Freshmen Dorms

"I don't know either, I just know she's upset. Frankly I've never seen you be that mean before, but I guess after that happened to her last night she might start to go back to how she was." James said shrugging to Luke.

***

Jake's insides froze for a moment, her breath tickled his ear. The way she looked, it was a really good distraction. But his car, she ruined it and he tensed. "Screw you." He said coldly moving away from Evelyn.

Luke looked up from hsi laptop. "Well, that's one good thing accomplished then," he commented with a sigh. "Honestly though...I don't know, I'm just not feeling into anyone right now. I'm just kind of dating around."

***

Evelyn smiled and it was no longer friendly but simply taunting as she stepped in front of him, sliding her arms around his waist in a very natural way. Ignoring her suddenly sped up heartbeat, feeling his own through his chest, she looked up at him and tutted. "Naughty, Jake. I'm shocked, I thought you wanted me to stop flirting."

"Hey dude that's fine, but regardless. You should fix things with Ashlee. She's your friend." James told him, he didn't like seeing them like this. To him Ashlee, Luke, and Evelyn were the closest thing he had to family left. Besides his aunt and Haley.

***

"I..." Jacob lost his train of thought, when Evelyn wrapped her arms around him and stared up at him. No! He needed to stop being so weak around Evelyn. "Yes I do want you to stop." Jake said although it wasn't that convincing.

Luke expelled a breath. "I'll talk to her," he acquiesced. "Later. After she clears things with Evelyn. But I will talk to her," he added, running a hand through his hair. "And...not mention what you just told me?"

***

Evelyn raised herself on her tiptoes, sliding her arms off Jake's waist and slipping them around his neck. Ignoring her now wildly gyrating nerves, she felt her stomach clench as she leaned into him, stepping onto his sneakers to bring her lips inches from his (damn his height). "If you do," she whispered, lifting one hand to trace circles with her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck as she leaned still closer until Jake's breath brushed her cheeks, "you'll give me my dog back."

She slipped off his feet and stepped back, clasping her wrists behind her back as she smiled at him.

James nodded. "That would be best."

***

Jacob took a moment to recover from Evelyn's closeness until he realized just what she was asking of him, and stood tall. "Um you mean my dog? And like hell you're getting him back."

Luke sighed and then groaned. "I hate you. It's gonna be all awkward when I see her now!"

***

Evelyn's smile slipped off her face and she took a step closer to Jake, invading his personal space yet again. "You know I'll get him back. And until you hand him over, I'm going to heckle you," she said softly, tone casual. "And it's only going to get worse. Just give him to me," she reached up and ran light fingers over his chest, feeling his tense muscles beneath his shirt, "and I'll leave you alone."

James scoffed, pointing to himself. "Me?! If I didn't tell you, you were gonna write Ash out of your life. As your best friend I couldn't let you do that!"

***

Jacob swallowed, looking down at Evelyn he could feel himself tense. His jaw clenched as he tried to keep a strong front on. Sure giving Nova over seemed easy enough, if this had been any normal fight between them but how sure was he that this would even end things. It was really hard to concentrate when all Jacob could seem to focus on was Evelyn's cleavage.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I find it ironic that you and Ev are now suddenly all BFFF- or whatever that is - and Ash and I suddenly are on the outs."

***

When Jake failed to reply, Evleyn tilted her head, wondering ifi he was puzzling out the pros and cons of handing Nova over.

ANd then she realized Jake's eyes were drifting.

Evleyn felt her whole body flush and her cheeks burned hot enough to fry eggs. Completely forgetting her seduction routine, she slipped into old habit.

She grabbed the sides of her white cardigan and yanked them over her chest. "Jake!" she exclaimed, looking away from him as her whole face reddened in embarrassment. "God - ugh! Can you please focus up here?"

James grinned. "Its because Ev and I communicate and yell our feelings to each other. Instead of repressing them."

***

"I well! Its kinda of hard not to look at them! They're right in my face, and I'm a guy what do you expect!" Jacob said slipping up just like Evelyn.

"Did you yell across a bowling alley?" Luke asked curiously.

***

Evelyn gaped up at Jake wordlessly for a moment, spluttering and blushing madly. "Yo - you - Ja - they are not - okay, we are not discussing my - my cleavage," she lowered her voice, not wanting to announce it all over the damn room, "in this conversation! Not now, not ever!" she huffed angrily.

"No, well okay yeah we kind of yelled for a minute. Cause I snuck up on Ev and scared the crap out of her and she dropped her ball and got a gutter ball." James chuckled, remembering the previous night.

***

"Well, its nice cleavage, you know you're flaunting there. Just saying." Jacob said, trying really hard not to smirk at how frustrated Evelyn was getting.

Luke could see this happening. The poised James could be ridiculously childish sometimes. "So how was it just hanging with her? You guys haven't really done that since Ash Creek," he said.

***

Evelyn raised her eyebrows, noting Jake's lips twitching. Oh, you bastard! She gritted her teeth and let go of her cardigan, allowing it to fall to the sides again. "As compensation, I'll come by to collect Nova later on," she said irritably.

