NOT Corrupting The Good Girl

Chapter Two: Unexpected Friendship

“So…” Mona awkwardly said as we all sat around her dining room table. “I’m gonna pass around this feeling stick. And we’re each going to talk about our… feelings and perspective.”

“That’s a spoon, Mona.” Justin said, looking at her with disbelief. I stifled my laugh, trying to remain serious and not humiliate myself any further. The hot guy who stole my kiss was here, and I already looked like trash, I didn’t need to seem crazy either.

“I need you to shut it, Miller.” She spoke harshly.

“But isn’t the whole point to talk about our feelings-” Justin started, but Mona suddenly tugged on his ear. He winced, and I was surprised that a big guy like him would let himself be treated like that.

“If you don’t have the feelings stick, you don’t talk.” Mona said, letting him go and scowling at him. Justin sighed, rubbing his ear and avoiding both of our gazes. I looked down, feeling a little awkward myself. This random guy kissed me, and I punched him. That bruise looked bad- “Emery, you can talk first.”

I took the wooden spoon, AKA the feeling stick, and looked at Mona and Justin as my cheeks flushed. “I feel like… what happened last night shouldn’t have happened. I feel like it was wrong… and I think it was pretty selfish of Justin to do so.”

I put the stick in the center of the table, avoiding Justin’s stare. Why was he looking at me so intensely? I saw him take the stick out of the corner of my eye, and I swallowed while making eye contact with him. I felt like I couldn’t breathe- He looked just as handsome as last night.

“I feel… that last night, Emery kissed me back. I feel like she’s too embarrassed to admit our kiss was hot.” My cheeks were practically burning as he continued, and the left corner of his luscious lips quirked in a slight smirk. Mona looked at him in slight disapproval and in disbelief as he continued, “I feel that she should go out with me so I can make it up to her, and I feel like she makes the kiss sound worse than it is.”

He put the stick down, his gaze never leaving mine. I swallowed, almost glaring at him, but faltering as I saw the bruise again. I usually wasn’t violent at all… and it made me feel bad. Mona took the feeling stick, sighing before speaking up, “I feel like… both of you should have a small talk without me.” I frowned at that, and she smiled while standing up. “I feel like I’m going to go to my room, where I will totally not be listening in-”

Justin snorted. I sighed heavily, a little anxious at all this.

“-and you two can finally clear the air. So yeah.” She turned, walking into her bedroom and closing the door. The click of the door was loud in the silence between Justin and I, and I bit my lip.

“Why… Why didn’t you say anything?” Justin asked, and I looked at him in confusion. “If you didn’t want to kiss me, why didn’t you say anything? Or back away?”

I shifted uncomfortably, breathing in deeply and wishing Mona hadn’t left me alone. “I don’t know.”

Justin furrowed his brows, “But you punched me?”

“That wasn’t on purpose.” I protested, pointing a finger and attempting to smile. He scoffed under his breath. My smile faltered.

“I don’t get it- it was just a kiss, why is it such a big deal? I mean, I don’t see it as something worth punching me over.” Justin said, crossing his arms. “You could’ve just pushed me away or told me off-”

“Believe me, I wanted to.” I shyly commented, tucking a hair behind my ear. “I just-”

“Just what? Had to punch me?” He spoke over me, and I scowled.

“No. I just-” I tried to speak up, but I couldn’t say the words. I didn’t want to admit it.

“You just what?” Justin spoke over me, and I groaned in frustration.

“I was curious, okay?! I never…” I exhaled harshly, avoiding his gaze. I murmured more to myself, but I knew he heard it. “I wanted to know what it felt like.” Justin stayed silent, and I hesitantly looked at him. He seemed confused and surprised, intensely gazing at me. I glanced away before looking back at him, impatient at why he was just staring at me. “What?”

“You’ve never been kissed before last night?” Justin asked, and I shrugged. What was I supposed to say? “I didn’t know… I’m sorry, Emery.”

The sound of my name on his lips made me want to squeal. I mean, it wasn’t his fault I had never been kissed.

I shook my head dismissively, “It’s okay, I mean… it was just a kiss, right?” He smiled, and my heart ached at the sight of it. Why was he so cute? I decided I wanted to speak what was on my mind, and cleared my throat. “So, uh, what made you decide to kiss me?”

