The week passes without a word from Zay. The whole campus is abuzz with gossip about what happened, what led to the crash, if he's coming back to MSA, and most of all were Sophie or I to blame. Sophie, Josh, and I are walking out of science class when I see him leaning against the wall. His arm is in a sling and he has a cut under his left eye but otherwise he looks exactly the same as he did the last time I saw him. "What is he doing here?" Josh asks, wrapping a protective arm around my waist.
"I don't know" I mumble as Sophie stays glued to my side. I look to her for an answer but she looks as confused as I am.
"Do we talk to him?" Sophie asks softly. Josh looks down at the two of us and shakes his head.
"No way in hell" he responds. Josh puts pressure on my back to get me to move and I reach behind me for Sophie's hand. The three of us begin to walk away but it's never that easy with Zay.
"So are the three of you like friends now?" he asks. I notice a slur in his speech and shake my head. He was drinking. That seemed to answer every question I had about Monday night. If he was drinking it was no wonder he wrapped his car around a tree.
"Ignore him" Josh whispers as we continue on our way.
"Wow" Zay exclaims as he moves to step in front of us. "It's nice to know that you can forgive Sophie but not me" he scoffs. "Though I guess it makes sense" he shrugs. "Josh probably just wants to keep his options open" he snips, cutting his gaze to my boyfriend. "You know, in case you lose Maya when she realizes she doesn't want to put up with you anymore."
"I don't think my relationship is any of your concern Zay" Josh replies calmly. "Why don't you go back to your dorm and sober up?"
"I'm sober" he lies making Josh shake his head.
"Sure you are. Do us a favor and don't go driving around" Josh says as he tries to maneuver us past Zay but even drunk Zay is too quick on his feet.
"I just don't understand what happened" he exclaims in desperation. "We were such good friends Maya."
"No" I shake my head, looking him dead in the eyes. "I was a good friend. You were a jerk who used me and when you realized you actually liked me you tried to force yourself on me. You ruined our friendship Zay and you need to move on. Quit drinking and maybe" I sigh, running my fingers through my hair, "maybe you should leave MSA for a while." His eyes widen and I shake my head as three of us finally move past him.
"You okay?" Josh asks as his grip on my waist tightens.
"I'm good" I assure him. "I just really hope I'm done dealing with him" I add honestly. He nods in understanding as we make our way to the dorms.
"So" Sophie says, attempting to change the subject. "What time do Maya and I have to be at the club tonight?" she asks curiously.
"Um our show starts at ten" he shrugs, "so any time before that would be preferable, especially because you" he points to me, "need to rehearse. So maybe nine."
"Kay" I smile, looking up at my boyfriend as we pause at his room. "See you later."
"Mhm" he smiles, leaning down to leave a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you" he murmurs as he pulls back.
"I love you too" I reply. He lets me go and Sophie and I start heading down the hall to my room.
"You guys are kinda nauseating" Sophie says making my chuckle as I dig in my bag for my room keys.
"I like to think we're sweet" I shrug as I retrieve my keys. I look up and see Farkle sneaking out of Smackle's room. I quirk an eyebrow at him. "Where do you think you're going?" I question.
"Smackle knows I'm leaving" he replies with an unamused expression. "You coming to the club tonight?" he asks curiously as he throws his jacket over his shoulder.
"Of course" I reply, "unless you've replaced my boyfriend as your main act" I add with a chuckle.
"We'd never" he insists with a shake of his head. His eyes move to Sophie, raking up her slim figure. I roll my eyes. Guys, no matter how sweet, were all the same. They all got distracted by the tall vixen no matter how happy they claim to be with their girlfriends.
"Ehm" I clear my throat causing his eyes to flicker back to me.
"See you later" he smirks before walking off. I roll my eyes as I make it to my room and stick the key in the lock.
"Who was that?" Sophie asks curiously.
I take a long, deep breath and shake my head. "That is my friend's boyfriend. He's not the best influence" I explain with a sigh as the door gives. I push open the door and flick on the lights, immediately regretting that decision. "Oh my god" I exclaim when I find Riley and Lucas in the most compromising position you can find two people in. Sophie bursts into laughter as I quickly exit the room and slam the door shut.
"Should we wait them out?" Sophie asks causing me to burst into laughter. We both stand in the hallway laughing uncontrollably when the door opens behind me causing me to stumble backwards, right into Lucas.
"Hello" I bite my lip to stifle any future laughter.
"Hey" he replies. "I'm just leaving."
"Thanks for coming" I reply causing him to roll his eyes.
"Mature Maya" he scoffs before sprinting out of the room. I head inside to find my best friend zipping into a pair of jeans.
"Don't" she instructs, brushing her hair out of her face.
"What?" I question. "When the hell did that start happening?"
