College - Chapter 12

Chris opened the door to his dorm and said casually, "Hi, Jake."

Jake stared at him defensively as he came into the room.

Chris sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Jake and said, looking at the T.V., "What are you watching?"

"T-T.V." Jake said timidly, staring at the T.V. screen.

Chris shrugged awkwardly and tried to watch the T.V. show, but he felt Jake's eyes on him.

"What?" Chris exclaimed at last, making Jake jump.

Jake didn't say anything, he just stared at Chris for a second longer and turned his attention back to the T.V.

Chris rolled his eyes and got up, walking to his bed and picking up a manga book Ayumi had given him.

He read for about ten minutes and tried to ignore Jake's stare.

Chris put his book down and snapped, "I'm sorry, but is there something you want?"

Jake shook his head, "No, no, in no way do I want anything from you..."

Chris gave Jake a 'you're not very smart, are you?' look and sighed, going back to his book.

Neither of them said anything else for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Chris got dressed in the bathroom and took out his books so he could study.

Jake didn't take his eyes off Chris as he edged toward the bathroom with a change of clothes in his hand.

"Okay," Chris said, putting down his pencil, "What do you want?"

Jake stared at Chris and Chris said, "What's wrong?"

Jake stared at Chris more and ran into the bathroom.

Chris rolled his eyes and turned back to his work.

"You know," He called jokingly, "If you keep this up, I'm going to think you have a crush on me."

The water stopped running in the bathroom and Jake, fully clothed, came out and pointed a finger in Chris' face.

"Don't... Ever... Say... That... Again." Jake said through clenched teeth, "I do not love you, never say I do, I'm not gay. Try to wrap that little rainbow brain of yours around that."

Chris looked at Jake, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Harper." Jake said pointing to his head and adding in a whisper, "I know things."

Chris nodded and said, "Uh... Okay."

Jake gave Chris the 'I'm watching you' gesture and didn't take his eyes off him as he walked backwards to the door.

Jake bumped into the couch on his way out and, closing the door behind him, whispered, "You may have the others fooled, but you can't trick me."

Chris nodded again, "Um... Alright, good luck with that."

Jake stuck his head back in the room and said, "WITH WHAT?"

Chris gave him a 'Are you kidding?' look and said sarcastically, "With finding a boyfriend at the pride parade, Jake."

Jake gasped and said, "N-no! Shut up! That's not gonna happen, Freak!"

Jake slammed the door behind him.

Chris rolled his eyes and went back to his work, muttering to himself, "Reminds me of someone I used to know..."

Damn it, I was thinking about Leo again.

I picked up my cell phone and dialed Leo's number.

"H-hey, Leo." I said with stupid nervousness, "You busy tomorrow? Chris and Ayumi and I were thinking of taking Alice to the mall. Wanna come with?... Cool! Yeah, see you at two."

I hung up the phone and almost squealed. God, I was glad Chris wasn't here to make fun of me.

"Oh, what was that?" Someone said from behind me.

I spun around and Alice was standing in the doorway.

"Alice!" I said, blushing, "Oh... You heard that?"

Alice chuckled, "Yeah. Are you... Getting a thing for Leo?"

I scoffed, "Oh, pshh! Come on, Alice. He was one of my best friends in high school. That would be weird. There's no..."

Alice smirked at me.

"I..." I said, hanging my head, "Fine. Yeah, sure. I guess."

Alice smiled and sat down on my bed.

"So, do you think he has a girlfriend?" She teased.

"I don't know!" I said.

The next day, Alice, Leo, Chris, Ayumi, and I went to the mall.

We were walking around and talking and having a great time when Leo's cell phone rang.

"Oh, hold on." He said, answering the phone.

"Hello?...  Leo Guillermo?" Leo grinned, "You're talking to him."

Alice and I exchanged a look and listened.

Leo listened to the person on the other end of the line was saying and nodded.

Then, his eyes widened and he covered his grin.

"Oh my God, is..." Leo said, "Oh my God, really? Yeah!... Yeah, totally. I need to see you!"

"Invite them to the campus." Chris said.

I elbowed him and hissed, "Chris, you have no idea who that person is!"

