Freshmen Dorms

Evelyn really didn't want to hear about her and James anymore. Or talk about James at all. "You know what, I'm hungry," she said hastily, standing up. She walked to the kitchen and dug around for a frozen steak in the freezer. "You want anything to eat?" she called back to Ashlee.

***

Seth had finally punched Antonio in the mouth and drawn blood. After some Purrelling of his hands (and lots of soap), he sauntered to Jake's room.

Without knocking, he toppled into the doorway. "Jaaakeeeey!" he greeted the Spaniard. "Tigga's bleeding buckets out of his new gap-teeth!"

"OWWW SEFF!!" Antonio lisped as he got up and ran and staggered drunkenly to the bathroom to make sure Seth hadn't knocked out his teeth!

Jacob chuckled at all the chaos taking place outside his room, "Seth! Ash is gonna kill you if he has to pay for Tony's dentures, Hey Tigger! Aren't you gonna be a dentist, you can put your own teeth back in!" Jake teased.

***

"No I'm not hungry. Listen I didn't want to upset you, I think I'll get going." Ashlee said getting up hastily.

"You didn't," Evelyn said, frowning at her from the kitchen doorway. "I just needed to know exactly what everyone else is reading this as." She ran a hand through her hair. "Honestly, I told Jake I would much rather be friends with him. I don't know why I was stupid enough to agree to try this relationship thing."

***

Seth danced a victory jig in Jake's doorway. "I killed da Tigga!" he announced. He bounced inside and slung an arm around Jake. "Oh mah Gawd, aren't you proud of me??? I drew first blood!"

"DING DONG DA TIGGA IS DEAD!" Jacob cheered.

"FUCK YOU GUYS!" Antonio lisped, as he cleaned off the blood and went to the kitchen to get an ice pack.

***

Ashlee leaned in her doorway. "You're not stupid, you like him. And he likes you. That's what people do when they like each other. Its just you have your two best friends who are trying to be supportive when they are Pro James. I guess."

"It's not you guys influencing me. Believe me, I'd stick with Jake if it meant proving James and I are done," Evelyn said, walking over to her. She held onto the open front door. "I just...I don't know. Maybe Vegas messed things up. I just feel weird about being with Jake after everything. Plus, the stupid divorce, it's gonna be awkward, I know that. I don't want to remember New Year's. At all. So this break will be good. Give me time to clear my head. I feel like we're just forcing ourselves onto each other, when clearly neither of us is ready. It's no one else's fault."

***

"WHOOOOO!" Seth cheered, arms in the air and fists raised to the ceiling. "EL TIGRE! YOU'S GON' DOOOOOWWWN!" He did another jig and stumbled over Jake's bed, flopping backwards onto the mattress.

"Evelyn do what you want. I think the more time you two spend apart, you honestly just seem upset. And you guys are actually funny together when you get along. You didn't give James a chance, but hell at least give Jake one. Just think about it before breaking up with him." Ashlee said stepping out into the hallway.

***

Antonio had been leaning in Jake's doorway when he saw Seth stumble around like a drunk leprechaun and fall onto Seth's bed.

Jake was laughing as Seth fell onto his bed, him and Antonio exchanged glances and shouted. "DOG PILE!" Both of them jumping on top of Seth, Jake's bed creaking underneath all their weight.

"I SENSE A TIMBA DOWN IN DIS BITCH!" Seth wailed in a muffled voice.

A horrible crack sounded, and Seth, Jake and Antonio suddenly sank a few inches downwards. "I WUSS RIIIIIGHT!" Seth cried. He began flailing madly, smacking Jake in the face with an elbow. "ABANDON SHIP!"

***

"See, I'm not saying we have to spend time apart. That's why I wanted to be friends. It's nice, even, middle ground," Evelyn replied. She shrugged. "If anything, I'd think you'd get that, Ashlee."

Nova whined behind her. "I'll see you later," she said, holding out a foot to stop the puppy bolting. "Night, Ash."

"Yeah but with you two, there really isn't a middle ground. See ya Ev." Ashlee waved turning and leaving.

***

"OH SHIT!" Jake yelled quickly rolling off his bed, with Antonio following behind him.

Although they had been a second too late because Jake's bed had sunk in on the left side, where they had all dog piled on Seth. "Oh crap." Jake cursed. He knew he'd have to pay maintenance for that.

Seth was finding it hard to breathe.

He decided to elbow Antonio and Jake in the face till they moved off his lungs. "CAN'T-MOTHAFUCKIN-BREATHE!" Seth gasped out, inhaling deeply. He toppled backwards and landed on the floor, dizzy. "Whooooaaaa....that was fuuuun!"

***

Evelyn shut the door and then walked into the kitchen opening up a can of dog food and emptying it into Nova's dish. she warmed it and set it down, calling him over.

While he chomped away, she pulled out her phone and texted Jake.

Ash just left. Come over whenever.

