Summer '13 Exchange for 'dancing when the rain falls'. Sorry this is late, I had writer's block (as usual) but I hope you enjoy it!
Prompts: a double scoop of chocolate fudge ice cream, indigo blue nail polish, old ballet flats, and a Taylor Swift song on the radio.
Pairing: Massington
Eat. Cry. Sleep. Repeat.
Ever since Cam had broken up with her two days ago out of the blue, Massie had fallen into her usual cycle of wallowing.
-xx-
"I think we should see other people," Cam said.
"Why?" Massie simply asked.
"I just don't feel the same way about you anymore," Cam answered, casting his eyes downward.
"Why?"
"I just don't, Massie," Cam sighed. "I'm sorry, I—"
Before Cam could say another word, Massie simply turned around and started walking away. She could hear Cam calling out for her but didn't bother turning around. She wasn't going to start crying in front of him. She would save that for later when she returned home.
However, as soon as she got into her car and started driving, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together came on the radio, which prompted Massie to burst into tears. When she got home, Massie ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door shut, oblivious to the bewildered look on her parents' faces.
-xx-
That was two days ago. And now on the third day, Massie's mood had turned a complete one-eighty as usual. She was no longer crying or oversleeping. Instead, she was now furiously cleaning her room as if her life depended on it. Her parents called this phase of Massie's post break-up, The Purge.
It was nine o'clock on a Saturday evening and throughout the day Massie had cleaned out her whole closet and was currently working on her drawers and nightstands. She pulled out an old Valentine's Day card from last year. Opening it, she came face to face with Cam's familiar scrawl and cringed. Before she could read a word, she closed the card, ripped it in half, relishing the ripping sound and tossed the halves into her recycle bin.
The next thing she pulled out was a stack of old movie ticket stubs. Massie liked collecting movie tickets but she had created a separate stack for all the movies she'd seen with Cam. Against her better judgement, she started flipping through the stack one by one.
A knock at the door startled her and she dropped the stack of tickets. Clearing her head, Massie stood up too quickly and accidentally knocked over a bottle of indigo blue nail polish.
There was only one person it could be on the other side of the door. Massie had been ignoring all texts and voicemails for the past couple of days. Her parents knew better than to bother her and there was only one person they would've allowed up to see her.
"Come in," she called out.
The door opened and when she saw Derrick's clear blue eyes, she couldn't help smile despite her mood.
"I come bearing gifts," her best friend announced, holding up a cup of a double scoop of chocolate fudge ice cream in one hand and The Breakfast Club DVD in the other. "Today's Day Three so I figured you'd be done moping by now."
"And what if I wasn't?" Massie crossed her arms.
"There's no what if. This is how you always operate after break-ups." Derrick said matter-of-factly.
Massie rolled her eyes. Derrick was right about her. "Whatever, are you here to help me clean out my room?"
Derrick surveyed the room. "It doesn't look like you need my help." He took a bite out of the ice cream.
"Hey!" Massie grabbed the cup of ice cream. "That's my ice cream. I'm the one who needs it, not you."
Derrick laughed and held up his arms in mock surrender. "Sorry, couldn't help myself."
"Well, now you need to work off those calories you just gained. So I suggest you move your ass and start helping me." Massie pointed to her nightstand. "You can start with that."
"Isn't this something you should be doing by yourself?" Derrick protested. "I mean, don't you have a lot of private things lying around in there that you don't want me to see or read?"
"Honestly, I could care less right now. Those things don't matter to me anymore. I just need to get rid of them as soon as possible."
"Yes, ma'am," Derrick said and started grabbing things out of the nightstand. "You girls sure keep a lot of junk. You guys literally keep everything from your relationships."
"It's a curse," Massie joked, "We just can't help it. We want to remember everything but that comes back to bite use in the ass when breakups occur."
Derrick nodded. "Exactly, which is why you should be more like us guys. We don't keep everything, only the really important things."
"I'll keep that in mind for next time," Massie laughed. "If there even is a next time."
"Of course there'll be a next time," Derrick reassured. "You're smart, beautiful, outgoing, and so many other things."
Massie smiled and tossed a paper ball at his face. "You're my best friend. You're supposed to say that."
Derrick shook his head. "I mean it though. Any guy would be lucky to have you."
"Maybe you should be my boyfriend then," Massie joked, finishing her ice cream.
"Ha, that's a great idea, Mass," Derrick chuckled dryly. He pulled out a shoe box and opened it. "What are these doing in here? I guess you really do need help my with cleaning."
Massie looked over and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh my God, you're a lifesaver. I've been looking for those ballet flats. They weren't in my closet and I thought I'd thrown them out by accident. They're old but they're still my favorite pair of flats."
Derrick handed the flats over to Massie. "Speaking of ballet flats, I wish you hadn't quit ballet. I liked going to your recitals."
"Me too," Massie nodded, "But I just didn't have time for it. Thanks for coming to my recitals by the way."
"Girls dressed up in pink tutus dancing to classical music? What more could a little boy want?" Derrick joked. "The seventh grade winter recital was my favorite."
"Why?"
"Because when the lead got injured and the understudy couldn't fill in because she had the flu, you volunteered and saved the show. You'd been secretly practicing the role and when it came time for the show, you were amazing. The part looked like it belonged to you."
"I remember that recital," Massie grinned. "I was so scared I was going to mess up but you assured me that I was going to do fine."
"I know, it was all thanks to me," Derrick laughed.
Massie nodded. "Of course it was." She glanced over at Derrick who had stopped cleaning. "Hey, why aren't you cleaning?"
Derrick groaned and resumed pulling things out of the nightstand. "I swear, sometimes I'm more like your slave than your best friend."
"The faster you clean, the earlier we can watch The Breakfast Club." Massie pointed out. "I know you want to watch it just as much as I do. Don't deny it."
Derrick scoffed. "I blame you for that though. You've made me watch it at least once every year. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the only guys who's seen in that many times."
"Please, you should be honored that I've made you watch it so many times," Massie laughed. "Otherwise you'd be missing out."
"Whatever you say, Mass,"
The two kept on cleaning for the next two hours and by the end, Massie's recycle and trash bins were completely overfilled.
"If anything, I'd say that's an indication of good cleaning," Derrick gestured to the bins. He walked over to Massie's bed and picked up the DVD. "I guess it's time for this now?"
Massie grabbed the DVD out of Derrick's hand and bounded down the stairs to the living room.
"I'll take that as a yes then," Derrick laughed, following after Massie.
Massie popped in the DVD and settled onto the couch. She sighed contently as the opening scene came on. This was just what she needed after her breakup. "Derrick?"
Derrick turned his head to look at her. "Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Anytime, Mass."
Ugh, sorry the ending was really bad. This story was crappy in general but I hope you liked it anyway!