“What do you mean?” Justin retorted.

I sat up straight, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Why did you kiss me? Why not someone else?”

He licked his bottom lip, before shaking his head. “It’s stupid.”

“Tell me.” He looked apprehensive, and I smiled slightly. “Please?”

“Well, my friends and I were talking about the girls that were at the party, the ones that were good-looking at least.” I nodded, listening attentively. “My friend made a comment about Maria, and I told him to shut up… and then I noticed you.”

I felt myself blushing. I wondered if it was noticeable.

“I mentioned you were… attractive.” I found myself smiling widely, and he smiled in return, laughing. I noticed his cheeks were a little red too. “And they dared me to kiss you. So I did.”

I scoffed, laughing and covering my face in embarrassment. I couldn’t help it- I felt so awkward, and flustered knowing that he thought I was pretty and attractive- I loved the way it felt for someone to say that to me, but I hated that I wanted to kiss him again. I wondered what advice God would give me if He spoke to me…

“Was it really that bad?” He asked.

“No!” I almost shouted, smiling widely. Justin raised a brow at the way I responded so quickly, and I swore I was bright red- I felt like I had a fever or something. “I mean… it was okay.”

“Just okay?” Justin asked, smiling.

“I plead the fifth.” I said, trying not to smile, but failing.

Justin laughed, and I chuckled along. It was silent for a moment before Justin bit his lip while looking at me. I giggled, helpless to the giddy feeling of knowing such an attractive guy thought I was attractive. “What?”

“Go out with me.” He said, and I looked away with a grin. I couldn’t help it- I felt bad, because I knew I couldn’t. That’s not how it was supposed to go. My parents would never let me, anyways. “Please?”

I scoffed, and he asked again.

“Pretty please? With a cherry on top?” He was begging. Begging! To go out with me?

“I can’t. I’m…”

“You have a boyfriend?” Justin asked. I shook my head, laughing.

“No, no. It’s just that I… I don’t really date.” I forced the words out, feeling a little weird about the whole thing. He furrowed his brows, confused.

“You don’t date? Like at all? You’ve just sworn off men forever, or like-”

“No, no.” I laughed. “Well, I mean, to be fair: I’ve never even gone on a date so-”

“Then let me be your first.” He said, and I laughed.

“I wish you could, I really do, but it’s not that simple-”

“How?” Justin asked, genuinely confused.

The door to Mona's room burst open and she ran out with an excited expression. I looked at her in confusion as she looked at Justin with determination, “She’s Christian! You have to be friends with her first and hang out with a chaperone, go to church with her, meet her parents-”

“Mona!” I shouted, embarrassed by her.

“-the whole nine yards. And that’s just for the bare minimum- I mean, her mom wouldn’t let her spend the night with me until, like, two weeks ago.”

I scoffed at her, annoyed with the way she intervened and exposed me like that. Justin glanced at me, then looked back at Mona with a raised brow. “Are you serious?” He looked back at me, “Is she telling the truth?”

I sighed, glaring at her, and then looking at him and nodding. “I’m Christian. And that’s why I was mad about the kiss- I want to be with a real man of God who can lead me in the right way and do things with me in the right way my parents would approve of, not just some worldly guy who kissed me the first second we met.”

Mona nodded, before looking at me with regret. “I’m sorry, but it was killing me that you hadn’t told him.”

I nodded, my annoyance ebbing away as I looked at her regretful expression. Justin cleared his throat, and shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

I looked up, my eyes slightly wide in disbelief. “What?”

“We can just be friends.” He said, smirking smugly. I scoffed, almost not believing him. “It might be a little tough not being able to kiss you for however long we’re friends for but…”

Mona walked away, out of his view, and turned to me and silently fangirled. I couldn’t help but laugh while being flattered about the whole thing.

“I think I can manage.” He said.

“You want to just be friends?” I asked, somewhat confused. Didn’t he just kiss me last night? Doesn’t that mean he likes me? I don’t understand- were worldly people just okay with kissing anyone?

“Why not?” Justin grinned, and extended his hand. I raised a brow, and he winked at me. “Friends?”

I shook my head, rolling my eyes with a smile before extending my hand and shaking his hand. “I don’t see why not.”

