Jared
Early morning sunlight peaked through the blinds and landed on Jared's sleeping form, it caused him to unwillingly wake up. He groggily rose from the futon in nothing but his boxer briefs and took in his surroundings as he'd yawned and stretched. The room he was in looked unfamiliar even though it was obviously a girl's room, hell, even one of the blankets that was pink hand knit that cocooned him had given that away, and then he'd remembered the night before with Leah and her friends. He looked up onto her bed, and saw that Leah's bunk was empty.
A vibration had gone off somewhere among the blankets and Jared reached in to find his phone and saw unread messages; a couple from Brayden:
Dude?! What happened last night?? U never messaged me back?
Where u at? R U dead? Lol
He'd gotten a couple of messages from the Bryans too:
Bro.... Where'd you go?
You totally ditched us for a chick last night didn't you? She better be smoking
Stick it right in the pussy!
Jared chuckled, but couldn't help but roll his eyes. Those were the guys he'd considered his best friends at college...It was good to know they lived up to their expectations...
He'd scratched the side of his stomach before he reached lower to readjust himself, and it was right then that the door had opened.
"Hey, I'm back, so...Oh."
Leah stood in her doorway with a few to-go containers, her eyes wide as they traveled down to where his hand went. Jared immediately turned his back to her before she could see a certain member of himself that usually stood to attention in the morning, but she'd chuckled as he struggled to put his shirt on, and cursed himself under his breath.
"Starting the day off strong, I see," she'd quipped.
Never afraid to show himself off, he'd put his hands on his hips unabashedly and unashamed, even with obvious morning wood.
"You know, I've been caught in worse situations than this, so if you're trying to rise out of me, you're going to have to try harder than that."
"I think you're trying hard enough for the both of us right now," she nodded at his crotch as she walked further inside and set her containers on the desks.
He'd smirked and grabbed for his jeans to slid them on too.
"I always say go big or go home."
She laughed. "Shut the fuck up!"
They'd both sat down at their desks and dug in. Jared's mouth watered when he'd smelled the hash browns, bacon and scrambled eggs. He moaned in pleasure as he took his first bite. "Oh god, this is just what I needed." He'd turned towards Leah, who'd raised her brow at exaggerated moan. "Thanks for getting this for me, by the way."
"Of course, it's the least I could do after everything you did last night," she replied in between bites of her food. "Who knows how long we would've been out there if you hadn't decided to call me when you did."
"I just did what any decent person would do and help," he'd shrugged. He was still a little annoyed about how she thought it seemed so out of character for him to have come to the aid of someone in need.
People had made assumptions about him for quite some time, so why was one more person any different? Jared glanced over at Leah, who'd looked away as soon as she'd gotten caught, her cheeks turned red and she wore a small smile, as if she'd had a secret.
Jared remembered why it all mattered to him again.
It seemed neither of them wanted their time together to end, so they'd walked around the UW-River Falls campus for about an hour after they'd left Grimm Hall, and Jared got shown some notable spots like the Melvin Wall Amphitheater, which was actually the only one in the whole state of Wisconsin, and even one of the few left in the whole country. She showed him their student center and athletic fields, even though it was November and they'd seen better days with less slush that littered the grounds.
The two of them had talked a lot during their walk together, it was like they'd simply continued with their conversation from Halloween, and nothing else had happened since then. Jared talked about growing up in Madison, Wisconsin; his parents who were hardly ever around, and his uncle who'd been more an actual parent while he'd grown up.
"At least you were 'Mr. Popular' at your school, right?" Leah asked. "That had to make things a little easier for you."
"Yeah, I was a part of the 'in' crowd at my school," Jared admitted, but felt lame as he'd said it. "I started in every sport I was in, I went to the best parties, the whole thing. At the time that was all I thought I needed, but looking back on it now, it just seems so empty, even for me."
