"And I cannot be changed, I cannot be changed, no
Trust me, I've tried
I just end up right at the start of the line
Drawin' circles"
Song- "Circles" by Mac Miller
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"A fucking sixty-two," Marley spitefully spits out as she walks over to the picnic table and slams her literature essay down on it.
Rose and Taylor both flinch on the other side of the table and look to each other questioningly, raising eyebrows before looking back to their friend. Marley huffs as she climbs onto the bench of the table, careful in her plaid skirt, joining them with a frown from her annoyance.
"What?" Rose questions as she places down her pencil from doing a sketch, leaning forward on the table so she can reach over and grab Marley's assignment.
Her deep brown eyes immediately zone in on the red ink at the top, an F is circled in a harsh way to bring emphasis to the doomed grade. She flips through the essay, lightly skimming Marley's work so she can see for herself what's wrong.
"I thought you said Herron was an easy professor," Marley gripes as she frustratingly rubs at her temples, "nothing about his grading is easy."
"What assignment is this for?" Rose asks as she turns the pages back to the front side and places it back down in front of her friend.
"Analysis of your favorite poem," Marley shrugs and crosses her arms over the table.
"Oh," Rose slowly nods, her eyes flashing with a hint of memory from doing the assignment the last semester, "yeah, we did that, too"
"And what'd you get?" Marley raises a brow at Rose.
Rose shrinks a little in her seat, scared to say her grade after Marley's explosion, "A ninety-four."
Marley throws her hands up and lets out a sarcastic laugh, "Of-fucking-course that's what you got, I forgot you're like a genius when it comes to literature."
Rose laughs it off and shakes her head, "M'not a genius, I just like poetry. Plus, I don't wait till an hour before it's due like you do."
Marley makes a face and then shrugs, "True, but procrastination is all I know."
"I'm the same way," Taylor chirps in and Marley playfully salutes him, "I don't turn in assignments two weeks before they're due like Rose does."
"I like to be ahead of the game, sue me," Rose rolls her eyes at them and goes back to sketching in her notebook.
It's a little past noon on a Tuesday, the sun is making its way up the curve of the earth and shining brightly past a few fluffy clouds. It's a rare pretty spring day, the air isn't too hot or too cold, and no rain threatens the forecast to scare away anyone who wants to study out in the courtyard.
Taylor has two more classes in the evening and Rose is just finishing up some sketches before she goes off to work at the library in the afternoon, but she made it a mission to see him today after being with Luke all on Sunday. She felt a little guilty for ditching him after the date they went on, but she didn't feel guilty enough to stop herself from inviting Marley to hang with them so they aren't left completely alone.
It's not that Rose doesn't want to be left alone with Taylor, she's just a little nervous about him trying to kiss her again when she's not so sure that's what she wants.
This kiss they shared wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't exactly how Rose thought a kiss should be with someone she's sort of dating. She thought it was alright at first, maybe something she needed to try again and see if she accidentally missed the spark between them, but then she was held by Luke the next day and felt everything by just lying on top of his chest.
She absolutely hated herself for thinking like that, but she couldn't exactly stop herself from being overcome with the love she has for Luke on a perfect day like Sunday.
Rose feels a little guilty for feeling like that after everything that happened with Liz and Luke, but she can't deny that her alone time with Luke was as sweet as old times with him. It felt like she was replanting her favorite flower as the season for it arrives once more, excitement for watching it flourish stirring in her heart.
Though it did pain her at times to lie with him like that and think that this was as far as they would ever go, they would never be more than that. But Rose has never been able to separate herself from situations like that with Luke, she wants to take advantage of the sweet moments she does get with him as she fears it's an endangered time that could abruptly end.
Rose will keep spinning under Luke's outstretched arm for as long as she can, no matter how dizzy or sick she feels from it, hoping that it'll end with him pulling her in instead of her falling down.
"Are you all ready for Saturday?" Marley asks and Rose immediately flashes her a wide smile as she nods quickly.
Rose couldn't wait for Saturday. She's been ready for the big art showcase for what seems like weeks, she was ecstatic to display her final painting of Luke and a few other pieces she's worked on this year.
