Project Coffee

xxvii

After the events of last night I made it my priority to avoid Freddie like he was the plague, which didn't exactly work as well as I hoped because we live together.

We haven't spoken to each other, and it's pretty clear he is standing strong and it's not like I'm going to be the one to break the ice. I'd rather break his skull and see what's going on in that stupid brain he has.

"Your hair looks like birds decided to have an orgy in it."Emily chimes in. She makes the mistake of running her hand through my hair which only leads to her fingers getting tangled in the mess. I'd tried to put it in a messy bun this morning after realizing I'd be spending an hour combing through it trying to untangle it.

"Thanks."I manage to mutter out as she sits in front of me in the heavily filled cafeteria.

"Dude, did you sleep last night?"Emily almost immediately addresses. "You look like you've been faster in izombie, but as one of those zombie zombies"

"Emily, you do realize that made no sense to me, right?"I state rhetorically, it was like every time I saw Emily she was engaged in something new.

"You should start watching izombie it's so good!"She exclaims while pulling out a potato chip from a yellow bag.

"I'll start when I have time." I laugh before blowing out a breath from all the energy I was lacking.

"Are you alright? Where were you yesterday?" Emily asks all to quickly. I look up at her my eyebrows knitted together in confusion as I tried to grasp on. Before realization hit me, I didn't tell her I was with Alex yesterday, the only person who knew was the person I wanted to smash the skull of.

"I was-" I think for a minute my mind back tracing to Alex who was lying on the hospital bed when I last saw him. "I wasn't feeling well."I shrug back into my seat. I knew Emily well enough to know that if I told her about Alex it would unleash a whole lot of questions I didn't have the life in me to answer.

"You should've taken today off too." Emily offers me her million dollar advice. "You look like shit"

"Thanks."

"Whats bothering you?"She asks just as I watch Freddie walk into the cafeteria with a few of the football team players. The make their way over tot he center table where Dylan and Samantha and a few others where chiming away with they're bright smile and flawless hair.

Dylan's arm was wrapped around Samantha's waist while she practically sat on his fricken lap giggling at whatever crap he was saying.

Freddie goes and sits across from Samantha a smile on his face like he knew things no one else did.

" I think I'm gonna go to the nurse."I say beginning to stand from my seat.

"Is everything okay?"Emily asks. "want me to come with?"

"No, I just need some aspirin or something.: I send her a tight smile before heading out of the cafeteria and make my to the bathroom.

∆

"You completely flaked on me!" Emily yells into the phone like the world was ending.

"Sorry, I just had a lot on my mind and needed some alone time"I try to come to a close to the conversation.

"What has been going on with you?"Emily asks."Is this about Dylan?"

"Not everything is about Dylan."I'm quick to respond letting out an aggravated sound that makes me sound more like a mule.

"Is it about Alex?" She asks. "Does it have to do with the dance being so soon? Are you feeling stressed out? Do you need to catch a break?" She tries to understand.