Teenage Dream

by Lucy Samb

You/ Darren Criss fanfic. The story is about your life with Darren in high school, college and professional life among friendship,love,fights,comings and goings and how you both go through serious stuff such as bullying,suicide,discrimination and life itself. It starts when you meet Darren, a guy of your school in St. Ignatius College Preparatory who never noticed you, a loser.

57. Airing your dirty laundry

A/N: Hello guys! I'm back after two weeks or so! As you might know, I had to study for the last two exams of my career, so I've been studying a lot because I am that nerd. And guess what? I passed both exams! On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is best, I got a 9 in one of them and a 10 in the other one, so I'm like super happy. Besides, I won't ever have exams again in my life, unless I consider graduate studies; so I'm not an architect yet, but yesterday my thesis professor told me that on March I have to present my thesis, it's something like a conference about my project in front of a jury and people who want to go and see me. So, now I'm super busy with that; but yay! Thank you a lot for wishing me good luck, I really appreciated that. Now, changing the subject, on Glee we got the Beatles tribute and the Beatles are like a big deal for me, so I loved it. Then we got Cory's tribute and I cried like in any other episode, it was too emotional, thrilling and sad but good at the same time; I sure had a heartache while watching it. So, always remembering Cory. What are your thoughts about it? Now, I'll start replying your reviews; and if you find typos is because I'm sleepy and because I'm dumb!

Emma: Oh my wizard god! You're officially a student at Julliard! Those are like great, totally awesome news! Congratulations, Emma! You sure deserve it because of your hard effort and talent! Thankfully you decided not to snap the call back! I bet this is like fulfilling a dream and the beginning of a new one, even greater; and just as you made your dream of getting into Juilliard come true, you'll make this one come true as well! Ah, I am so happy for you! Now, if I'm not wrong, you are already in NYC and in three days your first term at Julliard will start. How were/are your first days there? How are the flatmates treating you so far? Surely you, somehow, miss San Francisco, but it seems you did amazing things before leaving, so that's good. Now you can enjoy the skyline of NYC instead of the nature of California, sure it's not the same, but both have their beauty. And, oddly enough, I can understand that your mum has been so emotional lately for a parent it must be really hard to let go their children; but it'll be gratifying for her to see how her children are succeeding in all areas of their life and how they (you and your brother) are making their dreams come true. About your question on the previous review, I started university in March and I didn't have a break and I probably won't have it till March next year, when I present my final thesis; it's been so exhausting so far and sometimes I feel like I really need a break, but after that... Goodbye college and hello professional life. It's so scary, to be honest, but I guess it'll be like one of the best days of my life. Now, changing the subject, I am so glad you like February! Hopefully you'll like her even more in this chapter. Haha, and yes! I can tell you're so fed up of Freckles! I don't even want to imagine how you will see her in the following chapters; if you're already fed up, just hang on because that's the less you will feel. Farren... Me gusta! Now, good luck in your first day at Julliard! I hope you have an extraordinary experience!

Zahra Ayoub: You're very welcome, Zahra! How does it feel to be in your twenties? How was your birthday? I hope it was amazing and I'm glad you enjoyed the little present from me to you! About the previous chapter, I'm glad it had a positive effect that it was you to write a message to your friend to tell her how much she means to you and also that made you think of how lucky you are to have your best friend. It's horrible when you lose a best friend, so we should always remind them how much they mean to us and feel lucky to have them in our lives. I'm sorry to hear you were in Brian's shoes before, it must have been hard; I was also in his shoes, but unfortunately things didn't go well, I'm still trying to heal that hurt and yes, we forgive each other, but we never got to be the same as before. It's curious how from best friends you can become just acquaintances; it's sad, but sometimes there are no options and sometimes you have to learn to let go for the best of both of you. I think I'm getting carried away? Point is, cherish your friends, they're really important.

alicegursk: Geez! I'm laughing for your two last reviews, in a good way of course. New character! Dammit it! I should have changed February's name for your name! Alright, you know what? February's second name is gonna be Alicia, how about that? And you know? You'll find your name in this chapter because I can be nice sometimes and I modify what I already wrote to please you. Now, do I deserve to know who that mysterious person is? You know, the male character. Now, do not hate February! She'll have your name! I had to make up a surname, though, that is not yours, I guess… But... well... I'm starting to doubt if this was a good or bad idea. In case it was a bad idea, pretend that's another Alice, okay? Am I rambling? I think I am. Freckles is in love with Brian? I hardly think so. But you will see.

PotterHead62: Deckles moment! More Deckles moment will appear in the following chapters, gradually. Maybe you'll get one a bit hot in the first part of this chapter. Well, now you know what he did about Brian and Freckles, thing is what he will do now that he thinks they're dating, what he will do when he gets the chance to be in presence of them in the same place. I think, I repeat 'I think', you'll not expect this kind of reaction from Darren. It will be... unusual and maybe interesting. Brad spoke the truth; it's like he read our minds and said it out loud! And aww, yes! That is part of the reason why we all love him so much! He is just so... I don't even have words to describe him; 'perfect' could be the more accurate word.