"I'm a little nervous for it, but mostly excited," Rose says all giddily, her dimple popping in her cheek as she thinks about it, "what about you?"
Marley nods as she gathers up her dyed blue hair into a lower bun, pulling it out of her face as the sun is directed right onto their table. "I'm more ready for it to be done with, but that's mainly because I didn't care much for anything I did."
Rose shakes her head and gently swats at her arm, "Don't even say that, Mar. Your stuff is incredible, everyone will love it."
Marley pushes her lips to the side as she mindlessly picks at the chipping wood of the picnic table, her black nail polish being scratched away as she does so. Her grey eyes fall to Taylor and she nods in his direction, "What about you, Taylor? Any of your sculpting projects making it to the showcase?"
"No, not this time, didn't make the deadline," Taylor says, then looks over to Rose with a content expression as he nudges her with his shoulder, "I will be there to support this one, though."
Marley glances between the two of them, her eyes squinting as she bounces back and forth from Rose to Taylor. She can't decide if she likes them together or not, she knows she's the one who suggested it to Rose, but now that they're hanging out more it's like two similar puzzle pieces that just don't fit right.
She's still not in the Luke fan club, especially after being filled in by Rose on the whole double date, but she can't help but notice how different Rose is when she talks about Luke compared to when she's with Taylor.
"Not me, Taylor? Ouch, I'm offended," Marley presses a hand to her heart and fakes a look of sadness.
Taylor laughs it off and playfully tosses a small rolled up ball of the paper edges at Marley, "Of course, I'll see yours, too. But Rose will be my main focus."
Taylor looks over to Rose and sends her a wink that she shyly glances away from, looking off deeper into the courtyard to bring her worried eyes somewhere else. Rose was happy that Taylor was coming to the showcase to support her, she just hopes he doesn't feel strangely about her display.
Her main focal point will be the painting of Luke, and around that will be sketches she did to help her develop the painting. There's a few other smaller paintings, but even those have reminders of Luke in them.
One is of his guitar with his hands interlaced with the strings, a simple watercolor one she whipped up one evening. Another is of two childlike figures dancing in the sky, much like how she's dreamed before. You can't exactly tell it's Luke in these paintings, but it's not Taylor either.
The last thing Rose wants is for Taylor to be uncomfortable with her display since he's the one dating her in a sense, but not the one she thinks of when she paints. She hopes he only sees it for Rose just wanting to paint her best friend.
"We should go out to celebrate after it's done," Marley suggests and Taylor agrees, weighing in on where they should go or what they should do when it's over with.
But their voices fade out to Rose as her eyes fixate on a figure walking across the courtyard, an unmistakable figure that she could spot out in a crowded arena full of people.
Luke is strolling along the sidewalk with his navy backpack swung over his left shoulder, his earbuds dangling down that's connected to his phone that's clutched in his grip. His dirty blonde curls are back in his typical hairstyle, he's got on a patched jean jacket despite the warm weather, and his hands are shoved into the front pockets of his jeans like always.
Rose smiles sweetly as she watches him from a good distance, her skin heating up in way that makes her wonder if the temperature suddenly went up. Luke doesn't notice her just yet, his eyes bounce from his sneakers to a few people passing him by.
Luke decided to go a different route than usual to his history class today, he never cuts through the courtyard and will usually just drive to a different lot after his first class, but he thought the weather was nice enough out to walk. He'll be glad in a minute that he decided to go this way.
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain" softly hums in Luke's ears as he barely nods his head along to the tune. He feels his skin begin to prickle on his hands and wanders if a nosy bug flew onto him, but looks down to see nothing there.
When he gazes back up, his eyes immediately lock onto the delicate creature sat on the bench of a picnic table, her eyes already on him as he stops in his tracks.
Luke feels his heart beat in his chest, his veins, his ears, everywhere because Rose is what makes up his heart and she's everywhere.
She's a sweet sight to catch on such a bland Tuesday, an absolute dream as she sits cross legged in a pretty lavender sun dress that flows from her hips down. Her chin sits in her hand as her arms are pressed up to the table, but Luke doesn't miss the little finger wave she does at him from a distance.
