and only if you two leave right now." Barry held up his hands in a surrendering fashion and left the room without anymore protests. Justin shook his head again and moved back into his seat. When he was settled, he looked at Kim with a smile but his eyes were apologetic.

"Sorry about those two, they're potheads." He was thinking of all the ways he was going to mess with Barry for offering his girlfriend a spot in exploitation magazines.

"I'm kinda curious about this whole Playboy offer," Kim said, letting her fingers rest on her chin.

"You think I'm bunny material, or should I go hardcore in Hustler?" she said with a straight face. It was taking all of her self control not to laugh or giggle.

"You're definitely smokin' hot, but no one besides me is ever going to see you naked," Justin replied with a smug look playing on his features.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, you're mine and no other guy is going to know what you look like underneath those clothes except me."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Kim said, finally giving into the giggles she suppressed for what seemed like forever.

"You're so lucky I'm not at home with you right now. I'd have you screaming my name so loud…,"he started, but was immediately interrupted by someone.

"Hey, hey, hey watch your mouth, boy," he heard his mom say, making an appearance on the screen. Kim laughed as Justin's cheeks turned dark red from embarrassment.

"How long you been there?" Justin asked, letting his hand rest on his mouth.

"Not long. So, how ya doing sweetie?"

"I'm hanging in there. I can't wait to come home though. How's Steve?"

"Still wants to name the baby Biddy," Helen said rolling her eyes before adding, "but he's doing alright. He misses you though."

"He misses me? I thought you two would enjoy the freedom of walking around the house naked," Justin replied, laughing.

"Oh please, we did that while you were in high school," Helen replied, waving away his statement.

"Thank you for that disgusting image mom. I'm gonna have the best dreams tonight," Justin replied sarcastically.

"You started with the naked talk."

Kim laughed as Justin and his mother continued to talk back and forth about walking around in the nude. She just shook her head at the obscene and crude comments they each made until the conversation came to an end.

"I'm gonna actually do school work so I can got to a par-tay tonight. So I'll call you guys later okay?" Justin exclaimed, already waving at the two women.

"Bye, honey," Helen replied.

"Bye," Kim whispered and watched as he signed off of iChat.

*********

Time isn't wasted when you're getting wasted
Woke up today and all I could say is

that party last night was awfully crazy I wish we taped it
I danced my ass off and had this one girl completely naked
Drink my beer and smoke my weed but my good friends is all I need
Pass out at 3, wake up at 10, go out to eat then do it again

Man, I love college, ay!
And I love drinking, ay!
I love women, ay!
Man, I love college

Justin was having a good time at the party the juniors were throwing. Everyone was dancing and singing along with Asher Roth's I Love College, including Justin. This particular party was better than others he'd been to and he planned to make the most of it. He had already had two shots of tequila and some vodka.

"Yo, Justin," Cole shouted over the loud music. Justin turned and saw his friend with a cute little brunette on his arm.

"How's it going man? Hey, where's Barry? I need to kick his ass," Justin asked, looking through the crowd of people. He still remembered what Barry said to Kim and he wanted to break his nose.

"I don't know but this party is sick," Cole replied. "Oh, look who I found. This is Erin, she's from California too."

"Cool, what part?"

"Santa Barbara," the girl replied. "You?"

"Long Beach," Justin shouted over the music.

"Doesn't Long Beach have some rough neighborhoods?" Erin asked, flipping her shoulder length hair.

"Some parts are pretty bad."

"Like Kim's neighborhood?" Cole asked, sipping his drink.

"Yeah, my neighborhood is the complete opposite though."

"Kim? Ooh, is that you're girlfriend?" Erin asked, smiling and showing off her teeth. Her fingers were interlaced with Cole's, whose arm was thrown casually across her shoulders.

"Yeah, she's super hot," Cole interjected.

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend," Justin answered, shooting Cole a weird look.

"Does she go here too?"

"No, she, uh, still lives in Long Beach."

"That must suck. So what are you majoring in?" Erin asked.

