a/n: This chapter diverges a lot from how it started a few weeks ago. After I posted last week's chapter, I realized the end of this term needed a different ending, and I've effectively scrapped a chapter and a half of material to pursue that. I think it's going to produce a much better story going into the spring term; hopefully this is met with reader agreement.
In light of that, I've also decided to stay in these flashback chapters. I'm not abandoning the main storyline, but a. I love writing the Point Rock chapters and b. I feel like this backstory makes the current timeline story more meaningful. I'll return to it at some point because I've already got ideas of part ii, but I plan to linger a while longer in the past.
Here's to a better and happier New Year!
Cheers,
EQT.95
"You hungry?"
"No."
"We could go over to Wilfred Hall."
"I'm good."
"Do you wanna study?" Melvin asked, scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. A glance from Kate was all the answer he needed to know that suggestion didn't have legs.
He was sitting on Kate's bed watching the shell of someone who had become his rock of support over the last semester stare blankly at the ceiling.
"So are you going to tell me what happened, or do I have to guess?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Is it because you told her you love her?" Melvin asked, ignoring Kate's response.
Kate shook her head. "No."
"Then what is it? Are you not studying hard enough?" he tried to joke.
Kate didn't reply.
"Was Hanukkah cancelled?"
"She said she was falling in love with me," Kate said, giving in to Melvin's pestering.
"Really? That's… then why aren't you celebrating? Why… I don't understand… why do you look like your pet cat just died?"
Kate stared up at the speckled, plastered ceiling, trying to find the ability to say the next words. "Because I think she just broke up with me."
"Wait, what?"
"Yea."
"But she loves you."
"Yea."
"That… I don't understand."
"Yea."
"I need more than just a 'yea,' Kate."
"I know."
"Kate?"
A moment passed before Kate sighed into explanation. "She's scared. She… this isn't the kind of relationship she's ready to be in."
"You mean, like, something this committed?" Melvin asked.
"No, I mean like something this gay."
"Oh," Melvin replied, suddenly understanding the conflict.
"Yea."
"Mm. You think she'll change her mind? Maybe she's… I don't know, maybe she'll-"
"I think the look on her face said she was very much decided about it."
"But maybe she could-"
"Melvin… I appreciate your attempts at a positive spin and the whole silver lining thing, but right now… right now it's not going to work."
Melvin watched Kate for a minute longer, trying to see behind the blank expression she wore. He knew she was hurting, but he couldn't fathom how to begin fixing it.
"You wanna get shitfaced?"
Kate let out a laugh of surprise before shaking her head. "Sure, just roll into the weekend making bad life choices."
"I… yes, that's why I suggested it."
"I'm good, thanks."
"So do you just plan on doing this all weekend? Because I selfishly am not cool with that. We were supposed to take advantage of four days off," he continued, recognizing it as a very real possibility. "Ok, no, we're going out."
"Melvin, I just said I wasn't interes-"
"I heard what you said, and I'm saying no. Now get up and get ready. I'll be back in ten," Melvin continued, ignoring Kate's calls to the contrary.
"Go away," came a muffled call from within the room beyond. Kate rapped her fist against it one final time before trying the handle. She sighed as it twisted loose and she stepped into the room. For being the middle of the day, the blinds were still drawn and the smell of alcohol and sleep lingered heavily in the space.
"I told you to go away-"
"I brought you food."
The mass under the blankets shifted and she watched half of Melvin's face peer out from the depths of the covers. When his eyes landed on the bag of greasy take-out he crawled from the layers of his blanket cave with renewed energy.
"And pills," Kate said, offering an outstretched hand and a glass of water. Melvin grabbed them gratefully and quickly tossed them back before digging into the paper bag.
"How are you so… alive?" he asked through a bite of burger, quickly shoving fries to fill the remainder of his mouth, rendering him speechless for the next few moments.
