You've Got a Friend

*I apologize for the lateness and errors. Will correct later on today.



"When you're down in troubles
And you need some love and care
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon i will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night
You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there
Yes I will
You've got a friend" You've Got a Friend James Taylor version 

We got back into to town Sunday night with J-Mike. Yes, J-Mike. He was still job hunting and decided to check out Dallas as well. I'm sure it had more to do with him and Jordan hooking up, but whatever. Thankfully, he spent the night at Tori's place with Jordan.

I called Forrest Monday after I went grocery shopping to plan to meet up. Forrest had nothing lined up for the summer since the wedding didn't happen, so he was available to meet me whenever. I picked Tuesday so I wouldn't have time to drive myself crazy over analyzing it.

I barely beat rush hour traffic and made it to the BBQ place Forrest told me about. It was in downtown Dallas, but I found the restaurant with the help of my GPS. I was only 15 minutes late.

I didn't see Forrest as I searched the long ass line outside the restaurant as I made my way to the door. I hoped he was towards the front of the line. I could smell the smoke from the BBQ pit before I even went through the door. As good as it smelt, I had no desire to wait in the hellacious long line for it.

When I finally pushed inside the restaurant, I was dismayed that I didn't see Forrest anywhere. I pulled out my phone to call him, hoping he was just late and didn't stand me up.

"I'm on the patio." Forrest told me when I asked where he was. I hung up and found the door to the enclosed patio. I saw Forrest immediately at a table and made my way over.

"Look at you." He said eying my black scrubs as he stood up to greet me.

"Look at you!" I repeated with a grin, nervously. I didn't know whether I should hug him, and he didn't make a move to hug me.

"You have hair!" I exclaimed when we just stood and looked at each other gawkily. I kept my hands to myself and resisted the urge to rub his head playfully to break some of the tension.

"Yeah, I do." he said, offering me a seat.

I took the seat across from where he was sitting. "Normally when people go bald, it's thinning, or receding or balding. I figured that's why you cut it all off." I blabbered as I examined him. He looked good. Honestly, he always did. He was a guy and attractive: it didn't take much. I don't know what I was expecting.

"I decided to try something different." He said, sheepishly while he rubbed his hair.

"I love it." I said, with an approving nod.

"Thanks." He said, looking down at the food.

Awkward.

I followed his glance. "Did you order enough food?" I said with a smile, motioning to the huge spread in front of us.

He smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I order the trough so I could go through the express line and I wasn't sure what you wanted. We can take home what we don't finish." He explained.

I shook my head. "No way, I had a protein bar for lunch in preparation for BBQ. This looks perfect. I accept the challenge." I joked.

"Well dig in." He chuckled.

In dig in we did. Over ribs, brisket, pulled pork, jalapeno sausage, macaroni cheese, baked beans, fried okra and rolls we caught up. He asked about my new job and what happened at my old job and I filled him in. I asked him if he still was in contact with Darren and he was and told me he was already in Waco. I told him about my 4th of July and he told me about playing wingman for Blake.

I had to take a break from eating because my stomach protested. When I stopped eating and watched him, there was another uneasy silence. He asked me what else was new so I spent that time telling him about my friends and Trevor. He stopped eating to listen.

"You can eat." I told him.

"I really can't. I'm hitting a wall. I have a new respect for competitive eaters." He groaned.

I laughed at him.

"I'm serious. I always thought I could be one."

"It was the bread and the soda. We should have skipped them." I pointed out.

"That blueberry soda was the best soda I tasted." Forrest disagreed.

"Yeah, fine. No bread." I conceded.

"What else would we have sopped the sauce with?"

I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers, spirit finger style. Forrest shook his head and I grinned. "The meat was so good, sauce was not necessary."

"No, but I prefer it." Forrest said.

"Obviously, you're saving some for later." I teased, pointing at some sauce on his light blue shirt.

Forrest looked down. "You just can't see anything on you black shirt."

"Exactly why I didn't change." I laughed.

Forrest nodded and started to pack up the food. I did the same.

He looked up at me when we finished. "Thanks for joining me."

"Anytime." I said, sincerely.

"This was the first conversation I had were someone wasn't asking stupid questions, pitying me or giving me advice, so I appreciate it." He said, with a little smile.

"Now that you bring it up, I do have a stupid question." I started.

The little smile disappeared and he looked up at me, wearisomely.

"The cake. What happened to it?" I asked.

Forrest looked confused. "The cake?"

"Wedding cake? Y'all didn't just throw it away?"

Recognition set in Forrest face before he burst into laughter.

"You're concerned about the cake?!?" He asked, when his laughs subsided.

"I know you're going to be ok. There's a lot of fish in the sea. It's always darkest before the dawn. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. What I don't know is what happened to the cake." I smiled.

He cleared his throat. "Thanks Brian." I giggled when he caught on to my Family Guy reference."People hung out for the reception. I didn't."

I nodded.

"I didn't save any cake though. They have peach cobbler if you want dessert." Forrest offered with a genuine smile.

"Urgh, I can't eat another bite. Challenge failed."