She wasn't sure if he'd use the door or window, so she walked ot her room and ensured the window was still unlocked. Then she grabbed her laptop and tuned in to a movie she'd been watching previously, lying down on her bed.

Antonio nodded, and got up as he went to go lay on the couch to ice his mouth.

"Yeah it was fun." Jake's phone vibrated, and he saw Evelyn's message and decided he'd go over there now. "Hey I'm gonna go, I'll be back later." He told Seth as he went to his window and climbed out and went to her's. He stopped for a moment and noticed the new window in place.

Jake tried the window and it slid up to his surprise. He thought if anything she would have locked it for earlier and how he was acting. "Hey." He said quietly as he hopped in closing the window behind him.

Seth crawled out of Jake's room on his knees because his vision was blurry after too many beers. He followed Antonio to the couch and groaned the whole way.

***

Evelyn paused her movie, looking up when she heard feet thud onto her carpet. She sat up, closing the laptop lid. She grabbed it and leaned over to place it on her nightstand before straighting and crossing her legs underneath her. She gave Jake an expectant look, face expressionless.

"Okay, I know you're mad at me. And you have every right to be. I'm sorry I was being such a douche today. Umm.. I don't know how much it was to pay for the window but here." Jake said pulling money out of his wallet and setting it down on her nightstand, he even set an additional ten down.

Jake shifted a bit on his feet, and bit on his lip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have overreacted about you going to see James either. I know you don't like him anymore and I know he was doing that for work cause I've been to Abrecrombie during this time of the year when they do that. Its my fault for breaking your window, and I shouldn't have acted like an asshole when you came into work to see me today either. I know money isn't gonna solve this, but I promise I'll do anything to make it up to you for being how I was today. I know I have to control my jealousy. I trust you, its just James that I don't." Jacob admitted.

Evelyn swallowed and looked down at her lap, ignoring the bills on her nightstand. "You'll do anything?" she asked quietly.

Jake flicked guilty eyes up at Evelyn, "Yes I will. I really am sorry, I do feel bad. You had every right to be mad at me."

"Fine," she said, just as quietly as before, lifting her eyes up and meeting his for a second. She looked back down hastily. "I want us to be friends. Will you do that for me?"

"Friends?" Jake said almost like the word had been poison. "But...why?" He asked almost inaudibly. Things were actually going well before today!

Evelyn toyed with the cross-charms bracelet on her left wrist, looking up at him again. She bit her lip, suddenly feeling strangely chilled all over.

Closing her eyes, she looked down at the bracelet again and said, "Because that's what I wanted to be last week - and I told you I wasn't ready for anything more."

Before he could say anything, she added, "And because Ashlee told me - at least, according to her, it's what everyone thinks - th - that apparently, there is some huge danger of James seducing me?" Evelyn's lips twitched into a wry grin. "That's cute. And just makes me realize we're clearly not comfortable with the trust aspect of a relationship."

"Yeah but we can never really be friends. I mean every time we seem to try, we end up doing things that friends don't do. Like making out or whatever. And you always seem to have the tendency to just run when things get hard. I feel like if we tried again, it just wouldn't work out and you'd make a million excuses as to why it wouldn't again." Jake said leaning against her wall.

"I don't feel comfortable doing this, this whole relationship thing," Evelyn said bluntly. "I told you I didn't. I'm not about to get drunk any time around you so I don't see why we can't try for being friends, since clearly, in your head, I'm an untrustworthy skank." She unclipped the bracelet around her wrist and toyed with the charms, not looking at him.

"What in the hell ever gave you that idea that you were some untrustworthy skank to me?! I'm willing to try, and you always want to run. That's it! I don't get why you're so uncomfortable with all of this. All I want is to be with you. If I wanted to be your friend, trust me I would have been like hey lets be friends." Jake said frustrated. Why did he always feel like he was losing some sort of battle with her?

Evelyn slowly and laboriously clipped on the bracelet again. "I'm not running. I'm just going back to my earlier point. Maybe further down the line, I'd be up for a full-fledged relationship, but not right now. It's just too soon after Vegas and I know that might have been a big deal to you, but it's still bothering me," she admitted. Her voice grew quieter the more he raised his, and she kept her eyes down on her hands.

Jake sighed, realizing that yelling really wasn't going to fix this. He ran a hand through his hair looking at her, he approached Evelyn and sat down in front of her, "Nothing I can say to change your mind?"

She twisted a charm between her fingers. Looking up, she started, not realizing he was sitting right there. She sucked in her breath, freezing up momentarily. "Not...not really."

Jake's shoulder's slumped a bit, as he let out a breath. He slowly rose to his feet, but before he stood completely. Jake pushed away a curl from her forehead, and whispered. "Then I'll wait for you when you decide we should be together again." Jake gave her a small kiss on the forehead and got up going to the window to leave.

Evelyn closed her eyes, fighting back the stinging behind her eyelids. She inhaled, exhaled and opened her eyes, looking up at where he stood. "Jake - wait."