I move aside so that Yoongi can come in. "Sure thing."
I call Pizza Hut and order two pizzas with cream cheese filling in the crust and three Cokes. I see Yoongi laying on the couch already making himself comfortable, his feet placed on the coffee table. Now that would give Evelyn a stroke.
"Now, please satisfy my curiosity Seven" Yoongi starts "why exactly did you move here?"
"Needed a fresh start." I reply without revealing too much.
"That can only mean two things. One, you either left the smelly ass university dorms because of the sewage issue they're dealing with right now or two you broke up with your girlfriend." He says with a smirk.
When I don't say anything, Yoongi takes it that he's right.
"Holy shit, you broke up with that red head?" He exclaims and I look at him suspiciously.
"How do you know I broke up with my girlfriend and how do you know she's a red head?" I almost scream. "Are you some kind of stalker!"
"Relax Seven. I go to PSU too. Computer Science." Yoongi says. "I've seen you around on campus."
"That's weird."
"Don't get flattered Seven. Your girlfriend is hot. Or should I say ex girlfriend."
"My ex is a sensitive subject Yoongi." I snap. "I would deeply appreciate it if we stopped talking about her."
Yoongi's eyes fall on the floor as he says "I'm sorry. It's just—talking about sensitive subjects with someone you barely know it helps take some of the pain away."
I look at him and smile. "I guess so."
"Did it end badly?" He asks.
I take a deep breath before answering "We fought a lot."
"Ah so you're the ones that fight all the time." Yoongi muses.
"Do you have a label for everything?" I snort.
"Listen, there are three kinds of people in relationships. First, you have the easy-going. Second, is the avoidant type and third is the toxic motherfucker." Yoongi explains.
"Seriously?"
"Hear me out Seven." Yoongi snaps. "The easy going person obviously is the best match for every personality type. If they find a partner that shares the following traits: respect, patience and loyalty then the relationship will succeed. However, if they have to put up with the shit of other people and they continue to be shit eaters because of their leniency—oh well that goes down the drain."
"The avoidant type, is basically a person who values their autonomy and their independence more than anything. They'd sacrifice anything for their freedom even their own partner."
I cut him. "You make it sound so dramatic."
"Speaking from real life examples here Seven." Yoongi says. "The avoidant type in a relationship would be the kind of person who doesn't really like fighting or arguing so if any of the above ever occur they'd simply flee. Also they're scared stiff of commitments and in general things that keep them tied down. In conclusion, having a relationship with a person that instead of trying to fix things they're just trying to re-paint is... if not impossible then hella difficult."
"I see where you're getting at." I say and continue listening to what he's saying. It would be extremely stereotypical of me to say or even think how peculiar it is for a guy like Yoongi has analyzed the different kinds of relationships in such depth. Now, I don't know him very well but he seems very closed off and cold at first but once you get to talk to him, a conversation with him is actually intriguing.
"The toxic person obviously has gone through some rough shit in the past. Domestic violence, bullying, rape—some environmental factor would be responsible for fucking up that person in the head. Unless, he was born that way, then he's a psychopath." Yoongi proceeds. "Relationships with toxic people can be incredibly suffocating. You might not be aware of it in the beginning because your brain is busy making excuses, shutting people who are telling you the truth out, but also that person will sure as hell not show their true colors on the first stage of the relationship. Being with a damaged partner like that can be mentally and physically draining and so you gotta know what you're getting yourself into."
"What are you? A relationship expert?"
"Simply put, I'm a genius Seven." Yoongi says cockily. "So in which category does your beloved ex belong to?"
I'm not gonna lie, but when I first saw Evelyn in the laundry room at uni she seemed tranquil and kind and peaceful, so that's the easy-going according to Yoongi. However, when I got the chance to live with her in the same house, I learned a lot more about her but I found myself denying some negative aspects of her personality.
"Just say it buddy." Yoongi says. "Spit it out. Might make you feel less shitty for breaking up with her."
"She's the toxic kind." I say lowly. And now that I said it out loud the more it made sense.
"Tell me Seven, what major are you in?" Yoongi asks, purposely changing the subject.
"Journalism." I reply.
"Interesting," he mutters. "So do you have a job or are you in an internship program?"
"I have a freelance writing job." I say. "I work from home. I prefer working from home."
"Why is that?"
"I don't know man," I sigh. "I mean, when I'm home my creativity flows better and I'm more able to concentrate than when I'm hauled up at some random office."
"Not a people person huh?" He asks. "I relate with you on a spiritual level."
"Actually, I don't really have a problem meeting new people. It's just that my productivity and my end results are more efficient and satisfying when I work from home."
"Cool. What's your niche?"
"I am pretty much a generalist."
Yoongi laughs. "That's what every freelance writer I know says!"
"Look, when you're in the business for a while, you obviously have to start from somewhere right?" I start. "I used to write articles about marketing companies and pharmaceutical products but I had to do my research first. Also, it's not like the company would just tell me to write about their business without giving me some materials. I gather knowledge from the internet and combine it with what I've got from the companies in order to produce my article. I used to specialize on marketing, books and the pharmaceuticals because I had sources I could rely on. Now, I'm more confident with my writing skills and I actually enjoy the idea of researching a brand new topic so I go with the flow,but don't get me wrong cause freelance writing is not a game. I take my job seriously. Plus, I pay my bills with the money I earn."
