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This was stupid. The flashing lights and pounding music flooded my senses. Bodies moved along the makeshift dance floor as I scanned the room. I’ve been to tons of parties, but anxiety bubbled in my stomach. I knew better than to be here tonight, looking for a guy who was not my boyfriend. I just couldn’t help myself. Something about that the way he smiled at me with that goofy grin; it made me weak. I caught sight of the tall boy, animating as he chatted in the corner with his friend Alex. I grabbed Emma by the hand and pointed over at the two of them. Her eyes lit up and she nodded her approval as we made our way over to them, weaving through the mass of bodies. “You made it!” Jack exclaimed as we walked up. He grabbed me by the waist pulling me into a hug. I giggled feeling the anxiety melt away. The feeling of his arms around me pushed all thoughts of David out of my mind. This wasn’t the first party I’ve been to with them. Jack and I have a class together, and he has invited me to a few parties with them now. A few at their house, some at others like the one tonight. Jack was cute and charming, at first the idea of going to a party was just that, an excuse to party. It quickly evolved to more as I got to know Jack and his friends a bit more. He was fun, and I found myself looking forward to seeing him. Alex guided Emma away, and Jack pulled me in close so I could hear him over the music. “We match,” he laughed gesturing at himself then to my bodycon maroon dress. I took the opportunity to check him out. He was wearing a maroon band t-shirt and ripped black skinny jeans. That goofy smile, that made me weak, plastered on his face. “Were you watching me get dressed?” I joked, immediately realizing the words that were coming out of my mouth. His grin widened. “No, but I wouldn’t mind that honor,” he said. My cheeks heated, as he laughed. We went over to get a drink before he grabbed my hand and pulled me out to the makeshift dance floor. We danced for a while, our bodies moving seamlessly together. It was like he could read my every movement. After a couple songs I took him by the hand and led him off the dance floor to find another drink. I caught sight of Emma and Alex talking in the corner. She had obviously been drinking and was all over him, though he didn’t seem to mind too much. Emma had been talking about wanting to try and bring him home tonight. I couldn’t blame her, he was cute and Alex seemed like a really nice guy. The reminder of that conversation sat in my stomach. The bubble of anxiety, anticipation and guilt pooled there as Jack handed me a drink. I told Emma that I wanted to make my move. I wanted to bring Jack home tonight. I knew it was wrong, I had David. There was just something so exciting about Jack. I tried to tell myself it was just because he was a new guy showing interest in me, but my gut told me there was something more to it. Some reason I couldn’t stop thinking about him. With our drinks in hand, Jack and I made our way over to Alex and Emma to chat. The conversation with them was so easy. Even with Emma stumbling over her words. Jack wrapped his free hand around my waist. “Alex is coming back to our place tonight,” Emma said, eyeing me. I could tell she was trying to gauge if I had talked to Jack yet. I bit my lip and steeled my nerves before looking up at Jack. “Do you want to come over too?” I asked him. His eyes lit up, and I felt butterflies explode in my stomach. “Of course,” he said. “Ava has a very comfortable bed,” Emma giggled. Jack looked down at me, a sexy smirk playing on his lips. “I need another drink,” Alex said, grabbing Emma by the hand. They took off to find more alcohol. I turned to face Jack, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing myself closer to him. “You might have to share a bed with me,” I asked him, looking up at him. “Is that okay?” “That’s more than okay,” he said, leaning down and connecting our lips. My senses erupted, everything felt electric. I couldn’t get enough of the feeling of his lips on mine, or his hands on my waist. It all ended too soon, as he pulled away from me. “Let’s get another drink.” *** I woke up to a loud bang on my bedroom door. The arms around my waist tightened as I stirred. I cuddled up closer to Jack, hoping the noise would stop and I could just stay in this moment for a while longer. “Ava! If you plan on getting a ride to school today, I suggest you wake the fuck up!” My roommate and best friend Sofie yelled outside my room. I groaned, earning a chuckle from Jack. “Shh,” I said softly, “Maybe she will go away.” It was quiet for a moment, just as I thought it was safe to go back to sleep, the banging started again. “I’m not kidding, Ava!” “Shut up, Sofie!” I yelled back. I groaned, looking up at Jack. He smiled down at me, kissing me on the forehead. “Good Morning,” he said. “Morning,” I smiled. I pulled myself up, pressing our lips together. I was suddenly hyper aware that we were both naked. The memories of last night replayed in my mind. I pulled away from Jack, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair. “As much as I would love to lay here with you all day, I have to get to class today.” “Yeah,” Jack said sitting up, “I do too.” I got out of bed, aware of his eye on me as I started getting dressed for the day. After a few minutes, he got out of bed too and threw on his clothes from the night before. Once we were both ready, we left the room. Jack slung his arm over my shoulder, I giggled grinning up at him. Sofie was leaving the kitchen as Jack and I approached. “Good morning, Sofie,” I smiled, winking at her. Sofie cocked her eyebrow, and the expression I knew meant she was going to want answers. “Morning, Ave.” “Mm, is that coffee I smell?” Alex said, coming into view, as he finished pulling his t-shirt on. “You mind, doll?” “No time, bro. We gotta go,” Jack said, nodding towards our front door. “Fine, but we’re stopping to get some and you’re paying,” Alex said, going over to put on his shoes. “Yeah, yeah,” he said before grabbing my hand. Jack pinned me to the wall, that stupid smile on his face, “And I’ll definitely be calling you later, gorgeous.” “Mm, I can’t wait,” I said, resting my hand on his chest and standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. He deepened the kiss, and I almost got caught up in it, but Alex shoved Jack’s shoulder. Jack pulled away. “C’mon, Jack. We gotta go,” he said in a mocking voice. Jack nodded, pecking my lips one more time before letting me go. I followed them to the door, shutting it behind them. I turned to see Sofie standing there, I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. “So, maybe it’s been a few days since I’ve seen him, but that definitely didn’t look like David,” Sofie said, putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows at me. “Oh, that definitely wasn’t David,” I said, smirking to myself as thoughts of last night ran through my head. “Ava!” she yelled. I rolled my eyes, grabbing Sofie’s wrist leading her to the kitchen. “It’s not that big of a deal, Sofie. It was one night. I’ll probably never see Jack again,” I said, knowing full well I would see him again. “So what about your boyfriend?” “He doesn’t have to know,” I said and Sofie shook her head. I started feeling the guilt bubble up again and I tried to shove the feeling away. “You’re terrible.” “Breakfast is served, bitches!” Emma yelled, carrying in plates full of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. My mouth watered at the sight of it. I had definitely worked up an appetite after last night. “Why isn’t Em wearing pants?” I asked. “Because you’re both giant whores,” Sofie giggled. *** I threw my book and laptop back into my bag as my last class for the day ended. I couldn’t get last night out of my head. Last night with Jack was amazing, it was probably the best sex I had had in such a long time. Of course I have had sex with David but I wasn't feeling that spark with him anymore. We weren’t really going on dates anymore, and our hangouts were getting dull. We had been together for a couple years now, and things just weren’t the same as they were before. I tried to force the thoughts down, and headed out, deciding that I needed to go grab a Boba Tea before I went home. I headed to the Boba Tea place near campus. I sent Emma a text, where to pick me up. I headed into the shop, and placed an order for my favorite drink, a Taro Milk tea with Boba. I popped the straw through the lid taking my first sip, before heading outside to a table to wait for Emma. She pulled up a few minutes later and I got inside her car. “Okay bitch, spill,” she said excitedly. “Was it everything you wanted it to be.” “Fuck yeah it was,” I grinned. “He was amazing.” “Girl!” she squealed, “I’m so happy for you. Alex was fantastic! I can’t even wait until the next party.” “I know,” I admitted, “I have been thinking about it all day.” “Same,” she laughed. We continued to talk and share the details of the night as she drove us home. We went into the apartment together, but she quickly left, heading out to go to work. I made myself comfortable on the couch, letting my mind wander to the night before.
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I scrolled through Netflix mindlessly looking for something to put on. My phone buzzed and I glanced down seeing a text from David. I sighed, picking up my phone and checking the message.
Hey babe, I’m not going to be able to go out tonight. The guys invited me out to a party. Love you.
I rolled my eyes. This wasn’t the first time he canceled one of our dates to hang out with “the guys”. The more annoying part is that he couldn’t bring his girlfriend out to a party with him. It was almost like I was an afterthought. Like he only would hang out with me when no one else wanted his attention. Whatever. Have fun. I typed back, his response came back almost immediately.
Don’t be like that. I’ll call you tomorrow.
I audibly groaned, suddenly angry and annoyed. I threw my phone down on the couch. I made my way into the bathroom, turning on the tub and letting it fill with hot water. I wandered into my room, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes before going back into the bathroom. I took out a bath bomb and lit the candle that lived in the bathroom. If I wasn’t going out, I was going to relax and take care of myself. I stopped down, stepping into the warm tub. The water felt amazing on my skin, I could feel it instantly releasing some of the anger and stress I was feeling. The sweet scent of the bath bomb filled the room. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, letting myself get lost in the moment. *** My coworker texted me and asked if I would cover her shift. I agreed, the extra money would be nice and I wasn’t going out now anyway. I changed into a pair of booty shorts, with my low cut work shirt. If I was working tonight I was making sure I got good tips. I had some time before I had to leave. I grabbed a bottle of black nail polish and went back out into the living room. Turning on a random movie. I twist the cap off the nail polish and got to work painting my toes, to finish of my self care for the night. “He was so infuriating! He just expected me to do the work for him. Like, what the fuck?” I heard Sofie say as she walked into the apartment. I Glanced up seeing her friend Brendon with her. “He sounds like a spoiled asshole,” Brendon responded. I looked back down, feeling Sofie collapse down on the couch next to me. “Oh, trust me, he is.” “Hey now,” I said, side eyeing my friend. “You almost made me paint my toe.” “Sorry,” She said, running her fingers through her hair. “I didn’t realize you were painting your toenails.” “It’s cool. Long day?” “She’s tutoring someone new and they apparently didn’t hit it off that well,” Brendon explained, sitting down on the arm chair. “Really?” I said. “Oh, you’ll never guess! It was the guy that Emma apparently brought home with her last night. So that was a fun surprise.” “Alex?” I said, looking up with a grin. “I love Alex! What happened?” “He was an asshole, and he wouldn’t stop hitting on me!” “So? He’s good looking, Sofie. That can’t have been bad at all,” I said, steadily painting the last toe. “You know I hate being hit on!” “Oh yeah. You’re weird,” I nodded in acknowledgment. “Shut up, Ava,” Sofie huffed. “He was obnoxious and terrible.” “And you’re gonna fall in love with him,” I sang, screwing the lid back on her nail polish. I was joking, but it wasn’t such a bad thought. Alex was great, and Sofie could use someone who would bring a little excitement in her life. “No I’m not,” she stated firmly. “You’re tutoring a hot, hilarious guy with money that you can’t stand? Yeah, ‘cause this doesn’t have sexual tension written all over it,” I said, rolling my eyes. I grabbed my drink and took a sip, looking back over at my friend. “No, Ava. I don’t date cocky dickheads.” “You don’t date anyone,” I said, shaking my head. “Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, kid.” “Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Do you work tonight?” “Of course. When do I ever have a night off?” I asked. My phone buzzed alerting me to a new message and I picked up my phone. I expected another bullshit text from David, I didn’t expect the text to be from Jack. I couldn’t suppress my smile as I read the message.
I can’t stop thinking about you.
My fingers flew over the keyboard in response.
Is that so? Why ever could that be?
“Okay, you never smile when David texts you. Who’s that?” Sofie asked, I tried to block her as she looked over my shoulder. “No one.” “Liar!” She said, as Jack sent back another message. I tried to turn my phone so she couldn’t see, but I wasn’t fast enough. “Ava, you whore! What happened to ‘I’ll probably never see Jack again’?” “He texted me,” she said, shrugging hoping she would let it go. I didn’t know how to explain myself. I knew this was wrong, but it just felt right. “You like him,” she teased. “He’s hot,” I said, trying to deflect. “Way hotter than David,” she stated, baiting me. “Probably.” “You’re ridiculous,” she laughed. She grabbed the pillow off the couch next to me and threw it at Brendon, causing him to look up from his phone. “Let’s go to Chipotle.” “I’m down,” he answered, adjusting his glasses from where the pillow hit him in the face. “No fair! How are you gonna go to Chipotle when I have to go work at a shitty bar?” I pouted. “I’ll drop some off to you after,” Sofie said. I grinned, Sofie was the best. “Best best friend ever,” I said, causing her to laugh. “Don’t let Emma hear you say that!” *** I sat in the back room on my break, eating my burrito bowl Sofie dropped off for me. It was delicious, I used a chip to scoop out the contents of the bowl as I felt my phone vibrate. I picked it up and looked at the message. My chest fluttered at the sight of Jack’s name on the screen.
We are having a party tomorrow. Please tell me you’ll come.
I smiled, tucking my phone into the pocket on my waist apron, before cleaning up my lunch. This boy had me acting crazy. I could make him wait a little while for a response. I made my way back out to the bar, and quickly started taking orders. Throwing myself back into work proved to be an easy enough distraction from the text sitting waiting for a reply. The bar was packed as it normally is any night in our college town. Bartending was easy money and the work wasn’t too bad. I preferred working the bar than having to wait tables, so I wasn’t mad about picking up this shift. The worst part about the job was the men. The owner mostly hired young pretty girls with great tits to be “front of the house”, it was basically what people came for. It could get really exhausting dealing with men who wanted to drool all over you when you poured them a drink; but they normally tipped well.
At the end of my shift I counted up my tips. Satisfied I took off my apron, and hung it up in my locker in the break room. I pulled out my hoodie and stuffed the cash into my bag. I grabbed the key to Emma’s car and headed out. My car had broken down a few weeks ago, and while I was being repaired, borrowing cars and getting rides had been my norm. Luckily when I checked with the shop earlier they told me just another day or two and it should be back in my hands. Working all this extra time was just to pay off the stupid repairs on the damn thing. I had no one to fall back on, my parents skipped out on me when I was young. My mom left when I was 3, leaving me with a dad who didn't want me. At 13, my dad and I just couldn't get along, he wanted to party and hook up with a random woman and I just got in his way. I was taken from my dad then, but he chose to leave me to the care of the Foster Care System. I guess they would rather spend their money buying drugs and partying to take care of the kid they brought into this world. My last foster family always said they would help, they said they would do anything for me. But a year or so after I was out of their care and in a tight spot, they wouldn’t answer the phone. In the end, I always pulled myself back up. My phone rang, as I drove myself back to the apartment. I grabbed it an answered without looking at who was calling. “Hello,” I answered. I was immediately greeted with the loud sounds of a party, I pulled the phone away from my ear a bit. “Baby!” David’s voice rang out. “I want you to come over and fuck me.” I heard the cheers of his friends in the background, and they riled him up. I rolled my eyes, already annoyed.
“Maybe I would have, if I had been invited in the first place,” I responded in a false sweetness. “Don’t be like that!” He yelled over the noise of the party. “This party isn’t really your scene, you wouldn't have wanted to come.” I scoffed, replying sarcastically. “Right, I’m sure. You know how much I just hate parties.” “Whatever,” He laughed, “Are you coming over tonight or not?” “I just got off work David, I’m tired. Call me tomorrow when you are Sober.” “You’re no fun,” he whined. “Whatever, bye babe.” I hung up the phone without responding to him, turning up the volume on the radio to find off the irritation that ran through me. He could be a jerk when he was drinking. But he had been the first person to really meet me halfway and help me out of tight spots. The last few years he had been the person I could rely on. So why couldn’t I stop thinking about Jack?
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I put extra care into getting ready for class the next morning, waking up just a little bit earlier to make sure I looked good. I settled into my seat for my class, setting out my laptop and preparing for class to start. He walked in several minutes later. I tried to act casual, going about my business to see what he would do. I didn't want to look too eager to talk to him. To my surprise he put his bag down next to me, setting himself down in the chair beside mine. This was never something he had done before. My stomach flipped in excitement. I looked up at him as he got settled, a big grin plastered on his face. “Good morning,” Jack greeted. “Good morning,” I said, smiling back at him. “Did you get my text last night?” he asked, reminding me that I never actually responded to him. “Oh yeah,” I said, scrunching my face. “Sorry, I meant to respond but I was busy at work and I forgot.” “Hey no big,” He smiled. “So can you come to the party tonight?” “Yeah, I’ll be there.” His eyes lit up, and I felt myself getting weak. “Great! Bring your roommates!” “I don’t think Sofie will come, but I’ll try,” I laughed. “Who wouldn’t want to hang out with all this,” he asked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing toward himself. I laughed, shoving him slightly. “Maybe I’ll stay home after all,” I joked. “Hey now, some of us have feelings that might get a little hurt if a certain gorgeous brunette doesnt come to his party tonight.” “Well, I’m not sure if Emma will make it or not. She might have to work, but I’ll shoot her a text,” I said, teasing back at his obvious attempt at flirting. “You wound me,” He said, putting his hands over his heart. I rolled my eyes, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him in close to me to the point where his nose was almost grazing mine. He smelled faintly of sandalwood. “I’ll be there,” I said, pecking him lightly on the lips, before pushing him away from me and turning to face the professor. *** When I got home from class, I dropped my stuff off in my room and went to look for Sofie. Emma was in for the party tonight, but she was at work. She would be getting home about when we were heading over. That gave me a little bit of time to try and convince Sofie to come to the party tonight. It really wasn't such a bad idea. If she was tutoring Alex it would be great for her to get to know him in a different environment, one where he was more likely to be himself. There was the added bonus of getting to bring my best friend to a party with me. It was fun partying with Emma, but I always hoped I could get Sofie out with me too. I had been feeling like we haven’t been doing as much together since this semester started, and I missed her. I knocked gently on Sofie’s door, but heard no response. I decided just to go inside to see if she was in there. I saw Sofie’s form laying on the bed, so I turned on the light causing her to stir. Her eyes fluttered open as I sat down on the edge of her bed. “What the fuck, Ava?!” She said, jumping up a bit. She ran her fingers through her hair. I rested my head on my hands batting my eyelashes at her. “Good afternoon, sweet angel baby,” I greeted. Sofie groaned, laying back down on the bed, throwing her arm over her face to cover her eyes. “I swear to God I can’t take naps in this house. What do you want?” She said, peaking out at me from under her arm. “I want,” I started, laying down next to my friend. I snuggled myself up to her, rubbing my head on her shoulder, “you to come to a party with me tonight.” “No,” She said, pushing me away and rolling over so she wasn't facing me. “Sofie! Come on!” I yelled, sitting up in her bed. “No. Take Emma,” She said. I saw her try to pull her sheet up over her head. I held it down so she couldn't get it to move, causing her to give up. “Emma has to work.” “Go by yourself.” “No, no, no,” I sang. “I need a wingwoman. It’s against girl code to let your best friend go to a party by herself. I could get roofied and assaulted.” “I am so not in the mood for your fake girl code bullshit,” she groaned, turning to look at me again. “Don’t you have any other friends you can take partying with you?” “No.” “I’m not going.” “Oh, yes you are,” I nodded, smiling. “No. I have homework and a research paper I need to start. It’s not happening,” she said, and I rolled my eyes. “Sofie, Sofie, Sofie,” I said, with a slight shake of my head and a smirk playing on my lips. “You know as well as I do that you’re coming. So stop arguing and get your cute little ass out of bed so I can do your hair.” “I’m not going. And you’re not making me your little Barbie doll either.” “Sofie, we can either do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way,” I said, cocking an eyebrow. “You can’t bully me into going to a party with you, Ava.” “I’ll have sex in your bed,” I threatened, crossing my arms and staring her down. I was running out of ideas, but I really wanted her to go with me. “That’s disgusting.” “So come to the party with me.” “No.” “Then I’m going to bring home a stranger and fuck them right here in your bed,” I said. “Don’t act like you’re not going to meet up with Jack tonight,” she said, rolling her eyes at me. I narrowed my eyes a bit at her. “Fine. I’ll bring Jack home and we’ll have raunchy, dirty sex all over this room,” I said, gesturing to her room. “That’s not cool, Ava,” she fought back and I shook my head at her. “Exactly. And not going to this party with me wouldn’t be cool either,” I shrugged. “Your choice.” “Fine,” she sighed, finally giving in. She rolled her eyes at me as a smile broke out across my face. “Sweet! Now come on! You need to go take a shower so I can make you look like Beyonce!” “I could never be as hot as Beyonce,” she stated, causing me to giggle. “Obviously, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you look bootylicious,” I explained to her, as she rolled out of bed. She stood up and stretched slightly. “I have no booty to make licious,” she said, turning toward her bedroom door. I rolled my eyes and reached over to grab her ass. She shoo’d my hand away “Hey!” “I can work with it,” I said, pushing her out her bedroom door. Once she was out of her room, I went to work picking out a few outfit options for her. I set out 2 pairs of jeans that I knew looked great on her. Her shirts were harder for me to pick from, Sofie was a lot more modest that I was when it came to clothing. I found a couple things I thought were suitable and threw them on her bed as well, before heading to my own room to pick out an outfit. I picked out a low cut dark green cropped top and a pair of ripped high waisted jeans. While I waited for Sofie to shower and get dressed I put a slight curl in my hair and applied my own makeup. I heard the shower turn off right as I was finishing up. Smiling to myself at my impeccable timing, I gathered all the things I would need to get Sofie ready. *** It was just about time to go, when I got a text from Emma saying she was on her way home. I rummaged through my closet, finding my favorite pair of heeled combat boots to wear tonight. While searching, I found a black heel that would look great with Sofie’s outfit. I pulled them out of the closet, and carried them into the living room. I tossed them down on the couch next to her, before pulling on my own shoes. “I’m not wearing those,” she said shaking her head at the heels I brought her. “Yes you are.” “No. I’m not wearing your hooker heels to some dumb ass party you’re dragging me too. My shoes are fine.” “You’re lame,” I said, rolling my eyes and standing up. The front door burst open and Emma appeared, throwing off her shoes. “I’ll be ready in five minutes!” she yelled, peeling her shirt off and running down the hall to her room. “Um?” Sofie asked giving me a confused look, I giggled. “I don’t know. Emma’s silly,” I said, shrugging and adjusting my top, making sure my cleavage looked just right. “I thought she had to work,” she questioned. “She did. She just got off work,” I said, pointing to Emma’s discarded work shirt on the floor. “What?” Sofie asked, before the realization hit her. “Ava! You told me Emma couldn’t go to the party with you because she had to work! You liar!” “I never said when Emma had to work. Oh, did you assume I meant tonight?” I asked, trying to fight the grin back. “You are such a bitch,” she said, and I smiled at her. “Tell me something I don’t know.” “I’m not going,” she stated, crossing her arms over her chest, like a defiant child. “Yes you are. You’re dressed and ready to go and you’re not letting that hairstyle I just did for you go to waste,” I said, looking around to make sure I had everything I needed. “May I remind you of our little agreement, also?” “Goddamnit!” She yelled, throwing herself down on the couch with a pout. “I hate you.” “I know. I hate you too,” I said, and Emma ran back out of her room. She had thrown off her work jeans, and put on a simple black dress. She ran her fingers through her hair in an effort to make it look neater. “Alright, bitches. I’m ready,” she said. “Come on, Sofie,” I said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her up off the couch. She pouted as we walked down the hall to the elevator, dragging her feet in protest. “Stop pouting,” I said, as we got into the elevator. I reached over to adjust her shirt to hide the bra strap that was peaking out. “Stop touching me.” “You like it,” I teased. *** “Wow, I’m shocked you didn’t drag me to a frat house,” Sofie said, as we pulled up to the guy's house. “Oh no, this is way better,” Emma grinned, opening the door and climbing out. She stood outside adjusting her dress as we got out of the car. “Why?” Sofie asked. “You’ll see,” Emma grinned. “I don’t like this,” Sofie said as we approached the front door. We made our way inside, and the scene erupted. The familiar layout of the house was filled with bodies and loud music. The living room had been turned into a makeshift dance floor. A blink 182 song blasted throughout the room, mixed with the sound of people loudly trying to talk over the music.. “Can I leave now?” Sofie asked looking around. I scoffed and grabbed her hand. “Of course not. Let’s go get a drink,” I said, pulling her toward the kitchen. “Ava!” I heard a voice call out, before someone grabbed my hand. The familar face led Sofie and I to the kitchen. “Vinny!” I exclaimed, grinning at the boy. I let him lead us toward the kitchen. I was excited to see him. He wasn’t at the last party. Vinny was one of Jack’s friends, and he was so fun to be around. “What’s up?!” “Body shots!” he yelled. He grabbed a bottle of Tequila off the table, holding it into the air. The action was met with a cheer for the people in the room. I grinned at the group, recognizing a few of the faces. “How can I say no to that?” I answered in a giggle. I dropped Sofie’s hand, leaving her and Emma to find their own drinks. “You can say no, if any of these other dickheads ask to take shots off of you,” the familiar voice rang out. I turned, seeing Jack walking into the kitchen, he smirked at me. As always the sight of him excited me more than it should.
“You know I’m all yours,” I winked, biting my lip as he approached. He wrapped an arm around me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. My attention immediately pulled from my friends. “Come on JB!” Vinny yelled, thrusting the bottle at Jack. “She already agreed!” Jack raised an eyebrow at me, glancing at the tequila in his hand before a devilish smile spread across his face. “Get me a drink!” I yelled over at Vinny. I took the initiative and started moving bottles off the kitchen table and on to the counter. As I started, others started helping out. Vinny came back with a drink as I slid myself onto the table top. I took the drink for him, slamming it down before handing the cup back to him. “Are you really going to do this?” Jack asked next to me. “Only once,” I smiled, laying myself down on the table. “So you better make it a good one.” The people around us cheered, as Vinny brought the stuff for the shot over to the table. Vinny started setting up little shot glasses on the table, letting Jack fill them with tequila. Another guy, I recognized from another party started passing lime wedges out, as someone else started instructing people to lick their hands before sprinkling salt on them. I gave Vinny a confused look, he grinned and said, “No one should do shots alone.” I laughed, nodding my agreement. “Good call.” “Ready?” Jack asked, holding the open bottle of tequila. “Ready,” I said, pulling the waistband of my skirt down to expose my navel. Jack poured the alcohol on my navel, before sprinkling salt just below. I raise my eyebrow at the placement of the salt. “Alright, on the count of three, lick it, sip it, suck it!” Vinny yelled out. “1, 2, 3, Go!” At Vinny’s instruction everyone started doing their shots. In that moment Jack leaned down over me, licking the salt off my lower abdomen. The sensation brought tingles through my entire body. He quickly slurped up the shot of alcohol off my body, before biting into the lime I held out for him in my hand. My head felt dizzy from the experience, as I felt the ache of need pulse through me. The crowd around us cheered, pulling me back to reality. I adjusted my skirt backup to its proper place before sitting up. Vinny handed me my own shot and I threw it back. The crowd went back to doing their own things, and Jack helped me down from the table. His arms snaked around my waist, and he pulled me in for a kiss. I head was still swimming with desire, as he kissed me. I pulled away slightly and giggled, looking over his shoulder, remembering that I had brought friends here with me tonight. I saw Sofie talking to Rian and smiled. I was glad she found someone to chat with, Rian was a cool guy. “Let’s get another drink,” I said, taking Jack by the hand, and leading him to the alcohol.
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I sipped on my drink, leaning against the kitchen counter, as Jack talked to someone nearby. I felt a presence slide up next to me. Looking up, I smiled at Alex. “Hey buddy,” I said leaning, into him for a hug. “Hey Ave,” he greeted, giving me a side hug. He took a sip of his drink. “Having a good time?” I asked. “Of course! Hey, your roommate Sofie is my new tutor. What can you tell me about her?” I raised my eyebrows at him intrigued by his sudden interest in Sofie. “Why do you ask?” “I don’t know,” he shrugged, obviously trying to play it cool. “I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.” “Uh huh, sure Gaskarth.” I chuckled, taking another sip of my drink. “So what do you want to know? “What is she like?” he asked. “Sofie is great. She is accepting, loyal and would do anything for you once you are in her inner circle.” I said, thinking over the last few years of my friendship with Sofie. “But she won’t play games.” “Right,” he said, mulling it over. “So how do I get her attention?” I paused for a second, pondering his words. Was Alex interested in Sofie? It was unexpected but I kind of loved the idea. Alex could be just the right amount of excitement and spontaneity that Sofie needed. And though I hadn’t known Alex for long, Sofie always brought out the best in people. “Sofie is awkward,” I said, trying to think of the best advice I could give him. “It takes her a little bit of time to warm up to someone and get comfortable being herself. You aren’t going to win her over with tricks. The best way to win Sofie over is to genuinely be yourself. I know that sounds corny, but it’s true. Sofie finds humor endearing. She likes to have a good time, but she is a bit more tame. She likes to laugh and have good conversations. I would say, be playful, be funny and communicate well.” “I can do that,” he said, nodding. “I know you can,” I nudged him. “I’m rooting for you.” “I don’t know what you are talking about,” He said, trying to play it off. “Uh huh,” I laughed. I looked over to the other side of the kitchen at my friend. Sofie was still standing with Rian. Emma has just walked up and started talking to them. I watched them for a moment, before seeing Emma walk away. I grabbed Alex by the arm. “Oh! Here’s your chance. Let's go talk to her.” “Sofie!” I called out, leading Alex over to her. I dropped Alex’s arm and he slung it over my shoulder, giving me a slight hug as we walked over. I assumed it was a thanks. “Look who I found!” Sofie turned around, a slight look crossed her face before returning to her resting face. “Oh,” she said. Alex smirked down at her. Someone walked by and grabbed Rian by the arm leading him away. “Look who it is!” he said, dropping his arm from my shoulder. He positioned himself a bit closer to Sofie. “I thought you didn’t like mixing business with pleasure?” “I don’t know what you are talking about,” she said, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. She was obviously annoyed, I could tell by the way she was standing. Alex really must have fucked up their first interaction. He could still fix this. “Well, you wouldn’t take my offer on a coffee date, but you’ll show up to a party at my house? Is it just me?” “I didn’t know this was your house,” Sofie said, glaring at me. Oops, she caught me. “I told you that,” I said, nodding. I felt arms start to snake around my waist. The familiar smell of sandalwood. I giggled as Jack pulled me to his chest. “No you didn’t,” she said, and I nodded again. “Yes I did,” I confirmed, causing her to roll her eyes. “Anyway, can I get you a drink?” Alex asked Sofie. “No,” she said flatly. “No? Come on. We’ve got a stocked bar. There has to be something you’d like,” he offered. “I have to pee,” Sofie said, turning and walking out of the kitchen. Alex glanced over at me for help and I frowned. “What did I do?” he asked. “She is probably mostly annoyed with me right now.” I said hoping that was true. “This is probably going to take some time. I doubt you’ll win her over tonight.” “What are we talking about?” Jack asked. “Alex is trying to win Sofie over,” I said, turning to face him. “Aw hell yeah,” he nodded. “I support it.” *** Jack led me around on the makeshift dance floor for a while after we left Alex. Being around him was amazing. He seemed to genuinely enjoy being around me. There was something so thrilling about that. Meanwhile, I hadn’t heard from David since he tried to get me to come over for sex the night before. Jack led me off the dance floor, and we headed back over toward the kitchen. “I’ve gotta go to the bathroom,” He said. “I’ll come find you when I’m done.” “Okay,” I nodded. He leaned down, and pulled me into a kiss, leaving me breathless as he walked away. I took a second to get it together, before looking around for Sofie. I knew this wasn’t really her scene and I hadn’t seen her in awhile. As I walked through the kitchen, I caught sight of her through the door wall. She was sitting on the swing outside, talking to Rian again. I made my way through the crowd in the kitchen to go check on her. Sliding the door open, all I could hope was Rian wasn’t putting the moves on her. Sofie was just handing Rian back his phone, when I put myself down on her lap. She looked up at me surprised, obviously not seeing me approach. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” I said. “Sup Rian?” “Hey Ava,” he greeted. “Where have you been?” I asked. “I’ve been sitting here for like an hour,” she said. I gave her a confused look. “Why? The party is inside.” “Because I hate parties. You know that,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Alex is looking for you,” I said, causing her to raise an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure that was actually true but I wanted to gauge her reaction. “So?” “You know,” I said smirking, and she shook her head. “No, I don’t know, Ava,” she sighed. “Why aren’t you with Jack?” “He has to pee and I was worried about you.” “I’m fine. Rian and I have been talking,” she told me, and I nodded. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get kidnapped or lost or something,” I said, sliding off her lap. “I’m a big girl, Ava.” “Yeah, yeah,” I waved her off, and I headed back inside. I was glad to see she was alright. I knew she probably would have preferred being home. I wander back inside and was immediately greeted by Jack pulling me into his arms. “I was looking for you,” he said. “I was just checking on Sofie,” I grinned at him. “Come with me?” He asked. I nodded, and he led me up the stairs to his bedroom. With the door shut it dulled the noise from the party, but I could still hear the faint sound of the music, and the hum of voices talking. He led me over to his bed and we sat down. He pulled me closer to him and pressed his lips to mine. Electricity pulsed through me, just like it was the first time he had ever kissed me. I pulled myself onto his lap, not breaking the kiss. Straddling his waist. He reached up, letting his fingers tangle in my hair. My phone started to buzz. The ring filled the room as it vibrated in the pocket of my skirt. I pulled away from Jack slightly. He held me in place and shook his head. “Just let it ring,” he said. I listened to him, crashing our lips together again. After a few second it stopped ringing. That’s when the chiming started. Several texts came through, then my phone started to ring again. I sighed, pulling away from Jack and digging my phone out of my pocket. I glanced down at the name. David. “I have to answer it,” I said standing up. “I’ll be right back.” Jack nodded, obviously a little disappointed. I slipped out of his room and into the nearby bathroom. Shutting the door, I answered the call. “Hello?” “Hey!” “David, you told me you would call today and you are waiting until ten at night to call?” I scoffed. “Yeah, sorry babe. I got busy gaming with the guys. But I’m free now. Why don’t you come over?” “I’m busy,” I said flatly. “What could you possibly be doing? Just come see me.” “I’m at a party with my roommates. I’m not just going to leave.” “I haven’t seen you in so long,” he said. “That is your own fault. We were supposed to hang out last night. I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” “Wait,” he said. I paused waiting for him to continue. “I’ll make it up to you. I love you.” “Okay,” I sighed, “love you too.” I felt the guilt settle in my stomach again. I did love David, but I wasn’t sure it was the same love it used to be. Things had been rocky and frustrating between us. I felt like an afterthought to him most of the time. But I couldn’t let him go. He has been there for me for so long. I stuffed my phone into my pocket. I was so torn because I couldn’t lead Jack on, but I didn’t want to leave him alone. We had to talk. I went back to his room, shutting the door behind me. He was laying on his bed, but he sat up when I came in the room, reaching his arms out to me. I sat down on his lap, looking up at him. “What’s wrong?” He asked. I hadn’t realized he would notice there was something bothering me. It caught me off guard. David never seemed to notice when I was upset. I felt tears pool in my eyes at the thought. I wiped them away, trying to steady myself before speaking. “That was David,” I started. “The guy I told you about when we first started talking.” “Yeah,” he nodded, grimacing. I had told Jack that I had a boyfriend, he insisted we could just be friends. I think he and I both knew at this point we had moved past the just friends. “I remember. What about him?” “I’m still dating him,” I started, “and I’m feeling really guilty.” “Then break up with him,” he said, brushing the hair out of my face and looking me in the eyes. “It’s not that easy,” I said. “Why? Because you love him? You don’t seem very happy to be with him.” “I don’t know how I feel about him right now,” I sighed. I looked down at my hand. “We have been together for so long, and he was so much for me. Lately I haven’t felt that same spark with him.” “So that’s why you are here with me?” He questioned. “Yes and no,” I said looking back up into his eyes. I could see some of the hurt on his features and it killed me. “What do you mean? It sounds like you are unhappy. You shouldn’t be miserable with the person you are dating.” “I didn’t think I was, until I met you,” I admitted. Tears started flowing more freely now as I admitted to myself and to Jack, that he had been the reason I have been questioning so much. Jack sighed, wiping the tears from my cheeks. He rested his head against mine, speaking softly. “So what do you want to do?” “I don’t want to lead you on,” I sobbed, “but I don’t want to let you go either. You’ve been fantastic and fun, and I really like spending time with you.” He pulled me into his chest, hugging me before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. The sweet action just broke my heart more. He was amazing, and I was going to ruin him. “I don’t want you to leave,” he said softly. “Just stay here with me.” “I can’t be all in,” I said, looking to meet his gaze again. “I need time to figure out if I want to leave David. But I don’t want to drag you along while I do that.” “Drag me,” he pleaded, eyes meeting mine. I saw a glimmer of hurt in his eyes. I hated that I had to do this to him. He had been so perfect and I was ruining “I don’t want to hurt you, Jack,” I cried. “Ava,” he said softly. “It’ll hurt more if you don’t even let me have a chance.” “How am I supposed to give you a chance?” I asked. “Don’t leave. Let’s just keep doing this.” “That’s not fair to you,” I said. “That will be my problem. You’ve told me the risks.” “Jack,” I started to say, but he shook his head. “I won’t ruin your relationship, but give me a chance to show you how much better life could be with me.” “I don’t know,” I sighed. I was so conflicted. I didn’t want to be the girl who led him on, but I loved how much he wanted to spend time with me. I just wanted to be around him. “Let’s just keep it casual,” he offered. “See what happens.” “Are you sure?” I asked. “That really would be okay with you?” “As soon as it’s not, I’ll tell you. And we can go from there.” “Okay,” I said, nodding slowly. This wasn’t right but I didn’t want to stop being around him. This gave me the opportunity to see what could happen. He smiled, and my chest fluttered. He leaned down and kissed me softly.