"I don't know" she shrugs. "A while ago. You've been so busy with Josh and then all the crap with Zay" she says as she pulls a shirt over her head. "It isn't like we've had much time to gossip." My heart drops at the thought of my best friend thinking she couldn't talk to me about something as important as losing her virginity to Lucas.
"I'm sorry Riles" I say genuinely. "I've been a shitty friend and that stops now. Do you wanna come to the club tonight? Sophie and I are working on our project but-."
"I'd love to come" she smiles. "I missed you" she admits causing a small smile to pull at my lips as I pull her in for a hug.
"I missed you too honey" I reply as we pull apart. "Now" I smile as I turn to face Sophie, "let's get ready."
*************************************************************************************
An hour and a half later the three of us are putting the finishing touches on our outfits as the clock glares back at us. "We're gonna be late" I laugh as I spray hairspray into my hair while Sophie applies finishing powder to her face.
"No we won't" Riley insists. "Is Smackle coming?" she asks curiously. I shrug. It seemed we were spending less and less time with our third best friend every single day.
"I don't know but Farkle left her room earlier. He's gonna be there so I'm sure Smackle will be."
"Probably" she replies. "Sophie you ready to go?"
"Yep" she smiles brightly as she slips into a pair of stilettos. I had to admit the three of us looked pretty hot this particular evening. Sophie was in a deep red dress that barely covered her ass with her raven locks falling around her shoulders. Riley was in a dark purple dress that had a scoop neckline that fell a good few inches above the knee while I was wearing a black top with a plunging neckline and a pair of skinny jeans that felt like a second skin. Riley and I had both opted to curl our long locks but I was wearing a pair of black booties while Riley decided on a pair of heels. We all grab our clutches and I grab my keys and the three of us head off towards the club.
The walk was a little long but at this point I was used to it. When we make it inside I notice that someone at the club has invested in a fog machine and they're having a bit too much fun with it. "Jesus" I mutter as Sophie waves at the air in front of her.
"It's harmless" Riley insists as we walk further into the club. I finally spot Josh warming up on stage and when our eyes lock a smile pulls at his lips but upon further examination of my outfit his lips part in shock.
"I'll be back" I smirk. I walk to the edge of the stage and reach my hand out. Josh takes it without hesitation and pulls me up.
"What is this you're wearing?" Josh questions as his eyes run down my figure.
"You don't like?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.
"What? No" he insists. "I love it" he assures me. "It's just" he swallows hard. "Revealing" he says as a light blush spreads across his cheeks.
"And?"
"And I enjoy your" he clears his throat, "assets" he stutters making me giggle, "but in the privacy of my dorm room."
"Are you saying you're going to make me change?" I challenge, quirking an eyebrow at him.
"No" he shakes his head. "I would never make you change out of something you wanted to wear. I just want to make my opinion heard."
I nod and smile. "I respect your opinion but I like it" I reply. "I think I look good."
"Oh baby you look sexy as hell" he laughs, grabbing my waist and pulling me towards him. "You make me want to take you back to my dorm and spend the entire weekend in my bed" he whispers causing my stomach to flip. "Which is how every other guy is gonna feel when he sees you in this outfit." My skin crawls at the thought of some creeper thinking of me in bed with them.
"Ew" I mutter making him chuckle.
"Exactly" he says softly. "Just something to think about" he shrugs. "You don't see me up here without a shirt on." I blush as I wrap my arms around his neck.
"Now that idea has some merit" I smirk making him laugh as he nudges my nose with his.
"I love you" he smiles, his lips hovering over mine.
"I love you too" I reply sweetly before his lips close over mine. He grabs my lips and pulls me closer as he deepens the kiss while I tug his hair. The sudden sound of a drumstick hitting a cymbal causes us to pull apart abruptly.
"Hey lovebirds we have a gig in less than an hour" Derek shouts causing a blush to rise on my cheeks.
"Oh relax" Natalie insists, rolling her eyes at Derek. "We'll start when Josh says."
"Oh shut up Natalie. What are you hoping he screws you next?" Derek shouts causing everyone's eyes to land on Derek and Natalie. "God what the fuck is with you lately?"
"What's with me?" she demands angrily. "Are you kidding me Derek? How long have we been screwing? Better yet how long have I just been waiting for you to realize how fucking crazy I am about you but you remain to be an ignorant asshole. I don't want to fuck Josh but I respect him as our band leader and if he wants to show affection to his girlfriend then we'll fucking wait. At least he had the guts to admit his feelings to her instead of staying in a dead end relationship with Sophie." Everyone stares wide eyed at Natalie. "Jesus" she mutters, shaking her head in annoyance. She starts walking off stage but Derek catches her wrist.
"Nat."
"No" she says sternly. "Just don't."
I look up at Josh in concern. "What are we gonna do?" I ask softly.
"I have no fucking idea."
