Sunday Afternoon
Meet me at the coffee shop (Jess)
Surprised to see her texting me, I immediately dash to the off-campus cafe about a block over. I hurry there and once I arrive, Luka, Jared, and Jess are already sitting on the couches. As I approach, Jess scurries up to me. She pulls me aside to privately fill me in about a situation with Becky.
"So, Becky's parents found out she is dating Ray and kicked her out of their house. She is going to stay with Ray at her dorm. She is in the back now with the manager trying to get a job. Ray knows him so she is trying to hook her up," she informs me acting like the last few days never happened. I am dumbfounded, that was not at all what I was expecting.
"Oh my god. They kicked her out?" I say wide-eyed.
"Yeah, her parents moved here from South Korea and are extremely strict on her. She really isn't supposed to be dating, let alone girls. They knew she was friends with Ray, but somehow they saw her phone and apparently figured it out," she confesses.
I am outraged that her parents could do such a thing. "That is terrible. How is she holding up?" I ask Jess concerned.
"Surprisingly well considering what is going on." She starts walking in the direction of the couches. I observe she picks the farthest seat away from Jared who is sneaking looks at her.
I have never been to this coffee shop before, but it is surprisingly cozy. It is very lively, filled with a lot of students in university jackets and a few business people sprawled about. There is a rich aroma of coffee beans and pastries flowing throughout the room along with some rustic wooden tables and books along the wall.
Luka asks me if I want anything to drink so I ask for a cup of green tea and he goes up on the line and orders for the group. Becky comes out from around the corner with Ray on her tail who are both smiling talking to a middle-aged man who must be the manager. She spots us and walks over.
"I got the job!" She says enthusiastically holding up an apron. We all give a small cheer for her.
"That's great to hear," I respond back smiling up at her.
"Now I am going to come bothering you for coffee every day and you'll actually be obligated to give it to me," Jared replies jokingly.
"Haha yeah. Thank you everyone for coming. It means a lot you guys showed up," Becky murmurs as she and Ray sit down. Ray squeezes her hand and kisses her on the cheek.
"How is it going to work staying in Ray's dorm?" I ask.
"I am an upperclassman so I have a suite with three other girls. Luckily I have my own room and she'll just crash in it," Ray explains to me.
"Yeah, I am going to try and eventually get my own place, because I don't want to be bothersome to her roommates," Becky says twiddling with her apron.
"Hey, you can stay as long as you want. I personally want you to stay as long as we can get away with it," Ray informs her.
"I know, thank you. But I don't want to stay and be all up in your roommate's space. It will be good anyway. I'll save up and get a studio or something. I always wanted to move out and stop commuting anyway," Becky announces convincingly.
Luka comes back with various coffees, cappuccinos, and teas for everyone. We all grab some and I offer him some money. Jess chats with Ray and Becky about their upcoming bake goods fundraiser for their sorority. It seems this snapped out of her downstate which makes me happy to see. We all talk for a while nursing our drinks before I have to leave for my night shift at work. I give all the girls a hug and head out.
***
Tuesday
I AM IN!!!! (Jamie)
Twenty or so texts and Snapchats from Jamie inform me she was officially accepted into the sorority. I am delighted for her and run out to secretly buy her a gift card to her favorite store. After coming back from the clothing store I work on some homework. She arrives pretty late that night and I shoot up when she walks through the door gift card in hand.
"Surprise! For some new outfits for the new sorority sister!" I exclaim and she bursts into the most dazzling smile and she runs over to hug me to the point I can't breathe.
"Oh, you are the best Emma! Thank you!" She chirps beyond exhilarated squeezing me.
"Okay okay your very much welcome James," I say laughing and she lets me go. She excitedly sits down and goes into how she was invited to the Saturday formal to be introduced to Greek life.
"We could go shopping together for my dress! I already texted Jared asking him to go with me and he agreed," she says and my smile falls. I want to be happy for her, but at the mention of Jared, my uneasiness spreads for Jess.
Jamie isn't known for being in anything serious so I decide to her about it. I clear my throat. "So you like Jared then?" I ask her cautiously.
"Well, he is really good-looking and an amazing kisser. I would totally smash again."
I feel my eyebrows raise slightly from her phrasing. "Oh that's uh, good."