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“No,” I said, crossing my arms. I was standing in the bathroom doorway, watching her put pins in her hair, and check herself out. “What do you mean no?” She asked. I raised my eyebrow at her. “You’re not allowed to go on a date with Rian. I forbid it,” I declared. She gave me an incredulous look. “You do realize you aren’t my mom, right? You can’t just forbid me from going on a date with someone.” “Yes I can.” “Okay, why do you ‘forbid’ me from going on a date with Rian?” She asked sarcastically. “Because you’re supposed to date Alex,” I said simply, and she glared over at me. “No.” “You haven’t even given him a chance! Sofie, you’ll love him!” “I seriously doubt that.” “Come on! I took you to that party last night ‘cause he wanted to hang out with you and you just blew him off!” “Right, I’m so sure,” she said, rolling her eyes. I didn't have a good rebuttal. I heard a door open from down the hall and footsteps coming down the hallway. I looked up seeing Alex, stop next to me. He looked a mess, just standing there in underwear with his hair all over the place. “Hey, Can I piss real fast?” He asked. Sofie looked really irritated. She scoffed and moved past him, and me. I followed after her, and she turned around and glared at me as soon as the bathroom door shut. “Yeah, he really wanted to hang out with me last night. That’s totally why he came home and slept with Emma again.” “That doesn’t mean he likes Emma-” I started, about to argue, but she cut me off. “Ava, I think you’re missing the part where he had sex with her. I really don’t think he gave a shit about hanging out with me,” she fought back. “Well you rejected him for Rian last night and Rian rejected Emma for you, so they just ended up back up with each other,” I explained. It wasn't wrong and sometimes sex is just sex. Last night Sofie brought me home. I could have stayed with Jack, but after our talk and David’s call, I was in kind of a mood and thought it would be better to get out of his way. Then I heard Emma come home with Alex. I could hear her gigging as they snuck down to her room. I was already comfortable in bed, and as they passed I heard my bedroom door creak open. I startled and sat up as Jack snuck into my room. He drove them over to our place. The simple act of him coming to be with me made me melt. “I hope they had fun bonding over their mutual disdain for me then,” she said, rolling her eyes as I heard the sound of the toilet flush in the bathroom. “I am so fucking sick of seeing your guys’ one night stands walking around the apartment half-naked.” “You wouldn’t be saying that if you were the one getting laid,” I teased, crossing my arms. “Okay. Maybe I’ll just go out and fuck Jack tonight.” “Fine, but I don’t think Rian would appreciate that very much,” I said, calling her bluff causing her to groan. “And why would you do that, anyway? To make me jealous because you’re jealous that Alex is fucking Emma?” “Ugh, Ava, you’re such a pain in the ass! Go away,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Not until you agree to cancel your date with Rian,” I said, standing my ground. “No!” she huffed. The bathroom door open, and Alex walked out. He ran a hand through his hair. He smirked over at Sofie and I watched her Glare. “Hey dollface,” He greeted Sofie, leaning against the wall. “Ava, is Jack still here?” “Yeah, he’s sleeping,” I answered, smirking over at Sofie. “but you can wait here until he wakes up. There’s some cereal in the kitchen if you’re hungry. You can help yourself.” “Sweet.” “Kay, I have to finish getting ready,” Sofie said, pushing past him and going back into the bathroom. I rolled my eyes and followed Alex out to the living room. He went into the kitchen to make a bowl of cereal. I sat myself down on the couch, turning on the tv, before getting an idea. I got back up and grabbed all of Sofie’s shoes from next to the door. I had to put them somewhere she wouldn’t look. I opened the hall closet, checking to make sure she wasn't looking. I put her shoes in the back of the closet and covered them up with the towels. After I hid them I went back into my room to check on Jack. He was still sleeping peacefully. I left the room, and went down the hall just as I started hearing Sofie yelling. “What the fuck?” She yelled, “Ava!” “What?” I asked, she turned around and put her hands on her hips. “Where are my shoes?” “I don’t know. Where’d you take them off at?” I shrugged. She sighed, obviously irritated. “Ava, this is not funny. Rian is supposed to be here in ten minutes. What did you do with my shoes?” “I’m not in charge of your shoes, Sofie.” “Ava! I have at least three pairs of shoes by this door normally, and none of them are here! What did you do with them?!” She demanded, pointing to the shoe holder by the door. I raised my eyebrow at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I guess you better hurry up and find them,” I said, shrugging again and heading into the kitchen. “Goddamnit, Ava!” She growled, she looked over at Alex, who was sitting down on the armchair with his cereal. “Did you see where she put my shoes?” “Sorry, dollface,” he said. I heard her suck in a breath. I got a water bottle out of the fridge. “My name is Sofie!” She yelled, before storming down the hall. “Emma!” “Yes?” I heard Emma’s voice say. “Um, hi?” “Did Ava put my shoes in here?” I heard Sofie asked. I set my water down and looked over at Alex. He laughed at me shaking his head. “Why did you do this?” He asked, amused. I shrugged, “I just dont think she should go out with Rian.” “You’re ridiculous,” he laughed, a grin playing on his lips. “You’re welcome,” I teased him, walking down the hall and over to Emma’s room. “You can borrow a pair of mine if you want,” I heard Emma say, just as I got to the doorway. “No she can’t,” I said, shooting Emma a look. Hoping she would get the hint. Emma raised her eyebrow at me. “Why not?” “Because she’s not going on this date.” “Why?” “Because I said so!” “Why are you stopping Sofie from going on a date? We should be happy Sofie’s going on a date!” Emma said, confusion evident on her face. “Because she’s not listening to me!” I complained. “Shut up, Ava,” Emma said, waving over at Sofie. “Take whichever pair you want.” “Thank you, Emma,” Sofie said, giving me a dirty look. I sighed and rolled my eyes leaving the room. I threw myself down on the couch, just as the doorbell started to ring. “I got it,” Alex said, standing up and pulling the door open. “Hey, bro,” he said, pulling Rian into a half hug. I saw Sofie appear in the living room, glaring over at Alex. “Why are you answering the door? You don’t live here,” she asked and he just shrugged. “Whatever,” she said, rolling my eyes and giving Rian a smile. “Hey! How are you?” “Good,” he answered, flashing his iconic smile. “You look pretty.” “Thank you,” she blushed, setting the shoes down and putting them on. “You ready to go?” “Yeah,” he grinned. “Cool. I’ll be home later, Ava,” Sofie said, I flipped her off as she left. I picked the remote backup and started to look for something to watch. Emma made her way into the living room, sitting down on the other end of the couch. “Oh!” she exclaimed, “I’ve been wanting to see that movie.” “I have too,” Alex said. I read the synopsis of the movie, before nodding in agreement. “That sounds good,” I said. “I’m going to wake Jack up and we can watch it. Emma, make popcorn.” “On it!” she smiled.
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I curled up next to Jack as we watched the movie. It was hard to pay attention to as he drew lazy circles on my leg with his finger. Emma and Alex were engrossed in the movie, occasionally throwing out theories about how it was going to end. I felt my phone vibrate and looked down at a text from David. I sighed, gaining Jack’s attention. I opened the text knowing full well he was looking over my shoulder.
Let me make it up to you tomorrow?
I felt Jack pull me closer to him, a bit possessively as I read over the text. It was kind of cute. I typed back my response, hearing Jack scoff and he read it over my shoulder.
You aren’t going to cancel on me again to go party with “the guys”.
The text response came back almost immediately.
I said I was sorry. So I’ll see you tomorrow?
No, you never actually said you were sorry. That’s fine. See you tomorrow.
Another text came through, but I had already put my phone down. sighed, and I looked up at him. He was still looking down at me, but he looked slightly annoyed. “Sorry,” I started to say, feeling a little awkward about the whole thing. His expression softened, and he leaned down, catching my lips with his. Kissing Jack pushed all thoughts of David from my mind. It didn’t last long though, after a few seconds he was pulling away. I gave him a look, raising my eyebrow in confusion. Without saying a word he moved to stand. He held his hand out, and I took it. He led me down the hallway to my room. I could hear Alex let out a wolf whistle from the living room and Emma giggled. I laughed, as he shut the door to my room, pulling me over to my bed. I climbed onto the bed, and he straddled me., Settling between my thighs, he kissing me again. I lost myself in him. His hands roamed my body, lingering on the exposed skin from where my shirt rose up. His lips moved against mine as he ran his hands up and down my sides. I tangled my hands through his hair. I felt his tongue tracing my bottom lip, and I parted my lips, feeling his tongue slip into my mouth. I tugged lightly on his hair as he kissed. His hands found the hem of my shirt and he started inching it up further. We broke away, as he pushed my shirt up and pulled it over my head. He threw it to the side, and hastily pulled his shirt over his head. He discarded that as well before bringing me back to him. I moaned at the warmth of his skin against mine. He tugged on the waistband of my shorts. I lifted my hips up so he could get them off, He gasped into my mouth, as I fumbled with the button on his pants, sliding my hand past them and grabbing onto his erection. He didn’t let that last long, before we both managed to get out of our clothes. He lifted me up, rolling onto his back so I was straddling him. I slid myself down onto him, gasping out as I did. He let out a grunt, bucking up into me, sending pleasure through me and making me moan. He placed his hands on my hips. I moved in slow rhythmic motions, for a few moments before leaning down, kissing him again. He guided me with his hands, trying to make me move faster. I sat up, pushing my I put my hands on his chest, rotating my hips at the speed I set, teasing him. "Fuck," he moaned, flipping us over again. He quickened the pace. I wrapped my arms around him, digging my nails into his back. He kissed me hungrily, running one of his hands along my body. I moaned again, grinding against him. He slid a hand between us, easily locating my clit. He moved his hand in dizzying circles that left me breathless. He grunted, and I felt his hips start to move faster, thrusts getting sloppy, before he slowed himself. He moved at a slower pace, giving me more of his attention. I felt my body shake in pleasure, as I started to reach my orgasm. He read my body language seamlessly, picking up the pace as I reached my peak. He pushed me over the edge, pleasure and electricity coursing through me. He moaned out, picking up his pace, before he stopped as he released into me. We both rode out our orgasms, kissing, and hands touching every inch of skin. He relaxed on top of me before he pulled out, rolling so he was laying next to me. He pulled me close and I snuggled into him as I caught my breath. We laid there for a while, not really talking, until there was a loud pounding on my bedroom door. “Hey bitches,” Emma’s voice yelled out, “pull out and get the fuck out here. We are turning on The Officd, and we aren’t waiting for you to finish fucking!” *** We had gone back out to the living room to watch the Office with Emma and Alex, but Jack kept kissing my neck. We were sitting in the arm chair together, Jack had pulled me into his lap. We got maybe through half of the first episode before we were making out. I heard the front door open and close. “Welcome back, dollface,” I heard Alex say, making me realize Sofie was home. “How was your date?” “Why are you always here?” She asked. “I see enough of you at our fucking tutoring sessions. I don’t want to see you when I come home to relax.” “Well then, maybe we should just move our tutoring sessions to here,” he said, “You can be my private tutor.” “You’re disgusting. Get out of my house,” Sofie said. “Eh, sorry. My ride’s over there making out with your roommate,” he said. Jack snaked his arm around me tighter, at the mention. Making it clear he was not ready to separate by keeping me pressed firming against him. “You can walk,” Sofie huffed, before hearing her footsteps walk away. After a few seconds I heard another set of footsteps walk away. I could hear some conversation in the kitchen, but tuned it out, focusing on the man I was sitting on. I couldn’t stop myself, being with him was exciting and so much fun. The sex was incredible, and he was ungodly attractive. “Ava!” I heard Sofie yell from the kitchen. “Ava! Get the fuck in here before I stab your friend!” “If you get blood on the floor you’re cleaning it up,” Emma responded. I could hear her walking toward the kitchen, so I assumed she was handling whatever Sofie was mad about. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” I heard Sofie yell, coming out of the kitchen. I pulled away from Jack, figuring I should see what all the commotion was about. “What the fuck are you yelling about?” I asked. Jack continued to kiss my neck. Sofie looked unamused as she scoffed in disgust. She picked one of the pillows up off the couch and threw it at me. “Ow! Bitch,” I yelled. I took the pillow and flung it back. She dodged it and it fell on the floor. She kicked the pillow across the floor. “I am tired of your little manwhores!” She yelled, storming off. “Get fucked!” I yelled back, rolling my eyes. Alex and Emma walked back into the kitchen settling down on the couch. I slid off Jack, and sat on the arm of the chair. I looked over to the tv noticing we were no longer watching The Office. “When did you change the show?” I asked, causing Emma and Alex to laugh. “About Episode 3,” Emma said. “We rented another movie since you bitches weren’t watching anyway.” “I was paying attention,” Jack said. “The only thing you were paying attention to is Ava,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. “Well, can you blame him?” I teased. I heard Sofie’s door close, and she came back out into the leaving room, putting on her shoes by the door that I so graciously put back. “Are you leaving again?” I asked, and she nodded. “Oh, are you done sucking face?” She asked, putting on her Vans. “We’re watching a movie. Stop being an asshole and answer my question,” I said annoyed with her. I understand being annoyed but she was acting bitchy. “Brendon’s coming to get me,” I answered, rolling her eyes. “Ooh, can I come?” Emma asked, taking a sip of her Pepsi, a smirk plastered on her face. “Who’s Brendon?” Alex asked and Sofie scoffed. “My best friend,” She said, glaring at him. “Mhm. He’s a babe,” Emma agreed. “He can come and get me any day.” “Shut up, Emma,” Sofie said, holding back a laugh. “Where are you guys going? We rented movies. Why don’t you stay and watch them with us?” Alex offered. I could tell by Sofie’s body language she wasn’t having it. “That’s okay. I’ll watch them later. I’ll be back!” Sofie left the apartment, and Emma picked up the remote to restart the movie. “Are you two going to actually watch the movie now?” Alex teased. I rolled my eyes and stood up. “I’m getting more snacks,” I laughed.
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I stirred awake, feeling Jack’s skin pressed against mine. I smiled, snuggling up to him and feeling his arm unconsciously wrap around me. I could still hear the steady sound of his breathing as a light snore escaped his lips. Alex had Zack come pick him up after the movie yesterday. Jack couldn’t keep his hands off me, and I wasn’t quite ready for him to leave either. Jack and I escaped to my room, after Alex left. We spent the rest of the night playing video games and teasing each other. Which led to more sex. Eventually, I just asked him to stay the night again. Jack had an energy about him that I got lost in when we were together. He was so easy to be around, and I always enjoyed our time. He was funny and exciting and I couldn’t stop thinking about him when we were apart. The feeling was conflicting. I hadn’t felt this way with David. He and I had some moments at the beginning of our relationship, but it quickly fizzled as he got more comfortable around me. David never acted like he couldn’t get enough of me. Jack did. Jack stirred, and pulled me closer to him. I felt him kiss the top of my head, stretch a bit, then pull me even closer to him. His morning wood pressing against me. I looked up at him, a sleepy lopsided grin plastered on his face. He was gorgeous even waking up with messy hair and a sleepy grin. “Hey,” he said, voice husky with sleep. He ran his hand along my body, still naked from the night before. “Hey,” I answered back, smiling up at him. “How much time do we have?” He asked, referring to my plans with David for the day. “A couple hours,” I said. He hummed, seeming to ponder that for a moment before kissing me. “I can work with that,” he said, moving so he was straddling me. *** I stood in the bathroom brushing my teeth, and doing my morning skin care routine. As I was applying my moisturizer, I started smelling something burning. Confused, I quickly rubbed it into my skin and went to investigate. I called out into the hallway and followed my nose to the kitchen. “Fuck, shit!” Jack said standing in front of the stove. He flipped something into the plate next to him and groaned at the blackened mass. “What are you doing?” I asked, startling him. He looked back at me, a light flush appearing on his cheeks. “I was trying to make us French Toast for breakfast to surprise you. I guess it’s more like American toast now,” he said, running his hand through his hair. I laughed, walking over to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. “Maybe you forgot to add something?” I offered. “It shouldn’t be hard right? There are only a few ingredients!” He said picking up his phone off the counter and looking at the recipe he had pulled up. “Why don’t we try again together?” I offered. He smiled down at me pulling me into a kiss before moving to throw away the burnt French toast. “Let’s do it,” he said, handing me his phone. The simple act of trust to hand me his phone gave me butterflies.“Maybe you can decipher this recipe, I clearly can’t.” I grinned looking over the very simple recipe he was trying to find. Trying hard not to pick on him for messing it up. It was really sweet that he was trying. I reread the recipe put to him and watched as he tried really carefully to make sure he got it right. He put the first two pieces in the pan and we watched it together. He wrapped his free arm around my waist again, nuzzling his face into my hair before I looked up to kiss him. He deepened the kiss, holding me close to him. I pushed away from him and laughed. “You’re going to burn this one too if you keep that up,” I teased. “Oh shit,” he said, turning to look at the perfectly cooked french toast. He flipped it onto the plate, before getting another two pieces. He watched the next pieces intently, cooking them up before putting them on another plate. I poured us both a glass of orange juice and we sat down with our breakfast. “This is very good,” I smiled at him. “Thank you for breakfast. This was really sweet.” He smiled, “It was only this good because of you. I burnt the shit out of that first one.” I laughed, “I don’t understand how you did that.” He blushed a little, his goofy grin appearing on his face again, “I might have gotten distracted watching a YouTube video on how to defeat that boss we got stuck on last night.” I smiled at the memory of the two hours Jack and I spent trying to get past a boss in the video game we were playing. “What did you find out?” I asked. Jack launched into an animated explanation of what we had been doing wrong and what we needed to do. His excitement about it was contagious. “I wish we had more time today,” he said excitedly. “I really think we could beat it.” “Me too. Maybe we can try it tomorrow,” I offered, taking another bite of the french toast. He grinned, “Perfect.” After breakfast, Jack and I cleaned up the mess from cooking. He followed me to the bathroom as I prepped the shower. He leaned against the sink, watching me. I adjusted the temperature of the water, before going and grabbing two towels. I sat them down in the bathroom before quickly stripping, aware of his eyes on me the whole time. I stepped in, before turning to look at him. “Are you going to just stand there or are you getting in?” I winked, starting to pull the shower curtain closed. I saw his eyes widen as he straightened il and grabbed his shirt, before I shut the curtain. I giggled to myself and I heard him fumble with his clothes before the curtain opened and he slipped inside. He used every excuse to touch me, lathering soap on me, before washing himself. I put shampoo in my hand before handing him the bottle, lathering it up in my hair. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back into the water, rinsing it out. I felt Jack grab me by the waist and bring his body so it was touching mine. When the shampoo was out of my hair, I looked back up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He moved his hands down my sides and over my butt, lifting me slightly as he did and pulling me tight against his growing erection. We surprisingly got through the shower without having sex but he made sure to tease me in every way he could. We made out before getting dressed, but we were running out of time before he had to leave. I kept trying to start something, but he kept pushing off my advances with more teasing that was driving me mad. We both got dressed, before he got ready to leave. His kiss left my head swimming, leaving me wanting him, practically begging him to take me again. But I knew our time had run out. After he left I threw myself down on the couch. Frustrated, because all I wanted was for him to keep touching me. I threw my arm over my eyes annoyed I heard the door to the apartment open and I looked to see Sofie enter. She kicked off her shoes, before looking up at me. “Where’s Jack? I thought you two were conjoined?” She asked. I groaned internally thinking about the last 24 hours he had spent with me.
“David’s coming over,” I responded, causing her cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t know David was even still in the equation. I thought you were getting rid of him,” she questioned. “It’s on my list of things to do,” I shrugged. The thought was creeping up more and more that I needed to end things with David. But there was a security there that I wasn’t ready to let go of. “Ava!” Sofie exclaimed, shaking her head. “How does Jack feel about this?” “Claims he doesn’t give a fuck, but definitely put his all into it when we were having sex this morning,” I said, trying to push the memories of this morning down, so I didn’t work myself up again. “So you think he’s jealous?” “I don’t know. It’s Jack. He acts like he doesn’t have feelings,” I shrugged again. “But you like him,” she stated. “Yeah, he’s cool,” I said and she rolled her eyes. I did like him. He was everything I wanted, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him. “Whatever, Ava,” she said. “So what are you and David going to do?” “I don’t know. Probably something super boring,” I said, rolling my eyes. I was already annoyed thinking about it. He had really pissed me off. I wasn’t okay with him blowing me off to hang out with his friends. I was his girlfriend, he should want to hang out with me too. “Sounds like you’ll have a blast,” she said and I hummed my sarcastic agreement. “Oodles. What are you doing tonight?” “Probably sitting around here doing nothing. Maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll have a Criminal Minds marathon or something on.” “Then you’ll be having way more fun than me,” I sighed dramatically, standing up. “I have to go get ready for my ‘date’ now. Excuse me.” Sofie laughed as I walked away to get ready. I put on a basic pair of leggings and a cute shirt. I didn’t feel like putting that much effort into getting ready. David didn’t really deserve my full effort right now. I was still upset with him for canceling on me, but I still liked to dress up. Putting effort into my appearance always made me feel better about myself. It made me feel confident and put me in a better mood. I was deciding if I wanted to do my hair, when I heard my phone go off. I picked up the phone, seeing a text from David. I expected him to be telling me he was on his way, I frowned when I saw the text.
Hey, I know I was going to come over but can you come here? I’ll buy you food.
I rolled my eyes and replied that I would. I was a bit annoyed, but I wanted to give him the chance to make it up to me. If that meant I had to go over to his place, that was fine. I decided that wasn’t worth me putting in the effort to do my hair. It looked good enough as it was. I put on a light amount of makeup before gathering up my bag and getting ready to leave. I was putting on my shoes when I noticed Sofie was no longer in the living room. I left the apartment, heading over to my boyfriend’s place. *** “How old is this pizza?” I asked, eyeing the plate David handed me. “I got it yesterday,” he said, rolling his eyes. He sat back down on the couch next to me. “You didn’t even heat it up?” I asked, picking up a slice. “No princess,” he sighed. “The microwave is broken. Would you just eat the damn pizza, you said you were hungry.” I rolled my eyes, taking a bite of the cold pizza. I took a drink of the Mountain Dew he had given me. “You know you can heat pizza in the oven,” I offered, as I took another bite. “Oh my god,” he groaned. “Will you please just drop it?” “Fine. Sorry,” I said, eating another bite of my pizza. I looked over at my boyfriend. He was cute, his shaggy light brown hair definitely needed a cut. He was attractive, which is what interested me in the first place. The spark just wasn't there anymore. Our relationship felt stagnant, but I felt like I owed it to him to see if it could be saved. “I just got a new game,” David said after a few minutes. “I thought we could play it. Does that sound good?” He smiled over at me and I nodded, “That sounds good.” He booted up his xbox, getting the controllers and handing me one of them. He started up the game, and we started playing it. Playing games with David wasn’t as fun as playing with Jack was last night. It was fine, gaming was a big part of our relationship. But I wasn’t having as much fun. My thoughts kept drifting to Jack. I had such a great time with him the night before, and even this morning. The fact that he couldn't keep his hands off me drove me wild. I couldn't remember the last time David was like that with me. We played for a few hours, before we took a break. David was getting too mad at the game. He turned on a random tv show, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into him. He pulled me into a kiss. He deepened it, and part of me just wanted it to end. There wasn't the electricity that I had felt with Jack. There was still something there, I still cared about him, but the love I felt for him was changing. We made out for a little while, before I pulled away from him to use the bathroom. I couldn’t get out of my own head, being here with David just felt wrong. The guilt I was feeling about wanting to be with someone else was eating at me. I pulled out my phone when I was in the bathroom and saw a few Snapchat notifications from Jack. I smiled, excited to see what he sent me. I opened up the picture, seeing Jack, shirtless with his pants riding low on his hips, with a devil horn filter on. I quietly giggled to myself. I tapped the screen seeing another picture appear. It was a picture of a very clearly naked Jack, but all the parts I had been longing to see again were covered with his blanket as he laid in his bed. I bit my lip, preparing to send back my own snap, when I saw there was another one. The next one made my jaw drop. There was no teasing anymore, just a full dick pic. I stared at it for a while, before moving past it. I save the pictures in our chat. Before adjusting my cleavage and sending him back a pouty face. A response back came quickly, a picture of his with a smirk, obviously still naked laying in bed. I sent him a chat, calling him a tease. Before stuffing my phone in my pocket and trying to regain my composure. I took a few minutes extra in the bathroom, before exiting to go back to David. When I got back I noticed he had fallen asleep on the couch. I sigh and rolled my eyes, I nudged him gently trying to wake him but he didn’t even stir. I sat down on the couch and contemplated for a few minutes what to do. He obviously wasn’t going to wake up easily. I decided to take the opportunity and just go home. I got up, grabbing my things and sliding on my shoes quietly, before slipping out the door.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was still early when I got back home. I kicked off my shoes and went to grab something to eat that was better shitty leftover cold pizza. I made myself a sandwich, and looked around for my roommates. Neither of them were in their rooms. Emma’s work shoes weren’t by the door, so I assumed she was at work. That’s when I also noticed Sofie’s signature Vans weren’t by the door either. I eyed the empty space by the door curiously, before finishing my sandwich. I fished my phone out of my pocket, and looked for Sofie’s number. I clicked her contact, and put the phone up to my ear, wandering into my room as I waited for her to pick up. “Yo,” Sofie answered. “Where the fuck are you and why didn’t you make me dinner, whore?” I asked, laying down on my bed. “I’m at a cookout at Rian’s, currently playing croquet with Jack and Alex,” She replied. I raised my eyebrow at the mention of her interacting with Alex willingly. “Ugh, seriously? Who told you you could leave the house?” I asked, sighing dramatically into the phone. I threw my hand over my eye for emphasis even though she couldn’t see it. “I’m sorry, evil stepmother,” She said, “I thought you were with David.” “We ate cold pizza and played video games and then he fell asleep after a shitty makeout session. I could have stayed home and did that with Emma,” I said, causing Sofie to laugh. “Why don’t you come hang out here then?” Sofie asked. I smiled, excited about the thought of getting to see Jack again. “I will. I need to change my clothes,” I said, sitting up, and moving to my closet. “How sexy does Jack look tonight?” “I don’t know,” Sofie said. I rolled my eyes. How could she not notice how sexy the attractive man she was hanging out with looked tonight. “Come on, Sofie! I need to know how hot I need to be when I get there,” I huffed, sliding the clothes in my closet around looking for the perfect outfit. “I don’t know. He looks like he always looks,” She said. “Fine. I’ll just show as much cleavage as I can,” I said, pulling a shirt out of my closet. I looked it over, before rejecting it and putting it back. “Sounds good.” “I’ll see you in like a half hour,” I said. “Alright, Ava. See you soon,” She said, and I hung up the phone. I threw my phone down on my bed, and got to work picking out the perfect outfit. It was a cook out so I didn't have to wear something slutty, but I wanted to look good. I settled on one of my favorite low cut crop tops and a pair of ripped jeans. I changed into my outfit before going to the bathroom. I pulled out my curling iron, to put a slight wave in my hair. As it heated up, I brushed my teeth and put a little more effort into my makeup. Once I was satisfied with my look, I went back to my room and grabbed my phone. I picked out my heeled combat boots, and quickly got out the door. ***
I pulled up to the house, and parked my car on the side of the road. The door was unlocked, and I let myself in. Looking around for anyone. I could hear people talking outside when I entered the kitchen. I slid the door wall open and closed it. Seeing Sofie sitting with Rian. “Hey,” I said, grabbing Sodie’s drink and taking a sip from it. “Where’s Jack?”