"Business and I'm minoring in foreign languages," Justin replied with a shrug.

"I'm studying education."

"You like kids?"

"Yeah, and I think teaching would be pretty cool. Oh, and I'm minoring in choral music."

"You're a singer?" Cole asked, looking down at the petite girl. She smiled and nodded before turning to look at Justin.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good too."

"Will you sing a little for me?" Cole asked.

"As soon as you get me to your dorm room," Erin replied with a sly smile.

Cole smiled widely, causing him to look quite goofy. "Alright, let's get out of here."

"I'll see you later. It was nice meeting you," she said to Justin. She and Cole began walking towards the door and she gave Justin a small smile before leaving.

********

The next day, Justin spent most of his time studying for his foreign language test. He was in the library and decided to get another book to help him with the unfamiliar material. He walked up to the librarian and smiled when he noticed who it was.

"Erin?" he asked, leaning on the counter. The girl smiled and quickly wiped away the hair in her face.

"Hey, Justin, right?" she asked, pointing at him.

"Yeah, I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah, I met Cole here and that's how I ended up at the party. Can I help you with anything?"

"Umm, I actually need this foreign language book. I don't remember the title but it was about Portuguese."

"Did you lose yours?" she asked.

"Nooo, I just can't find it. It's not lost though, it's just somewhere in my dorm," he replied. Erin smiled and told him that she'd get it to him in a few minutes.

Justin walked over to the table he was sitting at before and continued to review some notes. He was studying the things that would be on the test when he noticed the unmistakable blonde hair of Mackenzie walk up to him. She looked surprised to see him and decided to pull out a chair next to him.

"Hey stranger," Mackenzie exclaimed, sitting down.

"Hey, Mac," he said, trying to be nice.

"I haven't talked to you in forever. How's it going? Are you still with Kim?"

"My classes are good and yeah, I'm still with Kim," Justin replied, pretending to be busy with notes.

"That's great," Mackenzie replied, just as another blonde walked over to them. Her hair was short and in a pixie cut that made her deep brown eyes pop out.

"I thought you were getting ready to take me home, love," a woman said in an English accent before leaning over and kissing Mackenzie. Justin's eyebrows lifted significantly as he watched the two girls. When Mackenzie pulled away, she decided to finally make the introductions.

"Justin this is Marcie, Marcie this is Justin. Marcie is my girlfriend and roommate. Baby, Justin is the guy I told you about. The one I used to have a big crush on," Mackenzie explained.

"Oh," Marcie replied, extending her hand towards Justin. He accepted the offer and shook her hand briefly. He looked between the two girls and smiled.

"Marcie and Mackenzie, that's cute," Justin stated.

"Thank you. Anyway, it's really good seeing you again. I know I was a total bitch before and I just wanna apologize."

"Apology accepted, but you really should be apologizing to Kim."

"Hey, Justin I got some books. I think one of these might be the one you're looking for," Erin exclaimed breathlessly.

"Thanks, Erin," Justin replied, grabbing the books.

"No problemo, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," Erin exclaimed, rubbing Justin's shoulder before retreating. She turned to look at him for a moment before twirling a strand of her hair. Mackenzie's thin eyebrow arched slightly and she got up, grabbing her girlfriend's hand.

"Watch out for her," Mackenzie exclaimed, pushing the chair back to its original position.

"What?"

"That chick, she likes you," Marcie chimed in, nodding her head in Erin's direction.

"I just met her last night. She doesn't like me and she knows I have a girlfriend," Justin argued.

"Does she know Kim still lives in California?" Mackenzie quizzed.

"Yeah, but…"

"Then, she doesn't care. If your girlfriend is in another time zone then you're fair game to her and half the other girls who go here. It's like in that movie Road Trip when they said that it's not cheating when you're in a different area code or whatever," Marcie said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, and it doesn't matter how long you've known her. Take it from me, of all people; I would know when a chick likes you. There's the tell-tell signs like the touching, the giggling when nothings funny and the hair thing."

"The hair thing?"