"What, are you afraid it's another girl?" Chris said coolly.

"No, I'm just saying it could be some.... Weirdo or something!" I said.

"Please, Angie." Chris said, "Everyone we know is a weirdo. Now, be nice."

I scowled and Leo looked at me expectantly.

I shrugged, "Sure. Fine. They can come."

A grin spread across Leo's face and he mouthed 'thank you'.
"Yeah, you can come!" Leo excitedly said into the phone, "Yes! How about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" I said, "And where is this person going to stay?"
I didn't know who Leo was talking to. What I did know was if the person was a girl, they couldn't stay with Ayumi, Alice, and I. If they were a boy, there would be no way Jake would let him stay with him and Chris.
"I'll think of something." Leo said, going back to the phone, "Yeah, tomorrow's great! We can meet you in campus tomorrow."
He put a hand over the mouthpiece on the phone and said, "What time, Ange?"
I shrugged and sighed, "I don't care."
"Cool," Leo said, going back to the phone again, "How about noon?... Yeah? Great! I'll see you then."
He hung up the phone and Chris said excitedly, "So, who's our mystery guest?"
Leo grinned and said, "Not telling."
"What?" Chris and I said.
"What are you talking about? You're not gonna tell us?" I said.
Leo shook his head, grinning, "Nope! It's a surprise!"
I groaned and said, "Fine, whatever..."
Then I whispered loudly, "It isn't Geoffry, is it?"
Chris whacked me on the shoulder with a magazine he was holding.
"No, it's not, Ange." Leo said, trying not to laugh at me and Chris.
"Come on, who is it?" Alice said.
Leo shook his head again, "I'm not telling you. They're coming to campus to meet us tomorrow. I think you can wait until then."

College - Chapter 11

Our high school reunion was almost over and I was sitting outside with Leo.
He reached for my hand and I blushed, feeling stupid.
I looked into his eyes and he leaned toward me. Leo was about to do something I never would've let him do in high school; He was going to kiss me.
Chris noticed us and narrowed his eyes. He sprinted over to us and shouted, "Hi, you guys! What's up????"
Leo backed off and I scowled.
"CHRIS!!!!" I yelled, getting up and feeling my anger management issues that I thought I had dropped in high school rushing back.
Chris' face fell and he let out a familiar, seven-year-old-like scream as I went after him.
Leo cleared his throat and stood up. 
I stopped running around and grinned stupidly, "Heh."
Leo grinned back and held out his arms. I hugged him and we said good-bye.
Leo left and I turned to Chris, who was tapping his foot and crossing his arms.
I smiled stupidly and Chris said, "Angie, do you realize that you almost kissed Leo?"
My face fell, "What?"
"You almost kissed Leo." Chris said slowly.
My jaw dropped, "Ew, what?"
Chris eyed me and said, "Are you feeling alright?"
"Uh, no." I said, "What's wrong with you? I don't like Leo! Not like that!"
Chris looked confused and said, "What are you talking about? You've been all over him all day."
I grimaced, "Uhg, really?"
Chris shrugged, "Maybe you were just distracted by his good looks."
Just then, Mouse walked by and casually kicked Chris in the crotch. She smiled at us and said, "See you, Ange. See you, Chris."
With that, she left and I bent down to Chris, who was now curled up in a ball, saying, "Ow, ow, ow...."
"You okay, buddy?" I said.
Chris said through clenched teeth, "Peachy. Man, I sure missed her."
He sucked in a breath and said in a squeaky voice, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
Changing the subject, I said, "Did you notice that Kathy didn't come?"
Chris nodded, "Yeah, I was kind of scared to tell you the truth."
"What a surprise." I said flatly, smirking at him, "Well, good job not being stalked by..."
Right on cue, three girls who I clearly remember as bitchy- er, mean cheerleaders walked past and waved flirtatiously at Chris.
I blinked and cleared my throat, "Well, then."
Chris sighed and grinned, "Oh, poor Angie still doesn't have a boyfriend. Sucks to be you."
I punched his arm, "Shut up, Chris. Neither do you."
I glanced at him and he smiled.
"Not only do I have a boyfriend," Chris said, "I have a girlfriend too."
I rolled my eyes, "Chris, I really don't get why you told Jake that Alice was your girlfriend. Plus, I don't think he believes you."
Chris shrugged, "Well, either way that was what I told him and I have to go along with it."
"Chris," I said firmly, "I really don't think he'll fall for it. I mean, yeah, he's kind of a moron, but..."
"But what?" Chris said, eyeing me curiously.
My face flushed and I said, "Well, um... I..."
The blood drained from Chris' face and he said, "Oh, no..."
I nodded, "Couldn't you have found a better place to make out with your ex-boyfriend than your shared dorm?"
Chris' jaw dropped and he squeaked, "What?! I thought you meant he picked up on the fact that I wasn't a heterosexual by scrutinizing some of my more feminine habits and interlacing them with the dubious appearance Alice and I put on as a couple. As you know, neither of us are very good at the whole falsifying thing."
I stared blankly at my brother and said, "Okay, I didn't get a word of that. English, please."
Chris took a deep breath and said, his face reddening with embarrassment, "Um... We weren't on the same page."
I clapped my hands together, "You see? That wasn't hard at all, now was it?"
Chris gritted his teeth and said, "Um... J-Jake... Knows about th-that?"
"Oops." I said, shrugging awkwardly, "Yeah, a little bit."
"A little bit?" Chris squeaked, "How can he know a little bit?"
"I dunno." I said.
Wow, real intelligent sounding, Ange. I thought.
Chris sighed and said, "Well, now he knows. Nothing I can do about that. I guess he was going to find out sooner or later."
I raised an eyebrow at my brother, "Oh, you think?"
Chris scowled at me and said, "Well, we should be heading back to the dorms now. Don't you think?"
I nodded and said, smirking, 