*************************************************************************************
I walk around backstage looking for Natalie and see her sobbing in the corner. I sigh, walking towards her slowly. "I'm not going to ruin the show so if that's why you're here you can go." I shake my head and sit down beside her.
"I'm not" I insist. "I mean I'm glad that the show is going to go on" I admit, "but I'm worried about you. That was kind of intense."
She quickly wipes her tears and takes a long, deep breath. "I just couldn't take it anymore. It's like he doesn't even give a shit. Do you know how frustrating that is?"
"I could imagine" I admit sadly. I couldn't imagine having a strictly physical relationship and developing feelings while the other person didn't. "Are you gonna talk to him?"
"I don't know" she shrugs. "Do you think it's even worth it?" she asks seriously.
I take a deep breath as I take her hand in mine. "I think that it wouldn't be the worst thing" I admit. "Even if he says he doesn't feel anything for you, at least you can get some closure."
"You might be right" she sighs as we hear footsteps coming towards us. I look up and see Derek walking towards us with his eyes locked on Natalie.
"Hi" he says softly. "Could I get a second with Nat?" I look to Natalie and she nods. I pull her in for a quick hug and offer Derek a tight-lipped smile before excusing myself from the situation. I head back out and notice the crowd has begun to fill in. I find Josh in the center of the stage and a genuine smile pulls at my lips as I walk towards him.
"We're still on" I inform him. He turns to look at me and smiles.
"Thanks Penelope" he smiles. "How are they doing?" he asks. I shrug unsure of what the result of their conversation is going to be.
"They're talking. I think that's as much as we're going to get out of them for the time being."
"Knowing Derek I doubt he'll even admit he has feelings for her" he rolls his eyes in annoyance. I quirk an eyebrow at him intrigued.
"You think he really likes her?" I question.
"I do" he nods, "but Derek's an idiot."
"Hey" Riley shouts causing us to break our conversation. I look down to see my best friend standing at the edge of the stage with her hands on her hips. "I was promised a night out with my best friend." Josh chuckles and nods in understanding.
"Go have fun" he insists, smiling down at me. "I'll call you up when we need you."
"Mkay" I smile, reaching up to kiss him. "I'll see you later."
"Have fun" he insists. I hop down off the stage and hook my arm with Riley's.
"Let's go get a drink."
*************************************************************************************
"What?" Sophie yells over the music. I laugh at the ridiculousness of us trying to communicate with her ear plugs in. She could still hear the music but my voice couldn't compete. I reach up and pull out one of the ear plugs. "Hey" she exclaims through giggles, "you're going to ruin the assignment."
"Whatever" I wave off. "You want another drink?" I ask curiously. Her eyes light up and she nods vigorously. "Alright I'll be right back" I inform her before walking off with Riley in tow. I lean against the bar and flash a smile at Farkle.
"Another? You really think you can handle that?" he asks as he throws the bar rag over his shoulder.
"Just pour the drinks" I roll my eyes. He laughs but pours them nonetheless. I look around for Smackle but I don't see her anywhere. "Hey" I shout. "Where's Smackle?" I ask curiously. Farkle pauses for a second before going back to pouring drinks.
"Don't know" he shrugs. I quirk and eyebrow at him, unconvinced.
"You don't know where Smackle is?" I ask skeptically. "The two of you are practically attached at the hip and you don't even know where she is?" He slides the drinks across the bar and averts his gaze.
"Someone's keeping secrets" Riley observes. I nod in agreement.
"What's going on Farkle?" I ask seriously.
"Nothing. She's just not in the mood to come out tonight."
"So you do know where she is" I press. He throws his hands up in frustration.
"Look" he snaps, "I'm a little busy with my job. I'll see you both later" he waves us off. I roll my eyes before grabbing Sophie and I's drinks and heading off back into the crowd. When I reach Sophie I nudge her and hand her the cup of beer I retrieved for her.
"Thanks" she shouts over the music. I smile and try to get lost in the music like I usually do but it's hard to do when my head is busy thinking about Smackle and Natalie.
"Alright" Josh says into the microphone after another song ends. "I think it's time that I bring up my girl. What do you all think?" the crowd erupts in cheers and a smile pulls at my lips as I climb up onto the stage. I take my place beside Josh and he wraps his arm around my waist.
"You okay?" he whispers in my ear, picking up on my mood.
"Smackle isn't here" I whisper causing his eyebrows to furrow in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asks, putting his hand over the mic. "Where is she?"
"I don't know. How's Nat?" I ask, looking behind me at her standing awkwardly to the side with her eyes downcast.
"Derek's an idiot" Josh shakes his head making me sigh. "You ready?"
"Yea" I nod. A soft smile pulls at his lips as he leans down to press a kiss to my lips. The crowd erupts causing a smile to pull at my lips as I let it linger before pulling back. "Love you" I mouth.