She nodded. "It may seem like that now, and it's mature of you to recognize that, but at the time, maybe it was what you needed. Everyone wants to feel wanted, Jared, and if you weren't getting it from home, why not get it from elsewhere?" Leah expression had become distant. "My parents weren't around much either, but that was because they both worked so much trying to support my brother and sister and I. Stephen came around, and he'd turned out to be my main source of happiness, and we'd dated for five years until we both left for college."
"Well that sounds a lot more meaningful than my last relationship," Jared said. "I dated this girl, Mandy, because she was the hottest girl in school, and everyone had pushed us together."
"And now she's on the same floor as you at Stout, right?"
He'd snorted. "Yeah...I'm still fucking pissed about that one. I mean, what are the odds?"
"Well, maybe her plans fell through?" Leah shrugged. "And luckily, you're secretly a softie and can sympathize with that, especially since you mentioned your parents wanted you to go somewhere else too."
They'd made their way back towards her dorm, and Jared had begun to feel anxious; their time together was drawing to a close, so what would happen next? Would they give it a shot, or was that the end?
They'd paused at his driver side door, but Jared made no move to open it. He felt that he'd said all that he could, that he'd made his intentions clear and the ball was in her court. "Well, it was great to see you again," He'd given her an appraising look. "Thanks again for letting me stay the night, and for breakfast earlier."
She nodded but seemed conflicted.
That's it then I guess, he'd said to himself. Just his luck to meet an amazing girl and she wanted nothing to do with him...
"Jared, wait."
He paused, and he couldn't breathe as he'd turned back to a wide-eyed Leah. She took a deep breath, met his gaze with her entrancing sapphire eyes.
"Jared, would you want to...would you like to...can we please..."
Jared happily decided to let her off easy and cut in.
"Leah, I would love to take you out on a date, if you'd let me."
She sighed deeply, and looked like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. She'd smiled back up at him.
"I would love that, Jared. I think we...there's something here."
Jared didn't even think as he'd leaned down, as he'd rested a hand on Leah's cheek, and as he'd kissed her. His entire system jolted awake and ran down his spine; Jared had never felt so alive as he did then. The two of them fit together perfectly, and lost their breath when they'd both slowly ended their kiss.
Leah ran a finger across her lips as she'd gazed up at him. Jared couldn't move, he could only hold her look under hooded eyes and an accelerated heartbeat. Everything totally forgotten but each other.
"Leah..." he'd practically purred.
He couldn't say any more as Leah's hands shot out, grabbed his hair and dragged him back down towards her.
Luke
The first snowfall had finally arrived upon campus; a glittering breeze carried swirling patterns across the quad. A lonely Frisbee golf basket remained unused as the chains barely swung and more snow built up in the cage. Students awkwardly waddled through the walkways; some traipsed through the steps of those who'd walked that same path earlier in the day.
Luke sat alone in the Merle Price commons by one of the massive windows. He gazed mindlessly around the scenery as he ate his breakfast. Luckily, the larger guy who'd worked at the omelet station had been in that day; he always gave larger portions than anyone else.
Luke had gotten an email the day before from the Dean's office that congratulated him on being a candidate in making the Dean's list because of his outstanding grades, and all Luke could think of was how he'd wanted to forward it to his dad as if to say, See that? Do you see that? I'm not just a fuck-up like you think I am!
Luke's mind wandered towards the dark, disturbing images that still haunted him; he'd hardly noticed when someone sat down next to him. He'd faintly heard them repeat his name, but jumped when they'd tapped his shoulder.
Heather stared at him; curiosity in her dark eyes as she'd tilted her head. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry, just waking up still," Luke sighed as he'd ran a hand across his face.
"I totally get it, winter always turns me into a zombie," Heather groaned. "It's going to be a struggle for sure."
Luke looked over, and noticed Heather had dark shadows under her eyes, and her long hair was up in a large, messy bun, and wore sweats like she'd just come from a workout. She'd poked at her food but didn't seem to want to eat much, and sighed as she'd drooped over the table, her head rested with one elbow on the table, lost in thought.
