Breaking The Ice

Demons

It was obvious that the boys had been a bit more sensitive about a lot of things since the talk Teej had with them, and I was proud to see them making some changes of their own when it came to the way they spoke about women. They seemed a lot more aware of Teej and how she was feeling, being a bit more considerate with the little things like picking up after themselves, and it was clear that everyone who lived in that dorm was doing their best to make some positive changes in the way we did things.

"What's up, bro?" Liam asked as he emerged from his room and into the kitchen, strolling over to the fridge and holding up a beer. "You want one?"

"No, I'm good. I'll take a water though." I said, as he made his way into the living room and plunked down beside me, handing me a bottle of water. "I have to go get Teej later."

"Where is she?"

"She's out with Brielle and Chels." I sighed as I closed my textbook and turned my attention back to the game, opening my water and taking a sip. "Girls night."

"No shit." He chuckled. "Good for her."

I nodded as we sat watching the game, both of us happy that Teej had made the effort to spend more time with her girl friends, knowing she usually avoided other girls at all costs. I think she'd always been so weary of other women, and it was nice to see that it was yet another way she was trying to improve herself and the relationships that she valued. Brielle and Chelsea had both been so supportive of her, and it was nice to see the way their little tribe had formed and how close they'd grown.

We sat for a while and ordered pizza for dinner, eating while we talked about random stuff and attempting to study a bit more, before my phone rang on the coffee table and TJ's face crossed my screen. I reached forward and picked it up, checking the time to see it was past midnight, and smiled as I brought it up to my ear.

"Hey, babe." I answered, immediately hearing the loud music on the other end.

"Hiiiiii." She said, the smile clear in her voice.

"Having fun?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, but I'm ready to come home. I miss you."

I smiled to myself at the sound of her voice, knowing she was drunk, as I leaned forward and turned off the TV. Liam just chuckled beside me, clearly able to hear her because she had to yell above the music.

"I miss you too, baby." I laughed, knowing when she was sober she was rarely that openly affectionate. "Do you want me to come get you guys?"

"Yes, please."

I talked to her for a few more minutes while I grabbed my jacket and threw on my shoes, before I told her I was on my way and hung up. I was just climbing into the car as I received another call, answering it through the Bluetooth as I pulled out of the parking lot of the dorm.

"Tommo, what's up?" I answered, turning onto the main road toward town. "What you up to?"

"Hey bro, just calling to make sure you're picking up the girls? Chels just called me and she's trashed, but she said you're driving them home." He laughed.

"On my way." I chuckled. "Teej doesn't sound too far behind Chels."

"Well I'm glad they're having fun, I just want them to get home safe."

"I'm on it, mate. No worries." I reassured him. "What's up with you? How's rehab going?"

"Pretty good, get my cast off next week, pretty stoked on that."

"Sick."

"Yeah, I'll be on crutches still but I might be able to get back to school mid-semester. They're trying to tell me to wait until next semester but I'm going crazy up here." He sighed. "It's already been two months."