After we divided our food, Forrest walked me to my car.

"I missed you Forrest. I hate the reason why we can be friends again, but I'm glad that we can." I told him as we walked.

"I missed you too. I want you to know, even if everything didn't happened, I never intended for us not to be friends permanently."

"I understand. I've been there." I said, remembering putting the breaks on my friendship with Ethan to appease Jake. "I hate to sound cliche, but how are you doing? For real?"

"I'm taking it day by day." He answered. "I'm ok right now."

"That's half the battle." I said once we got to my car.

"I'll talk to you soon." He said, giving me a hug.

"You better!" I smiled, hugging him back before I left.

Trevor knew about my plans to meet up with Forrest, so he made plans to get dinner with J-Mike and Corey. I texted Trevor that I made it home before checking my other texts.

Ethan invited me to Six Flag. With it being a family outing, I wasn't sure if Rocky was going and I didn't want to risk it. I declined, but told him to tell EJ to ride every ride for me.

I saw I had a text from Christian. I deleted it without even reading it. I called Amber and we caught up on each others 4th of July. She told me how fun and drama free the Carters' BBQ was but told me their Uncle Ray missed my presence. I didn't ask about Rocky but I told her about Jordan and Derek and J-Mike being in town. Amber told me we should get together Wednesday after Six Flags for drinks. I told her I wasn't going, but was down for a drink.

"Ok. I gotta head out for work. I'll talk to you later." Amber said.

"Bye. Have a good one."

When I got off the phone, I saw I had a text from Ethan.

Ethan: I'm not telling him that unless you're going be there to ride with him.

Me: I would! I believe in getting my monies worth...

Ethan: I believe in not spending hours in line.

Me: That's gonna happen regardless. Have fun! Take lots of pictures!

Trevor called me after the sun went down and I was taking Justine on a run. He told me they were all out if I wanted to join them. Sweaty and tired, I declined and told him I would see him later. Later turned out to be 2 in the morning when Trevor woke me up, climbing into bed and dry humping my leg.

"Not happening." I grumbled, not even opening my eyes and turning away from his groping hands.

"Lilypad, just in and out. 2 minutes-" Trevor begged.

"As much fun as that sounds for me, no." I denied him.

I wasn't sure how much time past before a pulsing between my legs woke me up. I cried out as Trevor pressed my vibrator against my sensitive, aroused clitoris. I opened my eyes and pulled Trevor closer.

"So you'll wake up for Twist, but not for me?" Trevor said, sucking on my neck.

"Shut up and come fast." I demanded, pulling him on top off me.

"I love it when you talk dirty to me." He laughed, before pushing inside of me. He left the vibrator against my clitoris and we both came quickly. He gathered me in his arms before we fell back asleep.

I returned Trevor's favor of walking me up in the middle of the night by blasting my music loudly the next morning. Normally, I would get up, change quietly so he could sleep in and would wake him when it was his turn. He woke up to me jamming to Drake as I picked out my work clothes.

"Call in for me." Trevor groaned.

"Nope, wake your ass up. That's what you get for turning up on a Tuesday." I sang along to the music while getting dressed. After I pulled on my shirt, I saw Trevor watching me closely.

"What?" I asked, wiping the side of my face. That's what he was staring at.

"Um, I might have gave you a hickey last night." Trevor said.

"You did not!" I exclaimed, heading to the mirror. "You better be joking."

"Sorry Lilypad."

I groaned as I saw it. I didn't say anything and headed to the bathroom. I ignored Trevor in silent protest as I did my make-up to cover the mark.

I got strange looks when I went to work. The only make-up I normally wore was maybe concealer if I had a blemishes or pimples and chapstick. When I got home from work, I changed and started cooking dinner.

I finished cooking and had the plates ready when Trevor strolled through the door with J-Mike.

"Awww, Lily's all domesticated." J-Mike said grinning.

"Ha ha, not for you. Make your own plate." I told him.

"Don't mind if I do." J-Mike said, going into the kitchen. Trevor handed me a container of chocolate covered strawberries.

"Do you forgive me?" He asked.

I smirked. I was over my annoyance by the time I left for work, but I wasn't turning down chocolate. "You said the magic words- chocolate covered anything." I gave him a kiss before we sat down.

J-Mike joined as at the table and we ate.

"What is this?" J-Mike asked.

"Chicken Georgia with yellow rice. You took Trevor's that had no mushrooms." I told him.

"Dinner on the table, cooked just right. Looks like formal fat girls are the way to go. Nice Trevor!" J-Mike commented.

"Shut the fuck up!" I exclaimed, at the same time Trevor told him to "Knock it off."

J-Mike just laughed over his mouthful of food.

"Where did y'all end up going last night?" I asked.

"Redneck Heaven." Trevor answered.

"You should have came. It was A.B.C night." J-Mike grinned.

"What is that?" I asked, confused.

"Anything But Clothes. The waitresses wear body paint, flowers, feathers, glitter. One was even dressed up with a golf green bikini and a hole in one on her hole in one." J-Mike explained, with a pleased smile. Trevor tried to hold his laughter. I kicked him under the table. "It was great."