“I think he went inside to get more beer from the basement,” Rian said. I noticed he was holding Sofie’s hand. “I’m gonna go find him,” I said, turning to walk away. “Hey, I’ll be right back,” I heard Rian say from behind me. I slid the door open, and checked behind me seeing Rian walking in too. He shut the door behind us, walking over to the fridge. “How is it going, Ri?” I asked Rian, pausing to take a minute to talk to him. “Good,” he smiled, “really good. You?” “I’m good. Seems like things with Sofie are going well,” I said, prying just a little out of curiosity. “Yeah I think so. She is great,” he said, opening up the fridge and grabbing a pop. He grabbed his phone out of pocket and typed for a moment before smiling back at me. “I’m glad.” I said, “Catch you later.” “Later Ava,” he waved, as I walked away. I made my way down the basement stairs, smiling a bit as I heard Jack singing to himself. I crept quietly, sneaking up behind him. He obviously came down to make a beer run, because there were two cases sitting nearby. It seemed he had gotten a bit distracted since he was standing over the small table rolling a joint. I quietly snaked my arms around his waist, feeling him jump a little at the unexpected movement. “Hello?” He asked confused, trying to turn to see who had grabbed his waist. “Hi,” I giggled. He paused, stopping what he was doing, before turning to face me. A big goofy smile was plastered on his face. “Hi,” he grinned, leaning down and kissing me. “I thought you were busy tonight.” “I got bored,” I laughed. “He fell asleep, so I left.” Jack rolled his eyes, but smiled down at me. “I’m glad he fell asleep.” “Me too,” I said, smiling up at him. “Want to smoke with me?” He asked, not breaking eye contact. “Do dolphins swim?” I asked, like the answer should be obvious. He rolled his eyes, playfully pushing me away. He turned back to finish rolling the joint, and I stood next to him watching. When he finished he grabbed my hand and we started walking upstairs. “Weren’t you supposed to be getting more beer?” I asked, laughing, as we headed upstairs. “They’ll figure it out,” he shrugged. I chuckled as I followed him out to the front porch. We sat down on the steps, and he fished around his pocket for a lighter. He pulled out a purple lighter, and lit the joint, waiting for it to burn a little before taking a hit and passing it to me. I took a hit and let the smoke fill my lungs, before passing it back. I held it in for a minute before exhaling. We sat in a comfortable quiet for a little bit, just passing the joint back and forth until we were both done. The sky was starting to darken a bit as the sun crept closer to sunset. I leaned over, resting my head on his shoulder as we sat outside. I heard the front door open behind us. “There you are. Jack you were supposed to be getting beer,” Zack said, as we both turned to look at him. His expression changed as he noticed me sitting beside Jack. “Oh, hi Ava.” “Hi Zack,” I giggled. “Sorry, my bad. I stole Jack away from his beer run.” Zack waved his hand, “All good.” “I left it right at the bottom of the stairs,” Jack said, as Zack turned towards the door. “Gotcha,” Zack said, heading in. Once Zack was back inside, Jack took my hand and stood up. I followed suit, and stood up. “Let’s go inside,” he said. I nodded, following him inside. I thought he would lead me more towards the party, but we headed upstairs. I smirked to myself, as he led me to his room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I settled myself down sitting in the middle of Jack’s bed. He shut the door, before walking over to the bed. Jack tripped a little, catching his foot on the rug in his room. I giggled, feeling the effect of the weed cloud my mind a bit. He gave me a goofy grin, as he climbed onto the bed, knocking me over with him. We both fell, so we were laying down, in a fit of laughter. He pulled himself on top of me so he was straddling me. I pushed him off of me and he rolled to the side with a laugh. “Have you been having fun at your cookout?” I asked, sitting up on my elbow and looking down at him. “I have been,” he said looking over at me, resting his arm behind his head. “A little birdy told me you played croquet,” I said. “Birds can’t talk,” he said, rolling his eyes, causing me to laugh. “I did though, It was fun.” “Good,” I smiled, before leaning down and kissing him. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. He ran his free hand down my side, sliding his hand under the hem of my shirt so he was touching my skin. Wherever his touch lingered, ignited my skin causing my pulse to quicken. The need that was lingering from earlier today pulsed to the front of my mind. I lightly bit his lip, before pulling away from him. He pouted slightly, pulling himself up into a sitting position, he pushed me onto my back and straddled me again. “I’m starting to think you missed me,” I laughed, as he hovered over me. “Who me?” He asked, a goofy expression on his face. “Not at all.” “Oh yeah?” I asked, arching my eyebrow. “So those Snapchat pictures you sent me, those were just for fun?” “What? You didn’t like them?” he smirked. “You’re such a tease,” I said, rolling my eyes. I pulled the front of his shirt, pulling him down so he was kissing me again. I could feel him smile as he kissed me. He kissed me for only a moment, before sitting up and pulling off his shirt. Jack slid his hands under mine, raising it up. I sat up pulling my own shirt over my head and throwing it aside. He reached behind me, unhooking my bra. I slide the straps down my arms slowly, teasing him a bit. He pulled at the fabric pulling it off me and throwing it across the room. His hands played with the waistband of my jeans, sliding to the front and popping the button open. Just as he was about to start helping me out of my pants, I felt my phone start to vibrate in my pocket. The ringer blared through the quiet room. I fished it out of my pocket to silence it, seeing David’s name and picture flash on the screen. “Sorry,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “I should answer this.” “Fine,” he sighed, rolling to the side. I stood up off the bed, grabbing his shirt off the floor. I pulled it over my head and slipped out of his room, going into the bathroom that was across the hall. I leaned against the counter and answered the phone. “Hey,” I greeted. “Where did you go?” David asked, not even returning the greeting. “I woke up and you were just gone. What the fuck Ava, we were supposed to be hanging out, and you just ditched me?” I heard a knock on the door to the bathroom. I figured it was going to be Jack and I was prepared to tell him I would just be a minute. I opened the door to a waiting Sofie. I ushered her inside. “I really have to pee,” she whispered. I nodded, waving her off. “Just go,” I told her, leaning away from my phone. I put it back to my face, sliding down so I was sitting on the floor with a sigh. “I’m sorry, David. You were sleeping and I was bored so I went home.” “Who are you talking to? Where are you? You left to go hang out with someone else?” He accused. “It’s just Sofie. David, chill out,” I sighed annoyed. “Can’t I talk to my roomate? Look, I’m sorry I left. You fell asleep. I tried to wake you up. When you didn’t wake up I figured there was no reason to stick around and watch you sleep.” “Whatever,” he sighed, as I watched Sofie wash her hand. “You could have at least texted or left a note or something.” “I’m sorry,” I repeated, as Sofie slipped out of the bathroom and back into the hallway. “I meant to text you and let you know I was home, but it slipped my mind.” “You wanted to hang out tonight,” he said. I rolled my eyes at that. “I don’t know why you didn’t just stay. You could have just stayed the night with me here.” “David it was early evening. I wasn’t tired, and I didn’t know how long you would be asleep,” I explained again, feeling frustrated. “Why don’t you just come back over,” he suggested, his voice dropping a bit. I knew what he was implying, lately it only seemed like he wanted to see me if it meant sex. “I can’t,” I lied. “Sofie asked me to help her out with organizing her closet.” “That can wait,” he said, trying to lure me back to his place. “Not tonight,” I said, hearing him groan. “You know how long I have been dying to get my hands on Sofie’s wardrobe. I also really don't want to drive anymore tonight.” “Fine,” he sighed. “The guys wanted me to join them for video games tonight anyway. I told them no since we were hanging out.” “Have fun with them,” I said. Bored and ready to be done with the conversation. “Alright. Will do. Bye Babe,” he said. “Bye,” I said, quickly hanging up the phone. I stood up from the floor and went back to Jack’s room. I was surprised to see he was no longer in his room. My shirt and bra were put on the bed. Confused, I put my own clothes back on and went to go look for him. I figured he got bored and went back down to the party. I hadn’t been gone to long, but he was high and had been drinking. I headed back downstairs and through to the kitchen. The whole time I was looking around for everyone. I saw people still sitting outside. Opening the doorwall, I stepped outside. “Ava!” I heard Vinny’s voice ring out as soon as I walked outside. He was pulling a beer out of a nearby cooler, he reached down and grabbed another holding it out and offering it to me. “When did you get here?” “About the time Jack disappeared,” Alex laughed. “Hey Ave.” “Hey guys!” I laughed, smiling over at them. I walked over and took the beer from Vinny before sitting down in the empty chair next to Alex. Now that I was looking around there were a lot of people here. I recognized most of them, but Jack, Rian and Sofie were nowhere to be seen. Zack was sitting with his girlfriend Sarah who I have met a few times since I’ve been hanging around. I had seen her around the house a few times. We had talked a bit and I liked her. I smiled in her direction and she gave me a little wave. Vinny sat back down next to another girl, kissing the top of her curly blonde head before he sat down. Grieco and Flyzik were also both sitting with girls. I recognized them from various parties or pictures on the guys' social media accounts but never formally met any of them. I couldn’t recall their names, but my head still felt fuzzy from the weed. I opened my beer and took a drink. “You’ve met the guys and Sarah obviously. Have you met the others? This is Niki, Haley and Shanna,” Alex introduced, pointing out each girl. “Hey!” I smiled. “Nice to formally meet you guys.” “You too,” Shanna said. Shanna was the one with the gorgeous curly blonde hair. I had seen her hang out with Vinny and I knew they were dating. Haley was sitting next to Flyzik. The way she was holding his hand and leaning against him, I assumed they were also dating. “Where is Jack at?” Niki asked me, taking Grieco’s beer out of his hand and taking a drink. He gave her a look, and she just grinned at him. “That’s what I want to know,” I laughed. “I had to take a call and he was gone when I got back.” “I saw him leave with Sofie a little bit ago. He looked a bit grumpy,” Rian said, walking over to where we were sitting. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused that he left with Sofie. I guess they really hit it off while playing croquet. I assumed him being grumpy was because the phone call interrupted us. “You can just hang out with us!” Sarah said, smiling. The girls launched into asking me questions about myself. Alex gave me a sympathetic look, but I laughed it off. They all seemed really great, and it was fun to talk to them, but I couldn’t stop thinking about where Jack had gone. *** After a while of talking to everyone I felt like I was starting to get to know the girls better. They seemed fun, and really nice. I could tell I would get along with them. The group dispersed a bit. Vinny had convinced the girls, Grieco and Flyzik to get into the hot tub with him. Sarah and Zack snuck away together, and Rian went back inside, Leaving Alex and I alone. “I heard you played croquet with Sofie earlier,” I said, taking a sip of my beer. Alex nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah it was fun, and I think it went well,” he said. “Good! I'm so happy to hear that,” I grinned. “You just have to be yourself Alex, you are a great guy. Don’t try so hard.” “Thanks,” he smiled. His expression changed a bit, before he looked back up at me. “Why was Jack in a bad mood?” “Oh, well I’m sure you know about David,” I started and he nodded. “He called while Jack and I were messing around. I think he just got annoyed that we were interrupted.” Alex raised an eyebrow at me, “Do you really think that’s all it is?” “Yes, I mean, maybe,” I sighed. “Honestly I really don’t know.” “Ava,” he started, “I’ve known Jack forever and I don’t think I have seen him this fixated on being around someone in a long time. Jack is the best.” “He is amazing,” I agreed. Emotions and guilt started to pool in my gut. Anxiety bubbled and Alex continued to talk. “I know you guys are being casual, and you are seeing what happens. But just don’t lead him on. He is a great guy and he cares a lot about people. I don’t want to see him get hurt over all of this.” “I know,” I said, feeling tears prick at the corner of my eyes. I looked down at my beer, twisting the tab nervously. “I don’t want to hurt him either. I told him that. There is just a lot I’m trying to figure out.” “I know,” he said, softening his voice a bit. A few tears slipped out, as I looked back at him. “For both your sakes, figure it out.” Alex walked away, leaving me sitting alone. I wiped my eyes, before setting down my drink and retreating back inside. I made my way back up to Jack’s room quickly. Laying down in his bed and pulling the blankets up over me. Mine and Alex’s conversation replayed in my head. I wasn’t trying to play Jack. I genuinely loved being around him. The last few weeks had been amazing. I was feeling ways about him that just made me feel guilty and scared. David and I had been together for so long, and I still felt like I owed something to that relationship. Jack was different though. Being around him was effortless, and I just felt like I could be myself around him. I closed my eyes, lost in my own thoughts the calming effect of the weed started to cause me to drift to sleep, but the anxiety wouldn’t let me. I heard the bedroom door open, but I was to tired to look up or open my eyes. The bed dipped, as hands snaked around my waist. Jack’s familiar scent comforting me, and he pulled me close to his chest. I felt my body relax more, and my anxiety start to ease, before I was finally able to sleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jack woke me up about 30 minutes after I fell asleep, and we finally had sex. The need I had been feeling all day long, finally was satisfied. We laid wrapped up in each other, enjoying the feel of his skin on mine. My anxiety from my conversation with Alex had dulled a bit. I could still feel that gnawing in the back of my mind, but the weed was helping me relax. Jack drew lazy circles on my skin, nuzzling his face into my hair. “I’m hungry,” I said. “Mhmm,” he mumbled, sleepily. I looked up at him, seeing that his eyes were closed. I smiled to myself, pulling away from him slightly. His grip on me tightened trying to keep me close to him. “Jack,” I giggled. “I’m hungry. I want to go grab something to eat.” He let out a noise somewhere between a whine and a groan, before letting me go. I slid out of his grasp, placing a kiss on his forehead. A small sleepy smile played on his lips, which made my chest flutter. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top that I had left in Jack’s room. I could hear the soft steady sound of Jack’s breathing as I slipped out of the room. I went downstairs where there were still a few people milling around the house. Sofie was on the couch with Grieco, looking like she was falling asleep; Alex was sitting in the chair nearby. They were watching Adventure Time, and casually talking. I went into the kitchen and got some of the food from the barbecue and sat down on the floor joining the others in watching tv. “Where’s Jack?” Alex asked, looking around. I rolled my eyes and gave him a cheeky grin. “We aren’t attached at the hip,” I teased. “Yes you are,” Grieco countered, rolling his eyes. “He was falling asleep, and I was hungry,” I said, popping a piece of chicken in my mouth. We sat and watched the episode, making little comments about the show. After I ate I continued to watch tv with the others. At some point it seemed like everyone started getting ready to go to bed. Grieco and Sofie had both fallen asleep on the couch. Alex and I watched the end of the episode. When it ended Alex scooped Sofie up in his arms and carried her upstairs, without a word. I smiled to myself, thinking how cute they would be together. I wanted nothing more than for my best friend to be with someone who treated her right and cared about her. I knew that’s where Alex’s concern for Jack came from too. I really didn't want to hurt Jack. Being around him made me so happy, and he was just so fun. I turned off the tv. I grabbed a blanket off the couch and draped it over Grieco. He opened his eyes a bit at the gesture, smiled and sprawled out on the couch. Jack was fast asleep when I got back to the room. I crawled into the bed, snuggling up close to him and closing my eyes, letting the sound of his steady breathing lull me to sleep. *** The next morning, Jack and I went downstairs to the smell of bacon cooking. Zack was cooking bacon and eggs. Vinny was putting pieces of bread into the toaster, as Alex made coffee. I grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and Alex poured me a cup. I smiled at him gratefully, thankful for the caffeine after the late night. Jack made us both a plate of food, and we sat down at the table with the guys. I ate my breakfast happily as Jack and Alex talked to Vinny and Grieco. “They just put the extended editions of Lord of the Rings on one of the streaming services,” Alex said, responding to Vinny. That peaked my interest, I looked up from my food at them, making eye contact with Alex. “So we are watching them right? Lord of the Rings movie marathon day?” I asked excitedly. “Do you want to?” Jack asked. I nodded vigorously, standing up and picking my plate up. Alex raised an eyebrow at me, as I ushered them all to stand. Vinny was the first to follow suit, understanding my haste. “Of course I do. Those are my favorite movies. Come on, you bitches can eat in the living room,” I said walking out of the room. I heard the guys laugh behind me as they followed me. I made myself comfortable on the couch, setting my food on the coffee table. Jack sat down next to me. Vinny sat in the arm chair, as Grieco sat down on the floor. Alex picked up the remote and turned on the first movie, sitting down next to Jack. The movie started and I worked on finishing my breakfast. “I wouldn't have pegged you as a Lord of the Rings fan, let alone it to be your favorite movie,” Alex said, taking a bite of his food. “I’m a nerd,” I said. “It was always my favorite growing up. I hope you are prepared for me to tell you all the fun facts I know about this movie.” “What kind of fun facts could you possibly have?” Jack asked, laughing. I smiled a mischievous smile as we watched the movie. As the movie played I would throw out random facts, explaining either how the movie was filmed or little things that were just interesting trivia. Alex and I talked a lot about the movie. I knew Alex was into some of the same nerdy things that I was. We agreed the next movie marathon could be Star Wars, another classic. Jack tried to engage in the conversation but didn’t really seem to know much about the movies. It was cute though, I liked that he was trying to engage in one of my interests. He ended up mostly chatting with Vinny and Grieco and we cuddled on the couch. *** As the first movie ended, I realized Sofie still wasn’t awake. We decided to take a quick lunch break before starting the next movie. I went upstairs to wake up Sofie, while Jack made us food. I found Sofie still sleeping soundly in the guest room. I sat down on the edge of the bed. The movement caused Sofie to stir and open her eyes.
“Good morning, party girl,” I said, as she looked up at me confused. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked around the room. “Where the fuck am I?” She asked, sitting up and running her fingers through her hair. “The guest room. Alex brought you up here after you fell asleep on the couch,” I explained. “I don’t even remember falling asleep,” she said and I laughed “We were watching Adventure Time,” I offered, and she shook her head. “I still don’t remember,” she said, causing me to shrug. “You said Alex brought me upstairs?” “Mhm. He carried you,” I said, noting that he had obviously taken the time to put a blanket over her. “Oh. Where was Rian?” Sofie asked. I mulled over her question for a moment, before shaking my head. “I honestly don’t know. It was me, you, Alex, and Grieco watching TV. Everyone else was either passed out somewhere or still out back.” “Oh,” she said, making a face as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. “So, where did you and Jack disappear to last night?” I asked, trying to keep any of the mild jealousy I felt out of my voice. “I got off the phone with David and you two were nowhere to be found.” “He wanted to go to Taco Bell, but he was way too drunk to drive himself,” she said. I nodded, looking at her curiously. “So that’s all you guys did?” I asked, my insecurity getting the better of me. “Yes, Ava. You know me better than that,” she said. I nodded, knowing that she knew I didn't actually think she would try anything with Jack. “I was just wondering. I didn’t know you guys were friends.” “I guess we are now. He bought me a burrito,” she said, and I laughed. “Dude, I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast?” “You missed breakfast,” I stated. “What?” “It’s like two in the afternoon,” I said, glancing over at the clock. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?” “You had nowhere to be,” I said with a shrug “and I was watching a movie with Jack and Alex.” “What a bunch of lazy assholes,” she teased. “Speak for yourself, bitch,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her. Sofie laughed, getting out of the bed and stretching. “I’ll meet you downstairs. I have to pee,” she said, walking to the door. “Okay,” I said as she left the room. I stood up from the bed and went back downstairs. Jack had made us both a sandwich. I smiled, snuggling up into his side, as I ate my sandwich. After a few minutes, Sofie walked down stairs and headed into the kitchen, where Alex was making lunch. “Do you think we should move this movie marathon to the basement?” I asked Jack. “Sofie will probably want to watch too.” “Yeah, we can do that. That’s a good idea, there is more room down there,” he nodded. “You really are enjoying this aren't you?” “Of course I am. They are my favorite movies,” I smiled up at him. “Sorry I don’t know much about them,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll watch them all the time so you can get to know them better.” “Oh is that so?” he laughed. “Guess we are in for a lot of movie marathons.” “Definitely, that and we still have to finish our game,” I said referring to the video game we had been playing together. A smile spread across Jack’s face. “Oh I have not forgotten about that,” he said. “I’m going to go get some chips and guac, do you want anything?” “Just bring me some too,” I said. He nodded, kissing me before he got up and made his way into the kitchen. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and started messing with it while I waited for Jack to come back. Before long Alex came back into the living room, settling down in the chair with his cup of noodles. I reached for my drink, realizing it was empty. I sighed, and got up to head into the kitchen to get a new one. I noticed Jack and Sofie talking, as I walked in. “What are you guys doing?” I asked, causing Jack and Sofie to turn to look at me. They’re conversation halted as soon as I entered the room, which seemed really suspicious. “I had a question for Sofie,” Jack answered, standing up and walking over to where I was. I opened the fridge and pulled out a pop, setting it down on the counter beside me. “About what?” I asked as he pinned me to the counter, pressing a kiss to my lips. I giggled, as he moved to kiss my neck. “School stuff,” he answered, trailing kisses down my neck. I furrowed my eyebrows. “You guys don’t have any classes together,” I said, and he hummed. “It was a class she’s already taken,” he answered, resting his hands on my hips. “Oh,” I responded, still not fully convinced. He pulled back, looking down at me with his mischievous grin. “You should come upstairs with me,” he said, sliding one of his hands up and toying with the strap of my tank top. “Yeah?” I asked, raising an eyebrow and he nodded. “Mhm,” he said, sliding the strap down and attaching his lips to her collarbone. I watched Sofie shake her head and walk out of the room. He trailed kisses on my skin, and I got lost in the moment. After a few moments I was pulled back to reality by Alex yelling. “Ava! Get your ass in here or I’m starting the movie without you!” Alex yelled from the living room. “Come one big boy,” I laughed, grabbing my drink from where I set it on the counter. “The beacons are lit, Gondor calls for aid.” “What does that even mean?” He groaned, grabbing my hands, and following me back into the living room. “It means, Lord of the Rings cock blocked you,” I giggled.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I lined up my shot, aiming for the head. Just as I was about to fire, my bedroom door swung open. The door slamming against the wall. The motion caused me to look over at the doorway, losing my opportunity. “Ava! Seriously?!” Sofie yelled, hand on her hips. I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to the screen, chewing the Twizzler hanging out of my mouth. “What?” I asked, as a creature ran at me in my game. I fired a shot at them, killing them, before moving my character to somewhere more hidden. “Your TV does not need to be that fucking loud!” Sofie yelled. “Yes it does,” I said, causing her to huff. “I need to hear the agony of these motherfuckers when I shoot them.” “You are seriously fucked up in the head,” she said. Another creature ran at me, letting out a screech, causing Sofie to jump. “Jesus Christ. Can you at least turn it down a little bit? I can’t concentrate.” “No,” I said, mostly because I was in the moment and wasn't sure where my remote was. “Then I’ll turn it down,” she said, stepping further into my room. My eyes widened, thinking of the last time Sofie tried to turn down my tv and she accidently turned it off. If she turned it off now the last hour of game play would be lost and I’d have to go through this whole mission again. “Do not touch my TV, Sofie. I will murder you,” I said and she rolled her eyes. “I’m warning you. I’ll murder your ass.” Sofie ignored me walking closer to the tv. I grabbed the first things I could reach, one of my paper textbooks. I threw the book over at her, mostly just trying to get her to move, but it hit her in the arm. The book fell to the floor. She looked down at the book, before looking back at me in disbelief. “Did you just throw a fucking book at me?!” she said, looking at me in disbelief. “I have a whole three semesters worth left to throw ar you, if you don’t back the fuck up,” I said, grabbing another book from next to me. I wasn’t actually going to throw it, but Sofie’s eyes widened. “What the fuck, Ava!?” “I told you not to touch my shit,” I said, finally reaching a save point in my game. I hit the save and paused the game. “I told you not to touch my shit,” I said and she shook her head at me. “Why are you psychotic? It is not that serious.” “Xbox is life,” I said and she rolled her eyes. I wasn’t even sure she realized that I had paused the game. I felt around beside me, locating my remote and turning the volume down on my tv. “Ava, you are fucking- I can’t even!” She said, trying and stumbling over her words. Obviously she was stressed because normally this wouldn’t have gotten to her. “I can’t handle your shit!” “Are you done? Can I go back to my game now?” I asked, and Sofie huffed. She picked my book up off the floor and tossed it onto my bed. “You know, you might get better grades if you actually use your text books to read and study rather than pitching practice,” she said. “My grades are perfect,” I said, rolling my eyes at her. I was actually doing pretty well in all my classes. “I wasn’t aware you have a 4.0,” she said. “Neither do you, slut,” I said, causing her to roll her eyes. “Your mom’s a hoe,” she fought back. Sofie knew all about my history with my parents. She knew I didn’t even really know my mom. She was probably right though. I knew Sofie was just irritated and I wasn't helping by egging her on. I really didn't care if she called my parents names, I did it all the time. They deserved it anyway. “I know. She taught me how to be one,” I said, unpausing my game and sticking my tongue out at her. “That's how we bonded.” “You must have had a sad childhood,” she said, in irritation. “I had a wonderful childhood,” I said sarcastically. “Can you turn your television down now?” she asked, sighing. “No, but you can suck my dick,” I joked. “Fuck off, Ava,” she said turning and leaving my room shutting the door loudly behind her. I rolled my eyes and went back to playing my game. I glanced down at my phone to check to see if Jack had texted me back yet. I had been waiting for him to text me all day. I scrolled over to my Snapchat app and no notification there either. I grimaced, annoyed, before looking back at my game. “Oh shit!” I yelled, as I focused my attention back on my game just as I was about to die. The game over screen went up and I groaned. Throwing my controller down and laying back down on my bed. I grabbed my phone again, sending another text to Jack. I waited for a minute, scrolling through our previous texts. I sighed again, laying my phone back down on my bed and putting my arm over my eyes. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried that he wasn’t texting me back. Maybe he was sick of just waiting around to see if David and I would break up. I wouldn’t blame him. That’s something he would totally be justified in feeling, I just really wasn’t ready for this to end. Then there was the really real possibility that I was overthinking this. Maybe he was just still sleeping or busy with the guys. I took another few moments to wallow before deciding I needed more snacks. I got up and went into the kitchen, looking for something to eat. I poured myself a cup of juice and rummaged through the kitchen. I settled on a bag of Cheetos, before cleaning up my cup. I started to head back to my room when Sofie came out of her room. “Why do you look cute now?” I asked, curiously, popping a Cheeto into my mouth. Sofie was now wearing jeans and a cute tank top with a scarf. Her hair was styled in a cute messy bun. The look was practically a 180 from the hoodie and gym shorts she was wearing. “Why do you have such a nice body when all you eat is junk?” She asked, frowning. “Because I have a lot of sex,” I answered, licking some of the Cheeto dust off my thumb. “You should see me naked.” “I have seen you naked.” “Pervert. Now, why do you look cute?” I asked, looking her up and down. “I don’t look cute. I just got dressed. I’m going over to Alex’s to help him with his homework,” she said. “You got cute for Alex?” “No.” “Uh huh. And that’s why you’re wearing the jeans that make your ass look amazing,” I said, raising my eyebrow and leaning against the wall. “Alex isn’t the only one who lives there,” Sofie argued, rolling her eyes. I raised my eyebrow at her. “Well, you better not be getting cute for Jack or I’ll kick your ass.” “Shut up, Ava. I don’t want Jack. Sometimes I just like to feel better about myself, okay? So I can pretend I’m pretty for a few minutes.” “Sofie, you are pretty,” I said, softening my voice. Sofie is beautiful, and I know she doesn’t always see that. “Yeah,” she said dismissively. “I have to go. I told Alex I’d be there in twenty minutes.” “Okay. Make good choices!” I said, heading back to my room. I settled myself back onto my bed grabbing my controller. I glanced at my phone again, and saw that I still didn’t have text from Jack. I groaned and turned on my game ready to fuck some shit up. *** I flipped the grilled cheese in the pan, hearing it sizzle. Emma and I had decided to make some food before we both had to head out to work. Sofie still wasn’t home. As I cooked us food, Emma told me all about some drama that was happening with her coworkers. After a few minutes our sandwiches were done. Emma and I settled in on the couch, and she turned on the Regular Show. Jack still hadn’t texted me back and the anxiety was killing me. I’m sure someone would have texted me if something happened to him. Right? Sofie was over there, surely she would have messaged me if there was something wrong. My thoughts were starting to spiral, when Emma started to talk. “So how have things been with Jack?” Emma said, her voice lifting in an inquisitive tone. “Good I think,” I said, biting my lip. “He hasn’t texted me back yet today and it’s driving me a little insane.” “I’m sure he is just fucking around with Alex or something,” Emma said. “What about David though? Have you decided what to do?” “No,” I sighed. “I’m really conflicted. I like Jack a lot, but David and I have been together for so long.” “Yeah I know, but if I had someone like Jack chasing me around…” she trailed off. “He is hardly chasing me around,” I scoffed. “You’re stupid,” Emma laughed. “Anyway I’m a little envious, you get to be around the guys all the time now and they are so fun.” “They are cool,” I agreed. “How is Alex doing? I haven’t gotten to talk to him in a while,” she asked. The tone of her voice changed when she started asking about Alex. Emma was terrible at hiding her interest in Alex. It was written all over her face whenever they were in the same room together. “He seems to be good,” I said. “Are there any parties coming up?” she pried. “Not that I’m aware of, but I will let you know If there are,” I said dismissing her. A few months ago, I would have encouraged Emma to go after Alex. Now that I know Alex better, I know a relationship between them would be a train wreck. Plus, I was totally on the Sofie and Alex train now. “You better,” she teased. Emma prattled on for a while longer. Mostly talking about Alex and the parties we had been to. As she rambled on, I checked my phone. Still nothing. I groaned internally, before looking at the time. “Oh shit,” I said standing up. “I have to go or I’ll be late to work.” “I’ll take care of your plate,” Emma said. “Go girl.” “Thanks!’ I said rushing around and grabbing my stuff. I hurried up and put my shoes on before rushing out the door. *** I grabbed the mozzarella sticks out of the kitchen window, before bringing them over to my table. The group of rowdy college guys cheered as I set the food down on the table. They started shouting for beer refills. I made a mental note of what they were asking for, before heading over to check on my other tables and getting their orders from the bar. Work had been really busy, which was nice since it was distracting me from the fact that I still hadn’t heard from Jack. I had a moment and pulled my phone out of my apron pocket. My stomach did somersaults when seeing that Jack had finally texted me back.
Hey gorgeous. I’m sorry I was busy studying all day. I’ll make it up to you.
“Ava, you have a new table,” my coworker Kelsey said. “He is cute too.” I slid my phone back in my pocket. He made me wait all day. He could wait for me to text him back. “Thanks Kels,” I said, heading over to my new table. As I approached the table I couldn’t help the smile that broke out. “I told you I'd make it up to you,” Jack smiled up at me. He slid a taro boba tea across the table to me. My grin grew bigger as I leaned down and kissed him. “You’re the best,” I smiled. “How much longer is your shift?” he asked. “Maybe an hour,” I said, popping the straw through my boba lid. “You get back to work. I’ll be right here when you get off.” I kissed him again, taking a sip from my drink. “I’ll bring you some food while you wait, you’re going to need the energy.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Ava!” I heard Sofie yelling from the living room. “You have a present!” I looked up from my textbook, furrowing my eyebrow. I slid myself off my bed, and opened my door. “What?” I asked, walking out of my bedroom and down the hall into the living room. She was standing there holding a box. Brendon was taking off his shoes next to the door. He must have just gotten here. “What are you talking about?” “You have a present. It was sitting on the doormat,” she said, turning to hand the package to me. “Who’s it from?” I asked, turning the box around in my hands. It was nothing fancy, but a cardboard box with a yellow sticky note with my name written on it. “I don’t know, maybe you have a secret admirer,” she said and I frowned. “Don’t say that. That’s creepy,” I said. I sat down on the couch. I tried to peel off the tape but it wouldn’t budge. The tape seemed to be wrapped all the way around the box. “Will you go get me scissors? This bitch is super taped up.” “Yeah. Do you want anything to drink, Bren?” Sofie asked, heading toward the kitchen. “Yeah, just bring me whatever pop you have,” he said and Sofie nodded. “You didn’t offer me a drink,” I said, still picking at the tape. Sofie rolled her eyes. “Ava, you live here. I don’t need to offer you shit.” “Slut,” I said, rolling my eyes. I got a small corner of the tape up but it wouldn’t budge. “Hurry the fuck up with the scissors!” Sofie went into the kitchen, as I ripped at the tape. Brendan watched as I struggled with the box. A few moments later Sofie came back with scissors and pop for Brendon. I took the scissors from her gratefully, before slicing the tape off the box. I ripped bits of tape and cardboard and tossed them on the ground. Finally getting the box open, I was met with a wad of tissue paper. I threw it to the side. My eyes lit up as I finally could see the contents of the package. Whoever put this box together really did their work finding the perfect gifts. “It’s literally a fucking jar of just grape Jolly Ranchers!” I said, excitement filling my voice. I held the mason jar, the candies clinking on the side of the glass. “That’s fucking weird,” Brendon said, making a face at the jar. “No, it’s fucking fantastic!” I said, opening the jar and taking one out. I unwrapped my candy and popped it into my mouth. “I’m going to marry whoever sent me this box.” “I think it’s a little early to jump to marriage, Ava,” Sofie said and I scoffed. “Not when someone is this perfect! Look! There’s a whole stack of comic books in here!” I pulled them out, setting them on the coffee table. I flipped through the titles as I set them down. I grinned to myself. They were all comic’s I haven’t read yet but I had been meaning too. “Seriously? That is sweet!” Brendon said, leaning forward and admiring the titles. “Why do you get awesome secret admirers?” “Because I have boobs and nice hair,” I answered and he frowned. “What’s wrong with my hair?” Brendon questioned, putting a hand up to his brown hair. “It sucks,” I said plainly, causing Sofie to snort. Brendon’s frown deepened. “What do you mean it sucks?” He asked, playing with a strand of his hair “I mean you look like someone put a bowl on your head and went scissor happy,” I said, moving more tissue paper out of the box. “You should let me cut it.” “No, Ava. I’m not letting you put sharp objects near my head,” he responded and I rolled my eyes. “That’s fine. Keep looking like you live in the 90’s,” I shrugged, causing Sofie to laugh. Brendon glared at her, causing her to throw her hand over her obvious smile. “My haircut is not that bad!” Brendon argued, I raised an eyebrow at him. “You look like a mushroom. Mario is gonna jump out of the TV and eat you.” “You’re such a bitch,” he said and I shrugged. I had been called worse. “You don’t even know how to cut hair.” “Yes I do. I cut Sofie and Emma’s hair,” I answered and Brendon looked towards me for confirmation. I was always very into doing hair, it was almost what I chose to do for the rest of my life before choosing the education career path. I used to practice with all my friends in highschool. “She has. She’s pretty good at it,” Sofie told him and he glared. “Fine. But if you fuck up my hair, I’m taking one of your comic books.” “I can’t make it look anymore fucked up,” I said, taking the victory. I had been dying to cut his hair since the moment I met him. Like really who told it it was okay to get basically a bowl cut. I looked back down at the box in my lap, digging around as Brendon poured. “Don’t pout,” Sofie told him, playfully shoving his shoulder gently. “You shut up. You didn’t even stick up for me. Some best friend you are.” “Um, that’s because she’s my best friend, not yours, bitch,” I said, moving a piece of tissue paper. I screamed in excitement as I uncovered paintballs. “What the fuck, Ava?” Sofie said, jumping a bit. “What is it?” “Paintballs!” I said holding them up for them to see. “And they’re pink!” “Jesus Christ,” Brendon said, putting his hand over his heart. “She’s like a fucking heart attack waiting to happen.” “He bought you pink paintballs?” Sofie asked. I nodded, my curiosity peaking a bit at the fact that she gendered the mysterious package giver. “Hold on, there’s a card,” I said. I pulled an envelope out of the bottom of the box. Inside was a folded piece of notebook paper. I grinned to myself, seeing Jack’s name scrawled across the bottom of it. I read the letter to myself.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Let me shoot your ass with paintballs,
and then fuck you too.