Luke grinned as he'd given her a friendly nudge with a grin. "You okay? You seem pretty out of it too."
She'd weakly returned his look with a small smile of her own. "I'm alright for the most part...let's just say it was an eventful weekend."
"That sounds ominous."
"It wasn't all bad, it's just that..." She'd looked around before leaning in closer. Luke's grin widened, and he'd resisted the urge to make some sort of Mission Impossible reference even though she'd probably appreciate it. He'd also been able to catch the strawberry scent her shampoo, much to his embarrassment. He ignored the memory of their moment in his room when they'd been just as near and almost even closer.
"It's not my place to give any specific details," Heather said, bringing him back to the present. "Let's just say someone may have told me a secret about themselves." She groaned as she'd massaged her temples. "Obviously, they're not ready to have anyone else find out or even be able to admit it to themselves, if that makes any sense to you?"
Luke nodded. So, someone had a secret about themselves that they weren't even sure if it was true about themselves...Sounds about right...who the hell had themselves figured out their freshman year of college anyway? "Well, that can't be the only thing that's bugging you, so what's up?" he asked.
"Well, final projects have been assigned for my drawing class and it's crazy! We have to a 30x40 self-portrait that's shaded entirely with words of a quote or phrase we decide on using these little micron pens."
"How little are we talking?"
"The thinnest point is .005 millimeters."
Luke winced as he'd sipped on his glass of milk. "Shit. You guys are going to be busy for a while."
Heather rolled her eyes and groaned. "I hope my arm falls off first."
"I've had a big research paper that I've had for the last month that I've been stressed about that's 30 percent of my grade and its due soon too," Luke said. "Add that with trying to keep my grades up, joining the Packaging Association Club and getting any sleep." He also groaned; he was exhausted all over again as he'd reminded himself his busy schedule.
"I heard this saying before." Heather bit into her blueberry muffin. "There's sleep, good grades, and a social life. You can only pick only two out of the three and that's college."
"Sounds about right, at least if one wants to graduate in four years while taking 18-to-21 credits per semester."
Heather nodded in agreement, but still like something else bothered her. Luke frowned; he wondered if she was still weird about what had happened between them in his room, or maybe the 'friend' was getting to her more than she let on?
Maybe it was her; who hasn't used the whole shield of a fake friend in needed?
Luke nudged her on her shoulder, and flashed a reassuring smile. "Hey, you sure you're good? I'm a great listener when you want me to be."
She once again smiled weakly at him. "Yeah," her expression dropped as she'd frowned again. "Luke, we're good right? With what happened the other weekend?"
He wanted to say so much to her; that he wasn't okay with her being with someone else and not telling him, but he still wanted her to pick him and be with him because he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. He wanted to tell her even though they'd known each other for only a couple months, he'd never felt a connection with anyone ever before like he did with her.
He couldn't say any of that to her though; it wouldn't be right. Plus, he'd just scare her off, and he'd rather just have her around as a friend than not at all.
He was so goddam whipped...
"Heather, we're good," Luke answered. "I'm over it, and just ready finish the semester as easily as possible."
"I am sorry about how everything went down." She'd still seemed so concerned. "I didn't intentionally mean to hurt you. You know that, right?"
"I do, and the apology is appreciated, and I accept it," he replied. He'd get over it eventually; it wasn't worth stewing over.
Heather regarded him thoughtfully and neither one broke eye contact for a few moments; Luke tensed under her appraising look.
He had to know what she'd been thinking about. "What?"
She shrugged and looked down at her tray. "I don't get you. I mean, you've told me how you were a huge fuck-up back home and hung out with a really sketchy crowd, and that your parents were really hard on you because of your brothers."
Luke squirmed as he'd remembered how he'd shared all of that with her back at the first weekend in September.
"Being around you now, it's just weird to think of you like that." Heather paused. "What I mean is, I just don't see you being that guy."
"Well, I'll just say that it took a lot to make me see that something needed to change. Speaking of change, let's change the subject."
Heather snorted. "Smooth, bro."