"Whenever she's around you, she'll play with her hair or tuck her hair behind her ear. Every girl does it," Mackenzie replied.

"Yeah, it's just human nature."

"You were like one of the school players back in Long Beach. You should know this," Mackenzie scolded.

"Yeah, because chicks threw themselves at me like I was the most delicious piece of candy."

"So, watch out for her and don't lead her on," Mackenzie warned.

"Why are you giving me advice?"

"I'm turning over a new leaf thanks to Marcie. So as much as I dislike Kim, she's in love with you and you're in love with her. It was hard but I've accepted it and found the person of my dreams in the process," she stated, pausing to stare lovingly at Marcie.

"I don't want you to make a dumb decision. Especially since I think you two are destined to be together no matter what obstacles you face. But girls never really recover from broken hearts and you shouldn't break hers," Mackenzie finished with a shrug. "I'll see you around."

"Nice to meet you," Marcie replied with a wave as she and Mackenzie left the library.

"Later," he whispered. He thought about Mackenzie's words for a second and glanced up at Erin. Nah, they're just being paranoid he thought, finally reaching for the foreign language books.

*********

Kim sighed as she started washing the dishes that were piled up in the sink. Gosh, why did Reaper insist on eating thirty times a day? She wished he'd just follow his normal routine and leave already. It was like a cycle with her mom and Reaper: he'd stay for a while, use her mom for sex and free food, pick a fight with her, disappear for a few weeks, get arrested and call for bail money and then start again. A damn shame, she thought as she rinsed out a small glass.

She quickly turned her head in the direction of the front door as she heard the sound of the locks moving. A moment later, Reaper walked through the door and threw his jacket on the couch. Ugh, she couldn't believe her mom actually gave him a key to the apartment.

"Hey Sweetness," he greeted with a small nod. "I don't smell any dinner cooking." Kim turned to look at him incredulously as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"Reaper, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'sweetness' before you get the hint?" Kim walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a box of crackers. She gave him a fake smile as she placed the box in front of him. "And here's your dinner."

"Saltine crackers?"

"Well, Reaper, I think you should know how this works but I'd be happy to explain if you're that confused." She paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm not your girlfriend or your wife. I'm not even your friend. I'm just the daughter of the woman you like using. I hate you with every single fiber of my being and I will jump with joy when my mother finally becomes immune to your bullshit. So unless you want to die of Arsenic poisoning, me cooking for you is NOT a good idea," she spat out while still smiling. She turned around and continued to wash the dishes.

Reaper laughed for a moment and rose out of his chair. "I've been working all day. I think I deserve a nice hot meal."

Kim turned to look at him. She couldn't help it but she scoffed loudly. "You've been working? You sell drugs for a living and collect money from hookers. You go to "work" whenever you feel like it while I'm actually working somewhere legit everyday. I don't feed drug dealers. You want a hot meal? Then, I suggest you walk down the block to McDonald's or Burger King."

Kim turned around, shaking her head while trying to pay attention to her current task. She felt him walk closer to her and he was standing next to her, leaning against the counter.

"While you're doing something "legit" you're having trouble paying your bills. Face it Sweetness you need me. Eight dollars an hour at that store is not paying your rent and all your other bills. I am," he whispered.

"You're pathetic. At least I'm not making a profit by ruining people's lives."

"Making money doesn't make me pathetic. It makes me a businessman." Reaper inched closer to Kim. She turned to face him and placed one arm on her waist. She could feel his hot breath fanning over the top of her head.

"Aww how is the drug business going these days," she asked sarcastically.

"It's great. I think you'd be good for my other business though." No the fuck he wasn't offering her a position in his little prostitution ring.

She scoffed loudly again, "I'm not interested in being a prostitute."

"Why not?"

"Call me crazy, but constant check-ins to the free clinic isn't appealing. At least not to me."

"Men would pay a lot of money for you. My clients would love it. The younger, the better."

Ugh, this man made her feel sick. Mentally and physically. She cringed at the comment he just made. "Shut the hell up, Reaper."

