DYSFUNCTIONAL • [ D. BOSTICK ]

| 27. | collect ur mans

"Aren't you coming?" Devon asked as he walked into Nora's room to see her reading some random book.

She looked up at him, "Wouldn't it be weird? I mean, these are your friends."

"Yeah, and you're my girlfriend. How is it weird?"

"First of all, it's weird that you actually said that." She said, with a sly grin. "Secondly, are you going to tell them that? I mean you introduced me to half of them as your step sister and the other half as your roommate or best friend." She added, marking her place in her book and then setting it down.

Devon then let out a long sigh and sat on her bed. "I couldn't give a shit about what they think. Plus, to be fair, I said that our parents dated for a hot minute."

"Five years is a hot minute?"

"Considering they thankfully never married, yes." She sighed.

"Have you told them?"

"About us? Richard knows. I don't know about the others, I don't usually talk to anyone else very often." He shrugged and then rolled his eyes as he continues. "Although Alex never fucking shuts up about you, it's really getting annoying."

"It never came up then?"

"My god, when I say he won't shut up, I mean he won't shut up. He likes to talk, and next thing I know is that he's on another subject before I can say that you're mine and not his."

She hummed. "Weird." She muttered.

"He is. Now come on, get dressed and don't wear anything that looks too good on you."

"According to you I look good in hospital gowns."

"Then wear double denim."

-

Nora eyed her surroundings and even furrowed her eyebrows as she did so. She was mildly uncomfortable sitting with several other girls who were talking about some new makeup palette she knew nothing about. The rest were either on some guys lap or talking among themselves.

She then cleared her throat and scooted further over on Richards couch, her being as much against the arm rest as she could get while trying to avoid the couple next to her heavily making out.

She couldn't help but glare at them from the corner of her eye, letting out an annoyed sigh. Nora noticed the guys hand pulled against the waistband of her shorts, immediately stood up and walked away as fast as she could. She let out a sigh as she looked around for Devon.

The party they were currently at was not all that wild, but it definitely wasn't her comfort zone. The music wasn't that loud but the smell of marijuana, sweat, and alcohol was slightly overwhelming for her. She could swear she felt hungry because of the contact high she was getting, which sucked because she only felt hungry as shit and not actually high in the slightest.

Nora then walked outside to try and let her nose stop burning and saw Devon's familiar face finally. She walked up to Devon who was at some table playing beer pong and stood close to him but not close enough to be in his way.

"Come on, one more game!" Devon yelled out over the noise and music to who looked like Richard. She remembered him, but his hair looked different when it wasn't under a hat and he grew some scruff.

"Nora, collect your man before he loses another $20." Richard says which makes her laugh uncomfortably.

She then realized that Devon was clearly acting drunk, she had seen him when he was completely hammered and his cheeks weren't even rosy yet. He was hustling Richard and she knew it by the sly smirk on his face.