FRAT LINE-KNJ✔️

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Malia doesn't deserve that.

"Namu?" Her voice sounds from outside of the door.

"Yes?" I wipe my face.

That's another thing. Her nickname. It's cute, I like it. But my first instinct when she says it is to respond in the language that she's using. It doesn't phase her, she's never reacted to it. Jay and Camryn looked at me like I had three heads yesterday when I responded to her in it.

Not because I speak a different language, I told them that I do. Everyone knows. They've just never heard me speak it before. It threw them off.

I rinse my body off under the shower."

"Can I have some of your juice?"

"Take it. I have two."

"Thank you."

I turn the water off and wrap my towel around my waist. I open the door and walk to my room as she goes to the kitchen.

I get dressed in sweats and a t shirt before joining her. My heart thumps as I watch her pour herself the drink. She sips it from the cup and her eyes peek over it.

"You're wearing your glasses." She points out with a smile as she finishes drinking her juice. Malia puts it in the sink and walks to me. Her arms wrap around my torso and she looks up at me.

"Can you help me with my homework?"

"First or last class?" I ask.

"Last. I've been confused the entire segment. I just didn't want to ask for help in front of everybody."

"Why? If you need it, then you need it, Lia."

"I know... but still. I don't want people to think I'm dumb."

"You know you're not. Why do you care what everybody else thinks? You never did. When did this start?" I put my hand in her hair, massaging her scalp.

Malia's eyes bore into mine. "Recently." She says it quietly and that's all she says before she's leading the way to my room. She turns the heater on and we get into my bed as we work.

I help her with the things that she mentioned that she was having trouble with. They go as far back as two weeks ago. That's bothersome to me. Something is stopping her from completely doing what I know she enjoys; learning.

When we're finished, I tell her to put her shoes on and give her a hoodie of mine. I want to show her something.

She's tired as she grabs my hand to walk to my car. Our fingers intertwine without us thinking about it when we get in there. It feels natural for us to be this way.

When we get to the mural, I park on the street and get out. She looks around confused as she takes her seat belt off. She gets out and point to the side of the building.

She gasps as she looks at it. There's a smile on her face as she takes it in. "It's beautiful. They even got the jewel around her neck."

A couple nights ago, the guys and I went out to the bar for food. We drove past a movie archive building and on the side of it was a mural of Jack and Rose. I was on my phone but Tyrell slowed down as he drove by it.

"Aye, look. It's that sad ass movie Lia be crying about."

I snickered about the way he described before I looked at it. I knew I had to show her. She would love it, I thought. And she does.

"She threw it in the ocean at the end, right?"

"Yeah." Malia takes her phone out to take pictures of the building. A guy walks by with his dog and Malia stops him.