My Favorite Girl Pt. 03

"Why in the hell would I cancel on you? You are my favorite girl and the most important girl in my life. I would never tell you not to come or cancel a trip to go see some other girl. I'm dumb but not stupid."

She smiled just a little now. "Sorry I was going to spray you with pepper spray too. Just between you and me, I don't actually have any."

"Which brings me to my question for you, who is Ben?"

"He's a creepy guy down the street that has been asking me out since I moved in and he won't take no for an answer. It's starting to worry me just a little."

I shook my head. "You need to move. This neighborhood doesn't look safe and now you tell me there's a creeper down the street. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Does money grow on trees?" she asked. "Please show me where if it does because this is all I can afford. I'm flat ass broke right now."

"Ha," I quipped as I thought of my mom and the lawsuit as she said that.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"I forgot to tell you about that one. My mother, the charming woman that she is, filed a civil suit against me to try and squeeze more money out of me."

"What?! When did that happen?"

I laughed at the timing. "Would you believe it? The hour before Blake asked me to lie for him, I was at the lawyer's office letting him handle the legal stuff for me. So literally, the same day that Blake got this investigation opened on me was the same day I found out my mom filed this lawsuit against me."

"Jeez," Emma laughed a little. "Who did you piss off in the universe?"

"Beats the hell out of me," I chuckled. "I'm going to find the son of a bitch and kick him in the ass though."

"No kidding. When it rains it pours."

"Yeah. My mom wants half my money, my former friend tries to ruin my life by lying, I lose my golfing privileges, I can't see my favorite girl, and I had to couch surf for a few days. Yeah, that's a lot of shit."

"What's the latest with your mom? Is she going to get anything?"

"Nothing right now. It's a wait and see if the judge wants to take the case or dismiss it. My lawyer thinks it doesn't have any merit and it will get dropped."

"Sorry, Jason," she offered. "Sorry you've had a bad couple of weeks."

"Apparently you aren't much better off. Shitty neighborhood, creeper down the street, no money."

"And, I don't have a phone either," she sighed.

"That got shut off?" I asked.

"No, I dropped it and it broke. I don't have insurance on it and I can't get another one until next week when I get paid. Which is also the reason why I haven't called you back."

"We aren't waiting until next week," I hissed. "We are going out tonight and getting you a new one. Especially with that creeper down the street. What if you need to call for help? I'm going to get you some pepper spray too."

"No. I'll take the phone, but I don't want pepper spray. I'll pay you back when I can."

"You don't have to pay me back," I offered. "I don't want your money."

"Can I pay you back in other ways?" she questioned with her sly smile.

"Yeah," I smiled back. "Do you think I drove twelve hours here because I like driving? And I'm skipping class again so I'm going to be in trouble once I get back."

"How soon do you want payback?" she asked.

"When you stop being mad at me. So... hopefully soon," I said and raised my brows several times.

"I'm still mad at you," she half smiled now.

"About what?"

"No reason," she giggled just a little. "I'm a woman and it's my prerogative to be mad without cause."

"Well," I shrugged. "I'll wait for as long as it takes, I guess."

"K," she smiled. "Plus, I've got some cramps and stuff going on down there too... so."

"Say no more," I begged. "I get it."

"Sorry," she offered.

"No-no," I laughed a little. "That explains why you are so moody."

"Whatever," she sassed with her smile.

"How about...? Can I give you a hug? I've been wanting to hug you since I first saw you."

"Yeah."

We both stood and met at the side of the table before taking each other into our arms and hugging. I squeezed her tightly and felt relief that I was holding her and feeling her warmth wrapped around my body. Her soft scent filled my nose and brought a smile to my face. I nuzzled into her neck and sniffed her like a puppy making her giggle and shrill with laughter as I kissed her neck in a teasing way.

"I've missed that laugh, Em," I cheered. "It sure feels good to hold you again."

"Then don't be such an idiot next time," she scolded me softly. "Your problems are my problems. Call me, talk to me, explain things to me. Yeah, I didn't have to worry about the investigation. Instead, I sat here and worried about you and why you canceled and why you didn't want me to come."

"You're right," I sighed. "I'm sorry."

She smiled at me and had that look in her eyes.

"Are we good now?" I asked.

"Yeah," she smiled still.

I leaned in and kissed those lips I had been waiting to kiss since the last time I had seen her. She melted to my body and hungrily kissed me back. They were deep kisses that said we were both sorry for the past month, me more so than her. This was our first fight, our first trial and test, and, as stupid as it was, we worked it out and showed each other we care about each other.

"I've missed you," I said as I looked at her. "It's been hard taking on the world alone and having no one to talk to."

"I'm here," she smiled. "Just call me.... well, after you buy me a phone of course."

"Come on," I said. "Let's go get a phone and some dinner. You hungry?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Noodles in a cup aren't very filling."

"Why are you eating that?"

"Because, I don't have any money. I forgot to budget for student loans coming due, but I have to start paying them off. Between them and this place, I'm barely making it."

"What do you mean, this place?" I asked. "This place is tiny and the neighborhood doesn't look the best either."

"Everything else was way out of my price range. And yeah, it's not the best. The cops are in the area at least once a week for one thing or another."

"So... hear me out," I said as an idea popped into my head. "This place is a shit hole, let's be frank. Has your dad seen the place?"

"No!" she replied. Her eyes were big as her mouth made a big O when she said no.

"Right," I pointed at her. I knew Uncle Ronnie hadn't seen the place and he would flip out if he had. She was trying to be a big girl and be out on her own and not ask him for anymore help.

