#and the others are upset but know the story but Beau hearing a fucking 13 yo just drop that is like. WHAT 😨

[but-a-humble-selfshipper]

It's honestly pretty funny to me how Beau is the only one in the apartments who goes to therapy because even he can tell the few other ppl living there too most definitely should fucking go too yet whenever inquired on it they're just like ❓

[that-buckley-gal]

Delirious #7 | Peas In a Pod

One Week Ago

Christian was Rooster’s roommate but excused himself as soon as Rooster and I entered. While Rooster went straight to his dresser to get a gym bag together, I demanded to know what it was I did wrong because he seemed to be fine all day when the parents were here and now that the day was nearly over, he decided to turn into a dick.

“Jesus Christ, Gemma! I just need to relax after today. Don’t you? I’m fucking tired as shit,” he said meanly as he stuffed clothes into the bag.

“Yet you still want to go the gym and ‘exhaust yourself some more’, huh?”

“Don’t start,” he breathed, walking past me to the bathroom.

I didn’t say anything else until he came back out. I knew he’d have to go by me again to get to the door in the first place.

I grabbed his arm when he walked by and he stopped. He didn’t pull his arm away until I let it go, which was strange for me as this isn’t how I thought that would go, especially with his reputation.

“Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?” I ask. “You were fine when I came here this morning and amazing when my parents and Teddy were here, but now that everyone’s gone? I get that you’re probably tired out from all that entertaining we had to do…”

“What’s your point?” Rooster asked, staring at the door rather than looking at me.

“We had plans, remember? We were just going to go back to my place and order a pizza and watch a movie…or two. Then you just decide to go to the gym with Zook and McQuaid?”

“I don’t treat your friends like shit,” Rooster stated simply before walking out of the room. It took me a moment to think of when I ever treated one of his friends ‘like shit’ before I remember my lack of communication with Christian earlier today as well as the not-communicating spiel we’ve had going on since the party. When I lost my respect for him because of his actions.

“THAT IS DIFFERENT!” I screamed, suddenly pissed at Rooster. “JAMES TATRO, GET YOUR SORRY ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOW SO WE CAN TALK THIS SHIT OUT!”

I step out of the room and Rooster is still on the upper level, debating on whether or not he should stay or leave. The other open doorways in the hall slammed shut and Rooster sighed before letting his bag hit the floor.

“Well?” He asked in a bored tone.

“Well what?” I asked back.

“Aren’t you going to apologize?”

“What do I have to apologize for? For not talking to somebody? As far as I’m concerned, normal people don’t consider that as treating someone like shit.”

“What is your problem with him anyway, huh? Did he do anything to you?” Rooster asked back in a heated tone of voice. “Did he do anything to personally hurt you?”

I step back slightly. “Well, no. But – ”

“Then why the hell are you acting like a bitch?”

I stay quiet.

“I get that your last relationship was fucked. I was there! Remember? But that doesn’t automatically give you the right to judge everyone in a similar situation.”

“Jimmy.”

“You don’t even fucking know what happened between them, Gem. You heard Penny’s story and that’s all right? Did you even want to hear Christian’s?”

“Please, I – ”

“What about, uh, what’s her name? Jasmine? She barely scratched the surface of her story before you shoved her to the curb in order to go jump on Penny’s lap, but I guess that’s what you do, right? First Brooke, then Jasmine.”

“Where is this coming from? Christ, okay! I am sorry for not wanting to hear Christian’s side of the story and I will apologize to him for that!”

“Oh, don’t do me any favors now, Gem.”

“Shut the fuck up!” I yell at him. “You know the reason why I don’t want to talk to him, Rooster?”

“No! I know the reason why!”

“No you don’t!”

“Then tell me why!”

“Because it…” I swallow the lump in my throat and blink back tears that threaten to fall. “I don’t want to talk to Christian because it is too damn hard for me, Jim. Okay? Every time I see his face I just think of Pete and how he didn’t give a damn about me after two shots! Call me crazy but I just…

“You’ve never been cheated on, Rooster,” I sigh and close my eyes, feeling tears fall from both eyes. I open them again and look at Rooster, who looks ready to give up and apologize but I hold up my hand to stop him. “Just…you don’t understand, okay? And I don’t want to sit here and try to explain it because it doesn’t make sense, and I know that that’s probably hard to get, so… Go to the gym. With Brad and Zook. We can talk when you come back.”

I step back into his room and close the door. I only lock it when I hear footsteps approaching the door.

The knob jiggled and then there was knocking on the door.

“Gemma, open the door please,” Rooster said.

“No,” I said. “I need to calm down right now, please leave.”

Rooster knocked again and I sighed. I rested my forehead on the door with my hand on the handle, resisting the insane want to open the door.

“James,” I said. My voice was cracked as silent tears made their way down my face. “I need to be alone for a little while. We can talk when you come back from the gym so just go already.”

“I’m not going to leave you here while you’re upset,” he said. “Please open the door.”

I turned and sank to the floor and I could hear Rooster do the same on the other side.

-

I must’ve fallen asleep.