"We had very different nights," Kate answered, falling onto the couch. She lifted her fingers to the rod that controlled shades and gave it a slight twist, allowing a glimpse of daylight to flood into the room.
Melvin flinched slightly before shaking his head in disagreement.
"Not possible. You practically drank a bathtub in punch last night."
"No I didn't," Kate replied. "That was you."
"No it wasn't-"
"How do you think you got home last night?" Kate asked, a small grin of amusement playing across her face.
"I was…" Melvin began before giving it a serious ponder. "We were at Wilfred…"
"Yea, that's where we started."
"Started?"
"Started."
"Fuck. Did I do anything stupid?"
"You made out with a third year."
"Really?"
Kate nodded as she watched a range of emotions play over Melvin's face while his fingers operated on autopilot, sliding another few fries past his lips.
"Was she cute?" he asked, finally settling on self-pride.
Kate shrugged. "She laughed too much and seemed a bit fake."
"That's not what I asked. Was she cute?"
"You should be more worried about your fake girlfriend breaking up with you over it. Tony and Miller saw which means Chelsea knows which means-"
"Not like I need to keep up with that charade though," Melvin remarked without thinking. It took a moment, but when his words registered through his hazy brain fog, his mouth dangled open, suspended over the burger while his eyes bulged in surprise. "Shit, sorry, too soon?"
"Way too soon."
The rest of the Thanksgiving weekend passed in a haze. Kate spent the days somewhere between clouded confusion and numbness. She'd written half a dozen unsent text messages that didn't say half the things she wanted them to. The only saving grace was that Mevlin was committed to keeping her distracted. This meant late nights taking advantage of the underpopulated student lounge pool tables, mystery shots of James' stash, and belligerent arguments about whether the Gotham Knights would ever be good enough to make the playoffs.
All of this kept her occupied for the most part. It was only at night that she could truly sink into the reality of Sophie's words. They played on repeat and, at one point, Kate worried she'd started making up parts of the conversation entirely. She wanted a redo; she knew if she could just find the right words, Sophie would come around and change her mind.
The odds of that dwindled by Monday evening when a knock at her door threw another wrench into everything:
"Hey?" Kate said in surprise at Melvin standing on the other side of her door.
"She broke up with me."
"You're kidding me," Kate said in renewed surprise.
"By text. It's like our fake relationship meant nothing," Melvin said with forced lightness, but Kate could see the frustration etched in his tone beneath that. "She said it was because Miller told her about Thanksgiving but-"
"That isn't why-"
"Right," Melvin said, nodding at what they both knew but didn't need to say.
"Have you talked to her?"
"No, you?"
Kate shook her head. She had told Melvin earlier that weekend she wanted to give Sophie space, and while she spent every minute fighting it, she'd done just that. She'd worried that pressing her would solidify Sophie's stance on their relationship, and frankly, was scared senseless to risk that when she still hadn't found the words to undo their conversation from days earlier.
"It's a bit short-sighted," Melvin thought out loud as Kate pulled the door open for him to enter the room.
"How do you mean?"
"She's basically sticking herself with Riley."
That variable hadn't crossed Kate's mind, but she knew there was no way it hadn't crossed Sophie's before she made the call to end things with Melvin. She watched as Melvin landed on the couch while she leaned against her bed frame, both lost in thought for a moment.
"Should I go talk to her?" Melvin asked, but Kate could hear the hesitation in his voice. They both knew this wasn't really about Sophie and Melvin's relationship, and him trying to salvage their artificial one wouldn't address the crux of the issue.
"No, no," Kate said, shaking her head and permitting Melvin to sigh in relief. "I'll go."
That was easier said than done. She spent the next day and a half fighting her own nerves while sending text messages into the void, having her calls screened to voicemail, and scouting all of Sophie's usual spots, even risking a run-in with Riley at the door of 419.
"Have you seen Sophie?"
