NOT Corrupting The Good Girl

Chapter Four: A Ride Home

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.” I groaned, my hands running through my hair as my stress ebbed away in my chest.

“I’m so sorry, Emery. This is all my fault-“ Mona started.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We can’t change the past, we can only change the future. So let’s not do this again.” I joked.

Mona nodded, smiling. I smiled back, going to sit next to her on my bed. “What I said earlier- I didn’t mean it that way. I meant it in the way that you’re bold and not as shy as me, you know?”

Mona's smile grew wider, hugging me and nodding. “I get you.”

The closet door creaked open, Justin stumbling out with a groan. “You have A LOT of clothes in there.”

I chuckled. He ran a hand through his hair, looking around. I paled shortly before realizing he was in my room. My very pink room, filled with marvel action figures and random drawings… it was very messy. WHY?

I stood, awkward and nervous as he was in my innermost sanctuary. He looked at me, his eyebrow slightly raised as he slightly smiled. He joked, “This wasn’t how I pictured myself in your bedroom.”

I raised my eyebrows, my cheeks heating as Mona snickered behind me. Justin suddenly turned a little red, chuckling nervously. “I didn’t mean it that way. I meant it like, well, I meant it like maybe we’d have a movie night or-“

I shook my head, smiling widely as I waved for us to dismiss the topic. I couldn’t contain myself, the smile staying on my face as I started talking. Why did he make us so flustered? “So how should we do this? Anyone have ideas? Before my brother calls me for help with his sets or something?”

Mona stood, pointing to the window behind my dresser. “I could help him climb through the window while you distract Nate.”

“That’s a good one. But we’d have to move the dresser and that could be messy…” I said, reasoning with my friends.

“Then why don’t you go talk to him in his room and then-“

“Emery, you hungry?!” We could hear Nate yell as he walked away from Emery's room and towards the kitchen.

“Oh shit.” Mona cursed.

“I’ll go talk to him, and you guys-“ I started.

“Is, uh, Mona hungry?” Nate asked. He started walking back over here when we all hadn’t responded.

I froze with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. Mona looked at me, determined and calm. “I’ll go distract him again. You try to sneak Justin outside, okay?”

I nodded. I watched as Mona walked out of my room and closed the door. I sighed heavily.

Justin’s hands went to my shoulders, massaging me a little too hard for my liking- I assumed he was trying to reassure me. I cringed away from his touch, his fingers digging into my thin shoulders too hard. “Oww…”

Justin chuckled, pulling away. “That hurts?”

“Yeahh.” I laughed, massaging my shoulder.

I could hear Mona and Nate talking and walking towards the kitchen. I motioned for him to follow me, both of us sneaking out of the room as we listened attentively to Mona and Nate in the kitchen.

“So how’s school?” Mona asked.

We walked dreadfully slow, trying not to make a sound on the wooden floors that are underneath the carpet.

“It’s fine. It’s school, you know?”

“Mm.”

Their conversation was so bland it made me want to cringe into myself.

“You know, you can’t just come over whenever you want. My parents have rules.” Nate said.

“If one of your friends came over and surprised you, would those rules still apply?”

Huh. What an interesting comeback.

“What’s up with them?” Justin suddenly whispered in my ear. I almost jumped, almost let out a loud squeak-

-Justin’s finger went up to my mouth as he shushed me, making me fluster and stay silent at the contact. Why was he so close? Why were these small interactions affecting me this way?

I shrugged, not really knowing all about their history much myself. Justin pulled away, allowing me to calm down. I mean, I knew Mona's side. But Nate's side was foreign and unknown to me.

“Why don’t you just go wait with Emery for food? I’m almost finished up anyways-“

“I just wanna make sure you don’t spit in my food.” She sarcastically responded. They were getting on each other’s nerves already. She always did know how to push his buttons…

“Pfft. It’s just peanut butter sandwiches.” Nate commented.

“Mm. I never take a chance.” Mona snidely remarked.

“Is this fun for you? Annoying me?”

“Very much so.”

I rolled my eyes. Justin only chuckled under his breath from besides me. We had just walked past the restroom in the hall. We were, like, three feet away from the front door.

“Well, I forgot my phone so…”

I heard him walk out of the kitchen. I panicked, pushing Justin back into the restroom we just passed. I closed the door softly, my breath catching in my throat as my heart stood still in my chest. As Nate passed the restroom through the hall, I realized I was pressing up against Justin’s chest.

I jumped away, turning and sheepishly smiling at him as I let my back rest against the bathroom door. Justin merely smiled down at me.

“Sorry.” I whispered.

“I didn’t mind.” Justin whispered.