Vcriss: Where do I start? You wanted to see some flings between Darren and Freckles, like a hook up, then you asked me to put a sexual encounter in this chapter. Truth is that I had this chapter already written and it was really hard to add this sexual encounter because it just didn't fit. However, I managed to make it; maybe not in the best way because it was hard, but I wanted to do it for you. So get ready to read this 'sexual encounter'! And, for the record, you're not a loser. I read fanfiction too and lots of people do it. And I get attached to fictional characters and I feel everything. If that makes us losers, well, we are losers and we should be proud of it. Who cares? We're happy this way; so screw those who think we waste our time reading fanfiction! Period. Now, about the flings between Darren and Freckles; they will have their moments, not right now, but gradually they will be closer and closer and closer. About One Direction, guess what? I recently found out that my niece is a big fan of them, she's totally in love with Harry (she's 10, so I was kind of surprised she was in love with a guy, I guess I'm a bit old-fashioned or whatever, just the word old-fashioned sounds lame), so I got to finally listen to their songs; I must say I like them, I'm not a directioner because it's not my type of music, but they're good; and they're too young for me, but I gotta admit they are hot, not to sound like a pedophile or something, I just appreciate their beauty. About Darren's hair... It's hard to explain, yes, I like more his current haircut, just if he grows it a little more so I can appreciate more his curls; not like the bushy afro, tho; but if he grows the afro, I'd like it anyways because, as you said, I'll always love everything he decides to do. But I think he's starting to go bald as his dad? I don't know, that's my impression. That would be sooooo sad! I love his curls so much.

MeMi83: Oh geez! Thankfully you wrote the review because I totally forgot to check my email again! Damn! Now that you mentioned it, I'll check it. And hey, you don't have to apologize, the way you feel more comfortable is fine for me! About the story... There are two options: either things return to normal or everything changes radically. Then, maybe the love triangle is resolved, maybe it's not, or maybe it'll be something confusing. Now we also have February, maybe things will get more complicated than a simple love triangle. Darren forcibly had to move on from Freckles, and yes, most probably he's just lying to himself because he still has feelings for Freckles; maybe there will be chances for Darren to be with Freckles again, but then again, February was introduced in the story; then we have Brian who may be or not deserving of Freckles' love, yet they don't dare to explicitly tell each other their feelings, but what kind of feelings they are? And to add one more thing, Freckles and her health; maybe it was just flu... Maybe. You know? Sometimes I think I complicated everything so much that it's kind of hard to continue with the story as I had it planned on my mind. Why do I like to complicate everything? That's something I keep wondering. Thank you a lot for wishing me good luck with my exams! I really needed it and it was so nice from you! Always sending you positivity and warm fuzzies your way, Jenna!

nicole: Hi Nicole! How have you been? Aw, I'm so glad you read Playtime and you liked it! It was some sort of experiment of writing in another way! Besides, I started writing it because I had this thing called writer's block, and I just wasn't feeling inspired or motivated to keep writing Teenage Dream, like I was tired of writing it, I had like a little crisis over here. Luckily, everything returned to normal now. The dog! Aw, Sawyer, I loved adding a dog in the story since I just love puppies and they're cute and so fluffy. You played Tom Sawyer for a school play? That's so cool! I think it's a great story. A youtuber? I just don't know that Sawyer youtuber. Sometimes cliffhangers don't work; I don't want to abuse them... Maybe. I think in that chapter I didn't know how to put a cliffhanger so I said 'Shit'. And yeah, pretty interesting story, isn't it? Or maybe the lack of cliffhanger indicated that in the next chapter you'll get a plot twist, or not. Thank you! My exams did go more than well! I am so happy! Now, hugs and butterfly kisses my so reviewer draco-nicole!