"Yeah. Have fun."

College - Chapter 10

After the party had been going on for a while, Jake realized he had forgotten to bring an extra pack of cigarettes. He groaned and made himself stand up.
Jake wondered around campus for a while before walking to the building where the dorms were. 
He walked down the halls of the building until he found his room. Jake put his key in the locked door and turned it.
He casually pushed open the door, but what he saw almost caused the cigarette in his mouth to drop onto the floor.
Geoffry was sitting on Chris' bed, with Chris in his lap. Chris' arms were around Geoffry's neck and they were making out. The boys took absolutely no notice of Jake and were far less traumatized.
Jake stared at them, mouth hanging open, for a while, and decided that he didn't need his pack of cigarettes quite as bad as he had thought.
Jake slowly closed the door, feeling mentally scarred. Without a word, he went back to his roommate's high school reunion, in which his roommate was inconveniently missing.

Chris had been out of sight for quite a while now and I was starting to get worried. I asked Alice if she had seen 'her boyfriend' and she said she hadn't.
Just then, Jake came into the room. A guy who was wearing a Super Man t-shirt and glasses was with him. 

Feeling a bit intimidated by Jake, I walked up to him and said, "Jake?"
"What?" Jake said, seeming to be dazed and slightly caught off guard. He was probably drunk.
"Um..." I said nervously, "Have you seen my brother?"
Jake stared at me blankly. Yep, drunk. I didn't notice at first because he always smells like alcohol.
"Have you seen Chris?" I said slowly, "Your roommate? My brother?"
Jake swallowed and I could've sworn his pale face got slightly more pale.
"I, uh...." He said, "Yeah. He's in 'is room."
This guy was clearly hammered and no fun to talk to. I wished I could tell him to go take a nap, but I didn't want to get punched in the face and this guy was clearly capable of doing so.

The guy with glasses nodded and said, "Well, well, Jake. You know this young lady?"

Jake cocked his head and squinted at me stupidly, "Uh, she's my roommate's sister."

"I'm Angela." I said, holding out my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Angela." Said Jake's friend, shaking my hand, "I'm Brent, Jake's babysitter."

Jake punched Brent in the shoulder and Brent said half-heartedly, "Oh, I meant friend. I'm his friend."

Brent seemed much friendlier than Jake.