I rolled my eyes, annoyed with all this… flirting. Nate's room door closed and I took the chance to open the door, tugging him by his arm and dragging him towards the front door. I opened the door, pulling him in front of me and pushing him out the door.

I slammed the door closed, deliriously happy all the drama was over.

“Em?” Nate walked in, looking at me confused as I smiled by the front door. “Why did-"

"Hmm? Nothing? Hm?"

“I asked her to check the weather.” Mona piped in, making Nate go from a confused expression to one of annoyance. “I was going to take her to the mall with me and I asked her to check if it was cold outside.

I frowned. “I’m not really dressed for the mall-“

“Well, go get your sandwich and then go get dressed. I already ate mine.” Mona got off the counter, walking past me and going out the front door.

Nate huffed, looking at me for a moment before finally speaking. “Why is your face so red?”

I scoffed, realizing I had been so flustered because of Justin. “I just got a little flustered, Nate.”

“Why? You watch something about BTS again?” He walked back into the kitchen and handed me my sandwich.

I nodded, letting him think it was true- and somewhat lying to my brother (which I felt terrible about) before going to my room.

Less than twenty minutes later, I walked out of the house in jeans and a black, long sleeve unitard. I had black vans, going out and spotting a car I didn’t recognize parked in front of my house. It was a big black Jeep, and I laughed as Mona stuck her head out of the rear car window.

“Hurry up.” She called out to me.

I ran over, approaching the back seat- she gestured towards the front, making me stop in my tracks and go towards the passenger. Justin shot me a grin as I climbed into the passenger’s seat.

I smiled at him, “This is a nice car.”

“Thanks. Bought it myself.” Justin said as he shifted the gear into Drive.

“How much was it?” I asked, putting on my seatbelt and feeling the leather on the armrest on the door.

“About 40K. I only pay around 500 per month, so my job helps with most expenses like that.” Justin said.

“Mm. I need to fix my credit before I can get a car at that monthly price.” Mona mused.

“I don’t know much about how that all works.” I shrugged, not sure of how exactly it all worked with those financial circumstances. I just knew my parents would help me with getting a car.

“What kind of car do you wanna get?” Justin asked, curious.

“I don’t really know yet, to be honest.” I shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

Justin turned left onto the main road, going straight towards where the mall was located. Mona hummed in thought, “I want a Dodge Charger RT. It’s pretty flashy which is why I like it.”

“Oh cool. So what are we doing at the mall?” I asked.

“I wasn’t sure, to be honest.” Mona remarked, “I just wanted to get out of there, you know? A lotta awkward tension.”

“So what? Did you two hook up back in the day or something?” Justin wondered aloud.

Mona laughed while I cringed and shook my head.

Mona leaned forward onto the armrest between Justin and I, “We were best friends. Then I had a crush, it turned awkward… we had a spat, never was the same again.”

“Oh, but you were friends with both of them.” Justin concluded.

I nodded, clearing my throat. “Anyways, what do you guys want to do?”

“Oh my god! Let’s go to SkyZone!” Mona suddenly piped up.

Justin scoffed, “That place is for kids.”

“Exactly! That place is so fun! What do you think, Elyssa?”

I shrugged. SkyZone is a place for kids to jump around, wrestle, and have fun all while on trampolines. But to be honest, I hadn’t exactly been there in a long while. But maybe it’d be fun. “I wouldn’t mind.”

A couple minutes letter, I was standing beside Justin while Mona paid for the time we would be inside. We opted for an hour and a half-

“To be honest, I haven’t been here before.” Justin said, leaning down to talk to me. I had almost forgotten how tall he was in comparison.

“Really? It’s super fun.” I smiled, happy at the memories I had here. “Our church used to take us here. The school too.”

“Mona goes to church?” He looked confused.

“Not anymore.” I said. When I really thought about it, we had known each other for so long. Mona had changed so much… well, both of us did really. “It was always fun with bigger groups. I don’t know how it’ll work with just the three of us.”

“I’m sure we can make it fun still.” Justin said, looking down at me with a raised brow.

I smirked, exhaling through my nose humorously. He was a little too close for comfort, I noticed. Smiling down at me and standing way too close… it made me feel so flustered. I looked away, running a hand through my hair. I was uncomfortable with this close proximity… but not because I didn’t like it. It was because I liked him that I was uncomfortable. These feelings were so overwhelming, I almost didn’t trust myself.

“I think you’ll probably beat me in the one Mona was talking about.”

“Which one?” I asked. Mona had recounted all the pros about this place- all the fun stuff, basically.

“The duel one.” Justin said.

I chuckled, knowing I probably wouldn’t win against this beast of a man. “Oh, come on. I wouldn’t last a minute against you.”

“Oh, yes you would.” He poked my arm, “Look at these muscles. You have me shaking in my boots.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” I laughed.