She looks at me, "What? There is nothing wrong with being a sexually empowered woman, there is also nothing wrong with not being sexual either. As long you are confident while you choose." She sports a coy smile still in a great mood.
I giggle, "I know Jamie. But smash?" She bursts out laughing. I also catch she didn't say one thing about his personality when she was talking about Jared, so I don't think it is anything too committed between them. Since it is late we both go to sleep but I can tell Jamie hasn't calmed down and stays up on her phone for a long time.
***
Luka and I have our first Stat's exam on Friday so we spend the next couple of nights studying together one-on-one. I observe that we actually do have a lot in common. We see eye-to-eye on most things and have very similar learning styles which makes him the best person to study with.
Later in the week, we go to grab dinner with the rest of the group and show up together discussing strategies for the exam. When Jess spots us walking towards the table she pounces grabbing my arm.
"Can we talk alone for a sec?" She asks.
"Yeah of course," I reply. I turn towards Luka, "I'll see you in a few."
She leads me to the courtyard of the dining hall, picking an abandoned bench to talk.
She bites her lip once we sit down. "So, I need to tell you something. I feel like you probably noticed that I've been acting a little strange lately." I nod my head encouraging her to continue. "And if you haven't figured it by now it's because of Jared." She looks down at her hands as if embarrassed.
"Over the summer, I did something stupid. See, I never really dated in the past. Back in high school, I lost my virginity to my random prom date and it was so not worth remembering," she mutters shaking her head. "Then, freshmen year I ended up meeting this older guy and I was worried about my lack of experience. So, one night Lukas, Rayna, Jared, and I were partying and all of us were drinking heavily. And basically, well I went home with Jared." She explains and looks at me disconcerted.
She continues, "I don't what I was thinking. I guess I was feeling insecure and Jared always casually flirted with me. We had been really good friends since freshmen orientation and I knew he knew his way around the bedroom. So, that night being drunk me I flirted back and when he asked me to get out of there I said yes," she says and then pauses for a moment.
"And we slept together and it was way more intense than I think we both thought it was going to be. I stayed the night and the next morning he told me he loved me. So of course, I freaked out!" She exclaims and my eyes widen. "I mean it is Jared. He is a huge man whore. So, I ran the hell out of there and went back to that guy I was interested in," she blurts out and rubs her forehead stressfully. "We did hook up but didn't go all the way because I just couldn't do it after Jared's confession. A few days later, I apologized to Jared and told him about the other guy. I said I didn't how I felt and he just blew me off. We avoided each other for a little bit, but eventually settled back into things." She stops and looks at me expectantly as I take the moment to process all that.
"Woah. Alright. Yep, that's pretty heated. Can I ask why it is all of the sudden it is coming back up?"
"Basically, we both just been ignoring it until now. I figured he was still hooking up with girls, but Jamie was the first he paraded in front of me," she responds me her voice growing dimmer.
"So him hooking up with Jamie stirred up leftover feelings?" I say quizzically.
"I don't know," she replies frustrated. "I think I have feelings for him, but every time it comes across my mind, I think about how many girls he's been with and it makes me realize he doesn't even know how to be in a relationship," she pauses. "But, I was bothered when he told me about Jamie."
"Ugh, I am sorry Jess. I can see how that is so confusing for you. Honestly, I think you should just tell him," I answer bluntly as I think about all their sneaked glances at each other. "Because he might be in the same boat as you at this point. At least you can move on if you both decide it won't work because I hate to see you like this."
"Yeah, you're right. But doesn't it make me selfish to tell him now when he has a thing with Jamie?" She asks me.
That momentarily halts me, because that's how I have been feeling, very conflicted about what side I should be defending. I decide to say, "If they are dating, yes. But I don't think they are. I would ask him that first. If there's anything more between them, pull the plug and back out."
"Yeah, I should. I really need to get this out, that's why I had to tell you. If I keep holding it in, it is just going to get worse," she says and I nod my head. "Thank you, Emma. You're a good friend." She hugs me and I hug her back feeling comforted that she trusted me enough to tell me. She wipes her eyes a little and then we head back inside. Luka whispers to me asking if everything is ok and I give him a nod. He smiles and he pulls out his textbook and we go back to studying as I sneak peeks between Jared and Jess.
***
*author's note*
Thank you for continuing with the story!! ❤️ stay safe everyone!!