I smiled tightly and said, "Yeah, I should probably go look for my brother now."

Jake and Brent both looked uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong?" I said.

Brent cleared his throat and said, smiling tightly, "Uh, no. Nothing's wrong, it's just...."

Just then, Leo, Alice, Ayumi, and Mouse walked over to us.
Alice studied our expressions and said, "Is something wrong, Angie?"
I shook my head and smiled tightly, "No. Everything's fine. Oh, uh, this is Brent."

Brent smiled politely and Leo scowled at him.Daniel, who I remember as the captain of the football team, came over to us. He whistled at Mouse and she snarled at him. 
Not wanting to feel like he'd failed, Daniel turned his attention to me and grinned crookedly, "Hey, Angela. You sure have grown up. You're one good lookin' thing, aren't you?"
I smiled tightly and Leo scowled at Daniel.
Daniel snorted and said, "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. You're with him?" 
He gestured to Leo and I blushed. I said, "Um, well, not...."
Back in high school, this is where Leo would've put his arm around me and earned a punch in the face in return.
Leo smirked and Daniel looked disturbed.
"So," Daniel said, "Is your little bro here, Angela?"

I shook my head, "I don't even know. He was here for a while, but he's been acting weird ever since Geoffry...."

Jake and Brent exchanged a nervous glance.I scowled when I put the pieces together. I almost swore, but that would be unladylike.
I got up and started to walk away.
"Angie-sama?" Ayumi said, "Where are you going?"
Without turning around, I said through clenched teeth, "Taking care of my brother. BRB."
Screw not hating Geoffry.


I stormed out of the room and jogged to the building where Chris and Jake's dorm was. Luckily, I had swiped a key from Chris a while ago, so I could get in if he said something stupid and Jake hurt him.
I ran down the hall and opened the door as fast as I could. I shoved the door open so quickly that it banged against the wall.
Sure enough, Chris and Geoffry were sitting on Chris' bed, making out. Geoffry had his arms around Chris' waist and Chris' shirt was half un-buttoned, which kind of surprised me.
Startled by the loud sound of the door hitting the wall, they both whirled to face me and the blood drained from there faces.
I smirked, wishing I had a camera. If only Chris and Geoffry could see the look on their faces; They looked like they had seen a ghost.
I chuckled to myself and, without a word, closed the door.
As I walked back to the party, I grinned to myself, proud to have succeeded in my mission.

I went back to my high school reunion party and sat down with my friends.
Leo studied my cheeky grin and said, "What's up?"
I shook my head.


"Nothing."

