Chapter 6
Be Jake English==>
Things got worse. So, so much worse. It all started when Dirk and Roxy came back into the room, and the little voice in your mind telling you Dirk was at fault completely took over. It hurt you every time he tried to talk to you and you wouldn't respond. It went so far that at one point he looked on the edge of tears (But how would you know? He's wearing sunglasses, after all.) and had to step out of the room for a little bit to cool off. There's no sign of Jane, and Roxy is just staring out the window at the rain. It's already 8 am. How did time fly by so fast?
"I'm going to go check on Dirk. Stay here." Roxy says, standing up to cross the room.
"Not like I can move, anyways." You let out a nervous laugh, and Roxy offers a small smile. Good enough, it's nice to see one of your friends smile at you anyways. Roxy moves out of the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts.
Why the hell did you keep ignoring Dirk, anyways? That little voice in your head was really getting to you, and it sucked. You hear your phone ding and pick it up from the bedside table. It's Jane.
GG: Hey. Let everyone know I'm going to school, alright? Sorry I had to leave so soon, I had a few things to take care of.
GT: Of course! Everything ok?
GG: Yeah! Everything's fine, Jake! Don't worry about me! See you later!
GT: Oh alright. See you later!
That conversation with Jane seemed awfully short to you. You were most likely right, and she's upset about something. But she won't tell you what it is. She can't hide it forever, soon you'll find out! You feel determined to.
Roxy walks in, with Dirk in tow. He seems to be doing better, but his face is a bit red. His sunglasses are also slightly crooked on his face, but you decide not to mention it.
"Hey, Dirk! I'm sorry I--" You begin to say, but you're cut off by Dirk lunging over and hugging you. Tight. Your heart rate monitors start going crazy, and you don't know what to do. You pat him on the back gently, trying not to upset the monitors further. He lets you go, but you feel emptier without his arms around you. You're not quite sure why.
"Now that you're done with your friend reunion and all that, anyone know where Jane went?" Roxy asks, taking a step forwards. Dirk shakes his head.
"Oh! She pestered me earlier, requesting for me to tell you that she went to school! She said she had a few things to take care of." You say. Roxy gives you a strange look, then shrugs.
"Oh, I see... Well, guess we should see when you can get released, right?" She asks, walking towards the door again. You nod, and she walks out to look for a hospital staff member. Even though it's strange you're alone with Dirk, you're still happy you guys made up.
Be Jane Crocker==>
You can't believe Roxy and Dirk. You thought they were your friends. How could they stab you in the back like that?? You thought they both knew about your crush on Jake. Or Roxy at the least! You never thought she'd be the one to turn her back on you. Dirk, you could see doing that. He is pretty unpredictable.
You can't help crying again. No, you're not normally a crybaby. But these past 24 hours are an exception. First, Jake gets a life threatening injury. Next, you find out you have to compete with Dirk for Jake's heart. Worst of all, your friend is on his side!! You just want to go home and curl up into a ball.
You run outside, only to find that it's pouring rain again. You sit down on the curb of the road, shivering. You just wish that you could turn back time by 24 hours and change this entire timeline. If only that was a thing. You sit there on the sidewalk in nothing but your night clothes for a few minutes, completely ignoring the rain that beats down on your back.
You hear footsteps coming up behind you, as well as a blanket being draped over your shoulders. You also don't feel the rain falling down anymore, and look up. There's a bright pink umbrella shielding you from the sky. Sitting to the left of you is Roxy. You turn away from her.
"Hey, Janey." She says, her voice quiet. You can barely hear her over the sounds of the rain.
"Go away." You whisper. Your voice sounds raspy. You don't want to talk to Roxy right now. Even if she is your friend, you can't bear to hear her voice right now. She tickles you.
"Never, Janey! You can't get rid of me even if you tried." She teases, trying to lighten the mood. You turn back to her and offer a small smile.
"I guess not, Roxy. Sorry about how I acted back there... It just hurt to know that you were helping Dirk and me at the same time. No hard feelings?" You ask.
"Janey, if anything I should be asking you that, haha. But don't worry, I can't stay mad at you." She says, smiling brightly. You wish she smiled like that more often. It was adorable!
You shake that thought out of your head. Why did you even think that?? Out of nowhere?? It must be that time of the month again. Maybe the hormones are really getting to you. You look around, only to notice that the rain has stopped, along with your gloomy mood. How coincidental!
"Come on Jane, let's go back to the guys." Roxy says, offering you her hand. You take it and try to stand up without slipping on the wet ground.
Be Roxy Lalonde==>
You can't believe it's a Thursday. Everything that has happened today in the past 24 hours has been so dramatic and sudden. Jake was hospitalized, Jane had several mental breakdowns, and Jake is suddenly accusing Dirk of sexual abuse. On top of all that, you're missing the first day of school for all this shit. Your mother is sooooo going to ground you.