"It's not my shift," Riley shot back with obvious annoyance at answering the door for a Kane. "Besides, shouldn't you be off writing a paper? It's due soon."
It wasn't until late the following night that Kate tracked her down through the study room check-out logs. She had checked their usual study room earlier with no success; now that she was looking at the log properly though, Kate realized with annoyance that Sophie had booked a different room.
She knocked but didn't wait for a response before rolling into the unfamiliar room. It was smaller than the other one but carried the same generic cream-painted CMU wall charm that all basement study rooms did.
"What are you doing?"
"Kate, hi."
"What are you doing," Kate asked again with unwavering intensity.
"I… studying?" Sophie replied, gesturing toward the books spread around the table, although her face was laced with growing uncertainty.
"No, we both know that's not what I meant," Kate continued, a small scowl of annoyance playing over her face.
"Is this about Melvin?"
"We can start there," Kate said, feeling a small punch to her gut at Sophie's dismissal of their relationship as an option.
"There isn't anything to discuss."
"You shouldn't break up with him."
"I already did."
"By text. No one knows yet. It can still be undone," Kate argued.
"No it can't, Kate," Sophie said pointedly, and another wave of discomfort struck at Kate, leaving her mouth dry and her pulse pounding against her ears. "It was never real."
"Maybe so, but what about Riley?" Kate asked, grabbing onto the most reasonable starting point.
"What about her?"
"You can't… you're stuck with her now. You won't be able to crash at James and Melvin's if she-"
"There are other couches. And besides, I'm not going to stop Melvin from having a relationship just because it suits my living situation. I think we both know I've hijacked enough of his time, and if last week is any indication, he'd be lying if he said otherwise."
These were all points Kate had considered but hoped wouldn't matter. That word had trickled back to Sophie about Melvin's escapades only added to her arsenal in the argument that followed. Kate knew her points made little sense, but the truth of the matter was that she was going to throw everything at the wall in hopes something would stick because she wasn't sure she could handle the loss.
"You're not listening," Sophie said for the third time since Kate had barged into the room. They were unmoved from their original positions: Kate standing and Sophie sitting, but both had hardened their stances.
"No, I'm listening just fine. I just don't agree with anything you're saying."
"Then we're going to have to agree to disagree," Sophie said, her own frustration and stubbornness growing with each passing minute.
"No, I don't agree with that either," Kate said, having abandoned all pretence that their discussion had anything to do with Melvin. "You're being short-sighted about this, Soph."
"No, you're the one being short-sighted. This was never going to work."
" I don't understand why you won't fight for this. We're both on the same page about our feelings, right?"
"Kate, don't do this."
"Then let's figure out a way. It doesn't have to be like this. There can be a compromise."
"Be serious, Kate. People compromise on things like paint color or where to go for dinner."
"Fine, but we still have three years to figure this ou-"
"Kate," Sophie interrupted, her voice raised. Kate watched Sophie's eyes redden as she blinked back angry, frustrated tears. "Enough. It's over."
"You don't mean that."
"Maybe not," Sophie answered with an honesty that shocked Kate. "But that doesn't change anything."
"Soph, that… that changes everything," Kate said, clutching at the shred of hope Sophie had served up. "If you aren't sure maybe we can-"
"I didn't say that, Kate," Sophie said, shaking her head. "I didn't say I wasn't sure."
"Yea, but-"
"No, enough. Honestly, I don't know what to say to make this any clearer: you aren't going to change my mind."
There was a forcefulness to how Sophie delivered her words that caused Kate to step backwards and fall silent in surprise. This didn't feel like the same Sophie she'd known even a week earlier, and this definitely wasn't how she expected the conversation to go. She knew going into it that the future of their relationship was shrouded in uncertainty, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they'd walk out of the room on the same team again.
"Soph-"
"Please just go."
