rich man's world; charlie dalton

[five] jealousy and unzipped sweaters

"Holy shit," he whispered to himself before closing his eyes and huddling up in case something was going to happen. Next thing he knew Todd laughed and shifted around to find his shoes. "Fine, half an hour but we need to be quiet," he murmured and asked her to zip the sweater with his finger. She sighed in relief and opened the window to climb outside. "Bring something warm, Anderson."

He laughed through his nose and got another sweater. He climbed out the window as well and closed it behind him. "Outside?" Neil hissed as he took the blanket off of himself. He got out of bed and hesitantly looked out the window. He watched as Sigrid ran off with Todd holding her hand, they both nearly tumbled on a piece of moist grass but then laughed loudly as they continued to run to the woods.

The next morning, Todd hadn't shown up to the locker rooms to shower and Sigrid was combing her luscious brown hair in front of the mirror. Their conversation the night before consisted of a lot of worrisome questions, inquiries about each other, and the topic that Todd decided to tell her at the last minute. Three-thirty in the morning, hands held as they walked back to the school they were both unfamiliar to, Todd muttered:

"I'm gay."

At first, Sigrid was unsure of what she had heard but then she smiled and pulled him into a hug. She understood why he was so personally affected by the slight commentary on male society, and she felt bad but at that moment she just hugged him and thanked him for feeling comfortable enough to tell her. The rest of the walk, Todd mentioned that he had feelings toward a boy he had just met and he didn't know if he should pursue it because he was too insecure to deal with the rejection.

Sigrid didn't get a name but she tried to help as much as she could, before she knew it she was confessing about her past "boyfriend" and comparing him to a boy she didn't know the name of. Todd teased her relentlessly, she giggled even harder and couldn't help but blush. In a matter of hours, her and Todd had become the best of friends.

But now as she combed her hair, she couldn't help but curse him out for making their initial half-hour rendezvous over two hours long, she had the eyebags to prove it. Todd was still asleep by the time everyone was heading to the main room to have their breakfast, Knox kept on hurrying up his roommate because he didn't want to leave, she kept on falling asleep mid-strand.

"What's up with you? You didn't stay up another night drawing did you?" Knox took the comb from off her hands and combed the rest for her, she moaned in displeasure when he pulled her head back. "Because if you did I can't help you from getting another warning from Nolan. Third strike he actually calls your parents, I'm sure Mrs. Dalton wouldn't appreciate the call home."

"She's not my mom," she yawned in response.

"But she pays for your schooling and that's all that matters at the end of the day."

"She deals with worse by having Charlie as a son!"

"You might be right but he's her son," Knox flicked the back of her neck and then stood her up. "You're just a little rat she picked up from the side of the street. Now suck up your bad decisions, Sigr and get on up so we don't have to live off of orange juice and apple peels again."

He fixed her tie and then opened the door so she could walk out first, she squinted as the light immediately hit her eyes, she hissed slightly. "Has this hallway always been so bright?"

"It's much more gentle when you actually get a good-night's sleep."

"I swear, it was crazy! I didn't think little ol' Anderson would be confident enough to go out late at night, especially with a girl. But there I was, squinting my eyes to see what was in the darkness and he was hoisted on his elbows watching some girl take her top off!"