"I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?"
Luke pulls one earbud out, that way he can hear better if she calls for him, but even if she doesn't he's still determined to go over and see her. He couldn't just simply pass her by without at least saying hello, she's all he's thought of for the last two days.
But going over to her is dangerous territory because he might get sucked in before he goes to class. If she asks him to stay, then he would in a—
A figure moves beside Rose as Luke is making his way over, and that's when he realizes she's not alone. Of course she's not alone, other people still exist, Luke chastises himself for not seeing them before.
It wouldn't be so bad if it was only Marley, but the boy next to Rose is the one Luke has a problem with. He does not want to see Taylor with Rose after she was lying on his chest on Sunday, wrapped in Luke's own arms.
"Comin' down on a sunny day"
"Does that sound good to you, Rose?" Another voice snaps Rose out of her trance as she frantically looks from Luke back to the table.
"Sorry— yeah, yeah that's good with me," Rose has absolutely no idea what she's agreeing to, but Taylor is staring into her eyes in a strange way that Rose feels guilty for being so zoned in on Luke.
Marley suspiciously narrows her eyes, catching onto Rose's jumpy state. She glances off to where Rose had just been looking and sees the one and only Luke Hemmings coming their way, her eyes going back to Rose with a playful smile as she now sees why she had that reaction.
Taylor looks up past Rose just as Luke is approaching them and a possessive itch fuels him as he scoots closer to Rose and snatches her hand on the table. Rose looks at their conjoined hands displayed perfectly on the table and silently scolds herself because all she wants to do pull away from him when she should be feeling the opposite.
Luke's hand in hers feels like comfort, his touch is warm and light, making her want to shrink herself and nuzzle into his palm so she could lie there for eternity. Taylor's hand just feels like deadweight in her palm, like her hands could get clammy at any second and easily slip from his.
Luke notices their hands together right away as he steps up to the table with a fake smile, pretending that the display of affection doesn't absolutely crush his soul when he was the one holding her just days ago.
"Hey guys," Luke greets with his stomach turning and his heart failing to beat properly.
He feels like if he looks down at their hands together that he could be turned to stone, so he tries his best to keep his eyes up and away from the horrific image.
"Luke, what's up?" Marley asks in a much higher tone than usual, her eyes flicking back and forth between all three of them.
"Just on my way to class and thought I would come say hi," he answers the blue haired girl but his eyes are trained on Rose's.
"How nice of you," Marley mutters, but she feels like her words just roll blankly into the air.
Luke skims the figure beside his girl and feels his veins flush with jealousy, a viral disease he can never be immune to. He tries to stand a little taller as he towers above the table, pushing his shoulders back and tilting his chin up.
"I wanted to say thank you again, Rose," he directs his message to his best friend, but he's really hoping his words hit Taylor in the gut, "for coming with me on Sunday, it really meant a lot."
Had Luke already thanked her for this? Yes, about a million times on the car ride back to campus. He just wanted to do it once more, preferably in front of Taylor.
Rose flushed at his words, his intentions passing right through her. "It wasn't a problem, Luke. You don't have to keep thanking me for it, you know I'll always go back home with you."
Home. Luke fondly smiled at the word with pride.
He wasn't a fan on his hometown, hell, he wasn't a fan of the state. But Luke liked it more because it was the place that him and Rose shared.
Taylor didn't share the word home with Rose.
One point for Luke.
Taylor's hand tightened a little around Rose's, enough to catch Luke's wandering eye.
One point for Taylor.
"Are you coming to the showcase on Saturday?" Marley questions Luke, her hand resting in her palm as she raises her brows at the curly blonde.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, I am the muse after all. Right, Rose petal?" Luke winks down at Rose and watches as her cheeks run red.
He likes that he has that effect on her, able to make her blush with just a wink. He can't help but wonder what she'd do if he really got to show her how much he likes her.