"Have you heard of the Menomonie Family Restaurant?"
"No, where is that?"
"It's over by the I-94 bridge just down the street from Walmart," Luke informed her. "My brother and his buds have taken me with them once or twice, and the food is incredible," he remembered the breakfast skillet and the country fried steak he'd enjoyed on separate occasions. "It's similar to Perkins with the menu, but more authentic."
Heather's brows rose. "I would love to go there sometime."
"What if we did a group thing?" Luke asked. "Like, we got some people on our floor to all go together. It might be fun to do something like that before we all split up for Thanksgiving soon."
"Yeah! We could have our own friends-giving," Heather practically glowed in excitement. "I love it. I'll start asking around and get it organized. Great idea Luke!"
He'd smirked at her. "I'm full of them."
"This will be a great way for you guys to meet Ryan, he's been planning on visiting for some time now."
Luke felt his stomach drop, but kept his face neutral. "Oh, your boyfriends coming too?"
"Yep, he's coming up this weekend. I can't wait to introduce him to everyone," Heather gathered her tray and stood up. When he back was turned, Luke cursed under his breath; there went his good mood.
"Yeah...I can't wait to meet him either."
Matt
People always seemed to think those that suffer from depression are only sad all the time; they just wallow around on the verge of tears, but that wasn't entirely the case. It's also the loss of motivation for everything: from showering, to paying attention, to even just getting out of bed in the morning. It's a feeling of emptiness, like being stuck in a dark hole that can't be climbed out of, and the joy of what someone used to love and enjoy was no longer there. It's a physical and mental weight that drags along, not letting go until it completely traps one back into that unescapable hole. It never fully went away, it stuck to someone like a parasite, and literally sucked the life out of someone, and told them they're worthless, irrelevant, a burden, and no one could possibly care about them or want to help.
It made someone feel alone.
Suffering for years, Matt had been on and off medications to help with the worst of it, but with what had happened to him in the span of the previous few weeks, he'd thought he didn't need the extra help as much as before.
Matt hadn't moved out of his bed since he'd woken up. He watched the snow fall outside his window; five minutes felt like five hours. Thomas told him he'd be over in Austin's room for the day, and Matt had barely mumbled a response. He hadn't bothered to check his phone, he wasn't ready to face any messages from Heather, or anyone that would have bothered to ask if he was okay or where he was. The only thing worse than that would've been if he'd unlocked his phone and saw no one had actually sent him anything, that no one was looking for him, and no one cared if he was okay.
Why would anyone care about him anyways?
He'd always despised himself whenever he'd gotten like this; he felt like such a moody, high maintenance nuisance that no one wanted to deal with because it was too straining to be around him for too long, or that they'd decide to leave when things had gotten too rough.
I can't even figure out with I'm gay or not, Matt thought to himself. Was he a coward for not being able to admit it to himself?
The curiosity got the best of him, and he reached for his phone nearby to check and see that he did have a message from Heather:
I'm always here for you, I hope you know that! I love you no matter what! Want to grab a bite to eat or have movie marathon? LMK 😊
Matt's chest ached, and he had to swallow down a sob that'd threatened to escape; he'd thought Heather was truly too good for this world. He'd never had a friend like her before, and part of him still felt so guilty for all his moodiness because he worried that one day, she'd get sick of him and leave him behind for someone better, just like mostly every other friend he's ever had before.
He thought out a quick response:
Thanks Heather, love you too.
I'm just tired, so I'm going to take it easy, I think.
I really appreciate the message!
He'd decided to grab his Mac and opened up the last WWE Monday Night RAW he'd missed. He'd been a fan of it ever since he was a little kid. There was the larger than life, superhero-like wrestlers that came out every week to perform all amazing stunts to cement themselves in the record books and immortalize their names had always amazed him. Screw DC or Marvel; the WWE wrestlers were his superhero universe.
A few hours later, he'd felt his phone go off, and saw that he'd gotten a message from a number that was not saved. He wondered who it was from, so he'd opened it:
Hey Matt! This is Madison!
