Freshmen Dorms

Evelyn's phone buzzed and she fumbled in her pocket, taking it out to answer a text from Carrie. Her stomach lurched at Jake's words, and she felt confused.

Speaking of stomach lurching..."So apparently I have food poisoning," she informed Ashlee next to her, flipping absently through her phone to Facebook.

Her eyes skimmed down her newsfeed and then she frowned, clicking on a photo Jake had put up.

"I think I have it too, I was throwing up all morning." Ashlee said, she wasn't as sick as she had been when he brother had come. But the little sick feeling was kind of there just not as intense.

"That's weird, maybe its a bug going around or something." Jesse commented.

Jake caught her frowning, "Hey I know you don't wanna put this off. I didn't think my boss was gonna be such a douche I'll try and maybe work my way out of work for an hour or so and we can go."

"What?" Evelyn asked, looking up at Jake in confusion. Ashton, she saw, had walked over to the table and was clearing up the breakfast dishes.

Evelyn held onto her phone and crawled across he carpet to Jake's side, feeling thoroughly weirded out.

This was so ridiculous, she didn't knwo what to say. She glanced up at Ashlee. "That's weird, I thought it was the McDonald's i had last night but it wouldn't explain where you got it from. You been eating right and was this the first time?"

She was fiddling with her phone as she spoke, and then held it toward Jake with the picture he'd put up of his kid self on the pier. Once she'd ensured he'd seen it, she drew her phone to her and typed in a comment below the photo, and then handed her phone to Jake so he could read it.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] July 1999. I kept a travel journal when we visited NYC for my 7th birthday. It's the reason I remember this day.
2 seconds ago · Like

Jake leaned in to read what she was showing him. It was the comment underneath a photo his parents had taken of him as a kid, when he had met a little girl on the pier and she gave him a balloon. His eyes widened and he looked up at Evelyn, "Wait... you're kidding right?"

Ashlee had looked from Jake to Evelyn they both seemed to be exchanging some sort of conversation, "What?" She said to them both.

Evelyn simply gave Jake a brief smile and glanced up at Ashlee. "Picture on Facebook, you can see it later." She figured there was no point announcing it to the whole damn world. It had just been a fluke incident.

Just then, Seth sauntered back into the living area with some kind of chicken fillet served with, as he announced, veggie stir-fry".

"Resident chef," Ashton explained to Jesse, as they headed for the table. Evelyn suddenly remembered Nova back in her suite. Her door was locked, though.

"Crap. Um, I gotta go check on Nova," she muttered to Jake, figuring she'd let him have a moment ot gawk at the photo.

Ashlee nodded getting up to eat, Jesse following her, to go eat.

Jake took a moment to look at the picture he uploaded, he couldn't believe it. That the girl in that picture was in fact Evelyn. He remembered that day remembered how his parents took him out and some kids had made fun of him for having an accent on the pier. Then he remembered meeting her, it was her birthday and it was why she had so many balloons and just like that she gave him a pink balloon.

Seriously what were the chances of him ever running to Evelyn again after that? A million in one. "Hey bring Nova here." Jake said to Evelyn before looking at the picture again.

Antonio got up and noticed that Jake seemed kind of distracted and pat his shoulder, "Hey come on eat dude."

"Huh? Yeah sure." Jake said putting his phone back into his pocket and getting up to go eat lunch. But before he went to eat, he gave Evelyn a small kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for the balloon." He said so only she could hear. He gave her a small smile and went to go eat.

Evelyn, kind of caught off-guaard, flushed slightly and headed back to her suite to get the little beagle.

By the time she got there, though, Nova was still asleep. So Evelyn figured she could just leave him with Jake's for the weekend. She bundled the pup in his little blanket cradled him in her arms like a rather large baby as she headed back to Jake's suite.

She entered and set Nova on the couch, grabbing an open seat beside Ashton across Jake at the table.

Seth was debating what they should do. He frowned at Jake down the table. "So I don't know, everything's iced over. I figure since the in-laws are here, we should show them a good time," he said jokingly.

"Hmmm I don't know. But I ate so much I feel like I wanna hibernate." Jake said getting up and moving to the couch. He saw the sleeping Nova and picked up the dog gently and set him down on the ground so he can lay on the couch.


"I don't know I mean would you guys even feel like going out since its so cold?" Ashlee asked looking to her brother. She knew he was only here for one night and she didn't want him to spend it indoors.

"Jake, you couch hog!" Evelyn exclaimed indignantly when she spotted him. She abandoned her plate and strode over to the couch, reaching down to pick up the snuffling puppy. "Poor doggy, did the ugly duck wake you?" she cooed to him and Nova gave a sleepy yip, lolling in her arms.

Evelyn shot Jake a glare and set the puppy on the single seater sofa. She was about to go back to her food but then she changed her mind. Jake's douchebaggery earned him punishment.