"Sounds great." I muttered, thinking about how excited Trevor was when he came home. I narrowed my eyes at him. He just smiled.

"Don't worry. I got all the numbers." J-Mike continued.

"You got one girl's number." Trevor countered.

I rolled my eyes. It was like college all over again. "Didn't you have a job interview in Austin? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you." I smiled, changing the subject.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I see why Trevor turned it down." J-Mike shrugged.

What the fuck?

"I didn't turn it down." Trevor said, quickly. "I turned down an interview."

"It's out of Austin?" I questioned.

Trevor nodded.

"When did you get the offer?" I asked.

"Last month." Trevor answered.

I ate in silence as I thought it over. When and why did he apply for a job in Austin?

J-Mike must have picked up on my mood, because he hurried up to finish and left to meet up with Jordan.

Trevor walked him out and I started to clean the kitchen, trying to stay as calm as possible so we could talk. When he came in the kitchen, he explained.

"Remember that company that wanted to buy Kenji's site?" He started.

I nodded.

"Christopher Diaz emailed me. He's looking for an assistant. I forwarded the application to J-Mike."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I was going to tell you-"

"That's a common thing with you. You were going to tell me-" I interrupted.

"But you were so excited about your interview with your job and you were acting so weird about moving in. I didn't want you to worry." Trevor continued over me.

I paused. I probably would have freaked out knowing how I was acting back then. I couldn't blame him for not telling me then. "You could have mentioned it to me later." I said, folding my arms.

"Fair enough." Trevor said, plainly. "I told Christopher I wasn't interested."

"How could you know you're not interested if you didn't take the interview?"

"It's in Austin." He said, simply. "It wouldn't matter if I'm interested because it's not here. "

"Did J-Mike tell you about the job?" I ignored him. Trevor nodded. "Is it assistant stuff like fetching coffee?"

Trevor shook his head. "From J-Mike's understanding, he would be taking over some of Christopher's responsibilities. He doesn't want to do as much traveling."

"Is that something you're interested in?" I asked.

"Not really. I'm comfortable coding."

"I thought that's how Christopher started off too."

"It is, but his main focus is bringing in apps and sites he can build off and grow. He has a team that works on the coding."

"And J-Mike doesn't want that?"

"He doesn't have the patience for it. Could you imagine him trying to persuade someone who doesn't want to sale or change?"

"No, but I could see you doing it." I replied.

"Lily-" Trevor sighed.

"Look, we don't have a house nor do we have to be committed to Dallas. If the job is still available, you should at least interview for it."

"And what about your job?" He asked.

"Don't worry about that. We'll cross that bridge if we get there." I replied.

"Ok... do I need to get you more chocolate or are we good?" Trevor smiled

"It depends. What else are you not telling me?" I asked.

"I do have a confession. Something that I found out awhile go." He started.

I looked at him, worried.

"Well, it goes against everything I thought growing up." He said, wrapping his arms around me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"From a young age, I always believed I was a boob guy. Now, I think I'm an ass guy." He said, squeezing my butt.

"Really? I heard you were an A.B.C. guy?" I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Only on you. Let me show you." He said, leading me towards the bedroom.

I laughed and let him show me.



After work on Wednesday, I went home and showered and changed before heading to the Fox and the Hound to hang with our friends. I invited Forrest but he had a flag football practice. When I found out he was playing and not being an athletic trainer, I demanded he send me his game schedule so I could watch one.

I joined Amber, Dino, Jordan, Tori, Q, Trevor, Chris, Corey, and J-Mike at the bar. We ordered food and drinks and split up to play pool or hang by the bar. Amber and I sat and she showed me pictures of Six Flags.

I made a face at J-Mike as he and Trevor threw darts together. As always, he was making a fucking scene. Jordan was cheering him on so he kept going.

"I'm taking a wild guess here and saying you don't like J-Mike." Amber questioned me.

"Urgh! He just annoys me. Trevor acts super childish when he's around." I complained.

"They're just having fun. Trevor's always been like that." Amber smiled.

"He gave me a hickey and stayed out late when he had to be at work. He reminds me of college when Trevor was just a dumbass. I'm afraid he's gonna convert back." I explained.

"He has you to rein him in. He'll be alright." Amber said, patting my hand. "I have something to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Would you feel comfortable with me reaching out to Rocky?" She asked.

I looked at her and shrugged. "Do whatever you want."

"I'm serious Lily. Brandon and Rocky are so dysfunctional. I want to be there for her. He's treating her so wrong-"

"Amber." I cut her off. "I don't care if you want to be friends with her. This is not middle school- you don't have to dislike her because we're not friends. I just don't care to hear about her or their relationship." I said.

"Ok. Rocky asked about you. Let me know if you change your mind about wanting to know how she's doing."

I nodded, but I knew I wasn't going to change my mind. I didn't bring me any pleasure that Brandon was treating her wrong but I couldn't feel sympathy either since she fought to keep a relationship with him and cut me off. Whatever going on between the two of them was no longer my business or concern. I was staying out of it.