Chapter 14
Author's Note: So there are two mistakes I have made so far. One in the timeline, and one in character. If you didn't notice, GREAT! If you did I apologize, I've given an explanation that I like to think fixes these said mistakes... :) Thanks to all for the recent follows and reviews! Please enjoy the chapter.
As time often does, the rest of the week and part of the next passed in an awkward assortment of blissful intentional ignorance, which of course led to overtly awkward conversations throughout the group of friends.
"Oh my god, I can't fucking stand this." BlackStar whined from his position with his head on Tsubaki's lap. He was sprawled across his shitty dorm room couch, of which he was the sole owner. (His roommate had ended up dropping out.)
Soul snorted from one of the equally shitty armchairs provided to the dormers. He idly flicked through the movies and shows on Netflix. "Damn it. I just want the next season of Attack on Titan. Is that too much to ask?"
Without looking up from her history textbook Tsubaki equally addressed both boys, "Can't stand what, BlackStar? And I heard it was pushed back into the second half of this year, Soul. Maybe even next year."
Soul's sigh was as loud as BlackStar's, both of which displayed equal displeasure.
"And everything this past week-ish." BlackStar said flailing his arms in frustration.
Tsubaki calmly turned the page, "you're going to have to be a little more explicit, hon."
"Like everyone's acting so weird. A lot of shit went down and everyone's just pretending nothing happened."
Soul stiffened from his spot in the armchair, "yeah but isn't that for the best? Nobody's really upset anymore, right? So, it's all good."
BlackStar grunted, turning his head to look at Soul. "You don't really believe that, do you?"
Soul shrugged, not looking at anyone. "It wouldn't be the first time." He said under his breath.
"Well, I think it's about time for another drunken shenanigan." BlackStar crowed sitting up and upsetting Tsubaki's textbook.
"Oh, BlackStar." Tsubaki adjusted her seat on the couch and her textbook as he laid his head back in her lap. Running her fingers through his hair she continued, "I don't know if that's really the best idea. I'm kinda with Soul on this. It might be better to let this one be for a bit."
"But Tsu." BlackStar looked up at her imploringly. As the two continued to be disgustingly adorable, Soul turned away. He already felt shitty enough about the whole situation, and though he loved Tsubaki and BlackStar, seeing a really healthy relationship just made him feel worse.
"Well, I think I'm going to take off guys." Soul stood up. "And when I say take off, I mean walk down to my dorm." He knew he was being awkward as he grabbed his bag, so he forced a slight chuckle at his own stupid comment and heard BlackStar snort slightly from behind him.
"Sounds good man. I think I'll have Tsu convinced a party is a good idea within the next hour."
Soul laughed, "be honest man. You're only good for five minutes."
Tsubaki snorted, which caused Soul to look back in time to see her cover her mouth and make a supplicating gesture. "It was funny, BlackStar! That doesn't mean it's true!" He heard her exclaim as he turned and opened the door.
Maka glared at Soul, the flame of the Bunsen burner the only thing matching her intensity.
"No, that one." Maka said pointing at another vial. "I told you it was the smaller one since you can't seem to comprehend the actual names."
"Thanks." The syllables were clipped and forced as they pushed through his teeth. "I don't know how I'd ever function without your simplistic directions." Soul smiled, while his hands clenched and unclenched before grabbing the correct vial.
"Well my simplistic directions don't seem to be simple enough, as you can't follow along." Maka shrugged apathetically and crossed her arms.
"Fuck this shit." Soul pulled his safety glasses off and his snowy white hair fell forward as he shook his head. "Just fuck it." He said again, throwing said glasses on the table and grabbing his bag he quickly walked to the front of the room blowing past Stein, who only looked up with a slight disinterest, and out the door. The resounding slam of the door hitting the frame incorrectly and then wobbling on screechy hinges rang through the room.
Sighing, Maka shut off the Bunsen burner and pulled her safety glasses on top of her head. She made sure the vials were all shut tightly before laying her head down on table in defeat.
She heard rather than saw Liz approach, and then suddenly Liz's head was laying next to her's. "Hey."
"Hey." Maka sighed. "I just don't get him. He doesn't care about this class at all."
"C'mon Maka. We both know that's not the only thing." Strands of Liz's blonde hair fell in sections across her face.
Maka's left pigtail was digging into the side of her head. "I just worry. Everything feels off and I know part of it is because of him and Kid." And you.
"Well, BlackStar thinks drinking it out of our system is a good idea, and I for one agree."
Maka frowned. "I'm not sure that's really the best solution. You've been drinking a lot already, Liz." As Maka thought about it, she realized Liz had been drinking at least every other night for the past few weeks, if not more. "Maybe it's better if we just wait this one out. I mean they're roommates, they can't ignore each other forever?" Maka's lilt at the end displayed her unsurity of whether or not the situation would be resolved through patience.
"Yes, they can." Liz said, pushing her hair behind her ear and sitting up. "Besides, Maka! It's Thirsty Thursday!"
"Liz, you can't just say it's Thirsty Thursday. Last week it was Monday Thirsty Thursday… This week it's Friday Thirsty Thursday? You know that it doesn't work like that." Maka sat up and pulled her pigtails out to rub her head where it'd been pushing against her skull.
"Everything ok?" Kid asked. Maka flinched, she knew he was asking about more than just Soul walking out of the classroom. She hadn't meant to avoid Kid, but she also wasn't sure how to act, or what to do, or what they were, and so she had been avoiding him.