“Alright! Now that everything's back to normal, can we get back to the reason Justin was here in the first place?” Mona asked rhetorically before continuing. “He’s supposed to help me build my dresser that I just bought, it’s in my closet, but I do have to go grocery shopping, so I was wondering…”

She approached me with a suggestive smile, “Can you help him while I go to the store?”

I wanted to scream- why was she doing this to me? But I couldn’t exactly make a scene in front of Justin without being rude. I decided to indirectly hint at being able to go with her. “Uh, well-”

“Great!” She said, ignoring what I was saying as she went to walk away, grabbing her keys on the counter.

“Mona-” I spoke, low-key warning her before she grinned back at me.

“Have fun!” She closed the door behind her, and I scowled. She really just left me with a stranger?!

“So… how long have you known Mona?” He asked, and I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, not really caring too much about my appearance at this point.

“Since I was in ninth grade, I think.” I said, getting up and stretching. I was doing my best not to be too nervous or awkward despite the anxiety that resided in my chest. My phone pinged, and I saw Mona's text: ‘don’t worry- I got surveillance around the house, you’ll be safe :)’

‘Still mad >:(‘ I replied, putting my phone on the table and looking at Justin. “We should probably get started on that dresser.”

“Right.” He nodded, getting up and walking over to the hallway. It was now I noticed his attire- and the way he towered over my short stature so easily. I had taken notice last night, but it was much more noticeable now in the daylight. He wore a simple crewneck, yet it hugged his muscled torso in such a defining way. His skinny jeans were ripped and folded at the hem and his vans were black and white. I chastised myself for looking at his body too long- God definitely took his time with him, as Mona would say.

I followed him to the closet in the hallway, silently watching as he took out a box for the new dresser. “You know your way around here…” I observed aloud as he lifted the box with ease, carrying it to the living room. Had he and Mona… I wondered, knowing that despite how Mona easily got along with boys, she had a tendency to be more than friends with most of them. For one of the first times of my life, I felt a pang of jealousy.

Justin placed the kit in the middle of the living room, in front of the couch. He kneeled in front of it, and nodded in reference to my statement. “Yeah, we’ve been friends for a while already.”

He stood as I sat down across from him, walking over to the kitchen sink and grabbing Mona's tools from there. He even knew where she kept her tools…

“Just…” I hesitated, but decided I needed to know regardless. “Just friends?”

“Yeah, of course.” He sat again where he previously had been and started to open the box with concentration. “She helps me get chicks from time to time, and I help her hook up with some of the guys in my frat house when she’s in the mood.”

“Oh.” I said, and I smiled at the fact they weren’t an item. But then I remembered that he said Mona helps him get chicks, so my smile disappeared. I watched as he got out the parts, laying them out in order. “So she helps you hook up with random girls?”

Justin furrowed his brows, still focusing on the parts laid out, “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s for someone I genuinely want to get to know.”

I nodded, trying to keep myself from looking at him for too long as I grabbed the box and put the wrappings inside of it. I set it aside and scooted in closer as he held the instruction manual in his hand. “So what do we do now?” I asked softly.

I thought I heard Justin swallow, but I wasn’t sure. He sighed, “Well, we first have to screw in the larger pieces together. So…”

He suddenly leaned in, my eyes widened when his face was mere inches from mine, and my cheeks burned. “Wha-What are you doing?”

“Getting the screwdriver.” He said, flashing me a smirk as he backed away and showed me the screwdriver had gotten a hold of that was beside me.

“Oh.” I felt a twinge of both disappointment and relief. Why was I disappointed? Get a grip, Emery, I berated myself. He just kept his irritating smirk while grabbing the screws assigned. “Um, I can help hold the pieces.”

“Please do.” Justin said with a slight chuckle.

We worked in comfortable silence, only making small talk every now and then. Almost as soon as we were finished and put her new dresser in her bedroom, Mona walked in with a loud exclamation, “Honies, I’m hooomeee!!”

“Finally, the slacker returns.” Justin said, walking over and helping her put the groceries on the table as she scoffed.

“Well, this slacker got you guys some food. So be careful what you say or you starve.”

“What kind of food?” I asked, it having already been two hours since I had woken up and eaten.