The girls and I were wondering if you would want to come grab a coffee with us?
We were going to go to the Acoustic Café
We want to talk to you, so we hope you can make it!
He didn't know how Madison had gotten his number, and was shocked she'd ever invite him to hang out. Not that he didn't like her, but he'd personally thought she usually gave off the vibe that she thought she was better than everyone else. It said a lot about her that she'd somehow went out of her way to possibly apologize for Halloween weekend. He just wasn't sure if he was felt up to getting out of bed to take her up on the offer. His screen went dark, so Matt saw his reflection and was horrified at how he'd looked: hair in disarray, his nose raw from blowing it into nearly a whole carton of tissue, and heavy circles under his eyes. He thought he looked like a sad hobo.
Nice look Matt, really hot stuff there...
He'd decided to get up and take a shower, and sent Madison a quick message that he'd meet them there.
Eden
"Okay, but can we please talk about how Zach seemed more hungover than the rest of us who actually drank last night?" Alex laughed. Eden walked with him through campus that morning of the first snowfall. They'd both bundled up in scarves and Eden threw on an oversized cable knit sweater while Alex had sported a stylish black trench coat. Like usual, he'd had a little bounce in his step as if he'd been strutting down a runway, even with a foot of snow.
"I know, the poor thing, he wore himself out watching out for everyone." Eden cooed. "I'm getting him a muffin for his valiant efforts."
"You're too pure for this world, babes."
"My underwear collection and fanfic beg to differ, but thanks!"
Alex laughed. "Now that it's just the two of us, how did your parents take the good news from earlier this week?"
Eden bounced in her step as her smile grew. "Sooo good actually! it made me so happy to hear the joy in their voices when I skyped. My mom almost seemed surprised, which made it all that much better."
"That's kind of sad, but I'm still over the moon for you."
Zach and Jenna both couldn't get out of bed that morning, so Eden and Alex decided to go try a local place called the "Acoustic Café" together. It was a small, artsy coffee shop on the corner of Broadway and Main that was a popular spot for college students to hang out, study, and sneak a quick dinner date in or to see a live show every week. At least, that's what the multi-colored posters the littered the glass doorway entailed.
Eden was instantly in love with the place as they'd walked in. It was simple but warm with rich brown wooden booths throughout, the tops tall enough to give customers a slight sense of privacy. Different styles of artwork decorated the walls, and a large fireplace overtook most of the furthest wall with a small stage along the windowsill.
They'd both stood in line and looked up at the handwritten menu on three chalkboards above the counter; Eden couldn't make a decision because everything sounded amazing to her. The café brewed their own beer, had hot hoagies, baked goods, and even had the option of French or Italian soda. Eden thought to herself that she may had just found her go-to spot in town, and it was only across the street from the main campus.
Alex leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Don't look now, but a particular lonely boy has been spotted in the middle of a nest of harpies."
Eden ever-so-casually stretched her neck and peeked over her left shoulder where Alex nodded, and holy moly, there was Matt Anderson himself sitting at a nearby booth with Madison, Ali, Lindsay and Mandy. He looked exhausted but grinned as he'd said something and made all four of them laugh.
Eden turned back towards Alex, and her brows knit together in a bemused smile. "Hmmm, I didn't know he hung out with them."
"With all those rumors flying through the hall, it's interesting for sure," Alex raised a brow. "Should we go over and see if he needs saving?"
Eden playfully elbowed him and winked. "Relax, he's not in any mortal danger. Madison is actually not that bad, and Ali's a sweetheart underneath the grunge, but it can't hurt to see if they've got more room for us."
Shortly after they'd both gotten their food, they meandered over towards the booth. Matt glanced up and his face lit up as he greeted them.
Madison also smiled up at them. "I didn't know you guys were planning on coming here too, I would've invited you along."
Eden shrugged it off. "It was a last minute, totally impulsive decision, so no worries. We just wanted to stop over and say hello."