It's been about 30 minutes since Dirk left the room. Jake is sitting silently in his hospital bed, most likely pondering what the heck he just did. You sigh. You can't just stand by and let your ship sink, now can you? Yes, you could, you suppose. But where would be the fun in that? You leave Jake to go and get Dirk the hell back into the room so they can make out--- you mean make up.
Dirk is curled up in a ball on the floor. You slide down next to him and tap him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Dirky, you ok?" You ask, getting him to look up at you. He's been crying. The space around his sunglasses is a shade redder and slightly more swollen than usual. He shakes his head at you.
"I can never be ok when Jake is pissed at me." He says, putting his head back between his knees. "I don't want to talk right now, Rox. Please, just let me sulk in my own company." He turns away from you slightly.
"No can do. Jake is sitting in that room over there all by himself, wondering what the heck just happened with all his friends. You're out here sobbing your eyes out and Jane's out there sobbing her eyes out. You gotta step up and be the better candidate." You snap. This gets Dirk's attention, and he looks up at you. "Tough love." You say. "We all need it sometimes."
"B-But, what if Jake never talks to me again?" He looks at you with despair shining in his eyes. Not that you can see them, of course, he is wearing sunglasses. God. Does he ever take them off?
"He will, Dirk. But not if you keep sitting in this hallway like he'll get up to talk to you. He is, after all, hooked up to, like, 3 different machines right now." You say, allowing yourself a slight chuckle. He smiles at you.
"I just... Don't want him to hate me. Y'know?" He asks. His voice indicates he's on the verge of tears again, and you want nothing more than to go force him to hug Jake. So you do.
"Dirk, go the fuck into that room and hug Jake. As in right now. As in I'm going to kick your ass if you don't go in right now." You say, keeping your tone playful yet with a serious air to it. This makes him laugh.
"Alright, alright! I'll go, Rox." He gets up and smiles down at you. Damn, why does he make you feel so short? Oh, right, it's because you're sitting on the ground. You feel very smart.
You walk back into Jake's room with Dirk in tow. You watch as they make out--- make up, and then excuse yourself, saying you're going to check Jake's release time. In reality, you just want to make sure Jane is ok.
You find a supply closet with some blankets and umbrellas. Grabbing a blue blanket and pink umbrella, you set out to find Jane outside.
It's not too difficult, and you instantly spot her. Being the only person outside and wearing blue nightclothes makes it surprisingly easy to find her.
You drape the blanket over your shoulders and sit down next to her, and proceed to have a conversation we already read earlier.
Be Dirk Strider==>
It's now or never. Roxy and Jane are gone. You've made up with Jake. You could confess right here, right now. You want to, but you're afraid of rejection.
"Hey Jake... Umm--" You start to say, but stop yourself.
"Dirk? What is it, best friend?" He asks. You wince slightly. It almost seems like he's rubbing your friendship together in your face.
"Uhh-- What's your sexuality??" You blurt out, not knowing what else to say. Jake looks at you for a moment before regaining his composure.
"I've never really given that a thought before. I mean, I've thought about liking people, but I've never really been sure about real attraction." He says, looking off into the distance. Presumably imagining one of his favorite actresses again. He looks back at you. "But I guess, if I really had to pick one, I would probably be straight."
It feels like a stab in your heart. I would probably be straight. You offer a small smile at him.
"That's awesome, Jake! I could help you out with the ladies a bit sometime, if you'd like." You say, trying to keep from crying. He smiles at you.
"That'd be amazing, Dirk! You don't have to do that, you know! I bet it'll hurt when one day I'm swept off my feet by some special someone." He says, smirking. You force a smile.
"Of course! Heh, what are best friends for?" You ask, almost tripping over the words.
Jane and Roxy walk in. What perfect timing.
"Hey, guys..." Jane says, looking up from the ground at you and Jake.
"Were we interrupting something?" Roxy asks. She gives you a sly look and you feel a blush taking over your face.
"N-No, Rox! We were just talking!" You blurt out.
"Right! Dirk asked me what my sexuality was!" Jake says happily.
"Oh, did he now??" Roxy asks, giving you a funny look. Jane looks more aware of the conversation at hand.
"Yep! We've decided that I'm straight, and Dirk is going to help me woo the ladies!!" Jake says. The words sound funny coming from him. Jane's face lights up, and you can feel the forced smile fading off your face a little. Roxy looks shocked, but tries to act normal.
"Oh, really, Jake? And here I was thinking I wouldn't be the only bisexual in our group!" She laughs, trying to play off her off behavior.
"I mean, I've never really thought of that either, honestly. But it's a possibility!" Jake says, smiling again.
"I'm going to go and actually get the nurse this time. Thanks for not doing your job Roxy." You attempt to chuckle. It sounds weird to you, but no one else notices the slip in your composure.
You speed walk out the door, trying to get rid of the forming tears in your eyes.
[End of Chapter 6]