Just Us ✔️

Marketplace Reunion

"Okay I got the orange juice, the root beer and the Nutella" I tell Nova as we make our way through the grocery store.

"What else?"

She scans my list and hums to herself for a while before answering me.

"Looks like that's it. Just some chocolate for red week and we'll be golden."

I laugh at her response.

Nova and I always had our red week together. Which was a pain for Spencer because he had to deal with all the mood swings and cravings along with the constant crying over Channing Tatum getting his heart broken in the vow.

As we make our way to the chocolate isle a loud squeal sounds from behind us before a feminine voice speaks.

"Oh Em Gee! Lacey! I was starting to think that we wouldn't end up seeing each other again!"

I whip around and come face to face with the girl from the airplane.

"Oh hi April!" I greet with a smile on my face.

"Nova this is April, we met on the plane ride here. April this is my best friend Nova"

"It's nice to meet cha Nova" April says holding her hand out.

Nova doesn't respond instead just shoots daggers at April.

April's face distorts into a sad yet focused look as she slowly drops her hand to her side.

I elbow Nova in the side and she rolls her eyes. One thing about her was that she was VERY protective and VERY jealous at the thought of me having any friends aside from her. Nova and I have known each other since birth, our families are close so we both didn't prefer when the other had friends. It was lame but I brought comfort knowing that she loved me that much.

"I'm sorry, she's not usually like this."

The normal cheery facade returned to April as she flashes us a huge smile.

"Anyway I should probably go, my cousin is waiting for me, but I'll give you my number and we can chat sometime?"

"Yeah sure!" I reply handing her my phone.

She puts in her contact information as Nova continues to stare at her. After she hands my phone back to me she flashes one last smile before saying her goodbyes and walking away.

"Who the hell is she?" Nova asks when she's out of earshot.

I chuckle at her reaction

"She's just a friend Nova"

"Bitch you better not be replacing me"

"Never. You know I love you to much. And besides, if you weren't my best friend anymore who would buy me Taco Bell all the time?"

She laughs at me as we make our way to the candy isle.

>>>>>>>>

"So riddle me this." Nova says.

"Ever since the football game, you haven't talked about Benji at all and the tension between you can Jonas is off the freaking charts."

I raise an eyebrow at her

"And?"

"What's the deal? Did you guys finally get freaky wit it?"

My eyes widen and my cheeks get crimson.

"No!"

"Ooo I think you're lying to me Lace"

Damnit

She knew me to well.

"No I mean we haven't done anything, yet anyways, just kissing, that's all"

"That's all" she raises a eyebrow.

"As much as I want it to be more, that's all"

"Why don't you do something about it then Lacey"

"Vikki's pregnant. We can't."

Nova's eyes widen and her jaw drops.

"She fucking pregnant? What the hell? What's he going to do?"

"If it's his he wants to help raise it, and I get that. But I won't be able to be with him, not if it's hers. I can't."

She looks at me with a sympathetic look.

"Lace, it's obvious that you love him, and I think by the way he looks at you and acts around you that he loves you, and if that's the case shouldn't you at least try to make it work? Try to be happy? Don't you deserve that? Doesn't he deserve that?"

I drop my head into my hands.

"I know it'll be hard having it be Victoria's baby, but you guys love each other, and you both deserve happiness, the more time you spend away from each other the more it's going to hurt."

I knew she was right. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away without being absolutely miserable. I loved him so much, but the thought of him having a baby with Victoria killed me. Especially since I can't give him that, I can't give him a family. And that killed me even more.

>>>>>>>>

"Oh Lacey that looks so cute on you!" Nova says as I step out of the dressing room.

After our conversation earlier I had begun feeling really confused and torn. I didn't know what to do. Nova suggested since I still had to do shopping for school that we head to the mall, retail therapy always helped when food didn't. In which now was the case. My mind swirled with thoughts of Jonas, the baby, Victoria, and all the shit I had gotten myself into within the span of the week I had been here. But as I stepped out of the dressing room in a white tube top that ended just above my navel and stone washed denim shorts, everything in my mind went away. I felt good, and I looked good.

"Damn Lacey, he won't be able to take his eyes off of you"

Nova kept trying to talk me into fighting for Jonas, fighting for us, she said a new 'modern' wardrobe would help. And by modern she meant tighter, shorter, and flashing a hell of a lot of skin.

"I think I'll take it"

Nova squeals and rushes to the rack to grab ever color they had of the tube top. She was almost as desperate as me. almost.

I smiled as she piled more and more items of clothing into her arms until eventually I couldn't see her. She drops them all on the counter beaming at the sales clerk.

"I think we're done, we just need a few more things, I'll be right back." She says before pulling me to the shoes section.

The sales clerk stated at the gigantic pile of clothes in front of her and slowly started paying through them ringing them up.

"Okay. Now you only own like three pairs of shoes and that's not going to cut it chica. So..."

She pauses pulling all types of shoes off the shelves, heels, boots, sneakers. Everything.

"There, I think that should do it." She says out of breath and with a smile.

I chuckle as she picks up all the boxes of shoes and brings them over to the register.

"Okay now we're done" she tells the lady at the register.