Chapter 22

MPOV

"Have you been sent here to destroy me?" I asked as I eyed her speculatively.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about." She laughed as she sat next to me.

"Please don't do this!"

"Don't do what? I am just here because I overheard your conversation. You ok?" Fuck!

I hate her, I purposely stayed away from this girl. "Ashely, why were you listening to my conversation?" I tried to play it tough. I didn't want to be her friend! I didn't want her temptation around me.

I didn't even want to know her name! Damn Demi was determined to make us friends. Stating that she was the coolest chick he'd ever met. "In a bro kind of way."

"Because you were loud as fuck in a common area. Want privacy?Take a walk." she had the nerve to say this without really having an attitude more like stating a fact. I hate her…

"Whatever!"

"Yeah, Whatever. So are you alright? Just because you are on your meriod doesn't change my question." I huffed. I could just go back to my room but if I was being honest I really wanted to talk to someone. I just wished Angela called back soon.

"No."

"Whats wrong with your family memeber? I could only hear your side." I hated how genuine she sounded. Bitch.

"My uncle has a brain tumor. They've only given him a little while to live."

"Damn! That sucks."

"Yeah…"

"Are you really thinking about leaving school? What did he say about that?"

"I did for all of two minutes. He was not down. Now I don't know what going to do because I really want to go home and spend some weekends with him. Not sure if my parents will pay for all of them. $350 round trip is a lot twice a month until further notice."

"You want me to see if I could get you a job bussing at the dinner?" Did I want to work with her? No. But I needed a job so I nodded.

"Thanks. How'd you get these jobs in the first place?" She had like three jobs. I kept running into her every damn where!

She worked in the diner, at the bookstore, and was Zach's assistant R.A. for the girls floor in our dorm.

"Well, they send you all these options for work-study and things before you get here. Then when I got here I found the job at the diner. I didn't become the assistant RA until this summer. Zach and the last girl, Michelle, got into it so that's how I got that job." She shrugged like it was normal.

"Damn girl! You have all the jobs. Seriously, are there anymore for the rest us." I laughed. Shit! She did too.

"I gotta do what I gotta do." She smiled. "It's just my Mom, my little sister, and me. I've worked since I was 15. When the opportunity came to get half off of my room and board I had to take the job."

"Wow." I got to get away from her.

My phone buzzed before I could say more. I pulled it out first thing I notice was the time it was almost 2:00 am. I was gonna regret being up this late the weekend before classes start and the night before training.

It was a text from Ang.

"-I know your sleep, I'm sorry I missed you! Call me tomorrow!-Goldilocks" I just rolled my eyes. She's been missing me a lot this week.

"-I'm up-M" I texted her back and to my surprise there was a delay in her response.

"Ok, Hope I helped some. I'll ask Al about the busboy job. I'll see you around" she said as she got up and pointed to her eyes then back to me in the 'I'm watching you' motion. I chuckled.

"Thanks…" she really did make me feel a bit better and that made me feel guilty.

I waited about 10 minutes before I went to bed. Once my bed hit the pillow I was out. I was awoken by my phone going off. I looked at the screen and found that i was only sleep for about 20 minutes.

It was Angela's smiling call photo that greeted me. Usually i was happy to see it. Right now I was very tempted to send her to voicemail. I answered anyway and immediately regretted it.

"MASEN?"

"Yeah, Goldi." I said drowsily.

"Oh my! Why are you up? You are never up this late?" She was drunk and I was annoyed.

"Well, I was sleep. I was up a half an hour ago when I texted you." I know it was passive aggressive but I was already over this conversation.

"I'm sorry baby!" She was loud and her words slurred.

" Yeah, well I'll talk to you in the morning." I was already dozing back off.

"Are you mad at me?" It would've been funny if I wasn't so annoyed and sleepy.

"No." Simple enough.

"I think you are!" I sighed, I didn't have the energy for her shit tonight.

"Well, I'm not. I am just tired, it's been a long night."

"What happened?"

"I don't feel like getting into right now. I'll call after training."

"Ay dois mio! Just tell me!"

"Bye Angela."

"Don't you dare hang up on me! I left my friends to talk to you!" I found that she throwing 'her friends, in my face funny because I didn't give a shit about any of them.

"You didn't do it when I needed to talk. So I really don't care."

"What do you want from me Masen? You want me to sit in my dorms all the time like you? I am having a life. "

"What in the actual fuck are you talking about? I have been here for all of two weeks and I don't 'stay in the dorms all of the time'. I don't expect shit from you but to be my girlfriend and love me when I need love."

Zach sat up and looked at me like he was about to kill me. Before he could speak through I had to warn him.

"Leave me alone bro! Right now is not the time for you shit!" My fuse was very short right now. Either Angela or Zach were about to caught all hell!

He laid back down but threw his covers over his face. While I was talking to Zach, Angela was responding to my last statement.

"I do love you Masen… when you are not being a pandejo!" I just rolled my eyes. She only told me she loved me when she was drunk. I need more than that right now.

"I'm the asshole? Alright, good night I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Yes, you are the asshole!..." I hung up before she could finish. I also turned my phone off and set the alarm clock my parents made me get.