"Well if you don't want to do it then fine. Just do it this once for me."

Her lips were pressed tightly together and for a moment she said nothing. Then when she did speak, it came out lower and hoarser than she expected, "You're with my mother. Do you really think you should be offering her daughter money in exchange for sex?"

"Your mom, she was a fun ride, you know, and I genuinely care about her. She always has my back. I just want to see if the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. So, what do ya say, Kim? Come on and give Reaper a little honey. No one has to know," he said, whispering the last part.

"I hope you burn in hell. You sick son of a bitch."

"You'll like it. I promise. You shouldn't have a problem with this. After all you are Shawnee's daughter."

Kim spun around at the outrageous comment. She couldn't believe he said that. She was so sick of people judging her because of her mother's mistakes. She was so sick of men thinking she'd give it up at the first sight of money. It was bad enough that people in high school treated her like crap because of where she came from and now she was hearing it from a man who still read at a fifth grade level?! FUCK THAT!

"You don't know shit about me, Reaper! Yeah, I'm Shawnee's daughter, but I'm not like her. I would NEVER sell my body to some lowlife loser! I'm not a whore."

"They all say that until someone offers the right price. What's your price, Sweetness?" he asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wad of cash. "How much do I have to give in order for you to show me some skin?"

Kim didn't hesitate for one second. As soon as those words left his mouth she spit at him. He deserved it. He was a total prick and she hated him so much that it was scary. She watched in smug satisfaction as her spit landed on his left eye. He wiped off the thick mucus and chuckled.

He turned his back towards her and stood silent for a moment. Kim watched as the muscles in his back relaxed. He turned back around and glared at her, but she refused to be intimidated by him. She was about to walk into the living room when suddenly his hand snaked out and he slapped her hard. She fell to the floor and whimpered, rubbing the spot on her cheek that stung from the brutal hit.

She tried to slide away from him but suddenly he threw his body on top of hers, pinning her down to the ice cold tile floor.

"I TRIED TO BE NICE ABOUT THIS KIM!" he yelled at her, straddling her with his large body.

"Get the fuck off me, Reaper," she cried, punching his jaw. She watched him recoil and his weight shifted from her stomach to the tops of her thighs. She looked up at the dish rack and eyed the butcher knife she had cleaned a few moments before. It was like fate was mocking her. Here she was on her cold kitchen floor about to be raped, and her only way of physically hurting him and killing him was just out of her reach. She began to punch and kick again when suddenly she heard a loud scream.

Reaper suddenly staggered away from her and looked in the direction of the front door. Kim's mom was standing there with a bag of groceries in her hands. Kim hurried off the floor and walked over to her mother, far away from Reaper.

"Baby…"

"What the fuck were you doing on top of my daughter?"

"We were playing around, baby."

"You're a fucking liar!" Kim screamed, she looked frantically at her mother and pointed in his direction. "He's lying. We weren't playing around."

"Reaper, what were you doing?"

"Baby, I'm telling you the truth. Kim and I were just playing around and it got a little out of hand."

"That's not what happened and you know it. Mom, he wanted to pay me to have sex with him and when I wouldn't he hit me and pinned me to the ground," Kim cried, showing her mother the place where he hit her.

"You hit my daughter?" Shawnee asked, setting the bag down and taking off her jacket.

"She spit on me. I was trying to teach her…."

"YOU PUT YOUR FUCKING HANDS ON MY DAUGHTER?? YOU TRIED TO RAPE MY DAUGHTER!!!!" she screamed, ignoring him.

Kim heard a persistent knock against the wall. It was the neighbor warning them to keep quiet. She didn't really pay attention to it though. She was still shocked that her mother had just yelled at Reaper. She'd never done it before and since it was the first time she was shocked, she could tell that Reaper was shocked too. Hell, even her mother looked like she'd been caught off guard by it.

Shawnee walked into her bedroom and came back with some of Reaper's clothing. She tossed it at him and pointed towards the door. "Get out," she demanded.

"I didn't even hit her that hard."