I stand up slowly and unlock the door, opening it slowly to see Rooster sprawled out in front of the door, a few cans of pop lying around him. I close the door again and debate on what I should do.

Take a break.

I take off the necklace that houses Rooster’s Greek letters and let it rest on his pillow before moving over to the window and step out onto the roof. I shuffle over a few rooms down to Zook’s room and sneak in through the window; grateful that he and McQuaid were heavy sleepers and didn’t hear my feet padding around.

Once I’m in the still-lit hallway, I peer over to Rooster’s room again seeing he’d rolled onto his back. I smile sadly at the sight and make my way down the stairs as quiet as I can. I see Christian asleep on the couch and ponder Rooster’ words from before.

Just because Pete was a douche doesn’t mean Christian was one. Brooke had the hots for Pete only because he was her boyfriend’s best friend and her Little’s boyfriend. Penny and Christian didn’t make their relationship known until after the news broke of Jasmine and Christian. Maybe the whole thing really was a misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding I would need to figure out later.

I step out of the frat house and sit on the porch swing, only then questioning the time as the sky was starting to lighten up already.

I pull out my phone to see it was 5:34 A.M. and I wonder if my parents were already up and awake in order to head back down South. I call my mom and when she answers, she sounds like she’s been awake for a while.

“Mom? Can you come get me please?”

“Of course I can. Is everything all right?” She asked.

“Yeah, yeah. I just really need to take a break right now; yesterday just really made me realize it.”

“Are you with Zook?”

“Yeah, I’m at his house.”

“Okay, I’ll send the car to come pick you up before it picks us up.”

“Thanks.”

Bonus bit: Jimmy's P.O.V.

Jimmy woke up the next morning on the floor in front of his room. It was early from what he could tell from the light coming in from the window at the end of the hall. He stood up and stretched slowly and went to the bathroom.

He checked the time on his phone to see that it was 7:13 A.M. and sighed. He approached his bedroom door with caution and knocked softly. There was silence from the other side and Jimmy thought that Gemma might still be asleep. He was about to go downstairs but instead opted to try the knob. The door was unlocked and he let out a breath, feeling relieved.

That relief was short-lived as he took in the empty room. Confused, he circled the room wondering when, and how, Gemma got out. Jimmy circled the room again before his eyes landed on the necklace resting on his pillow.

“What? No,” he mumbled to himself. “No, please.” He grabbed the silver necklace and fingered the charms with the Greek letters.

Giving Gemma his Greek letters was something he didn’t have to think about. He knew there would be repercussions from his frat brothers but he knew it would be worth it to have everyone on campus know that Gemma was his.

Some time passed before Zook tentatively poked his head in, wondering if everything was ok only to see Jimmy lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“She’s gone,” Jimmy said.

Now

Zook’s been keeping me up to date about the lessons I’m missing; he told the instructors and my housemates that I got sick suddenly and was staying at his dorm.

He always locked himself in his room, without Brad, before calling me in order to keep our conversations private and my location hidden from Rooster although he’s already guessed my whereabouts.

I’ve turned the send receipts off on my phone so Rooster can’t tell that I’m reading his messages.

He also sent the necklace I left back to me. The metal felt cool on my skin even now.

Since my homework was all done, I was sat on my bed watching Mean Girls eating Fruit Loops straight from the box while a can of diet soda sat on my table.

“…with rainbows and sprinkles,” I quoted along with the movie before there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I say expecting to see Teddy or one of my parents. I flick a Fruit Loop at the screen and quote Damien: “She doesn’t even go here!”

The sound of a breath exhale from the nose makes me look at my guest, surprisingly unsurprised by the sight of my red-hawked beau.

“Took you long enough,” I say and scoot over on my bed, making room for him to sit. Jimmy gives me a surprised look before he shuts the door and comes and sits by me. We watch the movie in an awkward silence.

I pause the movie and sigh. “I’m sorry…for sticking my nose into someone else’s relationship. And for ignoring your friend. And for yelling at you. And leaving without saying anything. Ok? I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Jimmy said. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, and calling you names. And for not understanding your reasons for being upset. And for not coming here sooner. I thought you would’ve kicked me out.”

“I still can,” I smile briefly. We look at each other, and Rooster leans in. I turn away from him and instead he fingers the Greek letter charms on my necklace.

“You really are an idiot, you know that?”

“What?” I turn to him.

“Leaving this on my pillow and then leaving without saying anything to anyone? Jeez, you made me think we were done!”

“Well you are a nimrod, nimrod!”

“How?”

“Please, let me in,” I mock him. “You could’ve broke down the door or tried to get in through the window.”

“We wouldn’t get our security deposit back if I broke the door. As for the window, well… I thought – you said you wanted space!”

We fell into a tense silence.

“Can we just pretend that the fight never happened?” He asked.

“No because it did,” I said. “But we can try to work on issues that were brought up during it and move past it.”

He grabbed my chin and made me look at him. Our eyes were boring into each other’s and I leaned in and kissed him. He kissed me back instantly, his arms pulling me into him.

“You have no idea how much I love you, Jimmy Tatro” I said.

“You can bet that I love you more than that, Gemma Haythe,” he said.