"You too Penelope" he mouths as the beat to Amnesia begins to play. I sing along and the crowd goes wild as always. Josh helps me off the stage before finishing his set. Once he's done the crowd disperses until it's the band, Sophie, Riley, Farkle, and I. Farkle is cleaning down the bar while Sophie is sitting on the stage, swinging her legs back and forth while she waits for Josh and I. Riley is in the corner on the phone with Lucas arranging a ride home or probably back to his dorm. I'm on the stage moving towards Derek with my arms over my chest.
"Hi" I say snippily.
"Jesus" he mutters in annoyance. "I don't need your sass." I quirk an eyebrow at him.
"You don't need my sass. You've fucked with Natalie's emotions for months and you don't even care" I exclaim. He shakes his head and tries to walk away but I stop him. "Derek seriously."
"What are you her attorney?" he demands. "She knew what we were" he snips. "She knew it was nothing more than sex. She got attached. That's her problem."
"That's her problem?" I question. "Wow" I scoff. "You're telling me that you don't even care enough about her to feel some semblance of sympathy for her?"
"Don't sit here and act like you're better than me. You drove a dude to crash his car into a tree. You aren't a saint just because you've managed to keep your legs closed" he snips before finally walking away from me but this time Josh stops him by stepping in front of him.
"What did I just hear you say to her?" he demands.
"Josh-."
"I'm sorry what? I don't think I hear an apology."
"Where's the lie Josh?" he demands. "She thinks because she's a virgin that she can sit in her ivory tower and judge all of us."
"No I-." Josh cuts me off.
"Don't tell me what my girlfriend does like you know a fucking thing about her" Josh snaps. "I know you're stressed because of the mess you've made with Natalie but you don't get to talk to my girlfriend like that."
"Why are you sticking up for her? The Josh I knew when I joined this band couldn't go a weekend without getting laid and now you're whipped by some chick who's never gonna give it up." I gape at him and Josh's face turns bright red with anger.
"You want to get kicked out of this band?" Josh asks, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Because you say one more awful thing about my girlfriend and that's what's going to happen."
"I don't need this" Derek says, throwing his hands up. "Good luck getting anywhere without me" he adds as he walks off. Josh shakes his head before looking up at me worriedly.
"Are you alright?" he asks, taking my hand in his.
"You didn't have to stick up for me."
"You're my girlfriend" he reminds me as he pulls me into his arms. "I will always stick up for you Penelope." I smile and reach up for a soft kiss. "You know that what Zay did wasn't your fault right" he whispers as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I nod and a soft smile pulls at his lips. "Good. You ready to get back to campus?" I nod and he grabs my hand. "Hey Sophie" he says, catching his ex's attention.
"Yea?" she asks, turning to look at us.
"Would it be terrible if I asked you to get a ride home?" he asks as an understanding smile tugs at her lips.
"Not at all. You guys had a long night."
"I can take her" Max volunteers as he comes out from backstage. Sophie smiles at him.
"Yea?"
"Sure" he shrugs. "We're going to the same place" he chuckles.
"Great" she exclaims as she hops off the stage. "See you guys later" she waves over her shoulder before disappearing with Max. I begin to head out with Josh by my side when we find Natalie climbing into her car.
"Hey Nat" I call catching her attention. "You okay?"
"I will be" she smiles. "Thank you" she says genuinely.
"Anytime" I reply. We share a smile before she climbs in her car and Josh and I head off for campus. "Today was long" I groan causing Josh to chuckle as I lean my head on his shoulder. He leans down to kiss the top of my head.
"I think tomorrow we should sit in front of the television and eat junk food" he suggests making me chuckle.
"I agree completely" I smile. "How did our life become such a soap opera?"
"I have no idea" he sighs. "But you've handled it amazingly Penelope. You're a much better person than I ever will be." I roll my eyes at his comment.
"Joshua Gabriel Matthews you are the best guy I've ever known" I assure him. "I don't think I'd be able to live without you."
"Same goes for you babe. I'd be lost without you. I love you so much Penelope."
"Same to you babe" I reply making him chuckle as we reach the dorms. We head to his room and he lets me in before shutting the door behind us. I quickly strip down and grab Josh's t-shirt that he had been wearing earlier and pull it on before climbing onto his bed. He strips down to his boxers and turns on the television before climbing into bed beside me. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my shoulder.
"What do you wanna watch Penelope?" he asks softly.
"Anything you want" I reply with a smile. He settles on a rerun of Friends and I smile as I snuggle up beside him. "Would you be mad if I fell asleep?" I ask as I yawn making him chuckle as he leans down to kiss my cheek.
"No baby" he assures me. "Sweet dreams Penelope."
"Night Josh" I yawn before drifting off to sleep.