“How is it ridiculous? I’d probably be too lost in your eyes to actually fight.”

I kept laughing, covering my reddening face. I muttered amidst my laughing, “No…”

“They’re a pretty color, you know.”

“Ugh.” I moved my hands to hug myself. I couldn’t stop the smile spreading on my face. Justin was so… so annoying.

Annoyingly charming. The thought rang through my head, making my smile widen.

“You guys ready?!” Mona called out, walking over with a broad smile. I nodded. She handed us our complimentary SkyZone socks, laughing as Justin groaned at the fact of having to have different socks.

There wasn’t room on the seats nearby, the kids nearby having taken up the whole space. I bent over after taking off my shoes, changing my socks and trying to keep good balance. I started tilting, before reaching out for one of my friends.

Someone’s strong hands held my arm, and I sigh with relief as I looked to see Justin had helped me. I smiled at him, going back to putting on the SkyZone socks with secured balance.

“Thanks.” I said.

“Anytime.” Justin said.

I hated it when he said that. I wanted to scream and fangirl over his kind gesture. Like, stop being cute!

“Okay, lovebirds. Let’s go.” Mona grasped our shoes, putting them in the locker she had purchased for all our belongings. She then gestured for us to follow, leading the way into SkyZone’s area of play.

“Justin, I hereby introduce you to SkyZone. First, I wanna see if you can ride the bull.” Mona teased.

“The bull?” Justin asked, a smirk growing on his plump lips. I frowned at myself. I shouldn’t be thinking about how plump his lips were…

“Yeah. Come on.” She grasped his arm, dragging him towards the bull without any resistance from him.

I couldn’t contain my smile as Justin got into the bull ring. The kids waiting in line were all hyped, hoping to see this grown man be flung off the bull. Especially since he was on the hardest mode. I stood beside a grinning Mona.

She held her hands to her mouth and shouted at Justin as he sat onto the bull, “Good luck! Hope you fall on your a-“

I nudged her. “MB, there’s kids here.”

“Ohh yeah.” Mona chuckled to herself for forgetting before shouting again, “Hope you fall on your butt!”

Justin rolled his eyes. The woman attendant was still adjusting the controls… he flashed me a smile and waved. As if he was a kid that was waving to their mom…

I waved back, smiling deliriously. It seemed Mona noticed.

“You’re all smiles today.” She said, looking me up and down.

I raised a brow, “Is that bad?”

“No. Just something I noticed…” She said, a smirk growing on her lips.

“Shut up.” I chastised her, watching as the bull slowly started. Justin held on with one hand, saluting me as if he was an old-fashioned cowboy. I laughed, watching as he rode with finesse.

“I wanna be a cowboy, baby!” He shouted, adding a southern drawl to his usually American accent.

Mona chortled, and I laughed along at the ridiculousness of the statement he just yelled. The kids in line laughed along, noticing how ridiculous it was.

It suddenly jerked back, then sideways. Justin’s smile disappeared, both hands going to hold the handle. He chuckled nervously, and Mona smirked knowingly. He was holding on for dear life, not exactly sure of how to react. He was flung every way, his jaw clenching as his knuckles turned white to hold on for dear life.

I was almost anxious- this was all fun and games, but I didn’t want him to hurt himself. “Be careful, Justin.”

There was a moment- it was like time slowed down. He looked at me, winking and grinning at me with his slightly plump lips.

I shook my head as the time ran down, the bull slowing down to a stop. Justin chuckled, raising his hands with a victorious smile.

Mona shook her head, chuckling and going over to Justin as he got down from the bull’s ring. Justin smiled, tussling Mona's hair and walking over to me. “Did you like the show?”

“It was okay.” I shrugged, looking away to avoid his intense gaze.

“Okay, time for dodgeball!” Mona chimed in, dragging us along once again.

Justin helped Mona and I, catching most of the balls thrown our way.

We finally went towards the Free-for-All Zone, Justin doing flips here and there. I couldn’t help but be amazed every time he did it. I jumped onto a platform, wanting to attempt it but not able to muster the courage. Mona was jumping around as well, laughing and posting the fun experience on her i********:.

Justin suddenly appeared beside me, placing his hands on my shoulders and whispering in my ear suddenly. “Boo.”

I jumped, almost falling forward. “Woah.” I couldn’t help but lightly hit Justin’s abdomen, playfully glaring up at him as he laughed at me. “That wasn’t funny.”

“It was a little funny.” Justin said. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to try and do a flip… but I wasn’t sure.” I shrugged.

“Want me to show you how?” He asked, raising a brow.

I hesitated… then nodded. He explained to me how he did it, and assured me I’d be fine. I was still nervous… Justin bit his lip, “Want me to catch you at the bottom just in case?”