She grabbed a cushion off the floor and strode over to where Jake lay on his back on the couch. Evelyn smirked, realized Ashton and Seth were both watching with amusement, and dove on top of the unaware Spaniard, smacking the pillow over his face and deciding to scare him a bit. So she pressed it down over his face just enough to startle him.

Okay, so she was a little mad about him terrifying her by busting down the door at that blacklight party last night...

Ashton started laughing, choking on his food. "Someone get a camera."

"EMRFM!! EVELYN MMMFF!" Jake flailed around panicking trying to get the pillow off his face as Evelyn squished it over his face cutting off his breathing.

Ashlee was laughing too hard, she got up quickly going to her purse she pulled out her camera and snapped a picture of this. "Oh god!" She laughed as she looked at the picture.

Jake was waving his arms around, when dropped them down on her sides. He grabbed her and turned her over so now she was on the bottom and he was on top, "HA GOTCHA!" He laughed triumphantly, holding her down.

"That's so gonna end up on Facebook!" Evelyn snickered devilishly up at him. "Hey, Ash, in the caption, make sure you highlight Jake's cruelty to animals," she added to Ashlee, trying to move the lump of Spanish lard off her.

"Ouch," Seth commented aloud, getting a photo from his own phone too.

"You got it Ev." Ashlee giggled.

"What!? NO! I love animals! Hey Ashlee! Make sure when you upload the picture, you mention in the caption that Red here hates the entire Spanish culture!" Jake said laying flat on top of Evelyn.

"Hello, moron," Evelyn managed to say in a muffled voice, mouth buried in Jake's shoulder. Se turned her head so her cheek was brushing his chin. "She's on my side. Although her saying that wouldn't affect many people anyways. Your mother already hates me."

Seth cringed at that, remembering Jake's words the previous night.

"Compromising position," Ashton said nonchalantly to no one in particular. "Salad, Jesse?"

"Does this happen often?" Jesse asked wondering if he should do anything, even though he was laughing.

Antonio shrugged, "This has been happening since they've met."

Jake ignored the comment about his mother hating Evelyn, because his mother hated him. "Ashlee come on, you know me. Are you gonna listen to Red here. Besides she can't defend her position, since she's too busy being squished." Jake grinned, he gave her a quick peck on the lips and winked a laughing brown eye at her.

"I am trying," Evelyn said, cheeks reddening again, "To free my hand so I can gouge your eyeballs out," she informed Jake, squirming to get her arm free.

At that moment, Seth finished his fillet and felt the need to comment. "EW, I'M EATING! Go eat each other's faces elsewhere, dude!"

Ashton choked on his sip of soda and struggled not to laugh, seeing Evelyn's cheeks flush even redder if possible. "From Evelyn's end, in all fairness, it's abusive to Jake," he added onto Antonio's statement.

"HA YES SCORE!" Jake cheered, losing his balance he fell off the couch and landed on his back on the floor.

"That's what you get." Ashlee snorted, looking at the flushing Evelyn and snapping a photo. "Aww she's blushing... TRUE LOVE!" She exclaimed.

"So thisss is loveee! SO THIS IS LOVEEE! SO THIS IS WHAT..." Antonio sung loudly getting up and waltzing with Ashlee.

Evelyn sat up, tugging her ponytail free so she could smooth out her hair. She frowned at Ashlee, a little uncomfortable with her wordchoice, and then shot a glance down at Jake and said smugly, "Heyy, Ash, Carrie just texted me, there's apparently some shirtless guy event going down at Fifth Ave. I say we go see it tonight!"

"Ew," Ashton mumbled, and Seth pretended to gag.

Ashlee stopped waltzing with Antonio and giggled, "Oooh sounds like fun we should go."

Jake raised an eyebrow up at Evelyn not liking how that sounded, "They're probably gay." He said.

"I'm sure Jesse can't wait," Evelyn replied to Ashlee, reaching out a foot and gently nudging Jake's knee.

Seth looked up at this, not catching Evelyn's grin. "Oh, you're gay?" he asked Jesse absently. "That's cool, bro!"

"Me?! Hell no!" Jesse said, wondering just when the idea of him being gay was tossed around.

Jake swatted her foot away, "Why would you wanna see a bunch of gay Abercormbie model wannabes, when you have Seth right here, in all his gayness for you to bask in?" Jake pointed out.

***


James' phone had vibrated in his hand, he had gotten two Facebook notifications from Haley uploading photos from Ash Creek. He opened them up and saw the two photos, one of him and Evelyn kissing on the bridge by the lake in Ash Creek, and the other of them kissing in the rain. Those two moments in time seemed so long ago.

