Freshmen Dorms

Evelyn had punched in the elevator call button and was leaning against the wall across it when she spotted a dejected looking James headed down the hallway toward her.

Don't feel guilty. Don't feel guilty.

But she had messed up the potion...

Evelyn kept her eyes on the approaching brunet as she hastily texted Alexis. C'mon. U can always leave formal early. Give it a try. Ur turnin into a hermit :/

***

Seth pouted. "Just a small game? My exams are almost over and my brain hurts."

Antonio let out an annoyed huff and decided to humor Seth, the faster he did this the faster he could return to studying, "Okay fine, what's the game?" He asked setting his book down.

***

James arrived at the elevator he realized the button had been pressed already he lifted his eyes from the ground and saw Evelyn, he sighed feeling bad for having said what he had to her earlier on about Jake and what not.

She still had tried to help him, "Hey thanks... for trying." James said defeated to Evelyn.

Ev, i kno what you are doing. not going. Alexis replied and called Nova over by tapping her nails against the floor, and reached up, rubbing at her eyes as they burned a little for reasons she didn't know. Lack of sleep from exams.

Evelyn didn't look up at James, not particularly wanting to speak to him.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, not really wanting to say what she was about to, to Alexis, but she decided to say it anyways. She texted Alexis back silently. Funny how u lecture me about treating James like shit. He's helples right now and ur doin it too. Just sayin.

***

Seth straightened up, frowning. "Well, uh, you wanna have a snowball fight?"

"A snowball fight? You can't think of something indoors and not outdoors where its negative three hundred outside?" Antonio asked Seth.

U created the potion, stop being a guilt tripping bitch and go to the formal with himself URSELF if u feel so bad. Alexis sent back furiously and shut off her phone before scooping up Nova and went off to her bedroom, leaving her phone on the table. Why should she have to say yes if she didn't like James as an friend?

Seth frowned some more. "Come on, Tig, you need to loosen up! And hey, maybe we can go visit Jake after!"

***

Somehow Evelyn wasn't shocked when she read this message. This was just one reason why she resented Alexis lecturing her. You kind of needed to listen to your own advice before you started gifting it to everyone else.

She sighed and put her phone in her pocket, just as the elevator doors clanged open. She stepped inside and then glanced at James. "Are you giving up?"

Antonio sighed he figured he could use the break, "Okay fine lets go." Antonio said getting up to go layer up a bit more because knowing Seth this would get ridiculous all too quickly.

***

James just leaned against the wall of the elevator nodding at Evelyn, "Yeah I guess so."

"Then what are you doing instead?" Evelyn asked, pressing G on the CP beside her. She wasn't sure why she even cared. Well, actually, no, it was all her fault, as Alexis had said. So she figured she felt guilty and needed to fix it. Or she thought so at least.

The elevator began to move.

***

Seth's face lit up and he grinned. "Meet you here in five!" He bounded to hsi own room to layer on a scarf, gloves and a thick jacket and boots.

Antonio went in his room and pulled on a thick sweater over his shirt then his coat and pulled on some snow boots, along with gloves and a hat that went over his ears, he came out of his room, "Alright come on lets go!" Antonio called to Seth.

***

James shrugged, "I dunno, stay home or something. I honestly don't wanna go to the dance unless I was going with her."

Seth bounded out of his room and grinned at Antonio as they headed out. "Wanna race me on the fire escape?"

***

Evelyn felt a definite stab of guilt shoot through her at James' words. She really needed to find a cure! This was horrible and reminded her too much of the many times she'd turned him down.

In the meantime....

Evelyn bit her lip and turned to James. "Can't you find a date, just as friends? I hear they have a live band and everything."

"The fire escape? Won't that be all icy and stuff? Why can't we just take the stairs?" Antonio asked, because you know that sounded like the logical thing to do.

***

"I really don't wanna be at the dance with a bunch of couples, even if it is with someone just as friends." James said glumly.

Seth frowned and poked Antonio's shoulder. "Fine, fine, I forget you don't have a death wish."

He led the way down the hallway to the elevator. "But you know, it's kind of fun living on the edge."

***

Evelyn was clenching her fists, trying not to let the little stabs of guilt eat at her. She heaved out a breath and finally met James' eyes, swallowing down the familiar jarring sensation in her stomach. "You know, not everyone there will be in couples. A lot of people are going as friends. Hell, Luke is taking a girl as just friends."

"Yeah well I like living on the edge if its stuff where I know I won't get too damaged, you know roller coasters, football... not free falling off the sides of buildings and slipping on icy death traps." Antonio said narrowing his eyes at Seth.

***

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Listen Ev, I know that. But still even when people go as just friends they're still a couple, they're still together and the environment of a dance even when you're with a friend... its kind of well romantic. No denying it."

"No, it isn't," Evelyn argued, narrowing annoyed green eyes at him across the lift. "It's a formal. A formal banquet where you eat, drink and only couple up if you feel like it. This isn't highschool, James! Lots of people are going stag in groups."

Just then, the elevator landed on the ground floor with a jarring groan.