"How much do you get per article." Yoongi asks.
"That depends," I say "it depends on the company's status, the article that they want me to write for them, the time that I'm gonna take to complete it for them—there are many factors that affect the cost of an article. Some well known writers could earn 100 dollars per article or more while other newer ones get around 20 dollars or less. Like I said, it depends on the topic. But, unfortunately reputation plays a big role in freelance writing. "
"That's inconvenient."
"Not really," I continue. "When you're a beginner in writing you can't really expect to have companies blasting your e-mail. You start from the pit, either by putting yourself out there by sending messages to multiple companies at a time and see who replies. It's hard at first because 90 percent of the time you get rejected."
"You could always build a website or use your social media accounts to promote your work." Yoongi suggests.
"Well, that's what I did." I say. "And that way it's easier to fish for customers. Networking helps as well. So, what do you do?"
"Oh, me? I sell drugs." Yoongi says flatly.
"Are you serious?"
"No, man I'm just fucking with you." Yoongi cackles. "Nox would have my ass if she found any drugs in my apartment."
"She's just doing her job." I defend.
"Yeah, I know." He says. "But I just want her to loosen up a bit you know? She seems like an okay person minus the scowls, the flaring nosestrils and the bitchy attitude."
"Maybe she's got a lot going on."
"Oh, she sure as hell has a lot going on." Yoongi deadpans. "Nox is not in college. She's working God knows how many fucking jobs to save for her brother' college fees and she doesn't have a life outside the apartment complex. Doesn't have a lot of friends either."
"She's hardworking."
"She's wasting her life away, that's what girl' doing."
"Come on dude."
"Seriously, her life has gone straight to hell when she broke up with that fucktard of a boyfriend." Yoongi shoots.
"Why? What happened?" I inquire out of curiosity.
"I shouldn't have said that." Yoongi stammers. "I shouldn't have mentioned the ex."
"Why?"
Yoongi takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his black hair. "Alright, Seven if I tell you, you gotta promise you won't say a word on front of her because she'll cut my balls and feed them to the dogs—then I'll drown you in the water fountain in the front yard."
"I'm not gonna say anything to anyone." I promise while laughing.
"Okay," he breathes. "So, Nox apparently was in a relationship with this guy from high school and things were going pretty well at the time, but when they graduated he went to college. Nox, obviously didn't and he started degrading her for being a 'useless bitch'. He called her names and her not going to college wasn't the reason why he was and to this day still is a complete dickhead, because he was abusive towards her."
"What did he do to her?"
"From what Nox told me, he used to beat her up." Yoongi says. "I don't know the details, but when she got the job as apartment manager, I was already living here so I had the opportunity to witness the toxic relationship between the two. Nox, would try to cover up her bruises with makeup or she wouldn't get out of the fucking house unless her skin was clear. "
"That's awful." I say. "Did you try to help her?"
"I was contemplating on whether I should help her or not."
"What! Why?" I blast. "The guy was obviously abusing her!"
"I know Seven." Yoongi says calmly. "Only, Nox wouldn't accept help from anyone. She didn't trust anyone with a Y chromosome instead of an X."
"Did you do something or sat at the sidelines?" I ask.
"I might have done something that would come off as vindictive."
"What did you do?" I ask carefully.
"An eye for an eye." He says. "Or should I say a black eye for a black eye."
"That was incredibly stupid of you." I comment.
"Why you have a better idea?"
"I would have called the fucking cops!"
"Yeah, so that they'd leave in less than a half hour."
"They would investigate. Plus, there was concrete evidence of him using violence on her. Nox would only have to testify!"
"Idiot," Yoongi snaps "you have no idea what this motherfucker did to Nox. She wouldn't dare to fucking testify because that shitty excuse of a human being wouldn't let her. Anyways, I paid a small price for providing Nox a peaceful night."
"What?"
"The bastard gave me an eye-patch."
Damn. "Did you start applying makeup to cover up the bruise?" I say jokingly.
"Shut up," Yoongi chuckles. "I think it's stupid to cover up bruises and scars."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because, covering up those marks it's like hiding the fact that you survived." Yoongi says in a whispery tone. "It doesn't matter what people think. The whole world could say you're weak and fragile, but those motherfuckers aren't the ones that survived a narcissistic tyrant." His dark triangle eyes stare into the distance like they're catching up with some far-off memory. I don't say anything, because I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable.
"How do you know so much about Nox?" I inquire. But what I really wanted to ask is how does he know so much about everything? His mind is fascinating. He's such a deep thinker and he has analyzed everything and everyone with such detail, I'm sure that now that we're hanging out here he's creating a brand new file about me on his mind.
"Nox, doesn't open up to others easily." Yoongi says. "She's direct with what she wants and she's brutally honest now but that's just the aftermath of the damage he did to her. I believe that under that cold exterior she's a kind hearted girl. She's just afraid to trust another person."
"So you're saying she trusts you?" I chime. Nox, told me earlier that she wants to 'punch him in the neck'.
"I have my ways of making people open up."
"Enlighten me."
"I slipped some vodka in her coffee. No biggie."
"That's the same as drugging her!" I exclaim.
"Chill out Seven. I didn't take advantage of her. I'm not that bastard ex of hers."
"She didn't deserve that." I say. "No one deserves to be treated that way."
"I know Seven." Yoongi sighs. "Just like how we don't deserve to wait like assholes for our food to arrive."