"Did you guys want to sit with us? I'm sure we could make room," Madison offered.
"Or just drag a table over, they shouldn't mind," Ali suggested.
"Are you sure about that?" Lindsay frowned at her. "What if they get busy?"
"It's totally fine, we'll just grab a seat over at that table." Alex gestured to a smaller table over by the windows. He walked over, but before Eden followed, she turned back to the booth.
"Actually, Matt, there was something I wanted to ask you, could you come over to our table really quick?" she asked.
Matt got up and followed her over to their table and stared expectantly at them.
With a pasted-on smile, Alex muttered under his breath. "Blink twice if you're being held against your will."
Eden choked on her steaming mocha to hide her giggle; a little dot of whipped cream had stuck to the tip of her nose.
Matt looked confused at first, but quickly widened his eyes in understanding. "No, I'm actually fine. They messaged me asking to meet up, and believe it or not, they apologized for some stuff they'd said about me."
"Well fuck me ragged, maybe there's hope for them yet," Alex replied in bemusement. He'd licked his finger to wipe off Eden's nose. She didn't react at all to his wet finger when it touched her, and continued to smile when Matt chuckled about it.
"I was surprised to be honest, I mean, even Mandy said she was sorry for what she'd said," Matt shook his head in disbelief, he looked lost in thought.
Eden wanted to ask, but if Matt wasn't going to say anything else on the matter, she'd have to let it be. They'd only just began to consider him a friend, so maybe he still didn't feel like sharing personal things with them yet.
"Well, I'm happy for you, Matt," she said. "I could tell whatever it was that was said really got to you, and you're too nice of a guy to let that stuff put you down,"
Matt silently smiled back as he'd taken a sip of his steaming cider.
"So, you've used that blowjob simulator that you bought already, right?" Alex asked out of nowhere.
That time, both Eden and Matt choked on their drinks.
Heather
It continued to snow through the rest of the weekend, and while people hoped it meant a possible snow day, it was the Midwest in the late fall, early winter. A foot or two of snow wasn't anything anyone hadn't seen before. The Art History professor even stayed at a local hotel so she wouldn't have to cancel her lecture on the following Monday. It had been a slow month, but Thanksgiving break was coming up soon.
The massive snowfall had ended up being a blessing in disguise because with the ever-growing fear of upcoming final exams, people stayed indoors to get plenty of study sessions in. The library had gone from being practically abandoned to becoming a popular hotspot on campus, and the Starbucks station in the student center went from a single barista to three at all times with the raised demand for excessive caffeine.
The self-portrait shaded with words drawing that Heather's Drawing 1 course had started to become a real challenge; even after working for two straight hours at a time only covered a little space.
On top of all that, Heather had been in an irritating game of phone tag with Ryan; neither one was ever available at the same time as the other. Ryan had gotten more and more agitated in his messages, and said they had to talk about something important, but only wanted to talk about it in person.
What the fuck could that possibly be about?
Ryan was coming up that weekend, so they'd could finally talk it out and get on the same page. She hadn't been able to talk to anyone about whatever it may be; Matt was in a fragile state of mind and could barely look her in the eye, Jared was hardly ever around to have a meaningful conversation with, Brayden...yeah right. She'd only become friends with Eden and Jenna not even a week prior, so she didn't feel comfortable airing her dirty laundry with them anytime soon. Ali was too close to the Harpies, as Alex secretly coined them, so it was too risky.
At that moment, she was disappointed to realize she didn't have anyone.
It was just past dinnertime and she'd sat with Matt, Jenna and Eden in the lounge on their floor, and all worked on their projects together. It'd made the time pass by a lot easier, and if they'd all had to suffer, they might as well have done it together. Everyone had their headphones in and weren't talking, but it was still somehow comforting that they were around.
Distracted by her thoughts, Heather glanced around the table to see how everyone else's projects had developed. Jenna was, of course, further along than everyone else. Matt seemed to struggle with his and seemed even more distracted than hers, so Heather made sure to give him a reassuring smile every time their eyes locked.