***

Seth waved a dismissive hand at Antonio. "We're taking the stairs!"

He bounded into the stairwell.

James realized he had ridden the elevator down, when he really just wanted to go back to his room, "It doesn't matter Evelyn I'm not going!" James said firmly then pressed the number seven.

***

Antonio and Seth had darted down the stairs together, and the both of them burst into the lobby and outside into the cold air. Antonio even still bundled up felt the cold air nipping at his cheeks and nose.

"Okay Seth, we're not gonna be out here for too long right?" He asked him.

Seth snickered at Antonio's red nose. "No worries, Rudolph. I won't make you brave the terrifying snow too long." He paused and nudged Antonio as they walked through the snow, smirking. "Or are you missing Oprah?"

***
A wave of frustration threatened to make Evelyn punch James. She was so sick of this stupid guilt. It was her fault James was like this and okay, so it had been funny when he was all freaky, but now it just hurt seeing him like this after knowing the real, awake, James had gone through the same thing. It was just sick and wrong. And on the other hand, Ashlee was taking that dumbass to formal, a guy who would have beaten Evelyn to a pulp if Jake hadn't stepped in. That was irony given Ashlee's past. And Evelyn didn't even want to think about how much her messed up potion was going to break Rose's heart later when Seth woke up.

Yeah okay, so she screwed up but this was so major, she couldn't handle it the way she was, lying through her teeth.

Evelyn reached out and grabbed James' wrist, fingers digging into his skin when he reached past her face to hit 7 on the CP. "Wait, James," she began, feeling dread circle on her. I should stop. This is a bad idea. Evelyn steeled her nerve and met his eyes, forcing down her lurch of nausea. "I...." Her mouth went dry. "I'm sorry."

Antonio narrowed his eyes at Seth, he reached down packing snow into a ball and threw it at Seth's head. "Bitch Oprah comes on at four!" Antonio yelled then going to take cover.


***

James looked up at Evelyn's green eyes and raised an eyebrow, "Sorry, sorry for what? For once you didn't do anything." James was wondering why she was apologizing.

Seth gave a war cry and dove into a large pile of snow, poking his head out and then sneaking through the snow to where Antonio was, feeling like a lost soldier in the tundra.

He reached up and smashed a snowball in his face from behind. "DIE, BITCH! AHAHAHAHAHA!" he cackled.

***

"For once," Evelyn muttered quietly, almost smiling. "I..." She paused and then realized she was still gripping his arm so she hastily let go. "Look....I need to tell you about something I did....that might be causing you a major problem...."

She paused. He was never going to believe her. Oh no. What was she doing? She had no proof....or maybe she did?

She ducked under James' arm and stopped the lift door closing. Tilting her head back, she said, "I need to tell you something. And you're gonna hate me for this." She stepped out of the lift. "Come on."

She needed to talk to him away from the knowing ears of all the people they knew here. James was clearly coming from a florist, so he was dressed all right.

James wondered just what the hell was going on, he figured he had nothing better to do than to sulk so he figured he'd hear Evelyn out and followed her to wherever, "Okay fine I'll listen."

***

Antonio coughed a and choked on the snow. He turn turned and tackled Seth into a snow pile bhind him grabbing the frozen slush and smashing it in his face, "EAT SNOW BITCH!" Antonio yelled.

Seth choked and gagged on the snow.

He pulled a face and bent his knees, springing his legs up and flipping Antonio off him. Seth rolled away to the side and then rolled forward, knocking into Antonio like a bowling ball coated in snow. "KNOCK OUT!"

***

Evelyn bit her lip worriedly and walked across the lobby, tugging open the doors and stepping out onto the cold quad.

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[[The Pretty-Boys and Tony from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], Luke from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

Luke entered his suite and padded down the hall to the kitchen, deciding to make hot chocolate because it was so cold. He knew James had been planning to ask Alexis to the formal and wondered absently how that had gone. Probably a yes. Most girls didn't turn down James. Unless they were Evelyn. He cringed and felt guilty for deciding Jake was actually okay. Luke still felt wary but Jake didn't really seem all that psychotic up close.

Luke switched on the electric kettle after filling it up and then called out down the hallway. "JAMES! YOU IN?"

James came out of his room, he had changed into some sweats and a hoodie, since him and Evelyn before his previous fight with her had spent most of their time rolling around in the snow.

He came out and saw Luke in the kitchen, "I'm here, where have you been?" James asked him having noted earlier that he hadn't been here when he had went off to ask Alexis to the formal.

Luke hesitated and then decided not to lie. He had no reason to. James shouldn't care about Jake anymore. "Went to see a fellow stab victim in the hospital," he said, getting out two mugs. "Want hot chocolate?"

"Sure." James said the hot chocolate sounded good, and he looked up at Luke, it was kind of odd he visited Jake but at the same time him and Luke had gone through a similar thing and taking jabs at Jacob like that probably wasn't one of the best things he could be doing. Besides with James' thoughts always going back to Alexis he didn't really understand why he kept needing to bring Jake down.

James grabbed his mug after Luke had filled it up and asked him, "So how is Jake?"