“I got it from the store nearby- Yay to food stamps, am I right?” I smiled in amusement, and she pulled out some boxes. She handed one to me, and one to Justin. “They’re tacos- cabeza -and I already prepared them. Without salsa for Elyssa, of course, and just lemon.”

I sheepishly smiled as Justin glanced at me. “Thanks, MB.”

“MB?” Justin asked, and Mona groaned.

“My old nickname. It stands for ‘Monabella’- M as in Mona, B as in Bella. E for embarrassment.” She said, starting to take foods and fruit out of the plastic grocery bags.

Justin chuckled and nudged me with his elbow as he passed by me and went to the dining room “Thanks for the new blackmail.”

I couldn’t help but blush once again, and I saw Mona give me a pointed look. I looked at her with a raised brow, “What?”

“Nothing.” She smiled widely, going to the fridge and opening it to fill it up with what she bought. I stood by her, leaning on her kitchen counter and opening my box of food. “Justin’s a good buddy. I really trust him- which is why I was really surprised he was the one who kissed you.”

“And why you left me alone with him?” I asked, still annoyed. “I mean, nothing bad happened but it could’ve-”

“He’s not like that.” She sharply stated, and I scoffed.

“How long have you known him? You should know more than most that it doesn’t matter how long you know someone, and that people surprise you with their dark sides.” She ignored me, and I frowned. “I’m serious, Mona. It wasn’t cool of you to do that to me. What if he-”

“I told you he isn’t like that.” She whispered harshly.

“He kissed me last night. How would you know?” I asked, keeping my voice down.

“Because trust me, he’s had the chance.” I blinked, confused by her statement. Mona sighed, and crossed her arms. “It was my first college party, and I somehow got roofied. When I woke up, I was home safe. Nothing happened to me… and Justin was the one who made sure of it. And before you ask if I could or couldn't remember anything, I have surveilance.”

I looked down, taking in the information. That’s why she trusted him so much, even with me… “I’m sorry-”

“I would’ve reacted the same way, Emery. Leaving you with an older person you just met without any explanation was a bad call.” She hugged me and looked at me with a sorrow-filled expression. “I’m the one who’s sorry.”

I shook my head with a reassuring smile, “Let’s just forget it, okay?”

She smirked. “Forget what?” I smiled. She turned back to her groceries, “You should go eat with Justin while I finish putting this stuff away, and then I’ll take you home whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded, making my way to the dining room while eating a fry. Justin gave me a nod of acknowledgement as I sat down with him, and I continued eating my fries and dipping them into ranch.

“You like ranch? I’m more of a buffalo sauce person myself, truth be told.” He remarked, and I frowned.

“Well, I like to dip my fries in my milkshake sometimes, to be honest.” Justin gave me a pensive look, and I looked at him in confusion.

He suddenly smiled, letting out an exhale of amusement. “I don’t know whether to find that adorable or disgusting.”

I was about to make a retort when Mona walked in, holding out her phone, “Emery, it’s your mom.” I froze, then huffed before wiping my hands with a napkin and taking the phone.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” I asked, nervous as I stood and walked a bit away from the table.

Mona immediately turned to Justin, “You hate pineapple on pizza too, right?”

“Of course- it’s sickening.” Justin said.

“I was just in the neighborhood and wondered if you’d be okay with me picking you up.” My mom's voice rang out from the iPhone.

“She likes it.” Mona said.

“Looks like I dodged a bullet.” He laughed, and I turned to glare at them.

“Emery.” Her stern voice startled me, and my eyes widened. “Was that a boy’s voice in the background?”

“No?” I said it like a question, and I was hoping she didn’t notice. “It’s just the television-”

“I’m going right now.” She hung up curtly, and I turned to my best friend and Justin in panic.

“My mom’s coming here.”

“Right now?” Mona asked, panic flooding her as well.

I nodded, eyes wide and heart pounding in my chest. Justin’s face morphed into confusion, “Why is that bad?”

“Her mom would kill me if she knew you were here! You need to hide, and you-” Her finger pointed to me, eyes determined. “-need to get ready ASAP. I’m going to go clean this house of any ‘sinful’ stuff I might have laying around.”

We all nodded, then got to cleaning.