- Jack. “It’s from Jack,” I giggled. “It is?” “Yeah,” I said, handing her the letter so she could see for herself. “You two are so fucking ridiculous,” she said rolling her eyes after she read the letter. I grinned, sliding the box off my lap and setting it on the table. “I need to call him,” I said. I stood up pulling my phone out of my pocket before heading to my room. I scrolled to find his contact as I walked down the hall. I pulled the door shut behind me as I waited for him to answer. My insides were absolute mush. I couldn’t believe he put together the absolute perfect gift for me. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. “Hey,” he answered. I could hear his smile through the phone. “Jack Barakat, I can’t even believe you could do this to me,” I said, trying my best to sound mad. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face, so I wasn't sure it was that convincing. “What did I do?” he asked, sounding confused. “How dare you be the sweetest person I have ever met.” “Did you get my package?” he laughed, realizingI was joking. “What package?” I asked, feigning confusion. “You’re a terrible liar,” he laughed. “So is it a date?” “Yes, It’s a date.” I laughed. “Now come pick me up!” “Wow you really can’t wait to see me,” he teased. “I can’t wait to shoot you.” “Uh huh, sure. I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” I hung up the phone, squealing to myself a bit as I held it to my chest, like a teenage girl. I glanced at myself in my full length mirror, and realized I had to get myself together quickly. I was not date ready since I was just planning on studying today. I quickly stripped out of my lounge clothes and put on something a little more suitable for paintball. Every part of me felt like it was vibrating. I couldn’t stop smiling. I was so excited I was shaking and I almost poked myself in the eye with my eyeliner. This was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. First I don’t think I have ever been asked to go on a more exciting date. Usually it’s just been dinner or a movie. My stomach was doing somersaults thinking about him wanting to go out with me. I knew this was pushing our boundary on just being casual but I would be to myself if I didn't admit that his effort meant so much to me. I was tying my hair up in a ponytail when my bedroom door was opened. I looked over at the door, seeing Jack grinning next to my bed. I smiled to myself before surprising him by running straight into him knocking us both back onto my bed. He laughed as I planted little kisses on his face. “I thought I was supposed to be in trouble,” he laughed. “I never said you were in trouble,” I said, sliding off him, so I was standing again. I grabbed his hand and pulled him up so he was on his feet again. “Are you excited?” He asked, still grinning. “I really am,” I smiled, standing on my toes to kiss him again. ***
I hid myself behind a wooden structure, trying to sneak up behind Jack. We were basically alone in this arena, with a few others running about through the forest arena. Jack took me to a paintball place nearby. They weren't very busy, so we mostly had free range of the arena. I peeked around the corner not seeing Jack anymore. I tucked myself back behind the shelter, confused. I had just seen him ahead of me, and I wasn't sure where he could have gone. I stepped out looking behind the shelter again, scanning the area for him. That is when I felt the paintball hit me in the butt.“Fuck!” I yelped, hearing Jack erupt in giggles. I turned around aiming at him. He stood about 30 feet away from me.“Where the fuck did you come from?” I asked, aiming at his chest.“I saw you hide, so I just circled back around.”“You suck,” I said, shooting him with a bright pink paint ball. He grinned at me through his helmet, so I shot him with another paintball. As the other paintball impacted, he took off running at me. I screamed as I tried to run away from him. He was faster though. His hands wrapped around my waist, and I felt him scoop me up and spin me around. He set me back down on my feet, and I tried to glare at him but I couldn’t stop smiling.*** I unlocked my apartment door for Jack and I. I noted that no one was home, as I took my shoes off. Our paintball date had been incredible. I took Jack by the hand and led him down the hall to my room. “I’m pretty sure I have a million bruises,” I said, pulling my shirt up and exposing the skin on my side. Sure enough I could see the start of a small purple bruise forming. Jack snaked his arms around my waist. “I have a few too,” He said. He pulled me backwards pulling me onto my bed. I giggled as we fell. His lips were on mine in an instant, his hands working to pop the button on my pants. He raised my hips so he could slide them down. He worked his own pants down, kicking them off. As he kissed me, his hands crept down across the exposed skin on my hips. He parted my legs with knees, and his fingers found my core. I gasped as he started drawing quick circles on my clit. Sparks of electricity pricked my skin. He teased me with his fingers, causing me to press my body closer to him. I needed more of him. I whined as he pulled away. He leaned over and reached into my nightstand, pulling out a condom. He tore open the package, and rolled it over his penis. He pulled my legs up, before slowly pushing his full length into me. He moaned, as our bodies moved together, maintaining eye contact with me. The world felt still, as he looked at me. I could feel every fiber of my being pull towards him. I leaned up to capture his lips with mine. He kissed me for a moment, before pulling away and pulling out. “No,” I whined. He grinned, leaning down to kiss me again. “Get on your knees,” he said, turning me over to my stomach. “You could say please,” I giggled, pulling myself up on my hands and knees and he repositioned himself behind me. Jack grabbed me by the hips, thrusting himself into me again. “Please,” he said. I wanted to banter back, but the feeling of all of him consumed me. I moaned as he moved, rotating my hips. I dropped down onto the forearms, reaching down so I could touch myself. I copied his earlier movement, drawing circles with my fingers. The sensation intensified, as we moved. “Don’t stop,” I commanded, moving my fingers faster. “Fuck,” he groaned, leaning and pressing himself closer to me. He picked up his pace, his grip on my hips tightening. My breath quickened, and his thrusts got sloppier. I moved my hand faster, feeling myself start to reach my peak. “I’m so close,” I moaned. “Fuck,” he said again, before I felt him shudder with pleasure. He moaned loudly, as he released the condom, his thrusts stopping just as I was pushed over the edge. My whole body relaxed as I rode out my orgasm. He slowly pulled out, before laying down on the bed next to me. He pulled me into his arms, resting his head on my chin. He moved his head a moment later with a grimace. “You have paint in your hair.” “I know,” I laughed, watching him wipe the bright blue paint off his stubble. After a little while, I pulled away from him and sat up. “Let’s go shower.” “Ma’am that is inappropriate,” he grinned, propping himself up on his elbows. “Fine,” I said, standing up and moving to the door. “I’ll go wash my own boobs.” “Woah no. Wait, hold on,” I heard him call after me as I made my way to the bathroom. I pulled my shirt over my head, which never came off during sex, and dropped it on the floor in the hallway. I unclipped the front of my bra, dropping it as well, so I was completely nude. I could hear Jack following me down the hallway. I slid into the bathroom and closed the door behind me, leaving Jack outside. The door jostled behind me, and I grinned to myself. “No! Baby, I didn’t mean it. Let me in,” Jack whined. My stomach flipped at the pet name. The thought of being his devoured me but felt so wrong at the same time. I grasped on to the feeling that he wanted me, and opened the door.
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I felt my phone buzz, as I was laying face down in my textbook. I laid there for a few minutes longer, listening to the music I was playing to help me focus on studying. The day had been so long and exhausting. I had to work this morning, and after a long shift dealing with asshole frat boys, I had to come home and study for my final exam. I only took one class during this summer semester, and it was an accelerated program. I thought that would be great since I would have a few weeks off before the next semester. Now I’m here with the stress of studying for this exam. To say I was having a bad day would be an understatement. I sat up and grabbed my phone, smiling at the Snapchat notification from Jack. I opened the snap to a picture of Jack looking miserable over his own textbook. Jack and I were in the same class, and the exam was tomorrow. He started studying about an hour ago, and we started sending snaps back and forth. I was surprised, he was even putting any effort into studying for it. I giggled, sending him a picture of me laying over my text book. Almost immediately he sent me a text.
I’m done with this. I don’t think I can read another word. How is your studying going?”
I pressed his contact and decided to just call him. The phone rang once before he picked up the phone. “Hey,” Jack greeted, sounding bored. “I hate this,” I stated, sitting back up and absently flipping through my text book. “Yeah, me too. That’s why I decided I’m done studying. I’m just going to get what I get,” he said. “Didn’t you just start studying like an hour ago?” I teased. “Yes,” Jack laughed. “I wish I could just stop studying. I have to pass this class. Today has been awful. Work really sucked, I didn’t make a lot of tips, and now this.” “I’m sorry,” he said. “What can I do to make it better?” “Pass my exam for me, do all this studying so I don’t have to, bribe the professor to just give me an A,” I said, listing things off. “I just want to lay in bed and watch bad movies.” “What would we watch?” He asked. “Did you just assume I would want you to be here with me?” I asked, grinning to myself. “Well, am I wrong?” “I plead the fifth,” I said, causing Jack to laugh.”I need to go back to my study cave.” “Okay, feel free to text me. I’m going to go play the guitar.” “Have fun. You still have to play for me sometime,” I said. “I will,” he said. “Promise.” I smiled to myself, “I can’t wait, Talk to you later.” “Bye,” he said as the phone call ended. I set my phone back down on my desk and got back to work. *** It had been about two hours since I talked to Jack. I was having a hard time focusing, and decided it was definitely time for a break. I felt my phone vibrate as I was getting ready to get up for my desk. I opened the text from Jack to an attached video. Intrigued, I pressed play. The video opened up on Jack sitting in his basement, an acoustic guitar sitting on his lap. “You told me to play for you sometime,” Jack said, lightly strumming the guitar as he spoke. He looked back up into the phone camera with a small smile on his lips. “I racked my brain thinking of what I would play for you first. I thought the obvious choice would be something by Blink 182, but that felt too easy. Then I remembered that a few days ago you told me one of your current favorite songs is ‘Here with Me’ by The Killers. So I learned it for you, and since you are having a bad day here it is.” My stomach flipped as the familiar tune of the song started playing, then Jack started to sing and I felt my whole being melt. He had told me he hadn’t heard the song before, and now here he was and he had learned it for me. “Wheels are turning, I remember when you were mine. Now just to reach you baby, I'd stand in line.
But there's another world we're living in tonight, and there's another heart that's fading in the light.” Jack sang, “Don't want your picture on my cell phone. I want you here with me. Don't want your memory in my head now. I want you here with me.” I stared at my phone, wishing he was actually here with me now. It was just so sweet that he learned this song for me. He was pretty good at playing the guitar, and I had heard Jack sing before but this was much more special. “Spent the summer, just laying out in the sun. Time seems to move so slow when you're taking it as it comes. Maybe we were just too young. Your body was tanned and your hair was long. You showed me your smile and my cares were gone. Falling in love filled my soul with fright. You said ‘Come on babe, it'll be alright". I must have been a fool to the bitter end now I hold on to hope to have you back again,’ he continues, making eye contact with the camera for just a second as he continues to play. Everything in me felt like I was floating, like there was no way this gorgeous man could be singing for me. I'd bargain and I'd fight, but there's another world we're living in tonight. Don't want your picture on my cell phone. I want you here with me. I don't want your memory in my head now. I want you here with me.” “Well I saw you in a restaurant the other day, and instead of walking towards you I ran away. And I'll keep on waiting for you till you'll come around, come around and say. Don't want your picture on my cell phone. I want you here with me. Don't need those memories in my head now. I want you here with me,” he sang. As the song came to an end he set his guitar down beside him and looked at the camera again. “If you got this far, you either liked it or you are making fun of me with Sofie and Emma. Either way, I left something outside your apartment to help you get through the rest of your studying.” The video came to an end, and I threw my phone down. A surge of excitement ran through me as I rushed out of my room to the front door of my apartment. I turned the lock, and opened the door. Sure enough, sitting on the doormat outside our apartment was a basket. I lifted it up carefully carrying it inside to my room before I started really taking in what was inside. The first thing I noticed was there was my favorite Boba tea, still cold meaning this had just been dropped off. I smiled to myself, popping the straw through the lid. There were also a few of my favorite snacks, and a scented candle. At the bottom of the basket was his Blink 182 hoodie. I smiled as I pulled it out. It still smelled like him. I grabbed my phone and clicked his contacts, listening to the ring as I waited for him to pick up. “Hey,” He greeted. “Hey,” I smiled. “So, how did you like the song?” “I loved it. I loved everything. Thank you,” I said. “You’re welcome,” he said. “I’ve got maybe 2 hours of studying left in me. Want to come over after?” “I’ll be there,” he said. “Where are you going?” I heard Alex ask him in the background. “Ava’s” Jack answered. “We were going to watch that movie though!” Alex complained. “Sorry bro,’ Jack started. “Just tell Alex to come too. We can watch movies here,” I laughed. “But what about sexy time,” Jack whispered, whining. “When has Alex ever stopped us before?” I laughed. “Fair point,” He said, speaking normally. “Alex! We can watch the movie at Ava’s.” “Fine, but no sneaking off midway to go have sex. You said you’d watch it with me,” Alex said, causing Jack to groan. “Fine,” he huffed. “You’re such a cock block.” “You’re ridiculous,” I laughed. “I’ll see you later.” ‘Bye beautiful,” he said as the call ended. *** I laid down on the couch, finally able to relax after my long day of studying and working. I had texted Jack to let him know that I was done studying. Jack told me he would be over after he took a shower. I was playing on my phone, scrolling through instagram when the front door opened. Sofie walked in kicking off her shoes. “Hi slut,” I greeted her. She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “You’re so endearing,” she said and I grinned. “I know,” I said, setting my phone down on my stomach. She moved over to the couch. She moved my feet so she could sit down, and I put them back down in her lap. “How was your date?” “It was good, I think,” she said, causing me to raise an eyebrow. “You think?” “It got kind of weird,” she said, picking at some of the strings on my ripped jeans. “Why?” “He got, like” she said, pausing trying to think of the right word, “handsy? Like, he put his hand on my thigh and like purposely brushed my boob.” “He wants to get in your pants,” I said and she cringed. “That’s so weird,” she frowned. “That’s what happens when you date people, Sofie,” I said giggling. “Were you totally weird about it?” “I mean, I tried not to be. I just kind of pulled away. I didn’t want to, like, make him mad or anything, but I felt really awkward,” she said and I let out a laugh. “That’s because you are an awkward human being,” I teased and she frowned. “Don’t be weird about it next time. Just be like, “Hey, this is a little too fast for me, let’s slow down.’ If you act too freaked out he’s going to think you don’t like him.” “I like him. I was just a little uncomfortable.” “I know. You’ll get there. But boys are dumb, and you have to tell them things or else they’ll never figure it out. Just let him know if he’s moving too fast and he’ll be cool with it,”I said, nodding. “But you should let him play with your boobs, ‘cause it’s great.” “I don’t want him to play with my boobs.” “Oh trust me, yes you do. Jack played with my boobs for like, half an hour the other day. It was fantastic.” “Good to know,” she said, making a face, causing me to laugh again. “He loves my boobs,” I said, cupping them in my hand, still laughing. “He just, like, shoves his face in them all the time.” “Why exactly are you telling me about Jack motorboating you?” “Because. You should try it sometime.” “I’ll make a note of that,” She said, rolling her eyes as the front door opened again. Emma walked in, kicking off her shoes and throwing her back down on the floor. “Hey,” Sofie greeted and she waved. “Hey,” she answered, dropping down into the armchair and sighing. “Dude, can we order pizza? I’m freaking starving and I don’t wanna cook.” “I’m down!” I responded, “And I think the boys are coming over, so you should probably order a couple.” “Pshh, then tell the boys to bring pizza. They’re the ones with the money,” Emma said, causing Sofie to laugh. “Dude, I know. I’ll text them,” I said, picking my phone up and typing out a text to Jack. “Alright, cool,” Emma said, standing up from her chair and stretching. “Tell Jack to hurry the fuck up with that pizza. I’m gonna go take a bath.” “Alright. I’ll let you know when it gets here.” “Just bring me a plate. I’ll eat it in the tub,” she said, causing Sofie to laugh again. “Dude, I’m not even kidding.” “I know you aren’t. That’s the funny part,” Sofie responded.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I put my pencil down and scanned over my exam again. After making sure I filled in all the questions, and that I was happy with my answers, I stood up and turned it in. The relief of being done was short lived as the anxiety of what my grade would be set in. I walked out of the testing room and grabbed my stuff. Jack was waiting outside the building on a bench. He looked over as the door opened and I stepped out. “Did you wait for me?” I asked, as he stood up. He grinned and nodded. “How do you think it went?” He asked, instinctively reaching for my bag to hold it as I tried to put his Blink 182 hoodie on. He would have to wait awhile before I was willing to return it. “I don’t know,” I sighed. “Fine I guess. I’m still stressed about it though. “I’m sure you did better than I did. I just started filling in random bubbles at one point.” “Jack!” I yelled, lightly shoving him, as I went to reach for my bag. He laughed, holding my bag up higher so I was out of my reach. “It’s my grade. Why do you care?” He laughed as I tried to get my bag from him. “Because, asshole! You’re…” “Ava!” I heard a voice ring out, causing me to drop my sentence. I looked over my shoulder, I stopped reaching for my bag and turned around facing my boyfriend. “David? What are you doing here?” I asked as he closed the distance between us. He eye’d Jack, before grabbing me around the waist, pulling me into him a bit forcefully. Jack’s expression changed from playful to annoyed, and he dropped my bag so it was within my reach. “I thought I’d surprise you and take you out to celebrate finishing your exam,” he said, still eyeing Jack. “Oh,” I said, a bit surprised. “You’ve never taken me out after an exam before.” “Sure I have,” he said, finally pulling his gaze from Jack. “I don’t remember,” I started before he interrupted me. “Do you have to do this right now? I’m trying to be a good boyfriend, and you’re going to be ungrateful?” “Sorry,” I said, reaching for my bag from Jack. He handed it to me. His expression was hard to read, but he seemed annoyed. “Let’s go,” he said, leading me away. I turned back slightly as we walked away. I gave Jack an apologetic look. He gave a slight wave before stalking off towards his car. I bit my lip and turned my attention back toward David. Maybe he was trying after all, he had never tried to surprise me with anything like this before. “Where are we going?” I asked. “You’ll see. Who was that guy?” He asked, a slight bite to the question. “Oh,” I said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “That’s Jack, he is in my class.” “You seemed awfully familiar,” he said as we reached the car. He turned to look at me. “I’ve been to a few of the parties at his house. Emma is trying to sleep with one of his roommates and Sofie has been seeing another one,” I shrugged. “I guess we are friends.” “Oh,” He said, mulling over my response. I felt a pit in my stomach as the guilt started to pool there. After a moment he shrugged, seeming satisfied enough with my answer. “Alright.” I felt relief wash over me as he got into his car. I opened the passenger side door and climbed in. He started the car and started driving before I could put my seatbelt on. David’s driving always made me nervous, he drove too fast and swerved in and out of traffic. I pulled my phone out of Jack’s hoodie pocket, and sent a quick text to Jack.
Sorry.
I slipped my phone back in the pocket and started messing with the radio. One thing David did have was a decent taste in music. I scrolled through his touch screen display on his car until I found a Green Day song. I pressed play then tried to relax back in my seat. “Where did you get that hoodie?” He asked suddenly. I felt that familiar guilt creeped back into the pits of my stomach as I easily lied. “Rian, the guy Sofie has been seeing, gave it to me. He was going through old clothes and he knew I liked Blink 182.” “That was nice of him,” David said. His tone was a bit off, but he didn't say anything else. He quickly glanced over at me and grabbed my hand before focusing back on the road. “Yeah. It was,” I said, looking straight out the window. “I think he just wants me to approve of him and Sofie dating.” “Do you not?” He asked. “He’s a nice guy,” I started. “Just not who I would pick for her. You know how protective I am over her.” “I know, you smother her.” “Hey!” I laughed, shoving him a bit. “I do not smother her. Where would she be without me? She would be home probably studying and that’s boring. I just want what’s best for her and that girl needs to live a little.” “Whatever you say,” he laughed, as we drove. Eventually he pulled up to the restaurant. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was the same restaurant we always went to, a local burger joint that David loved. He put the car in park and we got out. I followed him into the restaurant. We sat down in a booth in the corner and silently looked over the menus. I decided on the black bean burger and a strawberry milkshake. After we ordered, David started playing on his phone. I looked around awkwardly for a moment before trying to get him to engage in conversation. “So have you signed up for classes yet?” I asked. He didn't take the summer classes like I had. “Nah, things are going well at work so I’m going to take another semester off.” He said, shrugging. He suddenly spun his phone around. It was opened to a video. “Check out this kill I got in Halo last night.” He played the video, and I watched the clip of him playing the game. He started explaining how he and his friends were playing and launched into a full recap of their entire game night. I nodded along a bit during the conversation. I loved playing games, but it felt like all we had been talking about lately. I just let him ramble on and show me videos on his phone, letting out the occasional reaction. When our food came out, he finally put his phone down and we ate silently. Things with David just felt off. Sitting here felt wrong, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave him. I felt like I owed it to him to try to make this work. I couldn’t ignore Jack though. Jack was so sweet, and I loved being around him. The time I had spent with him so far had been wonderful. I hadn’t had this much fun with someone in a long time. I also had so many mixed emotions about my relationship with him. I didn’t want to lead him on. I was so worried about hurting him. Not only that, I didn’t want to be the girl that everyone thought poorly of. I couldn’t help but worry about what our friends were thinking about us. How could his friends see me any way other than a slut that was leading him on. To my face everyone had been really cool, but what if that was just an act? I could feel myself starting to spiral the more we sat in silence. I started to lose my appetite, as I thought more about how my friends perceived me. Did Jack’s friends even view me as a friend? Did they just see me as his flavor of the week? Was that all I was? Did this mean as much to Jack as it did me? It seemed like it did. It seemed like he was really trying to show me what our relationship could be. Was I wrong? Was I reading too much into it? “Is that all you’re going to eat?” David said, snapping me back to reality. I looked down at my barely eaten food, then back over to his empty plate. My stomach felt like it was twisting with anxiety and guilt. If I ate anything else I felt like I would get sick. “Yeah,” I said, meeting his eyes. “I think the stress of the exam and not knowing my grade is just getting to me. I’m feeling kind of tired.” “We can go back to my place,” He said, flagging down the waitress. “But you are bringing this home to eat later. I paid for it, you aren’t wasting it. I’ll drink the rest of your milkshake.” “Okay,” I said, as the waitress came over to our table. I barely registered that he asked for the check and a box. When she came back with the box, David put it in front of me signaling me to box up my food. I put my food away as he poured my milkshake into a to-go cup. After that we left pretty quickly and headed back to his apartment. *** I was snuggled into David’s side as we watched a movie. I was half paying attention to the crappy action movie that he chose. It was something about a car and was uninterested in the plot, but he insisted it ‘gets really good’. After the restaurant we came back to his place. We played a few rounds of a video game, and then ended up watching this movie. I was still feeling the effects of the anxiety I was having at the restaurant, but I was trying to focus on being present. I hadn’t checked my phone since I texted Jack earlier. I was afraid to check it. Maybe the whole encounter with David made him decide he didn’t want to be around me anymore. I would be devastated, but I also wouldn’t blame him. When we parted ways, he didn’t look too happy. I looked up at my boyfriend of two years. His shaggy light brown hair was a mess, and his blue eyes watched the screen with excitement. He caught me looking at him, and leaned down to kiss me. I instantly felt a rock in my stomach. There was no spark. It was nothing like when Jack kissed me. It felt off and wrong. Like this wasn’t supposed to be happening. Why couldn’t I leave him. Why couldn’t I bring myself to end this relationship that didn’t feel right anymore. I pulled away from him, pulling the blanket around me tighter. “How much longer is this movie?” I asked, turning my attention to the movie so he couldn’t see the panic that I felt was written all over my face. “I think about 20 minutes,” He said. “I think I’m going to go home after,” I said. “I’m really tired.” “You can stay here,” he said. “I know,” I said. “I just don’t have any of my stuff with me and I have to work tomorrow morning. I didn’t expect the surprise or I would have been better prepared.” “Oh,” he said, running his hand down my side. “Are you sure you want to leave?” I could tell he was trying to get me to stay. After two years I could tell what his ‘moves’ were. He wanted me to stay and he wanted to sleep with me. With the weight of that last kiss, I knew that wasn’t in the cards for us tonight. I just wasn't feeling that attraction. Sure he was hot, but there felt like there needed to be more than that now. “Yeah. I can’t show up to work wearing this,” I said motioning to myself. “Why does it matter, guys just look at your tits while you serve them no matter what you wear,” he huffed. “Because I still have to follow a dress code, and this is not a work shirt.” “Fine,” he said. When the movie came to an end I sat up and stretched. I could tell he was annoyed, but I just couldn’t stay here with him any longer. I needed to get home. I needed time to think about what was going on with our relationship. It just felt so wrong now, but why? Was it really just because I met Jack? David was trying, he had never done something like this surprise date before. It was sweet and I appreciated the effort, but I couldn’t get out of my own head. “Thank you,” I said, turning to look at him. “This was really sweet. I really enjoyed the surprise.” He turned to look at me. His annoyed expression softened a bit, “You’re welcome.” “I’ll call you tomorrow alright?” “Yeah,” he said, leaning in to kiss me again. I let him, but pulled away quickly. I stood up and went to the door, slipping on my shoes. I felt his eyes on me the whole time. “Bye,” I said. “Later,” he sighed. I left as quickly as I could, rushing to my car. As soon as I was in my car, I pulled my phone out of my pocket for the first time in hours. I had several notifications. There was a text from Jack from hours before that was just a thumbs up emoji in response to my text. It seemed like he regretted that after I didn’t respond, because an hour after that text was another telling me he hoped I had fun. There were also Snapchats from Jack, about an hour after the last text message. I opened them to a picture of him smoking weed with Alex and Vinny. Then there was a picture of him and a box of cake mix. Then a few other snaps from the kitchen that just seemed like chaos. I giggled a bit to myself, feeling the weight I had been carrying all day start to lessen. The last snap was a video. It opened on him eating chicken tenders, before the camera switched and he panned around the room. Alex, Vinny and now Sofie and Rian, were hanging in the living room with him watching a movie. The camera switched back to his face. The caption on the screen the whole time, that sent butterflies to my stomach just said. “Miss you.” I sent him a picture of myself back, just sitting in my car. I mulled over if I was doing the right thing for a few minutes before typing my message. I couldn’t help myself, something kept pulling me back to him. He was a magnet and everything in me was attracted to him. I didn’t want him to grow bored of waiting for me and leave. I didn’t want his friends to think I was just leading him on, but above all else, right now I just wanted to see him. I sent the picture with the caption ‘I’m coming to pick you up.’ I put my car in drive and started toward the house. I felt my phone vibrate and looked at the Snapchat he sent me back when I reached the stoplight. It was just a picture of him looking high but smiling, with the caption “I can’t wait.”
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The loud ringing of my alarm blasted in my ears from under my pillow, jolting me awake. I felt Jack’s grip on my waist tighten, as he groaned at the sound. I pulled my phone out and turned off the alarm. I looked up and kissed Jack on the cheek. He had a small sleepy smile on his lips, but he kept his eyes closed. I giggled, kissing his face again over and over. He groaned, pushing me away from him, causing me to laugh harder. “I’m trying to sleep,” he whined. “I know,” I said, snuggling back into him. “Go back to sleep,” he said, nuzzling his face in my hair. “I have to go to work.” “No,” he said. “Call off.” “I can’t, but I’ll be home at three,” I said, not moving from my spot. We laid in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until Jack’s breathing slowed, as he started falling asleep again. I felt myself starting to drift back to sleep, and knew I needed to get up. I sighed and pulled myself away from Jack, and slipped out of the bed. He groaned and flipped over in bed. I looked at the time and realized I had laid in bed too long. I quickly got dressed before rushing out the door. *** I set down a plate of fries and a burger at my table. The girl didn't look up as I asked her if she needed anything else. She shook her head and I walked away. This shift had been dragging. Work was always slower in the early shifts. I checked on my other two tables before heading back toward the waiter stand. My coworker Kelsey slid over the bucket of clean silverware and pile of napkins so they were in the middle of us, as she continued to prepare the cutlery for the dinner rush. “I’m so bored,” Kelsey said, setting her wrapped napkin in the finished bucket. “Me too. I hate this shift.,” I said, starting to work on my own. She laughed, “What are you up to after work? Anything exciting?” “Probably not.” “That’s a bummer. I’m going to look at a new car after work!” she smiled. The idle chatter continued as we worked, occasionally both stepping away to tend to our tables. Kelsey filled the time talking about getting a new car. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time. Still another three hours before my shift was over. I wanted nothing more than to go home and hang out with Jack. I knew he was still there waiting for me, he had been sending me pictures of himself laying in my bed this morning. I noticed one of my tables seemed to be finishing up and brought them their check, as a few more people walked inside. It seemed the lunch rush was picking up and hopefully that meant the time would move by faster. *** “What are you doing here?” I asked Alex, as I got out of my car. I had just pulled into the parking lot when I realized he was here as well. “I think I pissed off Sofie,” he said, running a hand over the back of his head. “I came to bring her a peace offering.” “What did you do?” I asked, as he grabbed a plastic bag out of his car. We walked together into my apartment building. “I don’t know,” he sighed. “I was teasing her. I was just messing around, but then she started crying. She went and hid in the bathroom for awhile before cutting our tutoring session short. I feel fucking awful.” “Oh,” I nodded, understanding. “I’m sure she will appreciate the apology.” “God I hope so. I really don’t want her to hate me. I want to get to know her.” “I know,” I said, as we reached the apartment door. I unlocked the door, and let Alex inside. “She’s in her room,” I heard Jack say, as I followed Alex in. “Thanks,” Alex said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a spoon before walking down the hall. “So you aren’t even going to greet me?” I said, putting my hands on my hips. He turned to face me realizing I was standing there. A big grin spread across his face and he came over, pulling me into a big bear hug. I giggled and he lifted me up off the floor. “How was work?” he asked, setting me down, before I could answer his lips were on mine. “Boring,” I said, as he pulled away. “I barely made anything in tips, and I just wanted to come home.” “Because I was here?” He teased, kissing me again. He trailed his hands down my sides, creeping them under my shirt. “That might have been part of it,” I said, feeling my stomach flip as he touched me. “So, why don’t we go to your room,” he murmured. “Are you two always fucking?” Alex asked suddenly. I peaked over Jack’s shoulder to see him walking down the hallway and into the kitchen. “So what if we are!” Jack asked. “I’ll be in the shower,” I said, kissing him again and heading to the bathroom. I turned on the shower, and started stripping down. I took the pony tail out of my hair, running my finger through it and adjusting it to make it look better. I figured Jack would be in any second. I felt the temperature of the water, and stepped inside. I started to wet my hair down, and reached for the shampoo. At least five minutes had gone by and Jack still hadn’t appeared. I pulled back the shower curtain and got out. I dried off quickly, and wrapped the towel around myself, leaving the shower running. I opened the bathroom door and immediately heard Jack yelling from Sofie’s room. “Alex, what if I get murdered?! You have to locate my body!” “You’re not gonna get murdered,” I heard Alex say as I approached Sofie’s room. “This ice cream is really good.” “Sofie, your bed is so big! I could have so much sex in here,” Jack said. I stood in the doorway to Sofie’s room. Jack was sprawled out in my king size bed and pretending to hump Alex, before Alex shoved him away. “Jack! I thought you came over to have sex with me, not hang out with my roommate,” I yelled, causing them all to turn and look at me. “You were in the shower!” he defended, sitting up and looking me over. I felt his gaze linger, obviously checking me out. “Um, yeah! Waiting for you, you idiot!” I said in disbelief, causing Jack’s eyes to widen. “Why didn’t you say that?!” he asked, climbing over Alex and tripping as he stumbled out of the bed. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me back down the hall to the bathroom. He shut the door behind us and I dropped my towel to the floor. *** “We should order a pizza,” Jack said, as we cuddled in my bed. We were watching The Office and hadn’t gotten dressed yet since coming back to my room. “I’d kill for a pizza right now,” I said, picking up my phone. I started pulling up the website to the pizza place. “Here, order what you like.” Jack took my phone from me, “What do you want?” “‘I’m not picky,” I said, snuggling into his side. “I have to get my card,” he said, starting to move away from me. “No, I’m comfortable,” I whined, taking my phone from him and starting to type in my card information. “I’ll pay.” “Do you just know your card information?” He laughed. “Yes,” I said, hitting the confirmation button. “It’s very convenient for times like this.” “I should have paid for it. I know you work hard for your money, and I just have it,” he said. “You can just buy the next dinner,” I said looking and meeting his gaze. “Something really expensive and delicious.” “Deal,” he laughed. We settled in and watched another episode while we waited for our pizza to be delivered.
