They ordered two slices of pepperoni and sat down to eat. He pulled the
chair out for her and she laughed.
"You don't seem like one of them guys." she said with a smile. "Oh don't I?" he asked sarcastically. He took
his jacket off and she noticed something on his arm. "What's that?" she asked grabbing his arm to flip it over.
"Um, nothing, it's nothing. He said jerking his arm off the table. "What? Why won't you let me see?" she
asked. "Why do you want to?" he said, trying to pull his arm away from her. He jerked it in the air. She
stood up and hung from his arm, thinking that it would move. He didn't budge. *God he's strong* she
thought. Then she did a chin up on his arm, causing his elbow to bend. So she did it again, to which his arm
collapsed. And she saw the scars. She saw his past. She saw his sin and fault. His face was red. He couldn't
look her in the eye. It made him a child, not wanted the judgement that was sure to come. "Are those..." she
started. She didn't know what to say. "YES! THEY'RE FROM HEROINE OK! THEY ARE DRUG
SCARS!" he yelled, not meaning to raise his voice. Her eyes were big and she looked terrified. "Courtney
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled, I'm sorry I scared you, and I'm sorry that I'm a loser and didn't tell you." he said
standing up to walk away. "No, Jase, sit down. We'll talk ok?" she said grabbing his hand. He sat down and
she stared into his eyes. "Are you still using?" she asked. "No, I swear to you I'm clean." He said "well
when did you stop?" she asked him. She had so many questions and so little time. "God, you're gonna hate
me for this. I just stopped, like really really recently." He said. "Like. when, and why?" she said, hoping
that he wasn't a loser. She couldn't imagine him being a loser though. "I stopped because of you. Feelings
took over from the second I saw you." He said. He was going to say more, but she shut him up with a
powerful kiss. She didn't sare that he used before, he had stopped and he loved her and that's all that
mattered. When there lips parted, she placed a hand on his cheek. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past. Were in
the present. And as far as I'm concerned, we're in the future to." She said. "We do have a future together. I
can feel it." He said. They finished eating and left. He dropped Courtney about a ΒΌ mile from her house, in
case A.J. was there or something. He gave her a long kiss goodbye not wanting to leave her. She didn't
want to go either. She was ready to cry as she watched him drive away. She walked to her house and saw
A.J.'s car in the drive. "Oh God. What do I do." She stopped to think a minute and decided that it had to
end. She went inside and saw him sitting quietly on the couch. He stood up when she came in. "Hey." He
said, happier than usual. "Hey." She said looking to the ground. "I need to talk to you." He said nervously.
"I need to talk to you to." She said. Things were so awkward right then. They sat down on the couch.
"Babe, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It's just that I have so many issues. I do love you though
Courtney. I really do." he said sincerely. "A.J., what you did is not ok. You beat the hell out of me. If I
didn't have make-up on right now, you have to see my big blue bruises. It doesn't just break my skin. It
breaks my soul" she said, voice cracking with the last part. Then he surprised her beyond belief.
"You don't seem like one of them guys." she said with a smile. "Oh don't I?" he asked sarcastically. He took
his jacket off and she noticed something on his arm. "What's that?" she asked grabbing his arm to flip it over.
"Um, nothing, it's nothing. He said jerking his arm off the table. "What? Why won't you let me see?" she
asked. "Why do you want to?" he said, trying to pull his arm away from her. He jerked it in the air. She
stood up and hung from his arm, thinking that it would move. He didn't budge. *God he's strong* she
thought. Then she did a chin up on his arm, causing his elbow to bend. So she did it again, to which his arm
collapsed. And she saw the scars. She saw his past. She saw his sin and fault. His face was red. He couldn't
look her in the eye. It made him a child, not wanted the judgement that was sure to come. "Are those..." she
started. She didn't know what to say. "YES! THEY'RE FROM HEROINE OK! THEY ARE DRUG
SCARS!" he yelled, not meaning to raise his voice. Her eyes were big and she looked terrified. "Courtney
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled, I'm sorry I scared you, and I'm sorry that I'm a loser and didn't tell you." he said
standing up to walk away. "No, Jase, sit down. We'll talk ok?" she said grabbing his hand. He sat down and
she stared into his eyes. "Are you still using?" she asked. "No, I swear to you I'm clean." He said "well
when did you stop?" she asked him. She had so many questions and so little time. "God, you're gonna hate
me for this. I just stopped, like really really recently." He said. "Like. when, and why?" she said, hoping
that he wasn't a loser. She couldn't imagine him being a loser though. "I stopped because of you. Feelings
took over from the second I saw you." He said. He was going to say more, but she shut him up with a
powerful kiss. She didn't sare that he used before, he had stopped and he loved her and that's all that
mattered. When there lips parted, she placed a hand on his cheek. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past. Were in
the present. And as far as I'm concerned, we're in the future to." She said. "We do have a future together. I
can feel it." He said. They finished eating and left. He dropped Courtney about a ΒΌ mile from her house, in
case A.J. was there or something. He gave her a long kiss goodbye not wanting to leave her. She didn't
want to go either. She was ready to cry as she watched him drive away. She walked to her house and saw
A.J.'s car in the drive. "Oh God. What do I do." She stopped to think a minute and decided that it had to
end. She went inside and saw him sitting quietly on the couch. He stood up when she came in. "Hey." He
said, happier than usual. "Hey." She said looking to the ground. "I need to talk to you." He said nervously.
"I need to talk to you to." She said. Things were so awkward right then. They sat down on the couch.
"Babe, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It's just that I have so many issues. I do love you though
Courtney. I really do." he said sincerely. "A.J., what you did is not ok. You beat the hell out of me. If I
didn't have make-up on right now, you have to see my big blue bruises. It doesn't just break my skin. It
breaks my soul" she said, voice cracking with the last part. Then he surprised her beyond belief.