"It was... nice. I mean yeah we argued. But it wasn't like all that intense arguing we did a few months ago. It just felt good like we were friends and stuff again. So I had a good time." James smiled, thinking back on last night.

***

Jacob snorted. "Hey I enjoyed the free show like any other guy, don't mean you're getting Nova back." It was gonna take more than long legs and boobs to get Jacob to cave into Evelyn.

Luke bit his lip, looking down at his laptop. He kind of wanted to ask James something but he didn't want it to be awkward with Evelyn so he simply murmured, "That's good. Hope this newfound friendship works out. You gonna hang with her any time soon?"

***

Evelyn tilted her head. "Oh," she said sweetly, widening her eyes, "I'm sorry, did you think I was asking you? No, let me rephrase. I will come and collect Nova back later regardless of your opinion." She reached up and patted his cheek. "Now don't you have to get to work and see hunky Eric?"

"Um over my dead body, and Eric got fired. Apparently, he was stealing from work. Its just me there now." Jacob smirked at Evelyn and pat her cheek.

***

James shrugged. "I dunno, we haven't made plans to hang out again but I'm sure we will." He said.

Evelyn's jaw dropped and then she turned her cheek hastily away from Jake's warm palm, not liking the feeling it gave. She grabbed his hand, pulling it away from her face, and a warm buzz shot up her fingers. "You're joking. I think my heart just broke a little. All that eye candy gone to the dark side."

***

Luke winked at James. "Oooh, should I set up a play date?"

James pulled a face at Luke. "Ha ha very funny, you can set up a play date when you and Ashlee patch things up."

***

"Yeah, it's always those do goody types you have to watch out for, you never know what's underneath." Jacob said to Evelyn, checking her out again, and winking.

"That'll take a while," Luke complained. "What if Ev and you get into a fight?!"

***

Evelyn sucked in her cheeks, fighting back the flush that rose to her face. She simply gave Jake a slow smile, bit her bottom lip somewhat teasingly and turned away. "Well, I have a dog to take back. Excuse me."

"Well then, you and Ashlee will have something to fix when you two are speaking again." James commented slyly.

***

Jacob stood there for a moment, watching Evelyn from behind when he shook his head. As her words sunk in. "OH HELL NO!" Jacob yelled going after Evelyn.

Luke gaped. "Wha - James! Oh, come on!" he whined, widening his eyes disapprovingly. "You guys just got to this important checkpoint! You can't delay going further because of us!"

***

Evelyn stopped walking abruptly and spun around, startled. "I'm only getting my bag - OOMF!"

Jake crashed into her with the impact of a freight train. Or at least, that's what it felt like. Evelyn yelped and toppled backwards, all the wind knocked out of her.

"Nope! Don't use those puppy eyes on me Lucas! For a summer you abandoned me, and Ashlee. And you insulted me. Me and Ev are fine! So until you two patch things up. Ima do what I want." James declared, and then skipped out of the living area.
***

Jacob hadn't realized he had walked so quickly, that he had tripped and fell on top of Evelyn both of them landing on the couch together. "Yeah like to see you escape now!" Jake laughed.

Luke picked up his empty soda can and lobbed it after James. It hit hte brunet's shoulder and clanged off. "What if Ev decides not to hang with you by then??"

***

Evelyn couldn't say anything for a moment. Ater the initial freight-train impact with Jake's chest, she had then promptly been crushed by his sheer weight when he fell on top of her. She gasped for air, chest heaving up and down furiously as she managed to squeak out, "With two broken ribs, I doubt I'd get far!"

"Hey! Get a room! No PDA!" some guy yelled over to them. Evelyn blushed furiously and closed her eyes. Why did this shit always happen to them?! Why did they always have a damn audience?!

"Well we can get pretty far in some other departments." Jake smirked.

***

"Oh we will be." James said poking his head back in. "For once I have the good friendship and your life is the mess." James smiled.

Luke narrowed his eyes. "Haha, James, you're a real pal."

***

Evelyn stared up at Jake, startled. Before she could say anything, though, the guy spoke again.

"Yo, man, take your whore elsewhere, some people are trying to relax; if we wanted a bad sex scene, we'd watch Twilight," he sneered at them.

Evelyn stiffened, turning her eyes to him. He was seated across the pool table on another set of couches and single-seaters with a bunch of guys and girls.

Evelyn bit her lip, suddenly not feeling like working here any more. Sure, she liked playing a tease to annoy Jake, but she didn't act like a whore! And she wasn't comfortable being called one by some random guy she'd never said a word to! "Jake," she whispered quietly, eyes flicking up to him, "Get off. I - I have to g-go to the, uh, library."

"I'm the best pal you've ever had." James grinned.

***

"How do I know you're gonna go to the library? I mean I can't exactly trust you after what you did to my car?" Jacob interrogated Evelyn, he wasn't gonna let her go while he was gone.