As the episode was ending, I heard the apartment door buzz. I slid out of the bed, pulled on some shorts and threw Jack’s shirt on so I could answer the door. “Do you want a drink?” I asked, as I opened my bedroom door. “Yeah,” he smiled. “Thank you.” I went out and grabbed the pizza, stopping by the kitchen for drinks for Jack and I. I figured I should offer some pizza to Sofie, so I went over to her room. I lightly knocked, but there was no answer so I pushed the door open. “Hey Sof,” I started, stopping as I took in the scene. Sofie and Alex were laying on her bed, both asleep. Sofie’s head was on Alex’s chest. I had thought Alex left a while ago, while Jack and I were in the shower. I was thrilled to see them here together. I smiled, slowly slipping out of her room. I opened my door, not hiding the huge smile on my face. “I’ve never seen someone so excited for pizza,” Jack said, sitting up in bed. “Alex is still here,” I told him excitedly. “They were asleep in her bed. Isn’t that just so cute!” “What really?” Jack asked, taking the pizza box from me. “Yes!” I said sitting back down. “I love that for them,” He said, opening the box and taking out a slice. “I know! I love this for them. I would love for them to date.” Jack and I ate our pizza and continued to talk about Alex and Sofie. We threw out ideas on how to get them to spend more time around each other. I really did love the idea of Sofie and Alex. They seemed like they could balance each other out really well. As far as I was concerned, it was only a matter of time.
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I threw myself down on Sofie’s bed, staring at her as she was getting ready. I watched her pull different shirts out of her closet, before deciding against them and putting them back. She had laid out a pair of shorts on her bed, and it seemed like she was really taking care to choose her outfit. I sighed loudly, causing her to look over at me. She gave me a look, before going back to picking her clothes. “That blue top is cuter,” I said as she pulled two more shirts out. “It’s lower cut, It really makes your boobs look amazing.” Sofie rolled her eyes and put on the pink shirt she was holding back. “Thanks.” “Why are you being so particular about your clothes today?” I asked. “Rian is coming over tonight and we are cooking dinner together,” she said, turning to face me. “Why?” I asked, making a face. “Because we thought it would be a nice low key date,” she said. “Oh, that sounds lame,” I said. “Gee thanks,” she said. “What do you want?” “Who says I want anything?” I asked. “I know you.” “I’m hungry. Will you make grilled cheese?” I asked. “Make your own lunch.” “You make it so much better than I do,” I whined. “Where is Jack? Make him make you grilled cheese.” “He isn’t here. He went back home.” “Wow, you are actually going to spend the night without him?” “No, he is getting more clean clothes and picking up this new video game for us to play tonight.” “If I make you a grilled cheese will you two please be on your best behavior tonight?” “Oh yeah totally,” I said.
“Something tells me not to believe you,” she sighed. “But grilled cheese does sound good. I’ll make the sandwiches if you make the soup.” “Deal,” I said, rolling off her bed and heading into the kitchen. As Sofie and I headed down the hall, the front door opened and Jack walked inside. His keys and a bag in hand, as he kicked off his shoes. “Oh hey babe,” Jack said, smiling at me. Butterflies erupted in my stomach. He had gotten so casual with using pet names lately. “What the fuck,” Sofie said stopping and looking Jack over. “What?” I asked. “Jack, how did you get in here?” Sofie asked. “A key?” he asked, holding up his keys. “Ava!” She yelled, looking over at me. “Why the fuck does Jack have a key to the apartment?” “So he can get in?” I said, like the answer was obvious. Jack set his stuff down on the floor and came over and wrapped his arms around my waist. “David doesn’t even have a key,” she said, shaking her head. “I know,” I said, feeling Jack’s grip on me tighten. I looked up at him, catching a glimpse of a grin at Sofie’s statement. “Do you have a key to his place?” she asked. “We have one of those fancy door code things,” Jack said. “I know the code though. It’s 5489,” I said. “You two are ridiculous,” Sofie said, going into the kitchen. “Jack, do you want grilled cheese too?” “Hell yes,” He said excitedly. “Thanks Sofie!” “You’re welcome,” she said. “At least Jack says Thank you. Maybe you could learn something from him.” “I say thank you,” I yelled back, hearing Sofie scoff from the kitchen. I turned in Jack’s arms, looking up at him. I puckered my lips, looking up at him expectantly. He chucked, before leaning down and kissing me. “I have to go make the tomato soup,” I said. “Did you get the game?” “I got it,” he said, kissing me again. “Sofie is having Rian over for a date night tonight,” I said quietly. “Oh?” he asked. “Yeah, I think we should invite Alex over to play video games with us,” I said. I knew it was going to take some work to get Sofie to stop seeing Rian, and start showing interest in Alex. I think she really just needed to spend some time with Alex and get to know him to see how great he is. “Alex is babysitting Vinny tonight,” Jack whispered. Vinny and Shanna had broken up last week, and Vinny was taking it really hard. “That’s perfect,” I said. “Vinny can come too. We can just say we are trying to cheer up Vinny and Sofie won’t suspect a thing.” “You’re an evil genius,” he said, kissing me again. “Ava this soup isn’t going to cook itself,” Sofie yelled from the kitchen. “I’m coming,” I said, pulling away from Jack and heading into the kitchen. *** Jack and I played our new game for a little while, but we decided that casual games would be a lot easier for us to play with Alex and Vinny. I had texted Alex and told him and Vinny to come and play games with us. While we waited for them Jack and I started playing MarioKart. Jack had taken the lead, but I was close behind him. I drove my car into a box, getting a red shell, and launching it at him. “Fuck!” Jack yelled, as his car spun out I passed him. I laughed, celebrating my lead, before he hit me with a shell. “How dare you!” I yelled, shoving him to try and get him to lose control of his car. “Ava!” he exclaimed, pushing me back, causing me to lose my balance on the edge of the bed. I fell to the floor, my controller flying out of my hand just as we were reaching the finish line. I heard a soft knock on the door, before it opened. “Jack, I’m gonna fuck you in the ass!” I screamed, grabbing a fistful of Doritos and throwing them in his face, as he crossed the finish line. He thrusted his controller into the air in victory. “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” He said, winking at me before looking toward the door. I followed his gaze seeing Sofie and Vinny starting there. “Hey, Vegas!” “Hey,” Vinny said quietly, coming into the room and sitting down on the edge of my bed. Jack threw his arms around Vinny and snuggled into him. “Where’s Alex?” Jack asked, grabbing one of the Twizzlers out of the bag on the bed. “He’s in the kitchen talking to Rian,” Sofie said, as Jack took a bite. “He’s getting yelled at by dad,” Jack muttered to Vinny. A small smile appeared on Vinny’s lips, and Sofie raised an eyebrow. “Okay, well I was just showing Vinny where Ava’s room is. Try not to kill each other,” she said. I flipped Sofie off, still pouting from my spot on the floor. Sofie rolled her eyes, and closed the door behind her. “Why is Ava on the floor?” Vinny asked Jack. “Because Jack is a dirty cheater and he pushed me so I wouldn’t win,” I whined. “I could have been seriously injured.” “You’re fine,” Jack said, reaching a hand out to try and help me up. “I think I broke my leg,” I said, pushing his hand away. I grabbed my leg and rubbed it in fake pain. “Are you okay?” Vinny asked, looking slightly concerned. “I think I’ll be okay,” I sighed dramatically, causing Jack to roll his eyes. I stood up from the floor, and climbed back onto my bed. “I’m sorry I pushed you,” Jack said, leaning over and wrapping his arms around me. “You’re just trying to get me to forgive you so I’ll sleep with you,” I said, as the door to my room opened again. Alex walked in holding a beer. “Hey buddy!” Jack said, letting go of me and hopping up. He threw his arms around Alex and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Hey,” he laughed, as Jack let him go. Alex pulled my deck chair out and sat down next to the bed. “What are we playing.” “Well we were going to play Halo, but Ava and I have been playing Mariokart. I’m kicking her ass,” Jack said. “Alright that’s it. You’re going down Barakat. Switch the game to team mode. Vinny, you're with me,” I said, handing Vinny and Alex controllers. *** “I have a leg cramp,” I said, stretching my legs out onto Jack’s lap. He ran his hand on my leg. I felt my phone vibrate, and I pulled it out of my pocket to see a text from Emma. I had been texting her for the last hour or so. It started to let her know that the guys were over and we were gaming. She asked if she and her friends could join us. We had all agreed. Her text was to let me know that she and her friends were on the way back to the apartment. “Emma is on the way. Let’s move to the living room, we can all spread out more.” “Aren’t Sofie and Rian out there?” Alex asked. “Yeah,” I said. “Sofie will move though.” The guys and I gathered up our stuff to move it out to the living room. After several rounds of Mariokart, Vinny and I finally pulled a single victory over Alex and Jack. After our win we switched games and started playing Halo. Hanging out and gaming had seemed to be helping distract Vinny quite a bit. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between Jack, Alex and I that we needed to continue to game for him. I led them out into the living room where Rian and Sofie were sitting on the couch. They had a movie playing, but they were not paying attention to it. They seemed to be lost in a kiss, and didn't realize we entered the room. I quickly glanced at Alex, noticing his expression had fallen at the sight of them. I picked up a throw pillow from the chair. “Sofie, go to your room,” I said, hitting the head with the pillow. “Ouch, Ava!” she yelled, breaking away from Rian and glaring at me. “Do you mind?” “Go to your room,” I repeated. “We’re moving out game out here.” “No, Ava! We were out here first! I told you Rian and I were going to be hanging out tonight,” she said in an annoyed tone. “Okay, and you can go make out in your room. Emma is gonna be home soon and she has friends coming over too. It’ll be too crowded to have everyone hang out in my room,” I said, crossing my arms causing Sofie to sigh. “Fine,” Sofie said, standing up and gesturing for Rian to follow her. “Come on. We can finish our movie in my room.” Sofie and Rian left the living room and headed down the hall to her room. Jack got to work setting up my xbox. Vinny and Alex spread out the snacks on the coffee table, before making themselves comfortable on the couch. *** We had been gaming in the living room for about an hour and a half, with Emma and her friends. Emma was sitting next to Alex, trying to get him to have any sort of conversation or interaction with her. I could tell Alex was trying to be polite with her, but wasn’t interested. “So there is this new bar downtown, I thought maybe you and I could check it out tomorrow night,” Emma said, leaning into Alex. “I’ve got plans,” Alex said, ignoring her lean and not looking in her direction. He kept his gaze focused on the round of Halo that Jack, Vinny and I were playing with him. “Oh,” she said, seeming a little hurt. “Well maybe another time, unless you want to go out with me and the girls tonight. We were thinking about going out to a club.” “No,” he said flatly. “Sorry, but I’m enjoying playing games.” “Alright then,” she sighed, glancing over at her friends for encouragement. Just as the round was finishing up, Sofie led Rian through the living room. They slipped outside, as she walked him out. I handed my controller off to one of Emma’s friends, letting them take the next round. I watched as they started the next round and Sofie walked back inside. “I’ll be right back,” I said, kissing Jack on the cheek as he played. “I’m going to go to the bathroom. “Okay babe. I’ll miss you,” he said, smiling at me before turning his attention back to the tv. I slipped off the couch and headed to the bathroom, as Jack started yelling at Alex for shooting him. After I finished up in the bathroom, I went down the hall to Sofie’s room. I let myself in, sitting down on the edge of her bed. She was playing with her phone when I sat down. “So did you bang Rian?” I asked, reaching over and taking her phone from her so she would look at me. “No,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Why?” I asked. “Because I didn’t want to.” “Have you even fucked him at all yet?” I asked curiously. “No,” she said again. “Why?” I asked, making a face. “It’s been like a month and a half.” “I don’t know. It just hasn't happened,” she shrugged, reaching for her phone. I held it back away from her so she couldn't take it from me. “Because you’re not actually into him,” I stated. “No, Ava, because it hasn’t happened yet,” she said. “I like to move slower and the moment just hasn’t felt right yet. Why would I hang out with him so much if I wasn’t into him?” “How do you feel when you kiss him?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “The way you’re supposed to feel with you kiss people? I like it.” “When I kiss Jack, my whole body tingles like I’ve touched a livewire and I can’t think about anything but ripping his clothes off,” I said, smiling slightly at the thought of it. “I really love that for you, A, but not everyone is going to have that,” she said. I watched as a few different emotions crossed her face. “You and Jack just have a lot of chemistry.” “You don’t feel like that with Rian,” I stated, giving her a knowing look. Sofie rolled her eyes at me. “Maybe I do,” she said. Her statement almost sounded like a question, and I knew she didn’t intend it to sound that way. “You don’t. You can’t lie to me.” “What’s your point?” “Don’t waste your time. Or his. Find someone that makes you feel like you got struck by lightning or it’s not worth it,” I said. The irony of me giving her this advice was not lost on me, and I started thinking about the difference between Jack and David. “Look,” she sighed. “You gave me a hard time when I wasn’t dating, but now that I’m seeing Rian, you hate it. Make up your mind.” “Don’t get mad at me because I’m right,” I said, shaking the thoughts of David out of my head and handing her back her phone. “By the way, I saw you snuggled up with Alex the other night. Stop pretending you don’t want to fuck him.” “Ava! I don’t want to fuck Alex! I’m dating his best friend!” she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes at her and stood up from her bed and heading to the door. “Okay. keep denying it. I don’t know why you just keep prolonging the inevitable. I’m going back to my game,” I said, leaving the room. I headed back to the living room, just as the round of Halo was ending. I snuggled myself back in my spot next to Jack, before I was handed a controller to start playing again.
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Jack traced lazy circles on my hip as we laid in bed. We’d been awake for hours, wrapped up in our own world. We barely spoke, we were just enjoying each other’s company. I kissed him again, causing him to pull me closer, draping my leg across his. He deepened the kiss, an explosion like fireworks bursting through me. Then Jack’s phone went off. At first we ignored it, too wrapped up in each other to care. After a few moments it buzzed again, and again. Jack groaned, pulling away from me and reaching over to the night stand for his phone.“Bro, you’re really killing my vibe right now,” he said into the phone, waiting for a response. I curled myself into him as he talked to whoever was on the other line.“Yeah, sounds fun. I’ll talk to Ava,” he responded, peaking my interest. “Later dude.”“Who was that?” I asked as he hung up the phone.“Zack. He and Sara invited us to come have a couples game night.He asked if we could ask Sofie and Rian if they want to come, ” he said.“That sounds fun,” I agreed, not missing that he called us a couple. The idea sent a thrill for me.“I’ll let him know we are coming,” he replied, sending a quick text. He set his phone back down and wrapped his arms around me.“We should probably get up soon,” I sighed.“I’m good,” he stated, nuzzling his face into my hair, and holding on to me tighter.“I’m hungry.”“But baby,” he whined, causing me to giggle.“Come on. I’ll make you a quesadilla.”“You’re the perfect woman,” he said, letting me go.***The front door opened, taking my attention from the movie Jack and I had been watching. Sofie walked in, kicking her shoes off and setting her keys down. I watched her rub her forehead like she was trying to fight off a headache.“Hey,” I greeted. She looked over at me, before scanning the rest of the room.“Are you actually here alone?” she asked and I rolled my eyes.“No, Jack is in the bathroom. Why would I want to be alone?” I asked, causing her to laugh.“I wouldn’t want to be alone with you either,” she joked, and I flipped her off.“Hey,” I started, “I guess we’re doing like, a game night with Zack and his girlfriend. Jack wanted me to see if you and Rian would like to join too.”“Tonight?” she clarified, making a face and running her hand through her hair.“Yeah.”“I don’t know. Probably not. I just have a lot on my mind and I don’t feel up to a group date,” she said, causing me to cock an eyebrow.“Why? Are you finally going to break up with Rian?” I asked. She rolled her eyes throwing her arm down at her side.“You still have to break up with David before you can talk shit, Ava,” she fought back.“Shut up,” I said, flipping her off, but knowing she was right. “So does that mean you are thinking about breaking up with him?”Sofie looked down the hall, like she was checking to make sure we were alone before she responded.“No,” she said. I couldn’t help the annoyed look that crossed my face, causing her to sigh again. “I don’t know. Like I said, I have a lot on my mind to figure out.”“Did something happen with Alex?” I asked. I knew she had a tutoring session with him today, and It was strange that she came home in such a conflicted mood.She shook her head, “No. Nothing is going on with Alex. Stop asking.”I gave her a look, letting her know I didn’t believe her. I heard the door open down the hall, and erased the look. She obviously wanted to leave the conversation between us for now.“Hi Sofie!” Jack greeted, coming back into the room. He pulled Sofie into a big bear hug causing her to giggle.“Hi, Jack,” she responded.“Did Ava ask you about coming to game night with us?” He asked“Um, she did, but I’m gonna sit this one out,” she said, and he frowned.“She wants to stay home and be an emo kid,” I told him, adjusting the blanket so that he could rejoin me on the couch.“Why? Are you good?” he asked. Sofie looked over at me and rolled her eyes.“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day and I’m tired,” she said and he nodded.“Oh, okay,” he said. He moved back to the couch, and plopped down next to me. He put his arm around me and pulled me into him. “Well if you change your mind, you’re free to come.”“Thanks, Jack,” she said. Jack focused his attention back to the TV and Sofie shot me a look before heading back to her room.***“I’m so happy you guys came,” Sara said, hugging me as Jack and I walked into the kitchen.“Thanks for setting this up,” I smiled, returning the hug. Sara and Zack had set out a lot of snacks and drinks. They had a few games stacked up on the kitchen table. Jack wandered over to the fridge and opened it up, before turning and looking over at me.“Do you want something to drink Babe?” Jack asked.“Yes please,” I said following Sara over to the snack bar they set up. I grabbed a small plate and put a couple snacks on it while Sara fixed up her own plate. We headed back to the table and sat down with the boys. Jack popped the tab on a White Claw before setting it down in front of me, and popping one of my chips in his mouth.“Excuse me,” I said.“What?” He asked.“There are more chips over there,” I said.“I don’t mind sharing,” he said, taking a drink of his own.“At least go get us a bigger plate of snacks,” I said, rolling my eyes. Jack grinned at me and kissed my cheek, before going over to get more snacks.“What game do you guys want to play?” Zack asked, scanning the titles on the table. Before Sara or I had a chance to answer, Alex and Vinny walked into the room.“What is going on here?” Alex asked, taking in the room.“We are having a couples game night,” Sara said. I didn’t miss the slight wince on Vinny’s face when Sara said couples. Vinny was still having a hard time after his break up.“Vinny and I can be a couple,” Alex said, wrapping his arm around Vinny’s waist and pulling him in close. “Can’t we babe?”“Alex Gaskarth, are you cheating on me?” Jack asked, handing his hand over his heart.“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Alex said.“I’d love for you guys to join,” Sara smiled politely. “We have plenty of snacks since Rian and Sofie aren’t joining.”“Great!” Alex smiled, dropping his arm and heading over to get some snacks. Vinny went and grabbed a drink before he sat down at the table on the other side of Zack.“Should we start with Cards Against Humanity?” Zack asked, pulling the black box off the top of the pile.“Sounds good to me,” I said.Everyone agreed to the game and Zack started unboxing it. He started shuffling, and dealing out cards as Alex sat down at the table. The rules to the game were simple enough that we all knew how to play. I scanned the white cards in my hand to get an idea of what I had.“I’ll go first,” Alex said, grabbing a black card off the top of the deck, and reading it outloud. “I got 99 problems but blank ain’t one.”“Shit I have a good one,” Vinny said, slapping his card down, while the rest of us looked over our cards.“We’ll see about that,” Alex said as we all put in our cards.“It’s going to win,” Vinny insisted.“Lets see, I got 99 problems but living in a trash can aint one. Laying an egg ain’t one. The art of seduction ain’t one. Chainsaws for hands ain’t one, and the sound of my roommate masterbating ain’t one. The sound of my roommates masterbating is a huge problem in this house,” Alex said, throwing that card down. “That’s not the winner.”“Fuck!” Vinny yelled. “That was a good card!”“It is a good card, but you wasted it. I’m going to say the art of seduction,” he said, holding the card up.“What about Chainsaws for hands!” Jack yelled.“I'm a very seductive man!” Alex yelled back.“That’s mine!” Sara giggled, taking the black card from Alex. “Your turn Jack.”Jack picked up a card before reading the prompt, “What gets me wet?”“I should have saved my ‘the sounds of my roommate's masterbating card’,” Vinny mumbled under his breath as he read through his cards. I slapped my card down immediately, waiting for the others.“You think you know what gets me wet huh?” He asked, looking over at me and wiggling his eyebrows.“I’m pretty sure I have the winning card,” I said, smirking back at him. He turned his attention back to the table and picked up the cards.“Alright fuckers, lets see what get’s me wet,” he said, before reading the cards off. “Free samples, oh fuck yeah they do. Oreos for dinner, also very true. Doritos and a Fruit Roll-Up. Having sex on top of a pizza. Two men in a horse costume, wait what?”“I love how most of your cards are about food,” Zack laughed.“Food always gets Jack wet,” Alex agreed, causing Jack to nod.“That’s very true. I’m going with ‘having sex on top of a pizza’, cause I love pizza and I love sex,” he decided, holding the black card up.“That’s mine,” I grinned, taking the card from him. “And for the record, we are not having sex on top of a pizza.”“Babe,” he whined. I rolled my eyes at him, ignoring him, and picking up a black card.“During his midlife crisis, my dad got really into blank,” I read outloud. Everyone put their cards down before I read. “Alright, what did my dad get into during his midlife crisis? Actually taking candy from a baby. Clams. Authentic Mexican cuisine. Prison. The kinds of porn with poop. What the fuck guys.”“So what did your dad get into?” Zack asked.“I’m going to have to say actually taking candy from babies.”“Mine!” Sara grinned, winning another round.“What about the poop porn!?” Jack yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.“I really don’t want to think about my dad’s preference in porn,” I said, making a face.We played for a while. Before Jack got up and brought a round of shots for us all. We all took our shots, and went back to the game. Sara and Alex were tied and the next one who won a round would win the game. Zack picked up his black card and read it out loud.“What ended my last relationship?” He said, setting the card down. Immediately Sara and Alex slapped down cards. I looked up to see them staring each other down. I didn’t know Sara was so competitive. I thumbed through my white cards hoping to find a good one. I laid my card down and looked over at Jack who looked like he couldn’t pick between his cards.“Babe, pick left or right,” he said, showing me the back of the two cards he was choosing between.“Left,” I said.“Are you sure? I was thinking Right,” he said furrowing his eyebrows.“Why did you ask then,” I laughed. “I said left, put down the left card.”“Yes ma’am,” he said, setting the left card down. Zack gathered up our response cards, and looked them over for a moment.“This could be tough,” Zack said. “Let’s see what ended my last relationship. Was it The Rapture? Was it that bitch Stacey? Nickelback? A big black dick? I think I have to go with some douche with an acoustic guitar.”“That’s mine!” Sara squealed with excitement and she took the card. “I win!”“Damn it,” Alex said, throwing his cards on the table. He stood up leaning over the table and extending his hand at Sara. “Good game.”She smiled as she shook his hand. Zack started to clean up the cards and put the game away. Jack stood up from the table with a stretch, and went over to start filling up shot glasses again.“I think this game night needs more alcohol,” he said.***“Left hand red,” Sara called out. I stretched my arm out to reach the red spot, feeling everyone else shift around me. After we played a few different card games, and had all gotten a little drunk, we decided to play twister. We moved to the living room and spread out the mat. Sara was the referee, and the rest of us played.“Right foot green,” Sara said.“Fuck Sara! Stop trying to make me do the splits,” Jack complained, sliding his foot under me to try and reach the green spot.“Stop complaining,” she said. “Right hand yellow.”Everyone started to shift before Jack lost his balance, “Fuck!”“I told you to stop complaining,” she said and Jack maneuvered his way off the game mat and sat next to Sara.“Fuck ‘em up babe,” he cheered from the sidelines, taking a drink of his beverage.“Finally Jack’s ass is out of my face,” Zack laughed.“Left hand green,” Sara yelled out. I moved my hand out from under Alex and slid it over, almost losing my balance but maintaining. Vinny’s hand slipped but he caught himself.“Come on Vegas, just give up,” Alex said.“No way man,” Vinny said, straightening his arm.“Right foot red,” Sara called out. Before I could move, Alex wobbled and his elbow hit the mat. He groaned and moved himself to the sidelines and I slid into position.“I bet you $10 Zack wins,” Alex said, sitting down next to Jack.“You’re on. My money is on Ava, she is very flexible,” Jack said wiggling his eyebrow.“Jack!” Sara scolded, “don’t be crude.”“Well she is!” Jack said. “She’s got this.”“No one is going to put money on me?” Vinny asked.“I’ll bet on your Vinny,” Sara said. “Left foot blue.”Zack, Vinny and I tried to move to the blue spot. Vinny’s foot hit mine and I saw a flash of panic cross his face as he started to lose his balance. He tried to catch his balance but ultimately fell, knocking Zack over with him.“Fuck yes!” Jack yelled, jumping up off the couch.“I would have had that,” Zack said, standing up and brushing himself off. He reached out a hand to Vinny and helped him up, as I righted myself.“I’m so glad we are done,” I laughed. “My arms hurt. Someone get me a shot.”We all ended up doing another shot, before sitting down for a break before the next game. I cuddled into Jack’s side on the couch while we all chatted, and finished up our drinks. I really felt like I had gotten closer with everyone tonight.“Do you guy’s want to play Sorry?” Sara asked. We all got up and headed back into the kitchen to play the next game. It seemed like none of us were quite ready for this night to end.
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Sofie walked into the apartment, tossing down her things, before collapsing onto the couch next to me. I glanced over at her from my phone. Jack and I had been scheming for the last week to have a party once finals were done for everyone. Partially to help everyone have fun and relax, but mostly to get Alex and Sofie in the same room again. “I’m so glad finals are over,” Sofie said, looking over at me. “Me too. Now you can chill the fuck out for a couple weeks,” I said, causing her to roll her eyes. “Sorry that I actually care about my grades.” “I care, just not enough to take a lot of summer classes. You got me fucked up if you think I’m gonna give up my last few years of not having to do shit all summer long,” I said. “You still worked all the time,” she pointed out. “Yeah, and guess who made bank in tips all summer? Not you, nerd,” I said, causing her to roll her eyes again. “The boys are having a party tonight.” “The boys have parties every night,” she stated. “Anyway, you’re going with me and you are going to let loose,” I said, “I’m gonna get you drunk as fuck and you are going to actually be fun for once.” “I’m fun all the time,” Sofie frowned. “I’m pretty sure if I wasn’t fun, you wouldn’t want to be up my butt all the time like you are.” “You make sure I don’t die,” I said looking at her innocently. “Whatever, Ava. I’m too tired for your shit.” “Well you better go take a nap. I need you rested and ready to go tonight.” ***I set to work mixing Sofie and myself a drink. We just got to the boy’s place and the party was already in full swing. I left the girls outside, and went in finding Jack immediately. He was wearing a black band tee and swim trunks. He smiled a big goofy grin when he saw me, before beelining to me to kiss me. It was clear from the lingering taste of rum on his lips that he had already been drinking. He followed me to the kitchen, like a puppy and watched me make the drinks. “Will you make me one too?” he asked. I nodded, and pulled another cup off the stack of solo cups. Once the drinks were made I carried them by the rim and led Jack outside by the hand. I found my friends quickly by the growing crowd of people playing beer pong. I walked up to Sofie and forced the drink into her hand. “Drink up, Sofie!” I yelled, smiling at her. “You didn’t even ask me what I wanted to drink, Ava,” she muttered, looking at the contents of the cup. “It’s Captain and Coke. Just drink it, slut,” I said. “I need you to be fun tonight.” “You keep saying that, and I still don’t know what it means. What are you planning on doing to me?” She questioned, taking a sip of the drink and coughing. “Jesus, Ava. Did you put any Coke in this?” “You don’t need Coke!” I exclaimed, tilting the bottom of the cup, as she brought the cup back to her lips. She took a big gulp, making a face. “Did you bring your bathing suit?” Jack asked, nuzzling his face into my hair. “Duh! Come on, Sofie, let’s go swimming!” I said, grabbing her wrist. “Oh no, I’m good now. Maybe later,” she said, pushing my hand away. Rian walked up behind Sofie. “Hey, Sofie,” Rian said. “Hey, Ri,” she grinned. I dropped her hand and rolled my eyes. I started pulling Jack towards the pool as Rian and Sofie started flirting. There were quite a few people in the pool already. There were a lot of people I recognized from other parties the boys had. I looked down at the contents of my cup, and back up at Jack, before chugging the rest of my drink. He laughed, following suit. I handed my empty cup to Jack, before pulling my shirt over my head. I had planned ahead and wore my bathing suit under my skirt and crop top. I watched Jack’s eyes go wild as I slid my skirt down. I stood up on my toes and kissed him. “Go get us more drinks,” I ordered. “I’ll wait for you in the pool.” I climbed down into the pool, hyper aware of Jack staring at my ass in my bikini. As soon as I was in the water, he took off toward the house to fill out drinks. I laughed to myself, before greeting the people I knew.***I wrapped a towel around myself and grabbed my clothes, heading into the house. David was calling me and I wanted to get upstairs and away from everyone to go talk to him. I didn’t miss the slight irritation in Jack’s voice when I told him I was going to take a call. He had to know it was David on the phone. I answered the phone as I headed up to Jack’s room. “Hello?” I answered, trying to talk over the volume of the party as I walked upstairs. “Hey,” David answered. “It’s really loud, where are you?” “Sorry, I’m trying to get to a quieter place,” I said, walking up the stairs. “I’m at a friend’s party. They are celebrating finals being over.” “You didn’t tell me you were going to a party,” he said. “Why didn’t you invite me.” “It’s not really your crowd,” I said, shutting myself in Jack’s room and cutting off a lot of the noise. I set my clothes down on Jack’s bed, and started changing out of my wet bathing suit. “Besides, you told me you were hanging out with your friends tonight.” “Well my plans fell through. Spencer has a new girlfriend, and he is too busy hanging out with her tonight,” he complained. I rolled my eyes, hanging out with me alway came second to hanging out with his friends. “What about Jake?” I asked, dropping my bathing suit in Jack’s laundry hamper. I opened his dresser, happy to find that I still had some clothes in his dresser. I pulled out a new bra and underwear. “Jake is out of town, visiting his family,” he stated. “Oh,” I said, putting on my clothes from earlier. “I’m sorry your plans fell through.” “Yeah, so come over,” he said. “I’m not leaving,” I told him, running my fingers through my hair. “I am not sober enough to drive.” “How are you getting home then,” he fought back. “I’m just going to crash here with Sofie and Emma,” I said, ready to be done with this conversation. “You know David I’m really starting to feel more like a booty call than a girlfriend.” “Don’t be like that. You are the one who is always busy when I call you.” “You only call me when the guys can’t hang out,” I snapped. Maybe it was the alcohol making me bold, but I needed to tell him how I was feeling. If he wasn’t invested in me, then maybe it would make it easier to leave him. He was quiet on the other end of the phone for a while. David sighed, “Look, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m prioritizing my friends over you. Let me make it up to you tomorrow. We’ll go see a movie and I’ll buy you lunch.” “Okay,” I said, feeling myself start to get emotional. I was flooded with jealousy and guilt. I used to want to spend all my time with David, but once our relationship wasn’t shiny and new he started prioritizing his friends over me. Then there was the guilt that here I was standing in another guy’s room, fully intending to spend the night with him. David didn’t deserve to be cheated on, but I deserved more. I needed him to show me that he still cared about me. “Alright,” he said. “Meet me at my place tomorrow afternoon.” “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, ending the phone call. I took a minute to compose myself, before heading back down to the party. I stopped in the kitchen pouring myself a shot. I felt like I needed one after that phone conversation with David. After shooting back the tequila, I walked outside to find Jack, wrapped in a blanket and sitting in Alex’s lap by the firepit. Sofie was sitting next to them. I scanned the area quickly, not seeing Rian anywhere. I slipped back inside, noticing the look on Sofie’s face and quickly made her another drink. She seemed upset about something. With a drink in my hand, I walked back outside to join them. “Jack, why are you groping Alex under a blanket?” Ava asked, gaining their attention as I approached. I sat down in Sofie’s lap, handing her the drink I had made for her. “Because he’s sexy,” Jack muttered. His eyes were closed, and his nose pressed into the top of Alex’s wet hair. “Why? Do you want to grope him too? He won’t mind.” “Jack, you can’t give consent for me,” Alex interjected and I snorted. “Whatever, Gaskarth. You know you wanna fuck me,” I teased. “Oooh, threesome!” Jack yelled, sitting up and grinning. “I’ll bring snacks.” “No thanks,” Alex responded, causing Sofie to laugh. I watched her take a sip of her drink. “You’re not tricking me into a threesome just so you can touch my dick.” “It’s only gay if we kiss,” Jack responded. “Jack, you kissed me like 15 minutes ago,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. Jack smiled wide, before grabbing Alex’s face between his hands. Alex’s eyes went wide as Jack pressed their lips together roughly. “Ha ha, now it’s been zero minutes!” Jack yelled, jumping off Alex’s lap. He threw the blanket down on top of Alex, and held out a hand towards me. “Ava! Let’s go dance!” “Okay!” I smiled, standing up. I reached back and grabbed Sofie’s hand pulling her with me. The motion caused her to spill some of her drink on herself. “Come on, Sofie, I’ll make Jack play you some Ludacris!” I grabbed Jack’s hand as he led us over to the makeshift dance floor. Sofie was laughing, and stumbling a bit as she followed. I grinned to myself, happy that she was able to have fun and let loose. Jack dropped my hand, and headed over to where the music was playing from to change the songs. I led Sofie to the middle of the crowd, noticing Alex had followed us. Sofie bumped into someone, and grinned when she noticed it was Vinny. Vinny scooped her into a big bear hug. “Sofie!” he squealed, drawing out the vowels. “It’s about time you pay me that dance!” “What dance?” Sofie questioned, laughing and stumbling back into Alex. Alex rested his hand on her waist. I watched with sheer delight as Sofie seemed to unconsciously relax against him. “The dance I’ve always wanted to dance with you!” Vinny yelled back over the music causing Sofie to shake her head. “Of course, Vegas, of course,” she told him, allowing him to spin her around. “I would love to dance with you.” I glanced over at Alex, and held out my hand to him. He laughed and grabbed my hand, spinning me like Vinny had spun Sofie, before I fell against him. Alex pulled me into slow dance that didn’t match the music that was playing. I raised an eyebrow at him and he motioned with his head behind me. “Jack is coming back,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to make him jealous.” I giggled, “Why?” “It’s funny,” he shrugged. “Plus you’re the one who implied I wanted to fuck you. I’m sure that already made him jealous even if he was just playing around.” “He’s not going to leave my side the rest of the night,” I laughed. “Yeah, like that has ever been a problem for you,” Alex laughed. “You two are obsessed with each other.” “Shh,” I giggled, “don’t tell him.” “Gaskarth,” Jack said from behind me. “Get your filthy hands off my girl.” Alex laughed, spinning me around so that I was facing Jack. Jack’s arms were around my waist in an instant. I giggled, as he leaned down to kiss me in a show of dominance. “I’m grabbing another drink,” Alex said. “You guys want one?” “Yes please,” I laughed, as Jack turned me so I was out of Alex’s eyesight. I peaked around Jack to see Alex smirking before he walked away.***“I haven’t seen Rian in like an hour,” Sofie said as I poured her another drink. I shrugged, realizing I also hadn’t seen him in awhile.“Oh well, let him be a party pooper,” I said, setting down the rum, and grabbing a bag of chips. “You’re having fun with me and Jack and Alex.” “I think I’m gonna go look for him,” She said, a slight frown crossing her face. “I have to pee anyway.”“Okay, make good choices,” I said, leaving her to go back to Jack. Jack wasn’t far away, he hadn’t let me out of his sight since Alex danced with me. I grabbed his hand and walked him back into the living room. There were quite a few people around still, but mostly everyone was outside. We sat down on the couch and I cuddled up into him. I opened the chips and fed Jack one before eating one myself. Jack smiled down at me, kissing the top of my head, “you’re so cute.” “No you are,” I laughed, at the drunk boy next to me. “I have a crush on you, and I don’t want to just be casual,” Jack said. I felt electricity spark throughout me at his words. Jack had been drinking a lot, but something told me he was telling the truth. I didn’t know what to say. The more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to just be with him. Before I could respond, I heard shouting coming from the stairs. “Sofie, wait!” I heard Rian yell out. Jack and I both turned to see Sofie stumble down on the last step trying to get away from Rian. “Whoa, slow down, Sofe,” Alex said, steadying Sofie. She ripped herself away from him. “Don’t touch me!” she yelled, obvious hurt in her eyes. I stood from my place on the couch, ready to chase after my best friend. She stumbled out of the living room and headed towards the back yard. “Sofie?” Alex called out in confusion. “Dude, what did you do?” “Sofie, hold on. It’s not what you think,” Rian said, ignoring Alex, and pushing past him, running after her. I saw a blonde girl stumbling down the stairs after them. I looked over at Jack, he shook his head, made a face, and stood up to follow me. Sofie pushed Rian’s hand way from her, turning back to yell at him. Alex tried to follow them outside, but Jack and I held him back. We stood in the doorway to the backyard, watching the confrontation unfold. “She’ll be okay,” I said, looking at the concern on Alex’s face. “She can handle herself, and if I have to I’ll step in.” “Okay,” Alex said, clear concern in his voice. “It’s not what I think? I just saw you come out of your room with another girl? What am I supposed to think, Rian?!” she asked, her voice raising as she spoke. The attention of the party goers shifted to the two of them as she yelled. “What’s going on?” Zack asked, joining us by the door. “Stay with Alex,” I said, walking outside to be closer in case Sofie needed me. Jack followed me outside. We stopped just behind her, taking a place next to Vinny, just watching. “Sofie, let’s go back inside and talk about this,” Rian said, glancing around nervously, at all the people around them. “No, fuck you! I hope you’re embarrassed!” she yelled, shoving his hands away again as he reached out to grab her arm. “Don’t touch me! What the fuck is wrong with you?! I thought we were together!” “We are together, but- like, I just-” he stuttered, unable to come up with a good excuse. “But I wouldn’t fuck you so you had to go find another girl who would?!”“Don’t say it like that,” he muttered. “Why?! It’s the truth! There is no other reason that you would be upstairs with some other random girl when you were just making out with me an hour ago!” “Because all you want to do is makeout and it’s such a tease!” he said, matching the tone of her voice. “You’re such an asshole!” She screamed at him. “How dare you!” “Sofie, come on. We can talk about this,” he said, trying to reason with her, reaching out for her again. “Jesus, I said don’t fucking touch me!” she yelled, pushing him as hard. It was like it happened in slow motion. Rian lost his balance and stumbled. As he was trying to regain his footing, he tripped over someone’s shoes and fell into the pool. “Oh shit,” Vinny said, eyes wide. Sofie turned around, eyes locking on the Alex and Zack, before turning to see us behind her. “I told you she could handle herself! Good job, baby!” I said. I watched her eyes start to fill with tears. My heart immediately hurt for her. She took off walking through the yard towards the front of the house. I went to follow her, needing to go comfort my friend. Jack held me back as Alex ran by chasing after her. “Sofie, wait!” Alex yelled, chasing after her. I looked up at Jack, ready to yell at him to let me go. “Alex will handle it,” Jack said. “Let him be there for her.” “Okay,” I said, biting my lip and looking after my friend. I heard the water in the pool splash, as Rian started climbing out of the pool. I shook Jack’s hand off me and walked over to him, standing in front of him as he shook the water off. “Ava,” he started, looking at me with pleading eyes. “You’re such a douche bag. You deserved that,” I said. He looked down slightly, clearly embarrassed and feeling shame. A brief moment of inspiration struck, as the man who hurt my best friend stood before me. I reached out and shoved Rian back into the pool, his eyes going wide as he fell. I turned around, and walked back over to Jack, who had a small smirk on his mouth. “Let’s go upstairs,” I said, feeling my social battery drain after watching that confrontation. Jack nodded, and took my hand, before we headed upstairs to his room. We shut ourselves in Jack’s room, cuddling up on his bed. We didn’t say anything for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. Jack’s breathing leveled out, as he started to fall asleep. I took a moment to think about what he had said before. I didn’t want to just be casual with Jack either. I could feel myself wanting more. Thoughts of David, and the guilt I had been feeling started flooding back. I shook the thoughts out of my head and cuddled closer to Jack, closing my eyes and letting myself fall asleep.
