Mela and Justin walked into the diner. The bell clanged as the door opened before them and closed behind them. The only people in the diner who seemed to care about the door’s opening were a group of people who were seated in the middle both so that they could clearly see the door. Their conversion stopped as Justin and Mela walked up to them. Everyone stared at each other waiting for the others to say the first words. Justin was the first one to speak.

“Mela, why don’t I get my apron on and then get you your milkshake. You should sit down somewhere.” That was all he said, he never even said hello to those who were looking at him.

“Sure, baby doll.”

As Justin walked away, he saw out of the corner of his eye something happening at the table he had just left. He turned and watched as Mela smacked Brian on the head.

“You stupid idiot! You tell me all the time that Justin is an adult, can make his own choices. But when time comes time for him to make a life changing one, you make it for him. What are you trying to be God? Well, guess what honey babe, you ain’t.”

Brian looked at her. He had known this was coming, but still it shocked him. Here was this tiny woman standing up to him. She was also giving him a bigger public eye opening experience then Debbie ever could or would. This is why they had stayed friends for so long. She could always see right through him and make him think.

“Justin, make that milkshake to go. Or rather, bring it with you when you come home tonight. I can’t stand to be around this pond scum you called friends,” She walked to him and kissed his cheek, then whispered, “Sun-honey, call me anytime and I’ll come to get you. No questions asked. Have a wonderful day.” And she walked out of the diner without looking at the gang.

Justin went into the back to drop off his backpack and get his apron on. At the table there was quite the uproar going on.

“Can you believe what she called us? She doesn’t even know us and she judges us,” Michael was enraged.

Emmet looked at the door that Mela just had left through. “She does have a point. We weren’t there for Justin as friends should have been.”

Michael immediately jumped on that point. “Why should we have been? He cheated on Brian. Brian’s our friend first; we’ve known him longer.”

“THAT’S IT, MICHAEL!! ,” Brian yelled, losing control. “ There were only two people in our relationship, Justin and me. Have you ever thought that maybe Justin cheated on me because you all wanted us to fail. We finally had something wonderful and you couldn’t even let us have it. Sure, you were there with us at Babylon, Woody’s, the Diner, Deb’s and the Muncher’s, but you weren’t there with us any other time. You didn’t know what went on when it was only the two of us, and no Ted, we didn’t always fuck. So, wake up and get over this crush you have Mickey, nothing was EVER or is ever going to happen between us. The rest of you should just grow up and be able to let images go away when they are needed to.”

Brian left, looking back only once to see Justin standing there smiling at him. Maybe finally he had done something right. He left feeling much better than when he had come in.



“Jesus, he really was trying to change with Justin. Maybe we shouldn’t have assumed that he just felt guilty,” Deb said standing near the table.

“He’s just mad because that girl was taking a beating at him while he was down,” Michael said, so sure of himself.

Justin looked at him and finally spoke. “You just don’t get it do you? I can’t believe that you have been Brian’s friend for 14 odd years and you can’t let go of a childhood crush. ‘That girl’ has a name, it’s Mela. She was picking him up, waking him up to reality. Get a clue.” With that Justin turned his back on the gang and finished his shift without saying anything to them or Debbie.

While Justin was working, Mela had gone home and started to watch a movie. This wasn’t your normal movie. It was the movie she had found with her newspaper this morning. From the way it was filmed, one could tell it was a homemade kind of movie.

She gasped as the first scene came up. At anytime during the movie she could have turned it off, but her shock was so great that she sat there doing nothing. The screen went black and she was able to finally turn off the TV. She ejected the movie.

As she packed the video in a small box, she made a decision. She reached over to her purse and took out her address book. There was the number she needed to get in touch with her P.A. in Paris.

“Stephanie, I’m sending a parcel out to you.”

“Yes, it is very important.”

“No, it doesn’t have anything to do with work.”

“I want you to take it and put it in my security box out there. You are not to look at what is in the box. Understand?”

“Wonderful, it should be there tomorrow.”

“I’m shipping it overnight.”

“Thank you. Now, go home and have a nice night.”

The call over, Mela looked at her handy work and sighed. Justin could never, ever be allowed to see it. It could destroy him, and he was doing so well without the memories lock on this tape. She jumped as her cell rang.

“Yes?”

“Oh., hello Justin.”

“Yes, I’ll come and get you. Do you mind if we stop by the post office? I needed to send something tonight.”

“I’m so glad. See you soon.” She hung up the phone. Then she put it in her purse and went out the door with the purse and the box in her hands.

Justin was picked up a few minutes later. He never saw the box, until Mela took it out of the car with her to send it. He never wondered what was in it.

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