College - Chapter 9

Chris' jaw dropped and he made a gaspy-squeaky sort of sound. He drew his hands up to his face to cover up his flushed cheeks.
"Oh.... My.... God...." He said, eyes wide.
I said loudly, "Well, I may be stupid, but at least I'm not a stupid hypocrite."
I guess I was pretty surprised to see Geoffry, too. After our senior year, Geoffry, his mom, and his sister moved back to England. I never thought we would see him again.
Geoffry noticed us and his eyes lit up. He flashed us a breath-taking smile, accomplishing its goal of easily taking Chris' breath away.
Chris blushed deeper and grabbed my sleeve. Ah, just like old times.
Geoffry came over to us and smiled again. He said with his charming British accent, "Hi, Chris! It's been forever!"
Chris hugged him and sighed. 
They stood, hugging tightly, for a minute and Chris said, "Don't ever go back to England."
Geoffry laughed, "You are adorable."
Chris blushed and said, "I can't believe you're here."
Geoffry smiled another winning smile, "I flew here for this event, hoping to find some people that I remembered. Well, my day just got better. It's wonderful to see you again, Chris."
Chris' breath shorted out and he nodded, "You too...."
Geoffry's cheeks turned slightly pink and he smiled gently. 
He turned his attention to me and smiled, extending his hand.
I didn't know how to react. Should I hate him? Should I forget about what he did to my brother? Chris definitely seemed to be forgetting it.
I could see the slightest hint of hesitation in Geoffry's eyes, but it was barely there. It looked like he was ready to start a clean slate. I decided that my brother was probably lovestruck again and that hating the love of his life wouldn't help anything.
I silently smiled back and shook Geoffry's hand. He smiled politely and turned back to Chris.
When Chris saw that Geoffry's eyes were on him again, he sighed dreamily.
"Hi," Chris said cheesily.
"Hi," Geoffry said, beaming at him.
I didn't know whether to leave or not, but someone else came through the door, making up my mind for me.
A gorgeous girl (Why is everyone so attractive now?) with feathery dark brown hair that came down to her chin and big brown eyes stood in the doorway, looking around the room, a bit awkwardly.
The woman looked very familiar, but I had no idea who she was.
Leo came back over to us with Alice, Ayumi, and Jake.
Leo and Jake's jaws dropped and Leo said, "Who's she?"
I shook my head. Chris and I said at the same time, "I don't know."
Leo didn't even notice Geoffry, his eyes were on the girl, which was kind of pissing me off.
The girl spotted us and grinned. She came over to us and I exchanged a confused glance with Alice.
The girl then spoke to me, "Hey, Angie!"
Her voice was slightly husky and very familiar.
I gave her a 'do I know you' look and she said, "Ange, it's me."
Chris and I looked at each other and the girl said, "Mouse."
I tried not to look shocked, but my cover was pretty much blown by my comment.
"Mouse?" 
Mouse nodded, "Yes, Angie. Is something wrong?"
Leo's mouth was hanging open and he looked like he was about to throw up. 
Jake was checking Mouse out and she gave him a 'piss off' look.
Geoffry looked surprised and Chris looked unbearably calm.
Mouse turned her attention to Chris and he swallowed, trying not to look nervous. Leo, Alice, and I eyed them curiously.
Mouse walked up to Chris and pursed her lips. Chris swallowed again, but managed to not look entirely like he was going to wet himself.
Chris gritted his teeth nervously and tried to start a conversation, "Oh, Mouse, um... This is Ayumi, Angie's roommate, and this is Jake, my roommate."
Mouse eyed Jake then looked back at Chris. She said casually, gesturing to Jake, "So, Chris, is he your new boy toy?"
Chris's face flushed and his eyes widened. Mouse smirked slightly and, not willing to satisfy her, Chris laughed a loud, annoyingly fake laugh.
"I'm sorry, Mouse, I think you're mistaken." He said, putting his arm around Alice's waist, "Alice and I are together now."
Alice nodded stupidly and they both grinned.
Leo's jaw dropped and he gestured to Chris and Alice, "Wait, wait.... You two? Seriously?"
Chris nodded and said tightly, "Yes, Leo, we've been together for a while now. If you had been in touch, then you would've known."
He laughed another loud, stupid laugh and Alice joined him. Their chortling was kind of creepy, actually.
Mouse obviously didn't believe him, Jake eyed Chris and Alice suspiciously, Leo looked like he was mentally disturbed, and Ayumi was gritted her teeth, muttering something in 'Japanese', and glaring at Chris and Alice. Hmm....
I nodded and said, "Well, this has been nice."
Everyone nodded and Chris removed his arm from Alice's waist. She nodded awkwardly and, having nothing better to do, they both looked randomly around the room.
Jake wondered away from us, Alice and Mouse started talking (with Ayumi hanging around by them), Chris wondered off somewhere else, and I sat down with Leo.
"So," Leo said, "Is, uh, is Chris still on the down low?"
I tried not too roll my eyes. Maybe he wasn't that different from high school Leo. "What do you think?"
Leo shrugged and said defensively, "Sorry, he said he was dating Alice."
"No, no, it's fine." I said, "For some stupid reason, he told Jake that he was dating her. I don't know why."
Leo chuckled, "Weird."
I nodded, "Yeah, I know."
Leo looked at me and smiled, "You know, uh..."
"What?" I said anxiously.
Leo shook his head, "I was gonna say that you look really good, but I thought you would hit me if I did that."
I blushed and almsot laughed, "I wouldn't do that!"
Leo blushed too and smiled crookedly, "Cool."
I smiled, hating myself for being so easily entertained by this conversation. Chris was probably right that I was being completely ridiculous for liking Leo that way. Did I?