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I woke to a loud thud. I opened my eyes slightly, seeing Jack getting up from off of his bedroom floor. I made eye contact with him, and he grinned slightly before slipping out of the room, I assumed he was going to the bathroom. I tried to get back to sleep, but I couldn’t. Jack came back a few minutes later. He walked over to his dresser, dropping something in the top drawer of his dresser, before coming back and laying down next to me.“Hey,” he said, draping his arm around my waist. “Hey,” I greeted, smiling at him. “I was thinking we could have a chill day today. Maybe we could go grab some boba, then come back here and have a pool day. We could order food to the house, and have a picnic in the backyard,” Jack said. I bit my lip, bummed that I was about to disappoint him with my plans for the day. “I would love that, really,” I started, watching his eyes sparkle. I felt guilt in the pit of my stomach as I continued. “But, I did tell David I would go get lunch with him later, and maybe see a movie with him. I can cancel the movie part though, and just do lunch, then be back for a pool day.” I watched Jack’s face fall, as I spoke. He sighed, rolling over and running his hands through his hair clearly annoyed. I instantly felt awful about making plans with David. The thoughts of his confession last night came flooding back. He didn’t want to just be casual anymore. My fears from when we started this casual relationship were starting to resurface. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I couldn’t be solely his. “Right,” he finally spoke, his voice coming out cold and annoyed. “I forgot your real boyfriend has first dibs.” “Jack,” I said softly. The panic was starting to bubble in my chest. Was I fucking everything up with Jack? He knew it would have to be this way while I figured out my relationship with David. “Whatever,” he said, rolling out of the bed and going to get dressed. I stood up and crossed the room, following him. “I’ll be back in a little while,” I said. “I’m just going for lunch.” “So what, you expect me to just sit around all day and wait for you? I have a life too Ava,” he said, not looking at me as he grabbed a shirt out of his closet. “I know that,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Just go, I’ll find someone else to hang out with,” he said, pulling his shirt over his head. “Like who?” I asked. The panic and anxiety started turning to frustration. We had talked about this, he knew what this was. He said being casual was fine with him. “I have other friends besides you,” he said coldly. The comment made me feel replaceable. I wasn’t sure what was hurting me more, the fact that he was just calling me a friend or the panic that he wouldn’t want to keep me around much longer. I knew he was just trying to get under my skin, and it was working. “Jack, you agreed that this would be casual. You know I still have to see David,” I said. “Then why are you still here?” He muttered, turning to leave his room. “Seriously?” I asked, a little shocked. Jack and I had never fought before.This experience was making me feel sick to my stomach. Anger started to bubble up and I followed after him as he made his way down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, where Sofie and Alex were talking. He quickly moved to our space between us and headed over toward the fridge. I glanced down at my phone in my hand and checked the time. I needed to get going soon, but I didn’t want to leave things with Jack this way. “I will be back in like, two hours,” I said to Jack, putting my phone in my pocket. “We’re just going to lunch.” “Whatever; have a great time,” he said, starting to dig through the fridge. He pulled out an energy drink, took a large drink before grabbing half of Alex’s Sandwich. “Uh, why don’t you make your own?” Alex asked glaring as Jack ate his sandwich.“Because you make them so much better, baby cakes,” Jack said, kissing Alex’s cheek. I frowned as Jack’s demeanor changed towards the others in the room. He was back to acting like his normal playful self, while he ignored me; purposely not looking in my direction. I frowned at the interaction, upset at the clear difference in the way he was acting towards me.Alex groaned and pushed Jack away from him, “At least chew your food before you come in hot with your bullshit.”“You love my bullshit,” Jack grinned, flicking Alex’s nipple through the large arm hole or his sleeveless shirt. Alex reacted trying to hit Jack in the nuts, but he swerved out of the way laughing. Jack made brief eye contact with me, a slight frown crossed his face when he did. He turned looking over at Sofie. “Sofie, let’s have a pool day!”I felt jealousy creep through me. I knew he was just asking her to get a rise out of me. I felt frozen watching this play out before me. I really didn’t want to lose Jack but I felt so stuck with David. I knew that this could ruin things between Jack and I. He agreed to this though, and I knew he didn’t like that I was still with David. I guess it was only a matter of time until he got sick of waiting on me.“No, Jack. I’m sorry, I just really want to go home,” Sofie said, shaking her head. She winced a little at the motion. She had drank a lot last night, I had no doubt it was a hangover.“Too bad. I hid your keys,” Jack said, causing Sofie’s eyes to widen.“What?” Sofie asked, glancing at Alex. Alex raised an eyebrow at him.“I took them from Alex’s jeans. You’ll never find them. You’re stuck with me,” Jack said, taking a bite of his sandwich. I realized that Sofie’s keys must have been what he put in his dresser this morning.“Did he-” Sofie started to ask Alex and he shrugged.“Probably,” he answered. I glanced at the clock on the stove. I had felt invisible for the last several minutes, and now it was time to go.“Jack, I’m leaving. Will you walk me outside?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.“No,” he answered, not even looking up at me. He kept his attention on Alex before speaking to him. “Alex, will you make me another sandwich?”“What do you mean ‘no’?” I asked, glaring at him. This feeling was awful, and it felt like he was trying to hurt me.“I mean no,” he said, finally glancing over at me. His expression was unreadable. “Go have your lunch with your boyfriend. I’m gonna swim with my best friend and we’re gonna have fun.”“She’s my best friend. You only know her because of me,” I said, gritting my teeth and trying not to cry. Sofie looked away awkwardly. ”Stop being a child and walk me to my car, please.”“No, I can’t, I’m not allowed to cross the street by myself,” he said, pouting at me and pretending to wipe tears from his eyes with his fist.He stood up, and headed out to the back patio, leaving the door open behind him. Music started blaring from the speaker outside. I was pissed. I wanted to cry. I didn’t know how to react or what to think. I just wanted to leave, and at the same time I just wanted to run out there and fix this stupid fight. I bit the inside of my cheek fighting back tears.“You’re so fucking funny!” I yelled out towards the open door. I grabbed my bag off the counter. “You can go fuck yourself, Jack!”I didn’t say anything or look at Sofie or Alex as I left. I beelined to the front door of the house, throwing it open, then letting it slam shut behind me. I jogged over to my car, still hearing the music coming from the backyard. I climbed inside and threw it into drive, letting the tears flow freely. I was so frustrated and upset. I drove straight back to my apartment. By the time I got there I was fuming. I quickly went inside, and got ready for my lunch with David. I took some time doing my makeup and fixing the puffiness of my eyes. Once I was satisfied, I texted David to let him know I was on the way. ***After David and I had lunch we went back to his apartment. I had told David I would rather watch a movie at his place then go out. I just wasn’t int he mood to be out. I had texted Jack a few times, but he hadn’t responded. His lack of response left me feeling miserable. I was sure he was done with me. He could easily move on and find another girl who didn’t have so much baggage. David turned on one of my favorite movies, Beetlejuice. I snuggled into my boyfriend. I couldn’t get my mind off my argument with Jack. I kept checking my phone, waiting for any response but I got nothing.“Why do you keep checking your phone?” David asked. “Do you have somewhere else to be?” “No, sorry,” I sighed, biting my lip. “I…I got into a fight with Emma. I texted her but she won’t text me back.” “Oh,” he nodded. “What was the fight about?” I wracked my brain, trying to come up with another lie to tell him. I felt guilty that lying to him had become so easy. I felt like an awful person. He may have not always been a great boyfriend to me, but I knew that I was being an awful girlfriend too. “She was mad that I wasn’t staying home with her today. She was going through some stuff, and wanted company, but I told her I was coming to see you,” I lied. “Oh,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She’ll get over it.” “I hope so,” I sighed. We watched the movie for a while, before I got up and went to use the bathroom. I couldn’t get my mind off the argument with Jack. I pulled the phone out and tried to call him. The call rang once, before I got sent to voicemail. I glared at the phone, knowing her must have ignored my call. I tried to call again, and the same thing happened. My phone buzzed in my hand and the first text from Jack all day came through.
Don’t you have better things to be doing right now?
I texted back that I wanted to talk, but he didn’t respond. I felt the anger grow in me again. I shoved my phone down in my pocket angrily, before going back out to David. I acted on impulse as I sat back down next to him, pulling him to my roughly and kissing him. I was mad, and I wanted to take my mind off Jack. David pulled me up onto his lap, running his hands up and down my sides. “Let’s go to your room,” I said. ***I left David’s apartment, feeling dirty. I knew I shouldn’t feel bad about sleeping with my boyfriend, but in the wake of everything happening with Jack, I knew I only did it out of anger. I ended up staying with David a lot longer than two hours. It was early evening when I finally headed home. The apartment was thankfully quiet when I got back. Sofie seemed to still be out and Emma wasn’t there. I quickly went and took a shower, before changing into a pair of shorts and an oversized shirt. I laid down in my bed, pulling my blanket around me and felt all my emotions release at once. I wasn’t ready to let go of Jack. I knew we couldn’t be a couple but I loved spending time with him. He did make me happy. Then there was David who had been there for me during some big life changes. Things had been rocky but no relationship is perfect. I wasn’t feeling that same spark that I once had felt, but I couldn’t just leave him. What if I did leave David for Jack? Would Jack want to stay with me, or would he get bored of me in a few months and leave me too? I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as I played out every scenario in my mind. I knew I couldn’t have both of them and inevitably I would need to make a choice, but I wasn’t ready. I felt my phone vibrate on the bed next to me. I wiped my eyes, and grabbed it looking to see who it was. I was surprised to see a Snapchat notification from Jack. I opened up the app and clicked on the picture. It opened up to a selfie of Jack with the caption. “Sofie just saw my penis.” It felt like he was trying to egg me on. I set my phone down angrily, vowing to myself that I was not going to send him a message back. Moments later my phone buzzed again. He sent me another snap, this one was a mirror picture. The mirror was foggy so I could tell he had the shower running. He was naked but the fog on the mirror covered all the important bits. I frowned, and decided to send a message back. I took my own selfie, of me wrapped up in a blanket. The picture was not cute. My eyes were puffy and red, and my face was damp with tears. I added the caption, ‘Why are you torturing me?’ before sending the picture. The picture was opened almost immediately. After only a moment, my phone started to ring. “Hi,” I answered quietly. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Jack’s worried voice came through the phone. I could tell he was calling from the bathroom since I could hear the sound of the shower running. “What do you mean?” I asked, dumbfounded. “You know why I’m crying. You’ve ignored me all day. I hate that we are fighting.” “I hate that we are fighting too,” he said. “Well you started it so…” I sniffed, trailing off and wiping more tears away. I heard him sigh. “Will you come over?” he asked. “No,” I said. “I’m mad at you.” “Ava, will you please come over so we can talk this out,” he said. “No,” I insisted, choking on the word as I cried. “Ava,” he said, voice softening. “You told me you would come back after two hours, and it’s been like six.” “I thought you had better things to do than wait around for me all day,” I said. “Well I lied,” he said. “I did wait all day for you to come back.” “It didn’t seem like it. You responded once to basically tell me to leave you alone. Meanwhile I have been spiraling all day.” “I know,” he sighed again. “Will you please just come over and we can talk this out in person?” “Fine,” I huffed. “I’ll be there soon.” “Thank you,” he said. “I’m going to take a shower while you are on your way. I’ll see you soon.” We ended the phone call and I pushed my blankets off my body. I slowly pulled myself out of bed. I didn’t bother to change into something cuter. I didn’t feel like putting any effort into my appearance, with how I was feeling. I put some shoes on, and headed out the door before I could change my mind. ***I noticed Sofie’s car was still parked out front when I got to the house. I punched in the code to the front door, and headed inside. Sofie, Alex and Zack were all sitting in the living room watching something on TV. They turned and looked at me. I waved slightly, trying not to draw too much attention to myself. Unfortunately, I made eye contact with Sofie. Her expression turned to concern when she looked at me. I shook my head at her, brushing it off before heading upstairs. Jack’s bedroom door was shut when I reached it. I knocked on softly, before turning the handle and letting myself in. Jack was pulling a shirt over his head as I walked in. His hair was still wet from the shower. “Did you just knock on my door?” he asked. “Yeah,” I said, awkwardly. I didn’t know what to do with myself. I felt like I didn’t know how to act since we were fighting. Was I still allowed to just enter his room? Should I even sit down on his bed without being invited? The feeling was so off putting and frustrating. “Hey,” he said, his tone of voice changing. He crossed the room and stood in front of me. “Are you okay?” “I don’t know,” I sighed, throwing my arms up before they fell back down at my sides. “I don’t know what to do right now. I’m upset and frustrated. I spent all day in my own head playing out every scenario possible. Honestly, I’m exhausted, angry and sad.” “Well how do you think I feel Ava?” Jack said, starting to pace around his room, “We spend so much time together, that sometimes I forget your boyfriend even exists. Then I have to sit back and wait for you to go off and spend time with him, because he comes first.” “That’s not entirely true, and you know that,” I said, watching him pace. “Yes I go and spend time with him, but I spend more time with you.” “Then break up with him,” Jack said, turning to look at me. “I can’t,” I said, dropping my gaze to the floor. “Not yet. I am just trying to figure this all out.” “I know, you’ve been trying to figure it out for a while now,” He snapped. “But I just don’t get why you’d want to spend all this time with someone who barely acknowledges you.” “It’s not that simple.” “I just don’t understand it. I’m just sick of sharing you with someone who doesn’t deserve you,” he said. “And you think you deserve me?” I questioned. “No,” he said softly. He crossed the room taking me in his arms. “But I’ll treat you better than he does.” “You do treat me better,” I admitted, looking up at him. “When we started this, you agreed to be casual. That you’d give me time to figure this out.” “You’re right. I did,” he sighed. “I’m trying to be patient, but I don’t want to be casual anymore.” “I know,” I said. “You told me last night.” “I remember,” he said. That surprised me a bit, I wasn’t sure he had remembered telling me that with all the drinking he had done the night before. “That’s why I was so irritated that you went off to see David today instead of spending the day with me.” “I’m sorry,” I said looking up at him. “I made the plans last night, and there wasn’t really a good time to tell you then. I’m really trying to figure this all out Jack. It’s just hard and I’m scared.” “What are you afraid of?” he asked. “So, so much,” I said. “I’m afraid to leave him. I’m afraid to lose you. I’m afraid that if I do leave him, that you’ll get bored of me too.” “That’s not going to happen,” he said, cutting me off. “Well right now, that is something I am worried about. I just need more time to figure it out,” I sighed. “Can you please just give me some more time?” He was quiet for a minute, before he spoke again. My pulse quickened as anxiety started to make itself known at his silence. My thoughts started to race, as scenarios played out in my head. Finally he spoke. “Yes,” he said. “I can give you more time. But I’m going to prove to you that I’m not just going to get bored of you and leave you too. Honestly, you’ll probably get sick of me first.” “I’m already sick of you,” I laughed, blinking away tears that were threatening to fall. He grinned, pulling me tight against his chest, and kissing the top of my head. I relaxed against him, feeling all the tension and panic slowly start to leave my body. For now, Jack and I were okay. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have been such a dick this morning.” “I’m sorry too,” I said. We stood there for a while, before Jack pulled. I looked up at him, and as I did he leaned down and kissed me. I deepened the kiss, walking him backwards towards his bed. He pulled me down with him, holding me in his arms. At that moment things felt right again. I pushed away all my worries, and just enjoyed being with him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I was curled up on the couch mindlessly watching a movie. The lunch rush has been crazy at work today. Now that finals were over, a lot of students were treating themselves and eating out. I looked up as the front door opened, expecting to see Sofie, who just left for the grocery store, walking back in because she forgot something. Instead Jack walked into my apartment, followed closely by Alex. I realized I hadn’t checked my phone in awhile as Jack joined me on the couch, pulling me close to him. “Hey,” I greeted. “What are you guys doing here?” “What, you aren’t happy to see me?” Jack asked, pushing hair out of my face before kissing me. “Of course I am.” “I wanted to talk to Sofie, so Jack drove me over,” Alex said, sitting down in the armchair and looking around. “Is she here?” “She just left to go grocery shopping,” I said, watching his face fall a little with disappointment. “She should be back in a little while though, you guys are welcome to stay and hang out.” “If you don’t mind that would be great,” Alex said. “I don’t care,” I said. “I like company.” “I brought weed,” Jack said, reaching into his hoodie pocket and pulling out a small bag, containing weed. “I’ll grab my bowl, meet you guys on the balcony,” I said standing up and going into my room. ***
Alex tried to pass the bowl over to Jack who was starting to sink into the patio chair he was sitting in. Jack waved his hand dismissively, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, but still contributing to the conversation. I took the bowl from Alex, taking one last hit before handing it back to him. Once Alex was done, we all headed back inside and into my room. I sat down on my bed. Jack laid down on the bed next to me, laying his head on my lap, while Alex sat at my desk chair. Alex and I continued to talk about movie facts, while I ran my fingers through Jack’s hair. “So my favorite Lord of the rings Movie is The Two Towers. The battle at Helm’s Deep is just so well done,” I rambled. “Oh and it took them three and a half months to film that scene because they filmed it entirely at night and in the rain.” “Doesn’t Peter Jackson have a cameo during that battle?” Alex asked. “Yeah,” I nodded. “He also shows up in the Return of the King on the Corsair ship.” “I like the Return of the King,” Alex said. “That’s a fantastic movie.” “Oh I wholeheartedly agree. I’ m always torn on whether that is actually my favorite of the series or not. The battle of Pelennor Fields is really iconic. They actually ran into issues filming that scene because there were so many rabbit holes, and there were so many horses that there was a concern of injury,” I started. “Oh my god,” Jack groaned from my lap, suddenly sitting up. “Why are you so loud?” “I’m just talking,” I laughed. “Well I'm trying to sleep,” he said. “I’m going to Sofie’s room.” “We can go to the living room,” I offered. “No, Sofie won’t care, we are besties,” he said, yawning and walking to the door. “Plus her bed is bigger and comfy.” Jack left the room, and Alex and I continued our conversation for a little bit. About 10 minutes in Alex started yawning. I could tell the weed was starting to make him tired as he started responding with shorter answers, and things that didn't make much sense. “I think I’m going to go take a nap with Jack,” Alex yawned, standing up and stretching. “Going to go snuggle?” I teased. “Nah, Sofie’s got a big bed. I’ll just make a pillow wall between us,” he said, yawning again. I chuckled, nodding as he walked out of the room. I looked down and checked my phone. Seeing a text from Emma saying she was bringing home a kitten and that she would be home in 30 minutes. I send her back an excited gif, before checking Sofie’s location. I saw she was about 20 minutes from home. I laid back on my bed and scrolled on my phone while I waited for my friend’s to get home. *** “Where’s the cat?!” I yelled, running into the room. I heard Emma come home, and couldn’t wait to see the cat. I had heard Sofie come home and start putting groceries away a little while ago. I watched the small kitten jump and run behind the couch, as I entered the room. “You just scared the shit out of him!” Sofie said, glaring at me. “Stop yelling!” “I want to love him!” I squealed. I sat down next to the couch and tried to coax the small kitten out. “What a sweet little potato!” “Aw, his name should be Potato!” Emma yelled, coming out of the kitchen with a tissue shoved up her nose. “I love it!” “Emma, are you sure you’re going to be able to have a cat?” Sofie asked her, causing her to roll her eyes. “Sofie, he is my child. I would die before I take him back to the pound,” she responded, sitting in the armchair watching me try to coax the kitten out from behind the couch. “Okay, Emma,” Sofie said, laughing and checking her phone. Sofie got up off the couch, and walked down the hall to her room. The kitten started walking closer to my hand. I pet the top of his head, and he started purring. I sat there and petted him, letting him get comfortable with me. “Why is your boy thing sleeping in my room?” Sofie asked, walking back into the room. She plugged her phone charger in and set her phone done. “He wanted to take a nap and he said I was being too loud, so he went into your room because your bed is big and comfy. He also said you wouldn’t care because you guys are besties,” I smirked, causing Sofie to sigh. “So how did Alex end up, in there with him?” “He got tired too. He said your bed was big enough that he could put up a pillow wall and Jack wouldn’t even be able to touch him,” I answered, causing her to laugh. “Well, they’re spooning, so I don’t think that worked,” Sofie stated matter of factly. “They were also really high.” “They’re so messy,” she said, shaking her head. “They’re so cute,” I smirked. I decided to leave the kitten alone, as he ducked back under the couch. I stood up and went to sit down next to Sofie. “How’s it feel to have two hotties in your bed for once, Sofie?” “Shut up, Ava,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You can’t have Jack, but you should definitely keep Alex there for a while,” I grinned mischievously. “You can have them both.” “I’ll take Alex if you’re not gonna use him,” Emma said with a giggle. “You can do whatever you want, Emma,” Sofie said, her voice taking on a slight tone that almost sounded like irritation. I raised my eyebrow at her, but she ignored me. “Emma, stay away from Alex,” I said sternly. Emma looked up at me in surprise. “Um, okay,” she said, “but technically I did bring him home first.” “He likes Sofie,” I insisted “Ava, shut up,” Sofie repeated. “Do you like Alex, Sofie?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “No,” Sofie denied, shaking her head. “Ava is just obnoxious. I don’t give a shit, Emma.” “Emma, I swear to God, if you try to sleep with Alex again, I will cut up all of your clothes and put them down the garbage disposal,” I said, glaring at her. “If Sofie doesn’t care, why does it matter?!” She fought back. “Because Sofie is a liar!” I yelled back at her, causing Sofie to shove my arm. “Shut up, you guys are gonna wake up the boys,” Sofie said, nervously glancing down the hallway. “Sofie is a big girl,” Emma said, narrowing her eyes at me. “And Alex is single and super hot. If she isn’t going to go after him, someone else is going to.” “I will murder you in your sleep,” I warned, noticing Sofie stare back at me with wide eyes. “Calm down!” Sofie said. Emma rolled her eyes and got up from her chair. “Whatever, we’ll see,” she muttered, before heading down the hall to her room. I heard her door shut moments later. “Ava, that was unnecessary,” Sofie huffed, and I just rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t need to do that if you would stop being such a pussy about your feelings for Alex,” I countered. Sofie let out an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t have feelings for Alex!” “Stop lying!” I yelled, glaring at her. “Jack and I can only do so much for you!” “I didn’t ask you and Jack to do anything for me! I don’t know why you two want us to be together so bad!” “Because we love you both and you’re dumb!” “Oh my god, shut up, Ava!” she exclaimed again, getting up from the couch and going into the kitchen. Sofie returned a minute later with one a white claw in hand. She looked annoyed as she came back into the living room at sat down in the armchair instead of sitting back down next to me. “Stop being mad at me and fuck Alex,” I said causing her to sigh and close her eyes. “Shut up,” she responded, as footsteps started coming down the hall. I glanced over as Alex came around the corner. He ran his hand through his messy nap hair, grinning at Sofie as he sat down on the couch. “Hey,” he greeted, his voice slightly gravely from sleep. I didn’t miss the way Sofie adjusted in her chair, so she was facing him a little more. I smirked, watching the way they interacted. “Hi,” she answered, “Nice nap? You and Jack looked cozy.” “Yeah,” he chuckled, “He’s just a big teddy bear. Right, Ava?” “The snuggliest,” I agreed nodding, continuing to grin at Sofie. “So guess what?” Alex said, shifting in his seat. He sat on his leg, and leaned closer to Sofie. “What?” “I got my final grade back,” he said and she raised her eyebrows. “Yeah? How’d you do?” she asked. “I got a B!” he said, throwing his hands up causing her to smile. “That’s great, Alex!” she exclaimed. “I know! I couldn’t have done it without you, so I want to do something to thank you.” My eyes widened with excitement at the idea of Alex taking Sofie out. I thought it was so sweet that he wanted to do something nice for her for tutoring him. Sofie frowned and shook her head. “No, Alex. You paid me for tutoring. You don’t need to do anything else.” “Come on, let me take you to dinner or something,” he said. She shook her head again, as I nodded at her furiously. “Seriously, Alex. You don’t need to,” she said, waving her hand at him dismissively. I picked up my phone, and started pulling up a list of the local restaurants to try to get an idea on how to help Alex convince Sofie to go out with him. “I want to! You saved my ass! I would have failed if it wasn’t for you!” he pleaded. “We can go wherever you want.” “No-” Sofie started to argue. “She likes seafood,” I interrupted, glancing over at Alex, before turning my attention back to my phone. I closed the app I was using on my phone, and started to pretend to scroll through instagram, as I eavesdropped on them, glancing at them occasionally. “We can get seafood!” Alex exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically. “Totally. Whatever you want.” Sofie bit her lip, before sighing and nodding, “Fine. Yeah.” “Awesome! What are you doing tomorrow night?” “She’s free!” I interrupted again, not looking up and continuing to pretend to scroll through my phone. I glanced up to see Sofie glare at me. “I’m not busy tomorrow,” Sofie told Alex. “Sweet. I’ll pick you up at six,” he grinned, getting up from the couch, and walking down the hall. “Ava!” Sofie hissed, as we heard the bathroom door shut, “Butt out!” Before I could respond I heard footsteps come from down the hall. Jack appeared still looking sleepy. He didn’t bother walking around the couch, instead opting to slide over the arm of the couch, landing on the seat. He reached over, pulling me into his lap and cuddling his face in my boobs. “Guess what, babe?!” I whispered excitedly, causing him to let out a sleepy hum. “Alex and Sofie are going on a date!” Jack lifted his head up, and looked over at Sofie with wide excited eyes. His mouth dropped open in surprise. “It’s not a date!” she hissed, “It’s a thank you dinner for helping him pass his exam.” “Then you better give him some thank you dessert,” Jack said, moving his fist back and forth in front of his mouth while poking his cheek out with his tongue, miming out a blowjob. “I hate you both,” Sofie said, rolling her eyes and getting up. “I’m making tacos for dinner.” “I’m gonna have you for dinner,” I retorted, causing Jack to giggle. Sofie shook her head, and walked away towards the kitchen. “Absolutely not,” she said. “How was your nap,” I asked, running my hand through his hair trying to smooth out some of the bed head. “It was pretty cozy, but it would have been better if you were there,” he said, leaning in and kissing me. “You had Alex,” I laughed. “But it would have been even better if I got to be the meat in a Jack sandwich.” I laughed, rolling my eyes at him, “You’re funny.” He grinned, leaning in and kissing me. I lost myself in the kiss, deeping it. I heard Alex reenter the room, but we ignored him. I heard him shuffle into the kitchen. “Let’s go to your room,” Jack said, between kisses. He slid his arms underneath me and scooped me up, carrying me back to my room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“I’m gonna do your hair,” I declared, walking into Sofie’s room, and pushing her so she was sitting on her bed. “And I’m gonna pick out your sexiest dress.” “Ava, you are not allowed to get all extra about this,” She sighed as I opened her closet. “It’s not a date.” “But it is a date,” I said, rummaging through the closet looking for something acceptable. “He’s going to take you to a nice restaurant.” “Do you know where he’s taking me?” Sofie asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I just nodded at her. “Why?” “Because he asked for my help,” I said, pulling on of her dresses out of the closet and throwing it on the bed. “Ava, did you pick somewhere expensive?!” She groaned. “No,” I answered, throwing another dress down. I caught a slight frown on Sofie’s face before I turned back to the closet. “He did.” “I don’t want him thinking he has to spend a bunch of money on me.” “Just appreciate it,” I said, grabbing a third dress and turning to look at her. “We need to get you hotter clothes, but this is what I’ve got to work with.” “My clothes are fine,” She said, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, but which dress is most likely to give Alex a boner?” I pondered, tapping my chin and looking over the dresses. “I am not trying to give Alex a boner, so it doesn’t matter,” she said, shaking her head. “Ava!” Jack yelled from down the hall. “I’m in Sofie’s room, Jack!” I yelled back, picking up one of the dresses and inspecting it. “Hi!” Jack said, grinning as he walked into Sofie’s room and jumped onto her bed. “What are you guys doing?” “I’m glad you’re here. Which one of these dresses is going to give Alex a boner?” I asked him, putting my hands on my hips. “Is Sofie wearing it? Because Sofie gives him a boner just in sweatpants,” he stated, causing Sofie to blush. “Shut up,” she said, trying to conceal her blushing cheeks. I picked up another one of her dresses and looked over. “You’re blushing,” Jack chuckled, a big grin plastered on his face. “You want Alex’s boner.” “Go away, Jack,” she said, shoving him, “You’re full of shit.” “Am not. We talk,” he said, reaching out and looping his finger through the belt loop of my shorts, tugging me to him. “Stop it, I’m busy,” I said, pushing his hands away, causing him to pout. “We can have sex after Sofie leaves for her date.” “It’s not a date!” “I think this one is cute,” Jack said, ignoring Sofie’s comment as he lifted up a black sundress with a sunflower print. “This one does make your boobs look good,” I said, admiring the third dress. “Okay, now let me fix your hair.” *** “You look so hot,” I told Sofie, cupping her boobs and pushing them upwards in the dress. “Jack, doesn’t she look hot?” Sofie scoffed, pushing my hands away from her. She straightened out the skirt of her dress. “Duh. Bestie a bad bitch,” Jack said, playing with his phone on the couch. Emma walked into the room, shooting Sofie with a dirty look as she passed. I rolled my eyes and she walked into the kitchen without saying a word to either of us. Sofie looked after her frowning. “No, fuck that,” I said, turning Sofie’s attention back to me. She didn’t need Emma’s bitch ass attitude ruining her night. I tried to adjust Sofie’s top again and she glared at me. “What time is Alex coming?” “He said he was going to pick me up at six. Stop touching my boobs!” “Then stop covering them up!” I said as she tried to cover herself up. I slapped her hands away. Sofie rolled her eyes, as I fixed her top. Sofie scooted away from me as soon as she could, grabbing a pair of sandals to go with the outfit Jack and I decided on. I had put loose curls in her hair. She looked incredible. I sat down with Jack on the couch, who immediately put his phone down and pulled me into his side. A few moments later there was a knock at the door. Sofie opened the door, I caught a glimpse of a goofy grin on Alex’s face from the doorway. “Is that my boyfriend?!” Jack yelled, popping up off the couch, causing me to fall a bit. Sofie sighed as Alex laughed. “Welcome to my life,” Alex said to Sofie as she stepped aside and let him in. “Hey, sexy! Look at you!” Jack yelled and Alex rolled his eyes. He looked great, wearing a light gray button up shirt and black skinny jeans. “Jack, I literally just saw you this morning. Why are you like this?” Alex laughed. “Okay, but you were wearing Batman pajama pants when I saw you this morning!” “You bought them for me for Christmas!” “You right,” Jack said, giggling to himself. “Never stop wearing my Batman pajama pants. I love you.” “Love you too,” Alex said, rolling his eyes and looking down at Sofie. “Are you ready to go?” “Yes.” “Bye! Have fun!” Jack yelled, blowing them a kiss. “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!” I added and caused Sofie to roll her eyes. “The bar is the floor, then,” Sofie muttered, causing Alex to laugh as she shut the door behind them, not giving me time to respond. Jack plopped back down on the couch next to me. “Let’s go out too,” he said, grinning at me. “I thought you wanted to have sex,” I said, turning my body so I was facing him. “Well obviously,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I want nothing more than to be in your tight, wet…” “Jack!” I laughed, shoving him. He laughed, reaching out for me and pulling me into his lap. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. “I was just think, that we should go do something too,” he said, pausing before adding, “after we have sex.” “Where do you want to go?