Its been a while right? Almost a month...

i'm sorry

IV. Jerome

Jerome had to admit that it was funny when he wasn't the one with beverage poured on him.

He stared at Patricia's latest victim. The boy was staring at the door, his eyes following the redhead. Jerome decided that he was different; he wasn't scared as a lot of guys that talked with Patricia. He was somewhat angry but he still had turned around to see her leaving.

"Oh Lord, sweeties, what happened here" he heard the sweet voice of the cafe owner. Her eyes focused on the boy's head and the coffee damped floor.

Jerome noticed how the boy blinked a couple of times before turning around and answering the women. He had been in a daze or deeply thinking, for the matter.

Jerome turned to see the others. A boy and a girl. By no means they could be dating, they were too far from each other. They couldn't be friends either; they weren't totally comfortable with each other company. But they couldn't be strangers. He finally decided that they were people who had just met and were hoping for friendship.

The black haired guy looked terrified—scared, maybe—and concerned.

But she... she was much more interesting, she was fighting a smile, a laugh. And when she let her lips stretch a little, he was amazed. It didn't seem like something the girl was used to, it didn't seem natural. She finally let her lips form a smile and a little laugh as she stared at the blonde still covered on coffee. Just as before the girl seemed to be new to the art of smiling and laughing. It reminded Jerome when he was a kid and through summer had learnt to ride a bicycle. He soon returned to school and didn't ride his bicycle anymore. Next summer he didn't ride it either, he didn't ride it for 5 years and when he tried again—already by the age of 12—he couldn't, he fell when he tried and he had felt stupid. He had forgotten how to ride a bike but this girl had forgotten how to genuinely smile.

Jerome hated school and hadn't actually learnt a lot of things while there, but he was glad for just one thing, just one thing he had learnt and became quite good at. He could read people, just as a bookworm could read a book. But this girl was somewhat difficult—different. And he felt like a dyslexic, he couldn't read her, at least not completely.

"Got a lovely friend there," the blond said, his American accent way too obvious, now glaring at their table as the women disappeared possibly going to look for a rag to clean the floor.

"Yes. She is lovely" Jerome joked, but he could see it in the blonde's eyes. He wanted to know her. He had that kind of look that tells you that someone is mad with someone, but also a glint of curiosity—a need to know them.

The women returned and cleaned the floor. The boy sent them a last glare, whispered a sorry to the women, who nodded and smiled at him as he left the café.

The petite girl turned to look at the boy next to her, stood up and catch up with the women who was already leaving with the dirty rag and said "Trudy!" the women turned around and the brunette continued "Sorry for Patricia"

The women, Trudy, gave her a warm smile and said, "don't worry sweetie" then she went behind the counter again. The girl looked at the boy who smiled at her, she just walked out of the café.

Jerome turned to look at the boy "and we are two"

He nodded and asked "Jerome, right?"

"Yes. You?"

"Fabian"

"Nice to meet you" Jerome felt uncomfortable and he knew Fabian did as well

"What are you majoring in?" Fabian's eyes turned to the back of the café, where a small library was.

"This is awkward" the nerdy-boy let out a breath and Jerome continued "go back to your books and I'll leave" he stood up and made his was out.

Once out he turned around to see how Fabian turned to the bookstand, grabbed the book he suspected he had been reading before, and sat. He looked at home, a peaceful home.

...

"Uh… hello?" Jerome dragged the word. As far as he could remember, there was no one but him on his room when he had left. Yet there he was, a dark-skinned boy with a goofy smile and colourful clothing.

"I'm Alfie!" he said joyfully. He seemed like a joker, the laid-back kind. But he seemed fine, a good guy. Jerome could even see them being friends.

"I'm Jerome" he smiled at him "I'm supposing you are my roommate"

He nodded and soon they fell into an endless conversation. He told him what he was majoring in and a bunch of possibly pointless facts about himself. Jerome found himself telling him a little bit about himself, but no much.

Through their conversation Jerome laughed a lot, and the boy kept making jokes. The two of them talked, not really thinking, there was no need to it, and their topics were totally random and both of them seemed to be paying completely attention to one another. Until Alfie mentioned his parents, then is when Jerome lost himself. He didn't like talking about his family, his broken family. He hated both his mother and father, and refused to even think of his sister. It was a topic he would rather avoid making it a nonexistence knowledge for others.

"Hey? Are you okay?" asked Alfie. The dark-skinned boy looked at him, like trying to see past him. Trying to understand him more.

He took a deep breath, put on a convincing smile, and made his voice more steady "Yes. Totally fine"

So... I was going to post this is on Saturday but you know family things, as well as on Sunday. And on Monday I was just there trying to do some school work. Right now, I've got a major headache so I'm not really on the mood for actually doing something yet here I am posting because it's been a month and you had heard nothing from me.

you see, I'm a procrastinator (does that word exists?), and I only work if I've got deadlines and to be honest if I put those myself, it doesn't work. I had my 2 to 3 weeks max. to update and, as you can see, it didn't work.

Well... hope ya had like it.