"Uh, I think I heard Dr. Stein call me." Maka said, looking down as she gathered her things. "Sorry, Kid. Everything's fine. I think we're having a party. Ask Liz." The words blurted from her mouth as she brushed past him to the front of the room.
"Maka, I…" Kid started to say, as he caught her arm, but then he dropped her arm and any words he was about to say, "It's nothing. I guess I'll see you later."
As Maka made her way to the front, she caught the beginning of Kid's question to Liz, "I don't know what I did wr…." but she forced herself to stop listening. She didn't want to hear the pain in his voice. Admittedly, she had started the forward momentum and the initial change in her and Kid's relationship, but now she wasn't sure where to go from here. It was easier to avoid him until she knew. Right? With this thought Maka squared her shoulders, and stopped at Dr. Stein's desk.
"Maka, just the person I needed to see." Dr. Stein said without looking up from the notes he was scribbling on. "I see that the lab partnership between you and Soul is not going well." At this point he looked up and adjusted his glasses. "Need I remind you that you are only in this class because I believed you would be useful? Allowing Soul to leave the classroom does not constitute useful in any definition of the word."
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir. But he doesn't care at…"
"Obviously, he doesn't. That's why you've been allowed in this class." Dr. Stein leaned back and shuffled his papers before addressing her, "Just figure it out." Then standing up he said, "class is dismissed."
Everyone looked up from the midst of their experiments, and then almost as one looked to the clock. They still had over half of the class remaining. Disregarding everyone's puzzled expressions, Dr. Stein quickly shoved his papers into a briefcase. Maka heard him mutter as he started out the door, "I must tell Dr. Medusa right away! This information is vital to…"
Maka jumped as an arm was slung around her shoulder.
"Awesome. Early Friday! Or should I say Thirsty Thursday?"
Maka rolled her eyes as Liz steered her out the door.
One of the first places that Stein had shown to Soul was the training/workout building on the campus. He had also given Soul explicit directions that it was essential he learned to deal with his problems in a different way than his previous coping method. So, Soul had studiously avoided the building. That is, he had avoided it until today; he sighed. Standing outside wasn't going to change anything, but he
"Mr. Evans? Is that you?"
Soul turned around slowly, not exactly sure who was calling him.
"Oh, it's you Professor Marie." Soul sighed more heavily this time, Marie was a great person but her positive personality was not what he needed right now.
"Shouldn't you be in class, Mr. Evans?"
Soul winced, "Can you please call me Soul, Professor? And well you weren't there either, so I didn't want to stay." Soul had decided making Marie uncomfortable might be the best way to get her to leave.
"Ha ha very funny, Soul." Marie started herding him towards the door of the workout facility. "I am a real professor, I only T.A. Dr. Stein's classes on Mondays. I'm working on my doctorate in biology. My masters was based in literature, the rest of the week I teach the English classes." She smiled broadly. "I was just so interested in some biological elements in a story that I was reading that I decided to pursue my doctorate in some aspects of theoretical biology."
"Oh? I'm sorry I didn't realize…" Soul was cut off as Marie pushed him through the entryway.
"... quite alright. You aren't any of my classes because you're a transfer student." Her smile brightened the dim interior of the room. "Now, I assume you're here because of a tiff in class? I believe that Professor Spirit is here and would be happy to box with you. I hear it's a great way to vent frustration you know!"
"Wha… No, I mean…" Soul spluttered as Marie continued to push him through the room and into an adjacent hall.
"Here I'll take you back to his office." She pushed him through the hall and then down another to a door bearing the name, Spirit Albarn.
"Wait, is this Maka's dad?"
Fuck, fuck, fuck. With this internal mantra repeating through his brain, he barely heard Marie's affirmative response as she knocked on the door.
"My beautiful Marie, what can I do to assist such a wonderfully voluptuous woman as yourself?" The red headed man that had invaded Stein's class stood languidly in the doorway, obnoxiously looking Marie over.
"Spirit, this is Soul Evans. I believe Stein mentioned he might be in eventually to vent some frustrations." Marie gestured to Soul as she said this. "I believe a spar would be an excellent way to assist him." Turning to Soul she said, "Soul, this is Professor Spirit. He teaches the various recreational classes, as well as the anatomy and physiology classes on campus.
Spirit straightened and had the decency to look guilty, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there behind this beautiful gift from…." Suddenly, Spirit bent over and coughed.
"That's quite enough, Spirit." Marie's smile hadn't slipped an inch, but Soul quickly realized she was no one to be trifled with as she withdrew her fist from Spirit's stomach.
"Understood, Ma'am." Spirit wheezed out.
"Alright boys, I'm off to a hot yoga class with Dr. Medusa." Marie ignored Spirit's gasp, "enjoy your spar!" She waved slightly as she headed back down the hall that she and Soul had just walked.
"Can you imagine?"
Soul looked over to Spirit, who had a faraway look in his eyes. "Imagine what?" he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.
"Hot yoga!" Soul flinched as Spirit grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Have you seen Medusa?!" Spirit's voice registered his incredulity at Soul's less than enthusiastic response. He shook his head as he continued, "and Marie is…" Spirit stopped for a moment seemingly at a loss for words.
"Oh, my god I don't think I can do this." Soul whispered under his breath.
Spirit either didn't hear or chose to proceed regardless, "Well, Soul. The gym is this way." Then he began moving through a hallway to the left, expecting Soul to follow.
Soul sighed, before slowly following the red-headed man down the hallway.