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck, leaning closer. The space between us felt like fighting a magnet. I needed to be closer to him. “Well first,” he said, slowly leaning into me as well, like he was feeling the same pull. “I’m going to take you to your room. Then we’ll figure it out from there.” Jack moved to stand up, sliding his arms under me as he did to support my weight. He walked down the hall, slightly tripping over as he walked. I tightened my grip around his neck, a surprised noise escaping me. “Jack Barakat,” I threatened. “You better not drop me.” “I won’t,” He laughed, pushing my bedroom door open with his foot. He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine, finally giving into the magnetic pull between us. He took a few steps forward, as I deepened the kiss, relaxing against him. I moved my hands, from around his neck, grabbing him on either side of his face, needing him closer to me. He pulled away from me after a moment, a smile on his lips. I leaned in to try and kiss him again. Before I knew what was happening, I felt myself falling as Jack tossed me onto the bed. I squealed, as I bounced on the mattress, catching myself before I fell onto the floor. Jack laughed, as I looked up and glared at him. He grinned as he climbed onto the bed, putting his legs on either side of me and straddling my waist. He leaned down to kiss me again, a goofy smile still on his face. “I told you not to drop me,” I grumbled, between kisses. “I didn’t,” he grinned, “I threw you.”I rolled my eyes, pushing his face away from me as he tried to kiss me again. He laughed, trying to kiss me again. I rolled my eyes, pushing him off me, and moving to straddle him. He grinned up at me as I unbuttoned his pants, attempting to push them down his legs. He moved his hips, helping me push his skinny jeans. I looped my fingers in the elastic of his boxer briefs, pushing them down to free his growing bulge. “Scoot up,” I demanded, as I finally exposed his erection. He listened, moving up so he was propped up on the pillow. I turned around, so my back was facing him, giving him a view of my ass as I leaned down and took him in my mouth. He moaned at the contact, his hands gripping my waist. I bobbed my head over his dick, running my tongue in a zigzag motion over his shaft. He moved his hips with the movement of my mouth. I felt his fingers slip into the waistband of my shorts, as I flicked my tongue against the tip of his penis. He pulled at my shorts, tugging them down. He ran his hands over my ass, sliding them down between my thighs, pushing my legs apart to try and touch me. I moaned, as he slid his fingers against my clit; the action caused him to thrust himself deeper into my mouth. “Fuck Ava,” Jack groaned. I grinned to myself, as I bobbed my head a few more times, before pulling off. He whined at the lack of contact, as I turned myself around, kicking my shorts off in the process. I hovered over him, slowly lowering myself onto him, and leaning down to connect our lips again. I moved my hips up and down against him, rocking with the motion of his. He put his hands on my hips, guiding me as we moved. Jack rolled us over, so he was on top, quickening the pace. His hands slid up under my t-shirt, pushing up my bra and cupping one of my boobs. I moaned into his mouth as he ran my finger across my nipple. “Jack,” I sighed, wrapping my legs around him. He grunted, thrusts quickening, as I lifted my hips pushing him deeper. His thrusts started getting sloppy, as his kisses got more frantic. I could tell he was getting close. I put my hands on his hips, slowing his pace, trying to help him last longer. He groaned in disapproval, but slowed his pace, moving his hand between us, fingers finding clit. He rubbed in circular motions, causing my breath to catch in my throat. “Don’t stop,” I whined. His thrusts quickened again, as his fingers picked up the pace, knowing just the right spots to push me over the edge. I couldn’t control myself, moaning and moving quickly against him. “I’m going to cum,” he choked out between moans. I responded by connecting our mouths in sloppy kisses. His pace quickened, before a shudder ripped through him. I bit his lip, as he moaned through his orgasm. I focused on the feeling of him inside me, and his fingers on my core feeling the sensation push me over the edge. He continued to move as I rode out my own orgasm. He rolled over, laying beside me. I turned my head looking at the smirk plastered on his face. “Hi,” I giggled. “Hey,” He smiled. “Let’s get dressed. I’ve got an idea of where we can go.” *** Jack led me by the hand as we walked over to the bar. He ordered us drinks as I scanned the room. The bar was pretty cool, there was a stage on one side where a crew was setting up for the band that was playing tonight. The dark bar was pretty busy. The led lights cast colorful glows on the patrons. Jack handed me a drink, and we made our way over toward the small stage to watch the band play. The four man band came out a few minutes late, gaining cheers from the growing crowd. They launched into their first song, moving across the stage with explosive energy. I danced around Jack, causing him to laugh, putting his free hand on one of my hips. I took a sip of my drink, moving my body to the music. “They’re pretty good,” I yelled over the music. Jack nodded, grinning as we moved. “They are!” We continued to dance through the set, as they played some of their songs. After a few original songs, they introduced themselves, before launching into a cover of Green Day’s song Basket Case. I sang along to the song, dancing around Jack. He laughed, joining me in singing the song. When the song ended, I led him away from the stage to a nearby table to finish my drink. “That’s my dream,” he said looking over at the stage. “What is?” I asked, sipping my drink. “Playing music,” he said, looking over and meeting my eyes. “I want to play my music for people, with my band. I want people to dance to my songs, and come out to see us play.” “Why don’t you?” I asked. “You and the guys all play something. Why don’t you have a band?” “We used to,” he sighed. “Alex’s ex got in his head and we stopped. I would give anything to get back on stage again, and play music with my best friends.” “You will,” I said, setting my empty glass on the table. “You’re pretty persistent, I know you’ll make it happen.” He grinned, wrapping his arm around me and kissing the top of my head. “You think so?” He asked. “I know so,” I said. “Now, I need another drink and I want to dance.” Jack laughed, grabbing my hand and leading me back over to the bar for another drink.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jack ran his fingers through my hair, gripping the back of my head to pull me closer to him as we kissed. Tonight had been magical. The bar had been so fun, and the band that was playing was great. Jack and I danced and drank and had a fantastic time. When their set was over, we made our way back to my apartment, where we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. I fumbled with the button on Jack’s jeans, when we heard the front door open. Jack pulled away from me, looking towards the closed door to my room. “Sofie’s home,” he stated, grinning back at me. “It’s late.” “It is,” I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. I tried to pull his attention back to me. “Let’s go ask about her date,” he said excitedly. “Why don’t we give her some time to process what happened on her date, and we talk to her in the morning,” I said, pulling him into me. “But babe,” he whined. “I need to know if it went well!” “We’ll find out, just be patient,” I said. Jack let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine,” he said, pausing a minute. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom.” “Don’t you lie to me Jack Barakat,” I scolded, dropping my arms and glaring at him. He groaned, leaning into me and causing us to both fall back onto my bed. “Don’t yell at me,” he whined, cuddling into me in his chest. I felt him reach into his pocket, and pull out of his phone. I tried to look up at him, but he pulled me tighter to his chest, until I heard his phone start ringing. “Jack!” I scolded, trying to break out of his grasp to grab his phone. He held me down, as I struggled to get free from his grasp. “Leave her alone!” “I’m not bothering her!” he said, as I fought against him. Holding me tight as the person on the other end of the line picked up. “Hey,” Alex’s voice chimed out, clearly on speaker phone. I rolled my eyes, relaxing myself against Jack. His grip loosened a bit, as he realized I was no longer fighting him. I was excited to hear about their date too, but I wanted to give Sofie a little time before bombarding her. “How was it?” Jack asked excitedly. “Bro, I just dropped her off. How did you even know the date was over?” he asked. “That’s a stupid question,” I mumbled. “Was that Ava?” Alex asked. “Yeah,” Jack laughed. “I’m still at her place. I heard Sofie come home, and I checked your location.” “Oh of course,” Alex laughed. “It was really good.” “You’re fucking killing me bro,” Jack groaned. “Give me the details.” “God, you are so fucking nosey,” Alex said. “Just tell me,” he whined. “It was really nice. I had a great time and I hope she did too,” Alex said. “I swear to god you’re such a pain in the ass,” Jack said. “Love you too,” he said. “Bye Jack, Bye Ava.” “Bye,” I said. Jack started to protest but the line went dead. “This is some bullshit,” Jack grumbled. *** My alarm went off the next morning, pulling me from my sleep. I groaned, rolling over and hitting the snooze button. I cuddled up into Jack, waiting for my alarm to go off again. The contact of his skin on mine, was making me dread getting out of bed. I had to leave for work shortly. I really didn’t want to go to work. I wanted to stay in bed with Jack, and I was dying to know the details of Sofie’s date. The shrill sound ripped through the room a few minutes later. I reached for my phone and turned it off as Jack groaned beside me. I turned and looked over at him expecting to see him trying to go back to sleep, but his eyes were open. “Good morning,” I said, leaning over and kissing him. “You’re so pretty,” he said, sleep still thick in his voice. I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the blush creeping on my face. “It’s too early for you to try to sweet talk me,” I laughed, slipping out of the bed, to start getting ready for work. “I’m serious,” he yawned, sitting up and stretching. I school my head, turning to go through my closet, not wanting him to see the smile on my face. “What are you going to do today?” I asked, trying to pivot the conversation. I pulled out a pair of shorts and a black tank top turning to look at him while I changed. “Harass Sofie for details and maybe go swimming,” he yawned, pushing the blanket off his body. “That would be my plan if I didn’t have to go to work,” I laughed.“I’ll text you the juicy details about their date,” Jack said as he stood up, stretching again, before crossing my room and looking through my closet. I raised my eyebrow watching him flip through my t-shirts, before deciding on one and pulling it out. He hung up the hanger, before pulling my Blink 182 shirt over his head. “Excuse me,” I said, watching him pull on his skinny jeans. “I’m going to want that back.” “You’ll get it back,” Jack grinned, crossing the room, and wrapping his arms around me. “Don’t act like you have never stolen a shirt from me. I saw some of my shirts in your closet.” “Fair,” I laughed, not denying his claim. He smirked, leaning down and kissing me. *** I rushed over to my table, dropping off their drinks and making sure they didn't need anything else, before heading to check on the next. The lunch rush had been pretty busy today, which was helping the time fly by. I headed back to the kitchen, checking for any of my orders. “Five minutes Ava,” Pete said, noticing me looking. I nodded, grabbing my water and taking a drink. I felt my phone vibrate in my apron pocket, pulling it out I saw that I had a FaceTime request from David. I declined the call, intending to text him that I was working, I saw I also had a text from Jack. I could tell from the preview that he was telling me about Sofie and Alex’s date. I read through the details that Jack sent me, excited to finally find out what they did and why they were out so late. Their date sounded so romantic. Alex had really pulled out all the stops. I had known that Alex was taking Sofie out for a seafood dinner. The restaurant he chose was a pretty expensive place. That alone would have been more than enough, but Jack said he also took her for a walk in the park. Apparently they got snow cones and listened to live music. I almost squealed when I read they danced together. I was so happy for Sofie. They seemed to be getting along a lot better recently. Sofie deserved someone who would treat her like she was special. Alex was great, and I was so excited for them to be talking more. They seemed like they would compliment each other so well. It seemed like Sofie was finally seeing past her preconceived notions about Alex. A Snapchat notification came through, as Kelsey walked over to me. I opened it to see a picture of Jack, his shirt pulled up with his tongue sticking out. I grinned, taking in the picture. He was clearly in my room. Kelsey looked over at my phone and raised her eyebrow and the picture on my screen. “He’s cute,” she said, looking over my shoulder. “Isn’t he,” I grinned, taking a quick selfie, and shoving my phone in my apron pocket. My table's food came up and I grabbed the plates, bringing them over to the table. I felt my phone vibrate in my apron pocket a few more times. I ignored it, tending to my tables. ***About an hour later, It finally started to slow down a bit. I still had a table, but I welcomed the break. I stood by the wait stand, sipping my water, and looked back to my phone. I had a missed FaceTime notification from David,from about 45 minutes ago, along with a few more Snaps from Jack. I sighed, and quickly texted David that I was at work. I opened Snapchats from Jack. My eyes went wide as I realized he was sending me nudes. I hid my phone screen and looked around, making sure no one was around. I saw Kelsey walking over to check for her orders, so I crammed my phone in my apron pocket.“You have a new table,” she said. “He was kind of a dick, heads up. He sat in my section, but when I went to take his order he requested you, and he was kind of rude about it.” “Oh boy,” I sighed. “Sorry,” Kelsey apologized, “I would have kept him but he was pretty adamant.” “It’s all good,” I replied, seeing my order appear in the kitchen window. “Thanks Kels.” I grabbed the plates, taking them over to my table to serve them. Once I was sure they were good, I headed over to greet my new table. I recognized the man at the table immediately. David was sitting there looking over the menu, a slight scowl on his face. He looked up as I reached the table. I smiled at him, surprised to see him. David had maybe come to see me at work twice. “Hey,” I greeted. “What are you doing here?” “I wanted to see you, but I have plans with the guys later tonight,” he said, still looking over the menu. “Let me get a Miller Lite and the pretzels and beer cheese.” He set the menu down, sliding it across the table to me. The gesture felt bizarre. I really felt more like his waitress than his girlfriend. I nodded, anxiety starting to pool in my gut. “No problem,” I said. “I’ll be right back.” He nodded, looking back down at his phone. He didn’t say another word as I walked away. The interaction felt off, he seemed irritated. I bit my lip as I put in his order, heading over to the bar, where Andrea was working. She poured David’s beer for me, before I took it over to David. I mentally prepared myself to walk back over to the table. “Here you go,” I said, setting the drink down, and putting on my best server smile. “Thanks,” he said. “What’s wrong?” I asked. I really didn’t want to ask, but I wanted to get it over with. So many thoughts flooded my mind, as I waited for him to respond. “Why didn’t you answer my FaceTime,” he asked. “I’ve been working,” I said, wrinkling my face in confusion. “You could have texted,” he argued. “I wanted to see you before my plans today.”“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s been really busy today, I haven’t had the chance to really look at my phone. I texted you as soon as I could.” “I went to check if you were at work, and apparently you turned off your location.” I paused for a moment, taking a second to calm myself down. I did turn off my location, but only for David. I was spending so much time with Jack, and I seemed like the smart thing to do. I already knew I was being shady, but I just wanted to avoid more questions about who’s house I was at and why. I thought this scenario through already, and I knew what I was going to say. I was just not really expecting this conversation to happen while I was at work. “I did,” I nodded. “I turned it off a while ago. There was a guy in one of my classes that was creeping me out. He knows some people I know so I just turned it off to protect myself.” “You could have told me,” he sighed. “I’m sitting here thinking you are trying to hide something from me.” “Did you really come to visit me or were you just checking in on me?” I accused,
getting a little irritated at the realization. “Well what did you expect me to do Ava?” he glared, his voice raising a little. I looked around and luckily no one was looking at us. “You didn’t answer my FaceTime, you barely text me, and your location is off.” “Sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry I ignored your call because I was at work. I’m sorry I haven’t been texting you as much. And I’m really sorry I turned off my location because I was feeling unsafe.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond, walking away from his table. I was irritated, and I was feeling guilty. He was catching on. He came to make sure I was at work, and wasn’t out with someone else. He noticed that I haven’t been texting as much, and I hadn’t been. I was losing interest in conversations with him, the closer I grew to Jack. I was just so afraid to end the relationship. He was certainly making it easier to consider though. I stood by the wait stand, watching his table from afar. He put his head in his hands, for a few minutes, before sitting back up and taking a huge swig of his beer. I sighed, biting my lip, feeling tears prick at the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t cry here, I still had another table to tend to. I took a deep breath, calming myself, before heading back out to my other table. After checking to see if they were okay, I went to see if David’s food was read. It, unfortunately, was.I took a minute to steal my nerves before bringing his food over to him. He looked up at me as I approached. I set the food down, pausing against my better judgment. “Can we just talk?” He sighed. “Talk,” I said. “It just feels like you’ve been weird lately. You turned off your location, we don’t talk as much and we barely ever have sex,” he said keeping his voice low so our conversation was more private. The comment about how often we were having sex bugged me. David would go days without texting me, even when I texted him. I just wanted this conversation to be over. The more I thought about it, it just felt like he only noticed there were issues in our relationship because we weren’t having as much sex. I was irritated that he was checking in on me. I was also feeling so incredibly guilty that he was starting to catch on. I was feeling so many different emotions, and it was overwhelming. I just needed some time to think. “I don’t know what to say to you right now,” I said. “You come to my job while I’m actively working, and start a fight with me. Can we talk about this after I get off work.” “I guess,” he grumbled. “I’ve just got plans with the guys soon.” “I’m sure they will survive,” I said. I reached into my apron pocket, and set his bill down on the table, walking away.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I felt mentally exhausted. After my shift, David and I went out to my car and had a conversation. We fought, I cried. He didn’t try to comfort me. After over an hour of talking, we finally managed to smooth things over. We sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the weight of the conversation sink in. He took a breath, leaning over and placing a quick kiss on the side of my head, before he got you out of my car. I watched him drive off, before I broke down in tears again. I couldn’t keep doing this. David was catching on, and I was so sick of playing this game. He was obviously checking in on me to make sure I wasn’t doing anything shady. This interaction today proved to me that I was losing my attraction to David. There just wasn’t a spark anymore and I was so angry at him. I think it was time to end things. I sat up and wiped my eyes. I fixed up my makeup, before heading back into the bar. I needed some time before I went back home. I sat down at the bar, and ordered a beer. I sipped my drink, trying to clear my head. I reached into my pocket, and looked at it for the first time in hours. I had a few text notifications. Sofie had texted me that she was over at the guy’s house. Jack texted me asking me to come over after work. He texted me again about thirty minutes after my shift had ended, and asked me if everything was alright. The small gesture sent butterflies through me. He was so sweet, and he treated me so well. I sent him a text back, letting him know I was alright and that I would be over shortly. The way he worried about me, and how he checked in on me, made me so happy. I downed my drink, and cashed out, ready to go see Jack. *** I got to the house, and headed down to the basement. I could hear the sound of people talking and the game Mario Kart, as I descended the stairs. I took a breath, trying to shake myself out of my funk. I didn’t want the remnants of my bad day to be obvious. After a moment, I took the final steps into the room before I surveyed the area. There were quite a few people in the basement. Jack, Alex, Zack and Matt seemed to be locked in an intense round of Mario Kart. Rian sat nearby watching the screen. I saw Vinny’s shoes when I got here, but I didn’t see him in the basement. It didn’t escape my notice that Sofie was sitting in Alex’s lap. I was quite surprised to see them in that position, but a little thrill went through me to see them so close. Sofie looked over at me, and I wiggled my eyebrows at her causing her to roll her eyes. I grinned to myself, happy to see her interacting with Alex. I walked behind the couch, so I didn’t walk in front of the tv screen. I slid over the armrest, plopping down in Jack’s lap. “Hey babe,” I greeted, leaning in to kiss him. “Ava, you’re going to make me die!” he yelled, dodging my kiss and continuing to look at the screen. “Excuse me,” I frowned, shoving his shoulder. I was a little upset that he didn’t kiss me right away. After this long and stressful day, all I wanted was to be close to him. “I’ll kiss you after this round is over,” he said and I scoffed. “I don’t want to kiss you anymore. I’ll kiss Sofie,” I said, turning my head towards Sofie. She raised her eyebrow at me. “I don’t want to kiss you,” Sofie said, causing Alex to laugh. “I have worked my ass off all day to make money to keep a roof over your head and you won’t even kiss me?!” I yelled dramatically, causing Sofie to roll her eyes again. “I pay rent, Ava. Shut up.” “The disrespect!” I yelled, standing up from Jack’s lap. “I’m going to take a shower!” “Good, you smell like beer,” Sofie said. I flipped her off, heading back upstairs. I went into Jack’s room, digging around through Jack’s closet to look for something to wear. I found some of my shorts, and I stole one of his shirts before heading into the bathroom. I turned on the water and stripped down. I stepped into the shower, letting the water fall over me. The warm water felt nice, after the day I had. I ran my hands through my hair, as the memories of the day flooded back to me. Everything about my interaction with David was awful. It was causing me to process a lot of big feelings. David was starting to notice that something was going on with me lately. That realization was causing me to think about our relationship and everything I have had with Jack. David had admitted to me that it bothered him that we haven’t been having as much sex lately. He basically told me that he didn’t like that when he called, I didn't just drop everything to come over and see him. He wanted me to be available to him whenever he wanted. He didn’t seem to understand that relationships were a two way street, and that since he wouldn’t prioritize me that I wasn’t going to prioritize him. The whole conversation left me feeling sick and angry. It made me feel like he viewed me as a play thing. That I was just there to fulfill all his sexual desires. I didn’t need a man to wait on hand and foot. I was a waitress; I did enough of that for work. I didn’t want to come home after and serve a man. How had this ever been okay with me? Was I always so willing to bend to his will over the last two years? The only explanation I had was that I was blinded by love. I genuinely had love for David, but now how could I love someone who wanted me to be something I wasn’t.I had changed a lot after meeting Jack. He was showing me there was a lot more to a relationship, and that they could be a lot healthier. I wanted to feel like I was important to someone. I loved the feeling of having someone who wanted to see me; who wanted to care for me and be in my life. Jack had made me feel like I deserved more than what I was getting from David. He was there for me, just because he wanted to be. He didn't expect me to repay his kindness with sex. Yeah we had a lot of amazing sex, but there wasn't an ulterior motive for it. It also didn’t seem like David wanted to be seen out with me. Most of our dates consisted of sitting at one of our apartments. He never took me to parties, and we rarely went out to do things. Jack, on the other hand, wanted to take me out places. He brought me to parties and hangouts with his friends. The differences between Jack and David were like night and day. I knew what I needed to do. It was time to break up with David. I sank down and sat on the floor of the shower, pulling my knees up and burying my face in them. I couldn’t hold my tears back. I felt so hurt and lost. David had been everything to me. He had been a constant while I adjusted to figuring out how to live life on my own once I got to college. Maybe he wasn’t always the best boyfriend, but he was mine. Now I was realizing that he and I were never meant to last. We weren’t the perfect match that I once thought we were. I latched on to him, and ultimately I got myself into a relationship that was now feeling toxic. It felt like everything was catching up with me and I couldn’t stop crying. I felt like I was grieving a relationship that had been there for me during tough times. I also felt so much pent up guilt and shame from lying and cheating on someone who had once meant so much to me. A sob tore through me, as I thought about everything I had done. I just felt so hurt, and confused. I heard the door to the bathroom open, but I didn’t move; still letting the tears fall freely. “Ava?” Jack’s concerned voice called from the other side of the shower curtain. I didn’t respond, unable to get myself to stop crying long enough to speak. The shower curtain ripped back. I kept my face buried in my knees, refusing to look up. “Hey Ava? Baby, what’s wrong?” Jack asked, worry lacing his words. Jack didn’t hesitate. He stepped into the shower, kneeling down in front of me. He placed his hand on mine, causing me to look up to meet his gaze. “You’re getting all wet,” I cried, realizing that the man in front of me was fully clothed, in his shirt and skinny jeans. He chuckled, looking down at me warmly, before sitting down beside me on the floor of the tub. He pulled me into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around me while I cried. I leaned onto his chest, feeling the soaked fabric of his t-shirt. He let me cry, holding me close and occasionally trying to soothe me. After about 10 minutes, I was able to stop the tears from falling. I sniffled, looking up at him. I couldn’t help the feeling welling up inside me. Jack was just perfect. Here was this guy, who had been so patient with me. He put up with all my bullshit. He didn’t just ignore me as I cried. He climbed into the shower, fully dressed just to make sure I was alright. He gave me the time I needed to figure out that I didn’t want to be with David anymore. I just wanted to be with Jack. “Hey,” he said, looking down at me, his dark hair plastered to his face. “Are you alright?” “I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Do you want to talk?” he asked, brushing my hair out of my face. I felt tears welling up in my eyes again as he looked at me. He was being so sweet, and I just felt like a mess. “No…Yes. I don’t know,” I said, tears falling from my eyes again. “You’re going to be happy and I’m sad!” “Why would I be happy that you are sad?” Jack asked, returning his hand to my face and uselessly wiping at the tears that were falling. “Because,” I choked out, trying to stop the sob that wanted to tear through me. He nodded, accepting my answer, and pulling me into a tight bear hug. I cuddled, close to him, trying to calm myself down again. “How are you doing?” he asked after a few minutes. “Alright,” I said. “Are you ready to get out of the shower?” he asked. I looked up to meet his gaze. Every fiber of my being could feel how much he cared about what I was going through. It just meant the world. “I need to wash my hair,” I said. “Okay,” he said, letting me go. I scooted away from him, letting him stand up. He reached out his hand, helping me stand back up. He grabbed the shampoo bottle off the rack in the shower, and handed it to me. I looked at him curiously, as I started to wash my hair. “You can get out if you want,” I said. “I want to stay with you.” *** Jack put on a movie after the shower. We laid propped up against the pillows, his arms wrapped around me. He didn’t pressure me to talk about what was going on. I wasn’t quite ready to talk about it. I heard a knock at the door to Jack’s room. I looked over at the door as Alex peaked his head in. “We brought snacks,” Alex announced, dropping a plastic grocery bag just inside Jack’s bedroom door. “Thanks dude,” Jack He nodded, giving me a small sympathetic smile before leaving the doorway. A moment later Sofie stepped into the room, holding my favorite boba tea. My eyes started to well up at the gesture. She crossed the room quickly, setting the drink down on Jack’s nightstand. She crouched down by the bed, looking me in the eyes. “Are you alright?” she whispered. “I’ll be okay,” I responded quietly. “Okay,” she nodded. “I love you.” “I love you too,” I said, smiling at her slightly. She smiled back, nodding at Jack, and then leaving the room. “How did they know I was upset?” I asked, looking up at him. “I may have sent Alex an SOS text while you were getting dressed,” he grinned sheepishly. “I just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed to help cheer you up, but I didn’t want to leave you.” “That was really sweet,” I said. “Thank you.” *** “Vinny kissed Sofie,” Jack said, annoyed, coming back into his room. He was holding two plates, with french toast on them. “What?” I asked, confused. I sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “He kissed Sofie! I swear if any of those fuckers try to put the moves on her I’ll put sugar in their gas tanks,” he grumbled. He closed the distance between us and sat on the edge of his bed. He handed me one of the plates, and we ate our food. Once we were finished eating, he took the empty plate from me. He set them on his nightstand, before grabbing my hand. “Can we talk?” I asked. I saw Jack’s body tense slightly, before he looked over at me. I didn’t miss that his grip on my hand tightened a bit, or a slight panic in his eyes. “Yeah, of course,” he nodded. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before I spoke. We hadn’t talked about anything that happened last night yet, and I felt like Jack deserved an explanation about why I was so upset. “First of all, thank you.” I started, “You did so much for me yesterday, and it really meant a lot to me.” “Of course,” he said. “I’d do anything to make sure you were happy.” “I know,” I said softly. “So what’s going on?” he asked. I could tell I was making him anxious, so I wanted to hurry up the conversation. He has been so good to me, I didn’t want to make him worry more. “David cornered me while I was at work yesterday. He was starting to get really suspicious of me. He made all these comments that just made me feel like I should be at beck and call. He just made me feel like a plaything and like I was only worth keeping around to be arm candy and for sex.” “That’s not true,” Jack said, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. The irritation in his voice was evident, as it usually was when we talked about David. He seemed to relax a little, when he realized this conversion was centered around an encounter with David, and not something he did wrong. “You’re so much more than that.” “And you have helped me see that,” I nodded. “So I made the decision that I am breaking up with David.” Jack stared back at me stunned for a moment, before his signature grin split across his face. “Really?” “Yes really,” I said. “I want to do it in person, and I need time before I am ready to go see him again, but I’m done.” “Yeah of course,” he smiled. “I told you you were going to be happy about it,” I laughed, shoving him slightly. “Oh I am,” he said, pushing me over, and climbing over top of me. “I don’t have to share you anymore.” “Technically you do, but just for a little bit longer,” I pointed out. “Good enough for me,” he said, before pressing out lips together.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I maneuvered my character behind a barricade, near where I saw Alex’s running. Jack, Alex and I had been playing a game for a few hours now. We were hanging out in my room. Jack and I were taking turns switching off and on who was playing a round with Alex. Jack and I were sitting on my bed. I sat between his legs, cuddled up against him while we played. Alex was leaning back in my desk chair with his feet propped up on the end of my bed. It was my turn to play. I was trying really hard to focus, but Jack was drawing slow circles on my thigh that were driving me crazy. Jack had been a lot more handsy ever since I told him I was going to break up with David. The attention was helping, quell my fears that Jack was going to leave me after I broke up with David. The fear was still there, but it was lessening. Jack nuzzled his face into my neck, placing kisses along it. I tried to put it out of my mind, as his hands started roaming. Alex’s character ran past my screen, I tried to aim, but he shot my character instead. I groaned, as the round ended. “Fuck yeah!” Alex laughed, looking over at me and Jack. He raised his eyebrow, setting the controller down. “Whose side are you on?” I glared, batting Jack’s hand away from my leg. He chuckled, moving his hands so he was touching me again. “Alright, I think this is my cue to leave,” Alex laughed, getting up from the chair. “We just need 10 minutes!” Jack yelled after him as he opened the door to my bedroom. “Yeah, I’m not waiting around for you to finish having sex with your girlfriend. I’ll see you at home,” Aex said, rolling his eyes. My stomach did a little flip, when Alex called me Jack’s girlfriend. “You can join us!” Jack offered, before going back to kissing me neck. “No!” Alex yelled back laughing, before shutting the door behind him. “God, I thought he would never leave,” Jack muttered into my neck. “You invited him to play games with us,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, and I regretted it as soon as he got here,” he said. I grinned to myself, before turning, so I was looking at him. His lips were on mine in an instant, his hands sliding under my shirt. “You’re wasting no time huh,” I laughed, as I separated from him, pulling my shirt over my head. “I’ve been very patient,” he countered, a smirk on his face as he looked me up and down. “Alex was here for like three hours.” “You invited him!” I said laughing again. He wrapped his arms around me, unhooking my bra before hastily pulling it off and throwing it across the room. I started to pull his shirt up, but he pushed my hands away, ripping it off himself. He pushed me to my bed, pulling at the waistband of my shorts, before slowly sliding them down. He stared down at me, before unbuttoning his jeans. *** “Can we get boba?” I asked, as Jack led me down the hallway. “Yes.” “And comics?” “Yes,” he said. “And Taco Bell.” “I want mozzarella sticks,” I said, scrunching my face. “But babe,” he whined, “ I want Taco Bell.” “Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes at him, as we walked into the living room. Alex was sitting on the couch, with Sofie sleeping against his chest. I raised my eyebrow at them, a small smile playing on my lips. “I thought you were going home,” Jack said, looking over at his best friend. “I was. I ran into Sofie when I was trying to leave,” he said, gesturing at the sleeping girl. “And you stayed to cuddle with her on the couch?” Jack grinned. “She wasn’t feeling good and she was upset. I wasn’t going to just leave her.” “Oh, no, you saw an opportunity to show her how sweet and caring you can be,” He said, squeezing my hand, before letting it go. I watched as he slid his phone out of his pocket, and opened the camera app. “Shut up, Jack,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. Jack snapped a picture, the flashing going off as he did. Sofie groaned, snuggling deeper into Alex, to hide her face from the light. “Stop! You’re gonna wake her up!” Alex scolded. “Aww, it’s so cute! One day you’re gonna get married and I’m gonna give this picture to you as part of your wedding present!” He said, showing me the picture he took. “Jack, get the fuck out of here.” Alex said, shooing him away. “Jack, shut up,” Sofie mumbled, causing Jack to giggle. “I told you you were gonna wake her up!” Alex hissed. “Shh,” Sofie said, sliding her hand up and feeling along his face for his mouth. She pressed her hand against his mouth. “Got ‘em,” Jack laughed, turning away from them. We put on our shoes quietly, an carefully shut the door behind us. *** I took a sip of my boba and Jack and I walked hand in hand down through the comic book store. We had gathered up a few comics each. We had gone to Taco Bell first, before stopping to get Boba tea. We were taking our time browsing the store and trying to think of something else to do to give Sofie and Alex more time alone together. “Hey, I think there is a carnival going on,” Jack said. I looked up from the comic I was looking at. Jack was looking down at his phone, he glanced over at me when he realized I was looking at him. “A fair?” “Grieco just sent me a snap of him and Niki there,” he said, showing me the photo. I looked at the photo, the couple was smiling in front of a Ferris wheel. Niki was holding a big cone of cotton candy. “Can we go?” I asked, excitedly. “I love carnivals.” “Yes. That sounds fun,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, and pulling out his credit card. “Here, go pay for our comics. I’m going to call Grieco and find out where the fair is.” I took Jack’s card and comic from him, and he left the store to go make his call. I went up to the register and paid for our comics. I could feel the excitement building about going to the fair. I hadn’t been to a fair in years. I always loved the environment of carnivals. They had everything, rides, games and snacks. The cashier bagged up the comics, and I left the store to meet Jack. “Alright dude,” Jack said into the phone, as I walked out. “We’ll see you guys soon.” “Ready to go?