Chapter Fourteen

"Derek…" JJ whispered, just over an hour later. Holding the dark blue sheet to her chest, she glanced up at her boyfriend.

"Mmm?" He cracked open one eye to peer down at her. "What's up?"

"Um…" She bit her bottom lip, not wanting to ruin the moment. "I'm… I'm starving."

Derek laughed and shook his head. "Doesn't surprise me." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "C'mon, let's go get some food. Spence isn't goin' to be back for another couple hours. Why don't you see if Em is hungry, too? It is dinnertime."

JJ nodded and sat up on the bed, still clutching the sheet to her chest and glanced around the room for her clothes.

"Here." Derek smiled, having already pulled her boxers back on, and handed her her deep red bra before continuing the search.

"Hey, Em?" JJ stuck her head in the door to her dorm room. "You awake?"

"No." Emily grumbled back but then sighed and sat up to face her friend. "Yeah. Not willingly though. What's up?" She hopped off her bed and strolled over to the closet to search through her clothes.

"Derek and I are going to get something to eat. Did you want to come?" She asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.

"Yeah, I should probably eat. You feelin' any better about your exam?" The brunette asked as she pulled on a pair of black yoga pants.

"I slept with Derek." JJ said, before slapping her hands over her mouth, eyes wide at her blunt confession.

"Not the response I was looking for but what?" Emily practically squealed the last part of her sentence.

"I… I slept with Derek." JJ repeated quietly, sitting on the edge of her bed, watching her friend pull her hair back into a messy ponytail.

"Just now? Was it your idea? Are you okay with it? Please tell me he's fantastic in bed." She rambled, sliding a pair of black Uggs onto her feet before taking a seat next to JJ.

"Yes, yes, yes and oh my goodness, yes." JJ replied, smiling at her friend's face. "He was more than fantastic. I don't even know how to describe it."

"Ugh. Jealous." Emily sighed. "Spence doesn't wanna rush things. Not that it's a bad idea, but ya know, I'm gettin' a little antsy here."

"It's totally worth the wait, Em." She smirked. "Honestly. I mean, I know I only slept with Doug and Mason, but this was different and I can't help but wonder if it was because we waited. I didn't wait more than a couple weeks before sleeping with either of them." She shrugged, gathering her hair in her hands and pulling it up into a messy ponytail. "I don't know, maybe I'm crazy."

Emily shook her head. "Nah, I can see what you're getting at. None of the guys that I've slept with have been particularly… memorable, except Evan and that's because he was my first and we did wait."

"Does that seem weird to you? That I lost my virginity before you?" JJ asked suddenly. "You waited six months before sleeping with Evan. I only waited… what? Three weeks with Mason."

"Sort of. But it's not something that I've really thought about since we were fifteen." The brunette shrugged. "I'm sure there's a psychological explanation behind all of it. All I know is that I was so jealous of you when you slept with Mason because I couldn't even maintain a steady boyfriend."

"Really?" JJ asked, genuinely surprised at her friends' confession. "You never told me that."

"Yeah, it's not something I'm proud of. Then again, I was pretty jealous of you most of the time." Emily admitted. "I think that's one of the reasons I started acting out. Maybe. I'm not sure. I just know that you seemed to have this great life, great family, friends… and my parents barely wanted anything to do with me."

JJ sighed. "The grass isn't always greener on the other side. After Annie… let's just say, my family life was a lot less perfect than I led everyone to believe. I mean, you know how shitty it was after…" She trailed off, not willing to discuss her older sister at the moment.

"I know, Jay. I remember that… but regardless of everything, your parents still cared about you and were there for you… most of the time. My parents didn't give a rat's ass what I did. That's why I spent so much time with you." Emily blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears that were appearing in her eyes. "Let's go eat. I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"Amen to that." JJ nodded and climbed to her feet before pulling her friend into a tight embrace. "I love you, Em. You know that, right?"

Emily sniffled and nodded. "I know. I love you, too, Jay."