They'd hardly said a word to each other since that night. Not without effort on her part, but Matt said he needed space while he figured himself out, so she gave him just that. She just wanted to make sure he knew he knew he had her in his corner.
Throughout the night, they'd allowed themselves quick ten-minute breaks to check their phones; Heather checked out whatever latest Stout humor page had sprung up.
In the last couple of weeks, several pages had been created anonymously: there was 'Stout Squirrels', which was just funny pictures or videos of the humongous squirrels that littered campus. There was also 'Stout Confessions', where people anonymously admitted to doing just about anything and everything. 'Stout Secret Admirers' was where people gave shout outs to hot people, and 'Stout Pass-outs' was filled with photos or videos of all the drunken debauchery that occurred. Someone had actually posted a photo collage of Jared making out with six girls at a party back in September, and it'd even gotten over 200 likes on Facebook.
Heather looked up from her screen. "Have you guys heard of the Menom Family Restaurant?" Everyone shook their heads. "Apparently, it's supposed to be amazing, with all sorts of options. It's like Perkins, but more authentic."
Eden sighed. "God, Perkins is sooo good at four in the morning."
"Anyways, Luke told me about it, and suggested we get a group together to do a 'Friends-giving' sort of meal over there before we all go home." She turned to everyone. "What do you guys say?"
"That'd be fun!" Jenna piped up "Everyone would be able to order what they wanted, and there's no clean up to worry about."
"And no family dysfunction to make you uncomfortable, but at least there's wine for that," Eden added. "I'm in, but make sure you call ahead and make a reservation. Servers hate it when big groups don't do that, trust me."
Heather nodded. "Awesome, I'll do that."
They began to discuss who to invite, but were interrupted when Jack waltzed into the lounge and was followed by Peter and Thomas.
"Whassup' my bitches! How's it hangin'?" Jack sat down next to the open chair beside Heather, and it'd taken everything in her not to gag. She'd tensed up when he slipped his arm around her and turned towards Eden and Jenna, who'd both looked uncomfortable. "How about you ladies? You look like you could use some help on your projects."
"No thank you, Jack." Eden smiled, but it hadn't reached her eyes.
"We appreciate the offer though," Jenna politely added. Matt went back to work without a word, not that it mattered to Jack, who'd never even greeted him.
While Thomas stood uncomfortably at the wide doorway with his arms crossed, Peter paced around the table to see Matt's project.
"Damn buddy, it's coming along really nicely," Peter announced as he patted Matt on the back.
Matt muttered a small thank you in return while Jack cleared his throat. "So listen, I need some advice on lady problems, and since I have three of them right here, I thought I could ask you guys, you know, since none of you actually care about me."
Heather shifted in her seat to try to nudge Jack's hand off of her, but it'd went lower until it reached her hips.
She'd jumped out of her chair. "Jack, GO AWAY. Please!"
He'd raised his hands in disbelief. "What? Why? What's the problem?"
Heather put her hands on her hips while she'd glared down at him. "You. You're the problem. We're sick of you hitting on us and trying to touch us like you just did. I've told you I have a boyfriend, and not interested."
"Look, stop freaking out, I didn't mean—"
"—I don't care, get the fuck out!" She'd snapped. Enough was enough. "You don't put your hands on a girl when she's told you before to stop, and when you only talk to us like we're objects, and our feelings don't matter to you."
"What...What are you—"
"—We've talked." She'd gestured towards Eden and Jenna, who'd both looked away. "We know your game: you corner us in here and try to use pity to talk to us, but then use the same lines and try to guilt us into going out with you."
Jack was enraged as he'd risen from his seat. "You know what? Fuck you Heather! I don't need you reminding me how no one gives a shit about me here, and make me feel like a loser more than I already do!"
Heather wouldn't dare cower to him, so she'd stood her ground.