I fell right back to sleep.

The first day of conditioning was really just about the couches gage our skill level. It felt good to get out on the field. The team played a quick scrimmage.

I was running up the side ready for an offensive move from my teammate. There was a small guy to my left and he made me nervous. I just knew if I got a pass to me he would try to steal it. I was thinking about checking him until I heard yelling from the sideline that thoroughly distracted me.

There was Ashley and Demitri I would guess trying to be supportive.

My opponent also took notice and tripped me. I almost did a complete cartwheel before landing on my face.

I rolled over and spit dirt out my mouth as they came running onto the field. The rest of the team went on pl

"Damn! My bad bro." Demi help me to my feet and I walked over to the sideline and sat on a bench. He kept apologizing as the coach came over.

"You alright Cullen?" I spit again and this time I tasted copper. Shit I was bleeding.

"God Masen your bleeding! Like a lot." Ashley's panicked face made me concern. I looked down and my shirt was covered in blood and dirt.

Coach came closer to take a better look."I think your gonna need stitches son." He said taking to keep his face together.

I went to speak and that's when I felt it. My lip and completely split. I ran my tongue across my lip and felt an opening. Shit

"Do I got to the health suite?"" I asked unsure what they do there versus a hospital or urgent care.

"No, you need to got to the hospital." He said seriously.

"Hey, could you order me an uber?" I asked Demetri. As I held a towel on my lip. He pulled his phone out to open the app when Ashley spoke up.

"I have a car idiots. Let go!" she said walking away for us to follow. We fell into step quickly behind her. "Wait here and I'll get my car, don't move!"

I chuckled. "It must be really bad, huh?" I asked.

"Just stay here. I won't be longer than 5 minutes." She took off sprinting across the quad.

"So, first I am so sorry bro!"

"It's fine. I was the one who lost my footing. I think my teeth and my lip got into a fight and my lip lost." I joked.

"Second, I heard about your Uncle. I am sorry your all the way over here."

"Yeah." I didn't know what else to say about it.

" Third…" He said with a smirk." I am surprise that Ashley was the one to tell me. I told you she was cool bro!"

"Yeah , I guess she's alright. Where is Jeff?" Jeff is her Boyfriend and Demi's roommate. He also had a crap ton of jobs. I can count on one hand how many times I have seen him.

Demetri and Ashley were closer than he and Jeff were. I'm not sure how I would feel about that if I was Jeff.

"He is at the dorms, sleep." Ashley sped up and slammed the brakes right in front of us.

I turned to Demi. "Have you rode with her before?" I asked seriously.

"Come on! Look at the towel your bleeding a lot." She yelled through the windows before he could answer. I looked at the towel and I guess she was right.

I got into the back and we went to the nearest hospital.

They had to put seven stitches in my lip almost all the way down to my chin. I have no idea how it even happened!

I sent a picture to my Dad before it all started and the story of how it happened. He told me to call when I left the hospital. I hoped he didn't say thing I didn't would to hear.

I was already running on a lack of sleep and am sure that after the anesthetic wears off a my face will hurt.

I was happy Demi and Ashley stayed with me the whole time. We joked around and they were good company.

There was only one awkward moment when Demetri made a joke about me being even uglier now. Ashley responded with "oh, never that!". Then she went bright red and agreed with him that I was a 'Ugly ginger."

I rolled my eyes and let her play it off but if she hadn't acted embarrassed it wouldn't have ever been awkward.

It's was 4:00 by the time we got back to the dorms. It didn't escape me that I didn't call Angela nor had she called me today.

I FaceTimed my dad while my lip was still numb and I felt like talking.

When his screen popped up he let out a whistle. "Jesus Mason! How am I supposed to explain this to either of your mothers."

I laughed and told him what happened. I tripped.

"You've talked to Victoria?" I really hadn't had the time to her lately. He nodded but looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing really, she is going to give Mckenzie to her parents for a while."

"Why?"

"Vicky has always had mental health ups and downs. I'm guessing right now is a down."

I wanted to laugh because I'm guessing this was where I get my wavering sanity from.

"Damn… Where do her parents live?" I don't know why I asked it's not like I'm going to go see them.

"Wales."

"Oh." That was upsetting. I changed the subject to something I couldn't do anything about. "Uncle Jazz huh?"

"Yeah, how are you doing with that?"

"I want to come home… But I know that's not best for my future. How is he really?"

"I wish I knew, I can't get a good read. You know how he is, that hasn't changed. "

"Aunt Alice?"

"She's a wreck. Your mom is there for her as best she can."

"How are Janice and JJ holding up?"

"They don't know yet! We only told the adults yesterday."

"Ha! I'm an adult? Wow. How times have changed old man?" I laughed.

"Yeah, you are an adult technically and we knew the others would be coming to you to talk about it. "

I nodded. He was right I guess.

"I'm going to go Dad. Take a pill before my face starts to hurts to bad."

"Alright son, Take care of yourself. Please be careful!"

We hung up and I took the tylenol with a codeine that the hospital gave me. I laid down for a nap because I was dog tired. Texting Angela wasn't even an option at this point.