“Um… if that’s okay with you.” I said.

He nodded, going down and taking a good amount of steps back so I could have enough space to do the flip. I huffed, doing my best to throw myself forward and do a flip.

I landed, stumbling into him with a surprised chuckle. He easily helped me stand upright, making me smile once again. I laughed, “Thanks, Justin.”

He chuckled, “Anytime, cutie.” I gulped, feeling my heart beat faster. “So I was thinking- wanna play tag?”

I nodded, “Sure. Let’s just tell Mona.”

Justin winked, bouncing over to Mona and slightly pushing her. She squeaked, “Hey!”

“You’re it!” He said, bouncing away. I laughed, jumping the furthest I can away from the both of them.

Before I knew it, I was suddenly tackled. I squealed as I fell down, Justin falling besides me. I laughed, looking at him with a playful glare. “You didn’t have to tackle me.”

“Sorry, it’s in my football genes.” Justin playfully poked my cheek with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. I got up, running my hand through my hair as I spotted a slightly distant Mona stumbling away from me. I smirked, going after her.

Our time was up after a bit. Justin, Mona, and I walked towards his car, exhausted as we drank our smoothies from a nearby store in the mall.

Mona groaned, “I’m so sooree.”

“That’s ‘cause you don’t work out, baby girl.”

The cute nickname made my stomach flutter even if the name wasn’t said towards me.

Mona rolled her eyes, “I’m sorry I’m not a gym addict like you two.”

“You go to the gym?” Justin turned, looking at me with a surprised expression.

I nodded, smiling. “I love working out all the time.”

“We should go to the gym together.”

I bit my bottom lip. I wondered if I’d be allowed… “What days do you usually work out?”

“Every morning. Sometimes in the afternoon.” He said, giving me a slight glance up and down.

“I’ll think about it.” I finally said.

“Hey, Justin can you drop me off first? I need to take a long ass nap.” Mona said, getting in the backseat. My anxiety peaked. I had secretly hoped for that, but why was it actually happening?

“Me too.” I said. I sat in the front, scrolling through my phone and looking if anyone texted me. There were some texts from my parents… I responded quickly.

“Want any A/C or a heater?” Justin asked, hopping in the driver’s seat.

“I’m fine.” I said, flashing him a polite smile as I buckled up.

“Okay. If you change your mind, let me know.” Justin said, buckling up himself.

I nodded. He put up the radio a fourth of the way, us waiting in silence as we drove towards Mona's home. It was a comfortable silence…

We pulled up to her apartment complex. Mona leaned forward, giving us both pats on the shoulder before she went to leave the Jeep.

“Bye, lovebirds.” She sang, closing the door.

I suddenly felt a little awkward. We continued to drive in silence, going over towards my own house. Justin lowered the radio, “So how did you like today?”

“It was definitely fun.” I said, smiling at the thought of today’s events. “I like you.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Justin teased.

I paled, realizing what I said. “Oh. No, no. No! That’s not what I meant!”

“What did you mean?” He teased further, chuckling.

I shook my head, feeling my skin burn with embarrassment. “No, no. I mean I liked hanging out with you!”

“Okay.” He shrugged, smiling widely.

“Shut up.” I said, holding my cheeks as I tried to calm myself down.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell Mona you said that.”

I rolled my eyes.

Before long, we pulled up to my house. It was only sunset… Justin put the car into Park, looking at me with a smile. There was a certain twinkle in his brown eyes…

I looked at him, the tension raising between us as we gazed into each other’s eyes.

He suddenly unbuckled, placing his arm on the back of my passenger seat. He leaned closer, and my breath was stuck in my throat…

“Justin…” I placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him in place away from me. He smiled in amusement.

“It’s okay. I promised I wouldn’t kiss you again, remember?”

The way my heart sunk made me doubt myself. Why was I feeling this way?

“Unless you asked me. Remember?” Justin smile turned into a smirk, before leaning in and kissing my cheek suddenly. I gasped, turning and looking at him after he pulled away from kissing my cheek. “Have a good nap.”

His whisper was so close. It smelled minty fresh…

I shakily smiled. “Goodnight, Justin.”

I regained my breath as he pulled away, sitting comfortably in his chair.

I chuckled nervously, fiddling with my seatbelt buckle. It wouldn’t unbuckle… Justin unbuckled it for me with an easy push. I chuckled in relief.

“Thanks. Goodnight. Well, I meant Good Evening. Well, I mean-“

“I know what you meant.” Justin winked at me again. I shook my head, smiling, sighing dreamily and exiting the car. Justin waved at me.

I waved back, entering my house happily. I went straight to my room, taking off my shoes and laying on my bed. I was exhausted… yet never felt so deliriously happy and energized.