What would be her reaction if he slowly slid his hand up her cotton candy thighs, teasing under her floral sundress? How would she appear if he pressed his lips to her's, memorizing the outline of their plumpness with his tongue? What would she do if he showed her all the euphoric ways to express one's feelings for each other?
Would her cheeks flush red then, too?
Luke clears his throat as he slightly hardens at the tempting thoughts appearing in his mind. He shouldn't think about her like that when she wasn't his, but he can't help himself.
He just knows that he could value her in all the ways a rare find like her should be treated, much better than that indie wannabe Taylor.
Rose feels a little guilty for Luke mentioning how he's the star of her art in front of Taylor, but she can't linger on it for long because it's something she started before she even met Taylor. Hopefully, he can't be upset about that.
Luke doesn't miss the fleeting moment when Taylor narrows his eyes and drops his smile into a flat line, recovering it a quick second later. He wasn't sure if it was the muse part or the nickname that got his eye twitching, but Luke counted both.
Two points for Luke.
"I guess you could say that," Rose says shyly, her eyes avoiding Luke's as she drops them to her hand in Taylor's.
"I'll see you there then, Luke," Taylor tells him, his voice a bit deeper with a little force.
"You don't have your own to keep watch of?" Luke knew Taylor was an art major, so he figured he'd be busy participating in the showcase so that Luke could have Rose all to himself.
Taylor proudly shakes his head, "Nope, I'll be there with Rose all night."
Taylor looks over his shoulder at Rose and quickly dives in to steal a brief kiss on her cheek. He too was infected by the rapid spreading jealousy virus.
Rose jumps at the suddenness of it, brown doe eyes widening as her brows shoot up. Marley can't help but smile from the free entertainment she's been given, and Luke's jaw clicks in place as he wishes to unsee that disgusting display of unnecessary affection.
Three fucking points to Taylor.
"I'll be there with my own display, too. If you were wondering, which you probably weren't," Marley adds to cut through the thick tension.
She's glad they were outside right now because a room would certainly feel claustrophobic from how small their circle feels in this very moment. Fresh air and a wide space is needed now more than ever.
"I can't wait to see what you've done, Marley," Luke happily tells her and butters up Rose's friend. Marley swears she doesn't like Luke, but she can definitely tolerate him.
If she were attracted to men she could definitely see the appeal and charm of Luke working wonders for him. He's got that Hollywood smile that would make the leaves on a tree turn red when passing it by.
But Marley thankfully gets to observe from the outside of Luke's attraction. She can see his pure intentions that get confused with his selfish tendencies.
A little jealousy is fine in a relationship, but too much can be a lethal injection. Especially, when the jealousy only started to appear at the sight of Rose moving on.
Rose might miss it, but Marley will make sure to keep an eye out for the sake of her friend.
"It should be a fun night," Taylor remarks.
But no one truly knows just how eventful that night will become.
"There's a party after the showcase we plan on going to, Luke. I'm sure you already know about it, but Sigma Chi is hosting it," Marley tells him and Rose freezes in her seat, "join us if you'd like."
A party? A frat party? That's what Rose agreed to when she was completely zoned out? What a nightmare, she thinks.
Luke almost does a double take because he doesn't believe it himself. Rose at another party? He figured she would never go to one again after how the last two went.
But he would be damned if he let her go to a party without him, he didn't want to think about all the things that could go wrong without him by her side.
"I'll be there," Luke instantly agreed.
"Perfect," Taylor sarcastically says with a fake smile in Luke's direction.
Rose tries to hide her worry for the evening with a grin, but she can't help but think of her track record with college parties that deal with Luke. She's get left in the dust, rejected, and this one could hold some other event ready to test the limits of her heart.
"Can't wait," Rose timidly adds, while a storm is starting to brew behind her eyes.
It all starts with heavy clouds rolling in, then comes a crack of thunder with a flash of lightning, there's a moment of anticipation that passes by when you wonder when the first drop of rain will fall, and then it comes at you hard all at once.
Rose needs to brace herself for what this particular storm could be.
"I've got to head to class, it's starting in a few minutes," Luke points to the direction of his building, "but I'll see you all on Saturday."