"You call me a bad guy, but you knew I really wanted to go to the sex shop with you guys," Jack threw at her. Heather glanced over at Peter, who'd also looked down at the ground and crossed his arms. "Yeah, Peter told me. I've only wanted to be your friend, but you guys just tease me and make me feel like shit," Jack spat. "I could go kill myself because of how you guys treat me, do you want that on your conscious?"
"Are you fucking serious, Jack? I can't believe you'd actually say that." Peter frowned.
"We felt uncomfortable when you hit on us, one after the other like the it didn't matter as long as you got someone," Jenna scolded Jack.
"Plus, your whole behavior towards women in general is misogynistic, and it's no longer the '50's," Eden glared at him. "Women are much more than the sandwich making kitchen maids you write us off to be."
"You all can go fuck yourselves!" Jack screamed as he'd stormed out, and Thomas slowly followed him out.
Everyone who'd remained was dead silent, the only sound made was someone's music that could be heard from a pair of headphones. Peter looked incredibly uncomfortable while Heather had paced for a few moments; she took a couple deep breaths as she'd tried to collect herself.
"Are you alright, Heather?" Eden tentatively asked, a look of concern that'd replaced her cold glare earlier.
Heather took another deep breath and ran her hand through her hair before she'd answered. "I just can't stand it when people use depression like that for attention or pity. There are people who really suffer from it, and it pisses me off when he just tosses it out like we're supposed to feel guilty about calling him out on his bullshit!"
"I honestly didn't think it'd come to that, you guys, I'm so sorry about all that," Peter muttered, his gaze never left the floor.
"It's not your fault, Peter, but someone had to say something to him," Heather replied. "He makes people uncomfortable, and the trip to the shop wouldn't have been any fun with him there. He'd just make lewd jokes, and I wouldn't want to deal with it." She turned to him and her voice softened. "I know you're friends with him, but I don't like him being around me."
Jenna nodded. "Girls have it so much harder. I mean, we're judged for literally everything. If a girl likes Starbucks and Ugg's, she's a stupid, basic bitch." She started raising fingers with each example. "If she wears combat boots, and only goes to obscure coffee shops, she's a hipster wannabe who's trying too hard. If she likes sex, she's a slut, but if she doesn't, then she's a prude. If she's confident, she's superficial and vain. If she has low self-esteem, she needs to learn to love herself."
Eden nodded sadly. "Girls are literally mocked for everything they do or don't do, and it sucks."
Heather huffed out some air. "It doesn't help when assholes like Jack belittle us, disrespect us, or get away with calling us crazy when he acts like that."
Heather returned to her project, but her phone had started to vibrate. She'd looked at the screen; Ryan was calling. "I'll be right back guys," she sighed as she got up and left the lounge. She answered when she'd hidden in the stairwell for privacy. "Hey baby, what's going on?"
Ryan let out a huff from his end. "Christ...Heather, you realize this is the first time we've actually talked in a month or so?"
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She knew he'd gotten annoyed at how their relationship had been reduced to text messages and maybe a Facetime message if they'd both felt up to it.
"Ryan, I'm sorry you're upset, I really am, but I'm only two and a half months into my freshman year of college. It's not like I've had it easy over here; I'm still trying to figure out how to balance everything out."
"Well that shouldn't mean putting me on the back burner behind everything else. We're more important than that."
"You're right, and again, I'm sorry. I'll try to be better about it from now on," Heather felt resigned, all the fight left her body after Jack's earlier episode.
They'd caught each other up on each other's lives, like Ryan's recent promotion at his job, and she was so proud of him, but for some reason Heather hadn't told him anything about Luke. She didn't want to start another fight, and really, what was there to tell him? Nothing had technically happened other than Luke confessing his feelings for her, and while she felt conflicted about all of it, what would it solve by telling tell Ryan?
She was really starting to get sick of all the drama that surrounded her.
They'd hung up, and while part of her was still excited for him to come visit that weekend before he took her home for Thanksgiving, she'd still felt less and less reassured about her future between her and the two boys who she couldn't get out of her head.