Room 520's Secret

10. Friends

"Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite." - Gossip Girl 

Song Doo Wop(that thing) by Lauryn Hill

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"What do you think I want?" He asks raising  brow.

"I...." I lean back. "I'm not sleeping with you," I say to which he breaks into laughter.

"What?" He says."Why would you think I'd want to sleep with you?"

"You don't?"

"Do you want me to?" He asks aa look of amusement mixed with a smirk on his lips as he leans closer.

"What? No!" I exclaim pushing him away. He chuckles balling his hands into fits in front of his lips as he laughs. The action causes me to also smile.

"Dang you're cute," he says leaning his head against the staring wheel, his eyes trained on me. Making me suddenly self-conscious and nervous by extension. He chuckles and taps the wheel proceeding to sit straight. "No worries, I just wanted your number, surely I can have that right?"

"Of course," I say placing my hands forward for his phone. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone placing it in my palms, his fingertips trail against my palms ever lightly momentarily enthralling me sending a cold air down my spine before just as fast as it appeared, it's gone with the speed of lighting with his fingers leaving only weakness and a wobbly feeling in my hands.

I wrap my hands tightly around the phone seeming to need to ensure I hadn't lost my ability to grip things. I'm relieved as I feel he pressure against my skin. Letting out a deep breath I quickly type in my number and hand the phone back to him without naming it. I had a special way of naming my contacts to remember them, I wasn't sure if he did too. Hence, I didn't want to put something he wouldn't remember....wait, why do I care about him remembering? I quickly place the phone against the headboard on his side to ensure we do not touch. He takes it and types into it while I turn to look out the window. After a-few minutes, we drive off.

            About an hour later we drive in front of the door to my residence hall.

"Thanks again for everything," I say to which he nods. "Anytime," he replies causing me to smile. Picking up my bag, I step out and shut the door.

"Hestia," I hear him call out to me and turn around to face him.

"We're friends now right?" he asks.

Are we? I nod, "We are," I reply.

"Great, just don't tell the angels," he says and winks before driving off. Seconds later my phone vibrates, I retrieve it from my pocket and glance at it. It's an unknown number. I answer. "Hello?" I state.

"It's a real number," I hear Helix's voice come through.

"Wait, did you think I'd have given you a fake number?" I ask amused.

"You did say you tend to lie when you're around me, I'm just ensuring my charms didn't lead to another one," he says to which I crack up in laughter.

"You're not serious," I say still chuckling.

"Well, I am serious about your saving my number Eve. Also, I take back what I said. My charm most have worked, considering you recognized my voice," he says and hangs up before I can respond.

"Hestia!" I hear someone call out my name and look around. I notice Je walking over. Jennifer was a friend I'd met  through a n english class I took last semester. She was a member of my group and a pretty nice girl. However Jen loved to party and I didn't so we didn't hang out a lot. 

 "Hey Jen!" I say waving as I walk over to her. 

"Was that Helix whose car you just got out of?" She says looking behind me. I follow her eyes.

I nod. "Why? You know him?" I ask.

"Do I know him? More like do YOU know him," She says with emphasis on the you. "We met today, so.."

"And you're already stepping out of his car?! Wait a...Have you slept with him?" She asks leaving in but saying it loud enough she didn't need to.

"What No, never!" I exclaim to which she exhales placing her hand over her chest.

"Thank Goodness because, he is not your kinda guy,"

"Oh what kind of guy is my kind of guy?" I ask slightly offended and slightly curious on what she thought of me.

"Someone who can be committed and that's not Helix,"

"What do you mean?" I ask curious. She pulls me to a bench close by and we sit down. "Okay," she says and pulls out her phone. She unlocks it and opens instagram while I watch as she types StingingNettle. An instagram page with 2.5 million followers pops up. I notice the  following is zero. 

"This is his instagram page," she says surprising me. There were few pictures of him, with mostly pictures of flowers the sky and other abstracts.

She clicks on the latest picture a picture of a palm to the sky with the sun rays shining over the space between the fingers.

She clicks on the comments.

 "So cool,"

"Did you want to meet tonight?"

"Let's be friends,"

"The sun shines brightly from my side too, wanna see?"

Goodness, is that real?"

"Wait are these real comments? Girls like this exist?" I ask wondering how they could be so blatant on his page.

"Hell Yah they do," She says, "Helix is like a stinging nettle, Nettles make an excellent spinach substitute, Nettle beer is tastes great but gets you drunk on it without your knowing. Its root can be used for medicinal purposes and its leaves used for tea is an excellent source of iron. However, it is also poisonous. if you touch it, you will be stung except you dry and cook it you won't get the best benefits and would be left hurt. That's Helix,"

I glance at the comments once more.

"He is extremely hot, rich and smart. However, Helix doesn't date, he flirts but he never ever commits. Like EVER," She says gesturing with her hands. "You're a girl who'd hope for more, you can't keep up with him Hestia," she says.

"You say that like I'm interested in him. We're just friends," I say.

She smiles and shakes her head, "That's how it always starts,"

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