It was weird, how he remembered worshiping the ground Evelyn walked on. How he was just so infatuated by her, not just by her looks. But other things. Like when she did let him in sometimes. How they were able to talk about their lives and relate on their loss of family members, and how their lives were so similar in ways. And how she could just understand how he felt sometimes about things. He knew that this James he was now and the James then really were two completely different people.

Sure he would always be attracted to Evelyn, he felt that no matter how much time passed between them and even if they both found someone else. That, that simple attraction that pulled them together in the first place would always be there. All their memories, him saving her from Damien. The Masquerade Ball, their first kiss in the rain together, spending time in Tiffany's house modeling in the hallway, when he embarrassed her in the gym. Fighting her stepmothers goon of a boyfriend, all of that he did for her and more.

He missed who he was in Ash Creek, that James was a lot better than this one. Maybe going back over the break in March would be good, help him remind him of how he was before he came to the city.

Evelyn leaned down so her mouth was level with Jake's ear. "You'd rather I check out your best friend than some strange guy I'll never see again?" she muttered, amused. No sane guy would tell his girlfriend to "bask in" Seth Andreasis' presence. He was too like James that way.

Seth was scoffing at Jake's comment as he got up and began clearing away dishes. Evelyn got off the couch and decided to go help because Seth was busy pulling faces. She took the plates he held and took them into the kitchen.

"Jake's just jealous because he has a shitty fashion sense and dresses like sales rack rejects," he informed Jesse. Then, finally noticing Evelyn had just carried dishes into the kitchen and was now stacking them in the sink, added, "Hey, Jake, what do you know, there are benefits to having a girlfriend! They clean up after you!"

"Nah he just dresses like well..." Jesse looked at Jake's messy appearance but that had been mostly due to the fact that him and Evelyn had been wrestling, "I doubt he looks like this all the time." Was Jesse's response.

"That's where you're wrong, Jake always looks like he's rolled out of bed." Antonio informed Jesse.

Ashlee nodded, "Its true, I don't even think he owns a comb. Although the whole messy bed head thing is always in so it works for Jake."

"Hey! I make my messy chic thing work! And Seth if you want someone to clean up after you, get your own girlfriend." Jake said going to the kitchen taking dishes from Evelyn.

Seth's response was, "I thought we abandoned the plot to get me a girlfriend, remember?"

Evelyn pulled a face at this and took the plates back out of Jake's arms. "Please spare the female race and don't dump Seth on any of us. That's inhumane!" She started rinsing them since Seth was still seated and didn't look like he was going to move. She was never the type to like dirty dishes lying around - it frankly bugged the crap out of her.

Seth returned to scoffing. "Well, whatever! Girlfriends aren't worth it, way too much hassle." He pointed at Jesse. "Bro, nothing against your sister but most females just want my credit card. It's a shock but she's the only one who hasn't asked for it when she actually had all marital rights!"

"She should now," Evelyn muttered under her breath so only Jake heard.

"Wait you mean to tell me you were married to a millionaire, and with your shopping addiction you didn't buy anything?" Jesse said staring at his sister like she had a horn or something growing from her head.

Ashlee shrugged, "Well I mean when we were in Vegas we were all blasted off our asses the only thing I did do though was order really expensive room service and charged it to Seth's credit card. Other than that, I wasn't really thinking of much else since I sort of freaked out that I got married."


Jake had decided to be nice and dry the dishes since Evelyn was being nice enough to wash dishes that weren't her's, "Hey they're divorced now, unless she wants to battle him in court for half his assets, she won't be able to, then again knowing your lawyer tendencies it just might happen for Ashlee." Jake said to Evelyn as he stacked the dishes.

Evelyn scrubbed at a plate as she smiled. "You know, she might just win if she tries for a pregnancy scam. That's pretty damn common."

***

Seth was suddenly no longer smiling. He hastily stood up form the table and murmured a quiet "Excuse me", before heading for his room.

He was suddenly remembering something Connor had let slip.

Ever since he'd gotten back from Vegas, Seth had kind of been avoiding checking his bank statements. He knew what he'd see, huge bills for the jet's needs, staffing, etc. But did he want to see what came before Vegas?

Seth grabbed his laptop, opening it up, flipped to his banking website and logged in, checking his December statement. He navigated to the November statement too and then bit the inside of his cheek so hard it hurt acutely.

He was fairly sure he hadn't bought a shitload of crap at Fifth Avenue for himself. His memory was providing him every detail.

Rose. This was all for Rose. And she'd wanted it too. Why had he ever been stupid enough to agree?

And here James was defending the bitch? Did he know? Seth suddenly decided Jake really was lucky in this respect. Evelyn might be vicious sometimes, but at least she wasn't pretending to sweetly seduce and date him just to max out his credit cards.

So this suddenly explained why Connor had been so eager for Seth to get back at Rose. Connor wasn't being irrational. Not by a long, long shot.

The first hot stems of anger began to flood into Seth, a foreign feeling to him but one he now let in.