What happened the final weeks of term Kate couldn't recall with any particular clarity. Unlike any other time her and Sophie argued, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Usually one of two things would happen: they'd shelve their stubbornness and finally talk it out or Melvin would intervene to call out their absurdity and spur them into action. This time was different.
It was now the final two days of term. Exams had come and gone, and everyone was either working on the final Chambers paper they'd procrastinated over or coasting into winter break. Kate found herself in the company of the latter group in the lounge on the eve of their final day. The last of James' mystery bottle was being shared, and Kate was enjoying the bittersweet distraction that the buzz of alcohol and the laughter of her classmates brought.
She'd barely packed but had plenty of time given the circumstances. She'd booked a ticket on the only available bus back to Gotham which was due to depart the following night, but she had no intentions of using it. Instead, she'd spent the afternoon scouting out a generic car rental company that would suit her needs.
A few others had already left for break including Martha and Chelsea with the remaining group all due to leave within the next twenty-four hours. Miller had just left to replenish the empty bottle with one of his own bottom shelf whiskies when a familiar voice interrupted the festivities.
"Katherine."
The voice caused the laughter to fade, and Kate pivoted around in her seat to find a seething Riley standing at the lounge's threshold.
"Is Riley short for something?" Kate asked lightly.
"What?" Riley replied, startled by the question.
"You always call me 'Katherine', but I feel jilted that I don't get the same honor. What is Riley short for? Riliffer? Rilabeth? Rilamantha?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Riley's eyes narrowed in annoyance, clearly surprised that Kate would carry such a cavalier tone with her.
Kate feigned consideration with a heavy layer of sarcasm before blinking back blankly. "Nope."
Riley's eyes widened in surprise before she recovered with a scowl of disapproval. "I think you do."
"Kate," Melvin said softly, his eyes casting a warning look toward her as he pieced together the reason for Riley's arrival.
"I really don't," Kate replied with an air of casualness.
"What are you doing?" Melvin muttered quietly.
"You should really listen to Marvin," Riley said.
"Melvin," Kate corrected.
"What?" Riley asked.
"His name is Melvin. We've talked about this."
"About Melvin?"
"No, about your incredibly pathetic attempts at being a villain," Kate said with impatient disinterest.
"And I think you're forgetting a very important point, Katherine. I hold the cards," Riley said, her grin showing through a clenched jaw.
"Not anymore."
For everyone else, Riley and Kate might as well have been talking in code, but Melvin's eyes widened in shock. "Kate, what are y-"
"I don't care. You win."
"Kate," Melvin hissed.
"I'd be careful, Kane. It sounds to me like you're throwing in the towel."
"She isn't, right Kate?" Melvin interjected. "What do you need, Riley?"
"See, Marvin knows how to negotiate."
"Get lost Riley. No one is doing anything," Kate continued, shooting Melvin a glare. The look was enough for him to pause.
"Marvin?" Riley asked, her attention on him.
"What Kate said," he muttered. Kate let out a sigh she had been holding in as Riley's face fell.
"Fine," Riley said with finality as she left the room. "I'd start packing if I were you."
"What was that about?" Tony asked when the door had closed fully.
"Nothing," Melvin and Kate said in unison.
"I should get going. I have a thing," Kate said lamely, earning looks of obvious suspicion from the group.
"Hey, hold up," Melvin called from down the hall. Kate paused for half a moment, her key hanging in limbo in front of the door. She shook herself back to her task and unlatched the door. "Kate," Melvin said again, meeting her at the door. "We need to talk."
"No, we don't," Kate said, swinging the door closed only to have it catch against Melvin's arm.
"Yes, we do. What were you thinking?"
"That I'm done dealing with Riley Thomas."
"Any reason for the sudden change in heart?" Melvin asked with a knowing tone, slipping into the room.
"Drop it. It's done."
"Don't be dramatic. I can help. I'm not a genius, but I can help you."
"Not a chance."
"So it's ok when you're the one taking the brunt of it? You've been taking her shit all semester and the moment someone else steps up to the plate you bail?"
