Purified

"What are you doing, Jay?" Sienna yelled at the television as she and Gianna sat in Sienna's living room, watching the Pens vs. Rangers game.

"He's sloppy as hell," Gianna stated, taking a swig of her beer. "Do you know why?"

"No," Sienna replied with a small sigh. "He texted me before he went to bed last night asking me if I was still up, and I wasn't. I didn't get it until this morning when I woke up. I replied to him, but he's slow to reply on game days."

"Maybe he's hungover or something," Gianna shrugged, keeping her eyes focused on the game.

"You don't think he-" Sienna began but was cut off by Gianna.

"If he so much as thought about sleeping with someone I will personally put him in the ground," Gianna stated firmly. "Just say the word and I'll destroy that Whitby fucker."

"I just had this awful feeling that he might do something bad in New York," Sienna sighed, running her fingertips over the seam of her Neal jersey.

"I'm sure he was good," Gianna stated softly, hoping to comfort her friend even though she knew James sleeping with someone else was almost inevitable.

"Guys like him don't wait for girls like me," Sienna replied softly, her eyes welling up with tears. "Really good looking, successful guys don't wait for lowly virgins. He could have anyone he wants, and he wasted two months with me. Of course he fucked around."

"Sienna," Gianna sighed, shifting closer to her friend. "I'm sure he really likes you! I don't think he'd hurt you like that."

"Heather said lots of the guys cheat on their girls," Sienna replied, crying a little. "I'm not even his girl! What's to stop him from fooling around?"

"You'll just have to trust him," Gianna sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't have an answer besides that."

Sienna nodded and wiped her eyes. She knew she had to trust him, but she had no self confidence. She truly believed James could do better than her.

Gianna excused herself to go to the bathroom and to get a tissue for Sienna. While she was in there she pulled out her phone.

Jordan, it's Gianna. If that Whitby fuck Neal slept with another girl in NYC I want you to rip out his hair. I'm serious. Sienna is freaking out over here

She grabbed a handful of tissues before going back to the Sienna's living room, handing her the tissue.

"It's okay, Sienna," Gianna stated, pulling her friend's head to her lap. Gianna stroked Sienna's hair calming her down. "He's a good guy. He wouldn't do something like that. And you are good enough for him. You're so much more than just a virgin, and he knows it."

"I really like him," Sienna stated softly after a few moments of silence.

"I know you do, honey. I know you do," Gianna nodded, staring at the television screen. She hoped number 18 could feel her glaring at him.

A little while later an emotionally exhausted Sienna fell asleep on her couch. Just as Gianna was covering Sienna up and about to leave to go back to her house, Sienna's phone vibrated on the coffee table. Gianna grabbed Sienna's phone and read the text from James.

I need to see you so bad.

Gianna sighed and put Sienna's phone back on the coffee table before leaving and checking her own phone to see a text from Jordan.

He says nothing happened, but he's being a bitch. I'll handle it.

....

"Nealer," Jordan called to James as the team walked to the bus. James slowed down and looked at Jordan.

"Yeah?"

"What the fuck happened to you?" Jordan asked quietly. He didn't want to stir anything up and cause a scene, but he was just as curious as Gianna was about what happened the other night.

"What do you mean?"

"You played like shit," Jordan replied bluntly. "Why? Miss your girl?"

"Something like that," James replied in a raspy voice and Jordan could tell James was really torn up about whatever happened.

"Neal, seriously. What the fuck happened?" Jordan stated as they sat together on the bus. "Gianna texted me and said Sienna's a wreck, she thinks something happened."

James was silent and Jordan watched as James bit on his bottom lip and his legs jiggled nervously.

"You fucked that girl, didn't you?" Jordan accused under his breath. "That leggy chick from the bar last night? You fucked her didn't you?"

"No!" James replied, shaking his head quickly. "I didn't have sex with her. She wanted to and I almost did, but all I could think about was Sienna and I flipped out so I took a cab back to the hotel."

"You really do like her. Sienna, I mean," Jordan replied as the bus began to move.

"I'm crazy about her," James sighed. "I haven't even slept with her yet. I just kept thinking that this girl has put all her trust in me to not hurt her, and what was I doing with that girl the other night? I'm not that person anymore. I told Sienna I wouldn't be that person."

"Did you want to have sex with that girl?" Jordan asked, keeping his voice down.

"For the sake of sex? Yes," James nodded. "I just needed to have sex. It wasn't even about her, which is awful. But there was nothing else there. It was sex for the sake of sex, nothing else. I have no feelings for her."

"You want to wait for her, don't you?" Jordan asked. "Sienna."

"I do," James replied. "I never thought that at 25 I'd be dating a virgin and waiting for her, and being fine with it. But here I am. It rarely crosses my mind. There's so much more to her, man."

Jordan nodded and stayed quiet. he wasn't quite sure what to say because he never really felt that way about anyone. The ride to the airport was fairly quiet. James was thinking about how to handle the situation with Sienna. He knew he had to tell her what happened.

James didn't sleep the whole plane ride back to Pittsburgh. He couldn't stop his legs from bouncing up and down nervously. He knew it was late, but he had to see Sienna. When everyone was off the plane and had all their things, James ran for the parking lot to his car.

I know it's late, but I need to see you. Are you awake?

Yes

Can I see you?

Yes.

Be there in half an hour