"So," I continued. "Let me finish my thought before you talk. I don't want to sound rude, but I want to get it all out so we don't get sidetracked."

She nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to be dropping out of school in the spring. This investigation thing has shown me how easy it is for somebody to screw with your future. I really didn't want to be in college anyway, you know the story. Plus, three years from now I'm going to have to go down this path anyway, so I might as well get it over with now. I'm going to turn pro and ask for a special exemption, or play on the under tour if I don't get that. But either way, I'm done with school in the spring. We can talk about it more over dinner if you want."

"But anyway, back to my idea. How about we rent a two-bedroom apartment in a nice area? If I've got downtime, I'd rather come here and spend it with you instead of going to my house or to your dad's house. It will get you out of this place and into a safer area and both of us will feel more at ease." I stopped and waited for her to respond.

"Umm? Why the two-bedroom place?"

"Won't it be a little odd if your parents come for a visit and all my stuff is in your room at your apartment?" I replied.

"It would be, but...," she trailed off as she thought. I let her think for a moment before she continued.

"So, are you like planning to live with me... or drop in once in a while... or what?"

"Well... I don't know exactly," I replied. "I hadn't really thought it all the way through. My main goal is to get you out of here and into someplace better."

"I appreciate that," she smiled. "But, I don't think a two-bedroom place would be good for us. This is supposed to be... not serious... between us. I think a two-bedroom place would give the impression that you can just show up anytime you want and... you know? Not that I don't want you to visit... it's just...."

"No, you're right," I agreed. "I get what you're concerned about. It would make us feel too much like a couple and we shouldn't have that feeling."

"I do want you to come and visit," she assured me. "I'm not saying get me an apartment but don't come visit me."

"Right-right," I said quickly. "I get what you're saying. It'd be too... real... if we got a two-bedroom."

"Yeah."

"Can I at least get you a new place? We can still split the rent, but it will be yours and I'd have to ask before I could come and visit. I would feel more at ease if you weren't here. And, if your dad finds out you're in a place like this...."

"Yeah," she said while shaking her head no. "It wouldn't be pretty."

"So.... we're moving you then?"

"I can't afford very much though, so..."

"You don't even have to pay if you don't want to," I offered. "Let's just get you the hell out of here before something bad happens to you. If you want to pay, you can. If not, I don't really care."

"K," she smiled.

"Alright," I smiled with her. "We have quite the list now. New phone, go to dinner, and find a new apartment. Let's throw in watching some movies together in your bed while eating popcorn and finish it off with a BJ and some snuggling, then call it a night. Sound good?"

"We have to go to the store and get some popcorn then."

"That's fine," I agreed.

"And if you want a BJ, it better be dinner at a fancy place. I'm not cheap."

"Apparently, you're not easy either," I joked.

"After what went down over the past three weeks...... you're lucky I'm even considering the BJ."

"You pick the place, I'll bring my wallet," I offered.

"Let me change my shirt first," she said as she turned to go to her room. "Some kid wiped his nose on my shirt and left snot and boogers on it."

I laughed. "Maybe we should find you a new job too. One that doesn't involve kids and boogers."

"I'm not giving up four years of school over a couple of boogers," she called.

We left the apartment and went to the phone store first. Then we went to dinner at a little mom and pop shop that was really good. Afterwards we went to the store where I convinced her to let me get her a months' worth of food so she wouldn't have to worry about starving. Then it was back to the apartment for some research on a new place for her. She picked out a movie as we curled up together and watched one of her old favorites.

We were both laying there in her bed with the lights out after the movie was over listening to the fan in the tiny room tick above us. It was a little cramped in her twin bed, but I wouldn't have it any other way right now. Just to be laying here next to her was worth every inconvenience in the world. I had my arm wrapped around her as she lay on her side pressed against me breathing softly on my neck.

"Sorry this trip probably didn't turn out the way that you hoped it would," she said softly.

"How was it supposed to turn out?" I asked.

"You were probably hoping we would have mad and passionate sex all night long in a nice place on a big bed or something. Instead you got a BJ on a twin bed in a shit hole."

"From the best girl that I could ever have asked to get one from," I added. "It's not about the stuff around me, it's about the person I'm with. This trip went better than expected. I could have driven here and you told me to go away. I got you back in a sense, we found you a nice place, you have some food in the house for the month and I got to spend this time with you. Everything that has been on my mind for the past month has stopped bothering me."

"Well," she giggled. "When you put it that way, why did I give you the BJ then?"

I laughed now and leaned over to softly kiss her forehead. "This trip was exactly what I needed. It got me away from school and it brought me to you. There's no place else I'd rather be then with you, in this tiny bed, listening to that annoying ass fan."

"Thanks, Jay," she smiled.

"You know what we should do though?" I asked after some thought.

"What?"

"We should go see Dory. We're what, a couple of hours away? Let's get up first thing and go."

"I have this thing called a job," she said annoyed.

"Call in sick."

"I can't. I don't have any built-up time. I wouldn't get paid."

"Hello!" I cried. "I bought you a phone, dinner, and a months' worth of groceries. What's another hundred to cover your lost pay for two days? Really, I don't care. Let's go, Em."

She sighed as the thought tempted her. "Fine, call Dory and check first...... but if I get fired."

"You can move to Austin and rent an apartment there," I said saying the first thing that came to my mind.

She looked at me with her sweet little smile. "And what the heck would I do in Austin?"

I shrugged.

Thank you for reading. Comments, public and emailed, are always welcome. I hope you enjoyed.