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said, reaching out to grab my hand. *** We found Grieco and Niki quickly once we got to the carnival. Niki gave us the rundown on the rides and games they had seen so far, but Jack immediately demanded to be taken to the snacks. They led us over to the various food trucks. The smell of funnel cake flooded my senses, making my mouth water.“I’m going to get a funnel cake, a corn dog, popcorn and a cotton candy,” Jack said, as we waited in line at one of the food trucks. “It sounds like you are going to get a stomach ache,” Niki said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll be fine,” Jack said, waving her off. “He’s going to get a stomach ache,” I confirmed, laughing as we approached the register. “Will you get me a lemonade?” “Of course, Baby,” Jack grinned, kissing me on the top of the head. Once we got to the register Jack ordered his snacks and a lemonade for me. While we waited for the snacks Niki and I started making a plan of what rides we wanted to go on. “I definitely want to do the ferris wheel, but I would prefer to do it once it gets dark,” I said. “I really like to see everything lit up.” “Let’s definitely do that then!” Niki smiled. “I’m thinking we could do Bumper Cars, The Scrambler and then the fun house. Then we’ll just kind of feel out the vibe.” “I’m down with that,” I said. “I want to start with games,” Jack said, having collected his snacks from the food truck. Jack handed me my lemonade, while trying to juggle his other snacks. “I can’t take snacks on the rides.” “We can start with a couple games,” Niki said, stealing Jack’s popcorn bag out of his hands. I took the funnel cake from Jack, leaving him free to eat his other snacks. He eye’d me as I pulled a piece of the funnel cake off and popped it in my mouth. “Excuse me,” he said, causing me to giggle. “That’s my funnel cake.” “I’m doing you a favor, Jack Barakat. If you eat all this food you aren’t going to feel good enough to fuck me later,” I grinned, causing Niki and Grieco to laugh. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” Jack said, wiping powdered sugar off the side of my face. Niki grabbed Grieco’s hand, and we started walking over to the games. I watched Niki and Grieco, shooting glances at Jack who was happily eating his corn dog. I sighed dramatically, looking at the funnel cake and lemonade I was holding, then over at Niki and Grieco’s connected hands. Jack paused, looking at me with raised eyebrows. “Can I help you?” Jack asked, taking another bite of his corn dog. “My hand is cold,” I sighed. “You’re holding a cold lemonade so that makes sense,” Jack said nodding. I glared at him, before rolling my eyes. “You’re an idiot,” I stated. “What did I do?!” Jack asked, eyes wide. “You bought too many snacks to hold my hand,” I grumbled, watching him take the last bite of his corn dog. “Babe, it’s a carnival you’re supposed to eat all the food!” He said, before sighing. “Okay, look I'm done with the corn dog. All I have left is the funnel cake and cotton candy, since Niki stole my popcorn.” “And you are not getting it back!” Niki yelled over her shoulder. “Yeah I figured,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. He took his funnel cake from me. I ripped off another piece, stealing one more bite, as we approached the games. “Oh! Let’s do this game!” Niki squealed, pulling Grieco over to a stall. Rows of balloons lined a board inside the stall, a man leaned against the counter, grinning as we approached. I looked up scanning the prizes. Various stuffed animals in all sizes line the booth. “How good are you at darts?” Jack asked, trying to pull his wallet out of his pocket without dropping his food. I swatted his hand out of the way and reached into his back pocket, pulling his wallet out for him. He eye’d me as I opened it up and pulled out some cash, before sliding it back into his pocket. “About as good as I am at keeping your hands off me,” I teased. “So we aren’t winning any prizes here,” Jack laughed. “Good to know.” *** We got off the scrambler, and headed over towards a nearby bench. Jack sat down, leaving his head back and holding his stomach. “I told you all those snacks were a bad idea,” Niki said, a small smirk on her lips. “Shut up,” he groaned. “You can’t get sick yet, we haven’t done the Ferris wheel yet,” I said, sitting next to him. “I’m fine,” he said, waving his hand. “I just need like 5 minutes.” “If you guys want to go do more rides, I’ll wait here with him and we’ll meet up after,” I offered. “Alright,” Niki said, taking Grieco by the hand. “Feel better JB,” Grieco waved, leading Niki away to another ride. “Are you alright?” I asked, placing my hand on his knee. He opened one eye, and smiled down at me. “I ate too much carnival food,” he admitted, grinning sheepishly. “I’ll be fine.” “Do you need to go home?” “No,” he said, sitting up straight and looking at me. “You wanted to do the Ferris wheel. We are doing that before we leave.” “Well I don’t want you to puke on me in the ferris wheel,” I said, causing him to laugh. “I’ll be fine,” he repeated, pulling me closer to him on the bench and resting his head on mine. We sat in silence for a while, just people watching while we waited for him to feel a little better. The sun started setting, and the lights around the carnival started to light up the sky. “How about we go play a couple more games, then meet up with Niki and Grieco for the ferris wheel?” Jack offered. “Deal.” *** I carefully stepped into the illuminated car of the Ferris wheel, before the attendant shut the door behind me. Niki and Grieco had gotten into their own car, and were currently above Jack and I. Jack grabbed my hand once we were situated and the ride moved to let on more passengers. We had played a couple more games. Jack won me a teddy bear, though I’m pretty sure he just bribed the game attendant for it. Once the ride was full, the wheel started to spin, raising us up into the air. The fair looks incredible, with all the brightly colored lights. I leaned into Jack enjoying the sight and his company. He kissed the top of my head as we went around. “Are you having fun?” He asked. “I am,” I said looking up at him. He leaned down and kissed me, sending a buzz of electricity through my veins and taking my breath away. I heard a shutter sound and pulled away confused to look for the noise. Jack laughed as I noticed he had his phone extended to take a picture of us. “What are you doing?” I asked, and he moved his phone to review the picture. A smile appeared on his face as he tapped on his phone screen. “I needed a new phone background,” he said, showing me the Lockscreen on his phone. The picture he had just taken of us kissing illuminated by the colorful lights of the Ferris wheel appeared. I felt like I was floating as butterflies erupted inside me. I couldn’t help but smile, pulling him close to me, so I could kiss him again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Did they give you a list?” I asked Vinny and he freed a shopping cart from the cart corral. “Alex told me to grab stuff for S’mores, White Claws, and Chips. Jack told me to pick up a bottle of tequila, a bottle of vodka and and I quote ‘pick yourself out something special for being daddy’s favorite little boy.’ Then he handed me his credit card, and slapped me on the ass,” Vinny said, as we walked into the grocery store. I cocked my eyebrow at him, giggling. “Yeah, that sounds just like Jack,” I grinned, as we reached the alcohol. “So what special item are you going to get?” “I’m not going to get anything,” Vinny shrugged, loading white claws into the cart. “You have to get something,” I insisted. “When are you ever going to get a free range of Jack’s credit card again?” “You’re terrible,” Vinny laughed. “I don’t need anything, plus I can buy my own ‘special treats’.” “You should get a treat.” “It sounds like you want to get a treat,” Vinny laughed, pushing the cart down the aisle. He stopped in front of the liquor shelf, and grabbed Jack’s requested tequila and vodka. “I would love a treat, but unfortunately, I’m not daddy’s favorite little boy,” I said, picking up a bottle of Jagermeister and putting it in the cart. “What are you doing?” Vinny asked. “Nothing,” I sang, continuing to walk. Vinny rolled his eyes, and continued into the next aisle. Vinny and I continued shopping, grabbing the rest of the requested items from the boys. I snuck a few extra items in the cart as we wandered the store. *** "I brought marshmallows and Vinny!" I yelled, walking out into the yard, holding up one of the plastic grocery bags. "Did you lose Vinny?" Sofie asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "Oh damn," I said, frowning and turning around, looking for the boy that I knew was inside. "Vegas! There he is!" "That's Grieco," Sofie said, watching him walk out with Niki. They walked past us. "Is that him?" I asked, peering to see who was coming out of the door next. "That's definitely Flyzik," Alex laughed. "You're not allowed to babysit Vinny anymore. How could you lose him?" Sofie question, causing me to sigh dramatically. "I hope I didn't leave him at the store," I mumbled, before walking back inside. I could still hear Alex laughing behind me. I went back into the kitchen, setting the plastic bag down on the counter. Jack was going through the other bags Vinny and I brought back, while Vinny loaded White Claws in the cooler. “Hey Baby?” Jack asked. I looked over at him, as he pulled the bottle of Jager out of the shopping bag. “Yes?” I asked innocently, blinking my eyes at him. “Why are there gummy worms, Jager and a bag of pepperoni?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. “Vinny wanted a treat,” I said, walking over and wrapping my arms around Jack’s waist. I looked up at him, batting my eyelashes. “No way! Don’t you throw me under the bus,” Vinny yelled. “I already asked Vinny if this was what he picked out,” Jack said, looking down at me. “So weird,” I said feigning surprise, “someone must have put their shopping bag in our cart.” “Yeah someone just happened to leave an entire bottle of Jager in someone else's cart?” He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist. “It really is a tragedy for them,” I agreed. “That’s so weird,” he hummed, “because it looks like all those items are on the receipt.” “Ava, give it up,” Vinny said. I glared over at him, and he rolled his eyes. “Vinny made me do it,” I said, looking back up at Jack quickly. “Babe,” Jack laughed. “It’s fine, I don’t care that you bought things.” “I tried to get Vinny to pick out something, but he wouldn’t. Something about not spending someone else's money,” I said. “Well Vinny is a big boy he can make his own decisions,” Jack said, kissing the top of my head. “Yeah, because I’m a big boy and I don’t need no man,” Vinny said, shutting the cooler. “Oh fuck, I mean I’m a grown adult.” “Alright ‘Big Boy’ why don’t you take that cooler outside,” Jack said. “Ava and I need to go change.” “I’m not a big boy!” He yelled, as Jack grabbed my hand leading me toward the stairs. “Wait fuck!’ “Whatever you say man,” Jack laughed. I giggled, letting him lead me up the stairs. *** Jack and I sat cuddled up in the hot tub, with some of our friends. I sipped the drink that Jack and I were sharing before handing it back to him; enjoying the feeling of the warm water and the jets swirling bubbles around us. Vinny sat nearby drinking a beer talking to Grieco and Niki who were across from us "Sofie, come in the hot tub with us!" Jack yelled as the sliding door opened, and she stepped out. "I'm okay," Sofie said, making a face. "I'll just hang out." "Sofie, don't be lame! Get in the hot tub!" I said, giggling as Jack nuzzled his nose into the side of my neck."I'm not being lame! You guys can enjoy it!" Sofie said, leaning against the deck railing. Alex walked over, grabbing another beer out of the cooler, before climbing back into the hot tub. He cracked open his beer and slid down into the seat next to Jack. "There's not much room anyway." "You can sit on Alex's lap!” Jack exclaimed, suddenly alert and grinning. “No, I’m good. Really,” Sofie said. Jack and I glanced at each other before giving Sofie the same annoyed look. “Wow, you guys are like the same person sometimes.” “My DNA is inside of her,” Jack answered. Sofie’s face scrunched up in disgust and I rolled my eyes. Alex broke out into laughter despite his equally disgusted expression. “That is the grossest thing you have ever said to me,” Sofie cringed. “Wow.” “That’s disappointing. I need to try harder,” Jack replied, causing Sofie to shake her head. “No thank you.” “Sofie, get in the hot tub!” I demanded, splashing her with water. “No!” “Then at least come sit on the side!” I reasoned, already scheming. “No! You’re gonna pull me in. I’m not stupid,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Then just get in willingly, dumb bitch!” “Wow, you are the worst best friend! You make Emma look nice!” “How dare you!” I glared. “Take it back!” “Stop calling me names!” “Just get in the hot tub!” “Fine!” She yelled, rolling my eyes at her. I grinned to myself, as she removed the clothes over her bathing suit. She stepped up, before sitting on the edge of the hot tub. She frowned slightly, looking at the hot tub and trying to figure out where to squeeze in. Jack pulled away from me slightly, leaning slightly into Alex. I watched as he stealthy moved his hand behind Sofie and gently shoved her into the hot tub. She gasped in surprise, falling into the hot tub and landing in Alex’s lap. He wrapped one arm around her, holding his beer out of the way so it wouldn’t spill. "Whoa, it's not a water slide," Alex said, causing Sofie to flush. She glared at Jack as he settled back into his spot, wrapping his arms around me. I smiled up at him, kissing him on the cheek. I was glad he and I were on the same page about the Sofie and Alex thing. "Jack is annoying," Sofie muttered, causing Alex to laugh. "That's true, he is," he nodded, allowing his hand to rest on Sofie’s hip. I watched her expression turn flustered, before turning my attention back to Jack. He noticed me looking at him, he leaned in to kiss me. The touch of his hand on my skin melted away all thoughts of Alex and Sofie. I could only focus on his touch and the way his lips felt on mine. He pulled away from me causing me to let out a whine. He laughed, grabbing our shared drink and taking a sip before handing me the cup as well. I glared, taking a drink and handing it back to him. He set the cups back down, leaning in and pressing his nose to mine. “You’re cute when you glare,” he said. “I wouldn’t have to glare if you weren’t a jerk,” I mumbled. “All I did was get a drink,” he laughed. “And you stopped kissing me,” I said, shoving him slightly, making him grin wildly. He leaned forward trying to kiss me again but I pushed him away again. The shove just encouraged him, as he fought to kiss me again. I finally relented giggling as he pressed his lips to mine again. “Want to get out of here,” he mumbled against my lips. “I thought you’d never ask,” I giggled. Jack pulled away from me, before standing and getting out of the hot tub. Once he was out, he reached out a hand to help me out of the hot tub. I climbed out, with his help, before grabbing a towel and quickly trying to dry off as Jack pulled me to follow him inside. I followed Jack upstairs and back into his room. I pulled the door shut, before untying my bikini and letting it fall to the floor. Jack’s eyes lit up as he looked at me, causing me to roll my eyes. I picked up my bag, and pulled out my change of clothes, an oversized shirt and shorts. “Can we watch a movie?” I asked, pulling my shirt over my head. “Yeah of course,” he said, reaching for me. “Get dressed,” I laughed, shoving his hand away from me. “But what if instead of getting dressed,” he started. “I’m going to go get a drink,” I laughed rolling my eyes, pulling my shorts on and heading to the door. “Start picking out a movie.” “No wait come back!” he said, crossing the room. I laughed as I pulled the door shut behind me, moving quickly into the hall. I caught a glance of Sofie heading down to the basement as I went to grab a drink. The sliding door opened, and Alex walked in, running his hand through his hair with a frown on his face. “What’s up?” I asked, curiously. “I fucked up,” he sighed, leaning against the counter. “What happened?” “I kissed Sofie,” he responded, causing my eyebrow to raise in surprise, “and she freaked out and ran off. I thought things were going well. I don’t know.” “Oh,” I said, nodding. “I’ll go talk to her. I’m sure it's not what you think.” “Thanks,” he said. I waved my hand at him before heading to the basement. I walked down the stairs, seeing Sofie sitting on the couch hugging her knees. She looked like she was struggling to catch her breath as panic started to set in. My heart ached for her and I reached the bottom step. "Sofie," I said softly, causing her to look over at me, tears streaming down her face. My face softened at the sight of her. I crossed the room, joining her on the couch. I pulled her so she could lean on me, and she rested her head on my chest. "Take a deep breath," I said, stroking her hair. "In through your nose. Out through your mouth." She started following my instructions as I took some deep breaths with her. Slowly her breathing began to return to normal, and I felt her relax into me a bit more, though she continued to cry. "I can't do it," she said. "Stop pushing me." "He's not Justin. Or any of those other assholes," I said softly, continuing to stroke her hair. “I don't want to go through that again. I don’t want to feel like that again." "You won't. You had to experience a shitty lesson, but you know yourself better now," I said, and she shook her head. "They were assholes, Sofie. They didn't deserve you. You don't have to be miserable because they sucked." "I can't do it," she said again, and I sighed. "Alex likes you, Sofie. And you like him. I know you, I can tell. Don't deny yourself a chance at being happy with him because a couple of douche bags that didn't deserve your love in the first place took advantage of it." She didn’t respond, and I didn’t force her too. I played with her hair, letting her take the time to calm down. I hated what those men had done to her. Sofie deserved way more. The tears slowly stopped falling, but she looked exhausted. There was no way I was letting her leave tonight. "Come on, let's go change. You can come cuddle in Jack's bed with me. Maybe we'll even let Jack come too," I said, causing her to let out a small laugh. I led Sofie back up the stairs and to Jack’s room, stopping only to grab us a couple white claws. I opened the door to Jack’s room, where he was lounging on the bed, scrolling through Netflix for something to watch. He took one look at us and seemed to understand and she slid over to the edge of the bed making room for me and Sofie. I laid down and she curled up beside me, as Jack picked a random movie, and covered all of us with his blanket.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I raked my nails down Jack’s bare chest as the heady sensation of his tongue licking, intertwining with mine. The effect he had on me has my head swimming. His hand came up pushing underneath the cropped fabric of my t-shirt to cup my tit. He ran his thumb over my nipple, circling it until it hardened under his touch. He pulled away from me just enough to pull the fabric over my head, tossing it to the side. “Good morning,” he mumbled against my neck. “Morning,” I whispered, tilting my head as he placed open mouth kisses along the skin before sucking hard. “Don’t leave a mark.” I chastised, “David can’t know.” “Can’t even let a guy pretend that you’re just his,” Jack mouthed against my collarbone. “I thought you were dumping him.” His mouth moved down to my other breast taking as much of it into his mouth as he could before pulling back to suck reverently at just the nipple. “I don’t wanna talk about it,” I ground against his groin to feel his hard length against the thin fabric of my underwear. He nipped at the sensitive peak of my nipple at my sidestepping of the issue, just a touch harder than I would have preferred and he knew it. He knew the pressure was just slightly more rough than what I wanted; meant to punish me. I dropped my hand down to brush just my fingers along the hard outline of him in his boxers just slightly too soft, teasing him. He groaned against my skin, sucking at my neck in a way that would most certainly force me to wear concealer on my neck around David for the better part of a week. I hooked my thumbs into the waist of his boxers pushing them down. I gave him one firm pump along his now flushed cock before I looped my arms around his neck and a leg around his waist flipping us over so I was on top of him. “Now, make yourself useful,” I smirked as I crawled further up until I straddled his face. He used his thumb to move my underwear out of the way. He started rubbing his thumb against my clit until I keened, leaning forward and bracing my hands against the wall to keep myself up as the hot pleasure started coursing through my veins. “Baby,” He groaned. “More?” He emphasised the question with more pressure causing me to shudder against his touch. “More,” I tried to keep it from sounding like a beg but it was most definitely a beg. His mouth came up to meet me, hot, insistent. His tongue circling around my clit. “Baby, sit on me,” he commanded before licking a hot stripe across my entire vagina giving a forceful flick of it at the top for good measure, hitting just right to make my legs a bit weaker. My hips lowered just a bit involuntarily, as a gasp escaped my lips. “Nnnn,” I gasped. “I don’t want to hurt you.” “What a hell of a way to die,” he chuckled before gripping my hips and pulling me down hard onto his face. I couldn’t keep my weight up anymore. Especially not as his tongue pushed into me, hooking into my hole. It was too much. Intoxicating. The way his tongue circled and thrusted into me, licked up and down and then back again in a z. “I want you inside.” I couldn’t keep myself form moving my hips up and down on him, fucking myself on the hot wet heat of his tongue. “Come for me and then I’ll fuck you into this mattress.” A command he punctuated with a squeeze of my ass that forced me further into his mouth where I was met a greedy suck my clit. The words were as enticing as the movement of his tongue swirling me and then trying to swallow me and it was all I needed. I shuddered against his mouth struggling not to collapse as I came hard at his mouth. He grasped my waist and then flipped me so I was on my back. My legs up around his shoulders, he started thrusting two fingers into me, moving slow at first. “You’re so wet for me.” He started moving his fingers just a little faster, placing kisses along my calf, curling his fingers to tease at almost hitting that spot. “Inside,” I repeated trying to reach down to grab at his cock, but he bucked his hips, throwing me back into a moan that had me trying to cover my mouth, biting my palm to keep from letting everyone hear us, and potentially waking up the rest of the house. “Oh,” He smirked against my ankle, another movement of his hips that had me feeling the press of him against me unrelenting and intoxicating in its own right but not what I wanted. “What do you want inside?” “Fuck,” I whine, glaring up at him. “You fucking know what I want.” His other hand started rubbing my clit roughly. His fingers flexed to perfectly hit my G spot for just a momentary brush. “Say it for me.” Both his hands picked up their pace on my already over sensitive body. “Say it.” And fuck if I didn’t say it soon I would lose the ability and while the logical part of me was sure I was going to get what I wanted regardless of if I ever said the words, there was a baser part of me panicked at the idea that he would not fuck me until I was writhing mess unless I said it. “I want your fucking cock,” I said between moans and fighting for mouth fulls of air. He took his cock into his hands and stroked it roughly. The low lights caught his dick just right for me to see the shin of the precum dripping down him. “Say please.” He smirked. “Get fucked,” I spat, but he ground himself against me until I threw my head back fighting to swallow breathes of air. “Fuck, Jack—” “I would if you’d just say please,” He bit my calf hard enough to leave teeth imprints, before dropping my legs off his shoulders. He adjusted his body, so he was hovering over me, almost perfectly positioned to give me what I wanted “Fuck,” I moaned gripping and twisting the bedsheets underneath my hands. “Fine,” I bit out, moving up to capture his lips in a hungry desperate kiss. It was the taste of me on his lips and that…that was so much hotter, had me trying to move myself so much deeper into his mouth. This was what it was so supposed to be. Just me and him, “Please,” into his mouth. It was the only thing he needed to hear to line himself up with me. I felt it for only a moment. Anticipation. The pressure of a head about to enter me. Then the push of his hips steady and forceful and finally, finally he was sinking deep into me. I felt him, inch by inch pushing into me, filling all the spots that had been feeling so grievously lonely and empty without him. I dug my fingernails into his back, tossed my head from side to side in a fit of pleasure. When he bottomed out, I came up to bite at the crook of his neck. At that he pulled back until only the head was still inside me and then pushed all the way back in hard; my G spot was assaulted by the pressure. “Right there.” I whimpered. I started thrusting my hips as much as I could while pinned to the bed. I wrapped my thighs to grip his waist to try and keep him close to me. He did shallow thrusts just butting up against the sensitive bundle of nerves inside me. Then one long thrust and circled, applying so much delicious friction against my walls. He repeated the pattern of thrusts over and over until tears were gathering in the corner of my eyes. “Harder.” Then I took his nipple into my mouth, rolling it between my teeth. It had the desired effect of making him slam hard back into me. So much pressure. So much force. Right into that perfect spot. I couldn’t help the moans that came with the force. One of my hands continued to rake down his back, leaving long scratches in a way that would mark him as mine well after this bout was finished, while one came down to my slit to start playing with my sensitive bud. “Baby,” he breathed and it seemed he could no longer hold back. He started pulling back fully and then slamming back inside. The force. The sensation. I couldn’t keep myself from fucking back on him until I was nearing that edge again. All the movement. All the impact. All the teasing and then the making good on it, but what finally did me in was him moaning, “Ava.” Then I was trembling in his hold again feeling ecstasy rolling through me in waves. I don’t know what kind of face I made but it definitely affected him as I felt him grip hard at my hips and shake as he filled me. We breathed as he fucked me through the high of our orgrams until he slowed, resting his head against my forehead in the post coital bliss. *** The doorbell let out a loud chime. I grinned knowing the only person who still rings the doorbell at the boy’s house at this point was Sofie. “I’ve got it!” I said. “Thanks,” Zack responded, as I left the kitchen, where I had been watching them make Jello shots for the party tonight. “Hi!” I said, the door open and grinning at Sofie. “Hello,” She said, raising her eyebrows. “Why are you so happy?” “Jack woke me up with sex and then he got me boba after we went to Target!” I exclaimed, making her laugh. I turned and head back toward the kitchen with Sofie in tow. “Nice!” She said, We entered the kitchen and I leaned up against the counters, as Sofie slid into one of the chairs at the island. “Oh wow.” “Zack and Rian are making jello shots,” Ava commented, noticing her eye the little plastic cups all over the counter. I watched as Matt raised an eyebrow, while he was tearing open a box of Jello. “Do I just not exist to you?” he asked. I paused, staring at him and looking him up and down. “Wait, are you Vinny?” I asked, squinting at him, causing him to roll his eyes. “Ava!” Sofie laughed, causing me to smirk. “She’s just doing it to fuck with you guys now.” “Yeah, I know,” Matt said, tossing the box in the trash. “I have hot water!” Zack called out. Matt stepped out of the way to him letting Zack slide in so he could pour water into the bowl of Jello mix. “And I have vodka!” Rian cheered, holding up the bottle in victory before pouring some out into the mixing bowl. “Yo! That was way more than half a cup!” Zack laughed and Rian shrugged. “The request was to get ‘white girl wasted’ and you know what you’re gonna get off my jello shots?” Rian asked, screwing the lid back on the vodka. “Fucking sloppy,” Zack laughed, stirring everything together. “Same thing,” Rian said with a shrug. Vinny walked in through the patio door, grabbed the dish soap off the kitchen sink and turned to walk back out. “Whoa, Vegas! Where are you going with our dish soap?!” Zack yelled after him. Vinny stopped, turning around in the doorway slowly. “Jack wants it,” he said quietly and I heard the group of boys groan. “No! Someone is gonna have to drive them to the hospital when they break their arm on that fucking slip and slide!” Matt said, shaking his head. “Nose goes!” Rian yelled, immediately putting his index finger to the tip of his nose. I immediately touched my nose, looking around as all the guys did the same. Sofie glanced around the room, in slow realization that she was the last to touch her nose. “No! That’s a stupid game!” Sofie groaned, frowning. “Who let Jack buy a slip and slide?!” All eyes locked on me as the question left Sofie’s lips. I stared back wide eyed at the sudden accusations. “No! That was Alex! Alex was there too!” I yelled, throwing my hands up in defense. “That’s why we don’t let Alex and Jack go to the store together,” Rian said, beginning to pour the green jello mixture into the cups. Jack let out a high-pitched scream from outside. I glanced outside to see Alex spaying his down with the hose as he tried to run away from water. Sofie stood up from her place, and headed toward the back door, pulling it open. “Jack!” She yelled, walking outside and standing on the porch with her hands on her hips. I watched them for a moment, before turning my attention back to the Jello shots. “What flavors are you making?” I asked, as Rian filled the little cups. Zack turned off the tap, after filling the pot up with water and set it back down on the stove. Matt grabbed another mixing bowl and began to open a package of grape Jello.” “This batch is lime,” he said, “but we are also doing blue raspberry, pina colada, cherry, grape and watermelon.” “Wow, what a variety.” “What no strawberry?” Vinny asked, setting the dish soap back down on the counter. “The strawberry ones are my favorite.” “Take that up with Rian,” Matt said. “He vetoed strawberry.” “It would be too confusing if we had both cherry and strawberry,” Rian said as he finished filling the last cup. “We’re only doing one flavor of each color. Besides, I like popping cherries.” “Rian!” Matt said as Rian laughed at his own joke. “Whatever,” Vinny grumbled, "at least you made grape.” *** I looked around the room realizing that I didn’t know anyone around me. I had stepped away to use the bathroom and apparently lost Jack and my drink in the process. I wandered around the house, looking for someone that I recognized. The house was packed with people, but I caught sight of Emma heading towards the kitchen. “Emma,” I yelled out, grabbing her attention. She turned and waited for me as I weaved through the crowd to meet her in the kitchen. “Hey! I’m heading outside to grab a Jello shot,” she said as I met up with her. “Sounds good,” I nodded, letting her lead the way to the patio. She slid the door open, stepping outside before pausing. Once I made it outside I saw what had grabbed her attention. Alex, Jack, Zack, Rian and Sofie were standing near the cooler of Jello shots. Alex took the lid off the Jello shot in his hand, leaning his head back and swirling his tongue inside the cup. Emma watched him, biting her lip, as he licked his lips. She still wanted Alex, it was obvious. “Ooh, coconut!” Alex said. “It’s a pina colada for my blonde island babe,” Rian said, referring to Alex’s newly dyed blonde hair. Rian leaned over and kissed his cheek, making him laugh. Rian turned to walk away, stumbling. “Wow, you have been drinking all day,” Alex laughed, as Rian walked towards Emma and I. Rian waved him off, heading back into the house. “Sofie, do a shot with me.” “No,” Sofie said, shaking her head. “Stop trying to get me drunk.” “You’ve had two,” Alex said laughing. It seemed like Alex interacting with Sofie was enough to snap Emma out of her trance. She started moving again heading to the cooler. I followed her, grabbing Jack’s attention as we approached. He grinned when he saw me, reaching out his hand for me as I approached. “Two is enough,” Sofie said. “One more,” Alex bargained. "You're wasting your time. Sofie doesn’t know how to be fun," Emma butt in as she walked up and grabbed a jello shot out of the cooler. Emma shot Sofie a look, clearly irritated with Alex’s attention being on Sofie. Sofie frowned as Emma walked away, taking the shot from Alex’s hand and throwing it back. “I’ll be right back,” I frowned, dropping Jack’s hand and following Emma as she walked back inside. “Emma what was that?” I asked, catching up to her, grabbing her wrist. “What was what?” she asked. “That whole thing with Sofie,’ I asked. She rolled her eyes and waved her hand as if it were nothing. “I was just joking around,” Emma said. “But like really, you and I both know Sofie. She is not the kind of girl to get drunk and enjoy herself at a party. She is too uptight, she needs to loosen up.” “Sofie is very fun,” I said. “You’re being kind of weird. You and Sofie have been friends for years. Is something going on between you guys?” “We’re just peachy,” she said, popping the cap off her Jello shot and walking away from me.