They all offer up Luke a goodbye as he begins to step away from the table, but Luke nods over to Rose one last time, "Rose, I'll see you possibly before then. You know you're welcome across the hall any time."
He just had to get the last words in the silent feud with Taylor, reminding him that he's the one closest to Rose in every sense.
One point for Luke.
Tied match.
Rose nods her head with a faint smile, waving goodbye when Luke finally takes off towards his building. She sucks in a needed breath and blows it out as she drops Taylor's hand and picks up her pencil again, feeling like she can breathe now that Luke was away and Taylor was no longer holding onto her like a life preserver.
"I need to run, too. Got an essay I need to correct," Marley says as she stands from the picnic table and holds up her failed assignment.
Rose panics on the inside at the thought of being left alone with Taylor after what just happened, but she can't exactly beg Marley to stay in front of Taylor. She doesn't want to show him the uncertain feelings coursing through her right now.
"I can go with you- to help?" Rose abruptly stands with Marley, but Taylor grabs ahold of Rose's arm to get her attention.
Marley eyes suspiciously the hand on her friend and cocks an eyebrow at the two of them. Taylor's got a serious expression telling her that he wants to be left alone with Rose for a minute, so Marley decides it's best if she lets that happen.
"I need to talk with you, Rose," Taylor tells her with no waver of amusement in his tone. He tugs her down slightly, not enough to make her wince, but enough that she doesn't want his grip on her as she's pulled to sit back down.
"It's okay, Rose. I can figure it out on my own, you can come by my place after work though, if you want?"
Rose eagerly nods her head and Marley steps from out of the table, slinging her bag on her shoulder. "Yeah, Mar. I'll text you when I'm off."
"Sounds good, I'll catch you guys later," Marley waves as she leaves them be, but she makes sure to glance back at them as she walks away to ensure her friend is alright.
Marley and Rose weren't as close as Rose and Luke, but Marley would do absolutely anything for that sweet girl. She knew she needed someone to look out for her from distance, and Marley would always do that for her.
Rose sheepishly brings her attention to Taylor, her stomach knotting when she sees his stare is hard and his posture is tense. Something clearly bothering him with what just happened with Luke.
She wishes she could roll back that time and not summon Luke over to them just so she could avoid this right here.
She somehow knows what's on his mind before Taylor even speaks.
"I don't mean to be that guy, Rose. I really don't want to be, especially since we aren't even official, but I like you so I feel like I need to bring it up again," Taylor begins and Rose sighs in understanding.
Again. Because once again, Taylor has gotten the impression that Luke and Rose could be more than just friends.
So blatantly obvious to everyone and now, even the two of them are starting to see it, too.
"I don't want to be the fool that gets in the way of the two people who want to be together, Rose. I really do like you, but I need to know if there is something going on between the two of you."
To Luke, that answer would be a yes in a heartbeat.
But Rose doesn't know that Luke wants her like how she wants him. She is still the rejected best friend in her mind.
Rose thinks for a second, but ultimately shakes her head. Luke's had so many chances to admit his feelings, but he's stayed quiet.
"I can promise you, Taylor, Luke and I are only friends."
For now.
Taylor narrows his eyes at Rose as she places down her pencil and takes his hand again. Her touch is a comforting lie.
"I like you, too. I like where we're at," Rose tells him with a small grin, "you don't need to worry about Luke, I swear."
Taylor accepts this and leans in to peck Rose on the lips, a quick but sweet kiss. He squeezes her hand, before both of them turn back to complete what they were working on, going back to small talk in the meantime.
But Rose can't help but quietly dwell on her words, feeling her heavy heart in her chest as she hopes to not be bringing down Taylor in the messy state she's been in since Luke turned her down.
Perhaps she should be more careful with promises she's not sure she can keep.
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hello, hi. we've reached the thing i've been most excited for hehehe the showcase. any guesses as to what will go down?
apologies for the wait, life hasn't been the best recently and it's definitely weighed on my mindset. i can't promise i'll be consistent with updates the next few weeks.
anyways, i miss you all dearly. i love you, thank you for always sticking with me. <3
-Em