"No, I'm saying it's ok when it's me dealing with my own mess. I didn't ask you to help. I don't need you to help; I don't want you to help."
"That's rich coming from someone who went behind my back and paid my tuition and housing."
"That's different."
"Oh? Because you get to keep your own pride intact?"
Kate's jaw fell open at Melvin's retort. She paused before shaking her resolve back into place. "That's not what this is about."
"Yes it is, Kate. You've spent the entire semester putting up with something alone, never once asking for help from your friends. You didn't tell anyone for weeks and when you finally did, it was me and it was under the condition I keep it from everyone else. You only told Sophie because I said something. James is still completely in the dark. We just left a room of people who think of you as a friend and have no idea what's going on. Riley has been bullying everyone for months, and you worst of all. If you put your pride aside for one damn minute you'd realize we're all in this together, and we'd do anything to help you, but you won't let anyone do that. You're too fucking stubborn and uncompromising."
"Says you who was going to up and vanish at the end of term without telling anyone."
"That's different."
"Oh, ok, so double standards can't be my thing, but you're allowed to use that argument when it suits your agenda."
"I thought my sister was dying, Kate. I figured of anyone you'd get that," he shot back. "I wasn't hiding it because of my pride or because I was too stubborn to ask for help. I was terrified. I'm still terrified."
"I'm not doubting that, Melvin, but you can't tell me the situation is any different."
"You are being so irrational right now."
"Because I'm done playing Riley's game? How is that irrational?"
"Because of why you're calling it quits. Don't play dumb with me; you and Sophie broke up. That sucks, I get it."
"That has nothing to do with this."
"For fuck's sake, Kate, stop it, will you? You can keep lying to me, but when are you finally going to stop lying to yourself? Because it's getting exhausting being the little voice of reason fighting your bitterness."
"Don't worry, Riley just relieved you of that duty," Kate shot back.
A knock on her door nearly an hour later wasn't enough time for Kate's anger to dissipate which made who was on the other side of it only cause it to surge again.
"What do you want?" Kate spat out.
"Where's my paper?" Riley asked, her own face cast in anger.
"Was I not clear before?"
"Yes, you were making a show in front of your little friends, but now I'm here to collect."
"Get lost, Riley," Kate said, swinging the door shut only to catch Riley's shoe and block it from closing.
"I need that paper!" Riley shouted.
"Then I suggest you go start reading up on guerilla warfare," Kate replied with renewed coolness.
"You are going to regret this."
"I really doubt that," Kate continued, the bitterness that had been growing over the last few weeks showing in full force.
"Hey, what's going on?"
The voice took them both by surprise. It was Riley who reacted first, glancing down the hall to identify the voice. Kate was far too familiar with it to need to do the same.
"Nothing," Riley replied.
"Kate?" Sophie asked, coming into view.
"It's fine. We're fine."
"What's with all the shouting?" she continued, unphased by the deflections from the two.
"Have you never had a disagreement?" Riley asked dryly.
"Yes, but it rarely echoes off the walls of the entire floor," Sophie replied, matching Riley's response with her own sardonic tone.
"Maybe you have better sense that Marvin-"
"-Melvin," Kate and Sophie both corrected in unison.
"Whatever. How about it? Care to convince Kate here to-"
"Riley," Kate interrupted, her tone sharp. "We're done."
"It's your funeral," Riley said as she backed away, her threat poorly veiled and allowing Sophie to very quickly discern what was going on.
"You've got it a little backwards, Riley," Sophie said lightly, leaving the other two to do a double-take in confusion.
"I don't think I do," Riley said, her eyes flashing darkly. "You see, Kate and I have this deal. If she doesn't fulfill, she's out. Toast. Sayonara."
"Actually, Riley, that's where you're wrong. The only one at risk of being kicked out is you," Sophie replied.
"What?" Kate asked, her voice caked in surprise.
"You remember that stunt you pulled a few weeks ago at the course run?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Riley feigned.
"Turns out Miller and James had a clear view of your little knot work-"
"Bullshit. That was all Kate. Even she said so-"
"That's not what their signed statements say. The very signed statements I just handed over to Lieutenant Reyes."
Kate gaped. "Sophie-"
"You didn't. It won't hold," Riley said, her eyes widening.
"And that's where you're wrong again. See, two statements like this raise all sorts of questions, and Reyes takes student safety very seriously. He's looking into opening an official review of your enrollment status."
"He won't find anything-"
"Except he will. Once he starts interviewing the list of students willing to go on the record about you, that is. It's not a small list, either. I think he'd find it particularly interesting to hear you've been bullying half our class all semester. That's all on top of the vandalism from the beginning of term."
"Y-you wouldn't."
"You're right. We wouldn't."
Riley let out a sigh of relief.
"On two conditions."
"Wh-"
"Number one: you quit the bullying. If I hear so much as a whisper that you've threatened or harassed anyone, I will make sure you're done."
"What's the second," Riley growled, her fists clenched in anger.
"You leave Kate alone. This article from the Gotham Gazette never sees the light of day."
"This is a fucking joke."
"Maybe, but it's the only way you're walking away from this unscathed."
"And what's stopping me from just taking this article straight to leadership?"
"You can, but do you really think you have much sway now that there's an open case on you? All you'll do is add fuel to the story you have it out for Kate."
"But I do," Riley muttered through a clenched jaw.
"Maybe you should have played your cards better."
Riley shot Kate a glare. Unfortunately Kate's expression had nothing to offer but obvious surprise mixed with her own anger.
"I'd go get started on that paper if I were you. It's due at midnight," Sophie advised.
A look of panic hit Riley who glanced between Kate and Sophie before shifting toward her watch. Kate watched as Riley backed away, her own patience for the situation thinning. It was only when Riley was safely out of sight that Kate turned her attention to Sophie.
"Why did you do that?" Kate asked, her voice low and angry.
"Wh-what? I thought you'd… Kate, Riley isn't a problem anymore."
"Only because you had James and Miller lie for it," Kate continued.
"No, no, they didn't lie. I told you weeks ago they saw what happened. She undid the knot. Everyone knows that-"
"You shouldn't have done anything, Sophie."
"I haven't given them to Reyes yet."
"What?" Kate gaped. "You were bluffing?"
"I was speaking from the future," Sophie offered.
"No, Sophie, you were lying, and if Riley ever finds out that's going to make it ten times worse. You should have stayed out of this."
"But she was going to go to leadership. You were going to get kicked out."
"So?"
"You're joking right?"
"Does it look like I am?"
"And then what? Just let her get you expelled?"
"Yes!" Kate shouted. Sophie took a step back in surprise, unsure how to respond to this unfamiliar version of Kate. "That is exactly what you should have done."
"What? That makes no sense. What about this whole semester? You're just going to throw it all away?"
"I don't really think I owe you an explanation."
"So that's it?"
"Apparently not anymore," Kate growled, gesturing toward the direction Riley had left. "But you just had to- you should have stayed out of this."
"No," Sophie said softly.
"Excuse me?" Kate asked. She meant it rhetorically and was caught off guard when Sophie answered.
"I'm not going to stay out of this."
Kate struggled to contain her temper at Sophie's words. It hit her in all the wrong ways: who was she to intervene when she'd made it clear she wanted nothing to do with a relationship?
"Because I don't want you to leave. Because I don't want to not see you every day," Sophie said with the same softness, creating a stark contrast to Kate's biting tone.
"I can't decide what's worse: the irony of that or your selfishness for saying it," Kate shot back. The shock of Kate's remark was written all over Sophie's face, and just as quickly as the conversation began, it ended with Kate slamming the door shut on the second relationship in as many hours.