vicky: Hi Vicky! Yes, I think Brian will always care about Freckles, no matter how disappointed or hurt he is; there's a reason why he's always after Freckles, caring about her way too much. And what Darren did that night when he told Brian about what happened was so brave, I agree. He risked his friendship with Brian and he now thinks they're a couple and maybe he did not take it in a very positive way, even if it was his decision to tell Brian everything and even if he was aware of the consequences. Yes, I think Darren overreacted a little, thinking he lost Freckles forever; and this led him to be with February and will lead him to do other things that may change everything. Yes, he didn't go with February because he wanted to, I think it was more like getting back at Freckles and Brian, even if they weren't there to see him; he felt like the need to do something about. Point is whether Darren begins to be really interested in February or not. What would he do now that he decided to go further with her? Then, thank you a lot for saying I'm good at this! It really made me smile! Yes, Brian and Freckles are friends again! They couldn't be separated for so long! And, what it's even better, they're closer to each other and they had a conversation they needed to have, even if they still couldn't get to the point to express explicitly their true feelings. Maybe Brian is a little more confident now, maybe what Darren said that night helped him to feel more worthy and to have less low self-esteem. I love 'The reason' too! I waited for a long time to add this song at some point in the story and finally I found the moment to put it! Therefore, I'm really glad it made you feel happy to see it! Joey Richter, I think he's like the wise adviser; I'm pretty content with this fictional characterization of him in the story; I really adore him in the story and I wish I could have a friend like him! haha. Yes, Freckles' dad will appear again but not any soon; it'll be a thrilling and intense encounter, maybe not in the best circumstances. In the next chapter you'll get an encounter between Brian and his mom and they will talk; but I won't say anything about it because I don't want to blow it! I want it to be a surprise! But it will be an intense conversation. About February, why do you think she's using Darren? That's an interesting point of view. In this chapter you'll get to know her a bit more. Now, answering your question (I really enjoy your questions) Yes, I actually have like four stories in mind; but to be honest, I don't know if I'm gonna write them; not because I don't want but because in five months I'll finish college and I'll move to another city very away from mine to work there and I have planned to work a lot to pay for graduate studies. So maybe I won't have the time to write, I'm afraid that most probably Teenage Dream will be the last story I write. But in case you want to know, one of the stories is the second part of Playtime because someone requested me to do it, just one chapter about Darren and 'Nuggie' when they're adults and meet again. Another of the stories is similar to Chain Letters, about Darren and a 'you' character that is a gay male, written only from the 'you' pov, also because someone requested me to do it. Then the other two are purely my imagination, one of them is about Darren having a completely different lifestyle than the one he has in real life; he is a taxi driver, he's poor, his talent is not appreciated, and he has a different personality due to the hard moments he had to go through; and he meets a girl in the taxi; it was inspired by a photo I saw of Darren in car for a 'The Motley' photoshoot. The other story is about Darren and 'you' who hate each other and how the story begins like that and how it starts to change with time, especially when something unexpected happens, I was thinking about lovers and haters. Ah! I wish I could write them; maybe work won't be so hard and I'll have the time to write. Who knows? I hope I answered the question!

Alright guys, that's all! I truly hope you enjoy this chapter! Until a week or so, warm fuzzies and lots of love!

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TEENAGE DREAM

Chapter 57

Airing your dirty laundry

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I was naked on the bed and suddenly, pleasingly, erotically, I felt flesh, and there was a sigh, half a moan, a woman's voice; an unseen tongue licked my hand, slowly, sensually. A pair of hands emerged. They were soft, welcoming, warm. They fingered my back, my side, stroked down my body, my thigh. The hands stroked over my thigh. I gasped as the warm hands grasped me; I grew into them, veins pulsating, tip throbbing, the hands fondled and enclosed, they pulled, gently, up and down, the fingers tracing gentle shapes on my undulating skin. I writhed on my back, put my hands behind my head and began to grind my thighs, up and down, gently at first, then eager, willing, expecting, urgent, my body rising and falling with the rhythm as those strange warm hands caressed and jostled me. One hand continued riding my cock, pressing, squeezing, up and down, perfect; the other hand slipped across my thigh, underneath my body, to my buttock. It squeezed, it stroked, it grabbed, it put pressure on my arse. The other hand now left my dick and went to my other thigh. The hands pulled me in towards the bed, I wriggled and moved as they wanted me to, closer to the bed. I heard moaning and licking and wet moist soft sounds. The hands pulled me closer, my throbbing cock out in front. Something wet, slippery, warm, welcoming, touched the tip of my member. A tongue, a probing, licking, soft, tongue licked, sucked, stroked. The hands again went to my cock and pulled it a little. Something enveloped me; a mouth, it slid up and down my shaft, the tongue playing on my foreskin and encouraging climax. I moaned, I sighed in enthusiastic pleasure. The mouth sucked me, licked me, drew me right in, enveloped me, pressure, no pressure, tingling, aaww, my body rocked, my cock throbbed, thrust in this strange magic mouth, my cock was about to erupt in the mouth. The mouth. The luscious warm, probing, delicious, cavernous, welcoming mouth. I was feeling so horny. I cracked an eye open and I saw her,; her beautiful big, now lustful, eyes. They were looking straight into my eye as a naughty smirk spread across her face. She slid her naked body on mine; her skin was soft, warm, sweaty. Her warm tongue licked and sucked my neck; I inhaled her scent, she smelled strongly of floral and feminine; plus, there was something that was probably uniquely her. Freckles rolled off me and I snuggled up to her. We were now spooning, me behind her. I slid my hand between us and probed her with a finger. She was so warm and wet, and the thought of being inside her made me dizzy. Pulling her leg back and up over mine, I reached my hand around her body, down her stomach, and located her soft pubic hair. It took me a moment, but I finally found her clit, and rubbed it as I plunged my cock into her slit. I started slowly at first, allowing her to adjust to my shaft. I thrust in and out of her and I soon started to increase my pace. It was fascinating the way her inner muscles tightened around my shaft. Her breathing got a bit faster as I moaned out loud. She felt so good, warm, wet. I started kissing and biting the back of her neck, and she began to moan softly in response. Her entire body got tight, and her breathing was erratic. Freckles opened her eyes and I saw her eyes glow; she pleaded for more as I continued to go into her. She screamed as I pumped into her and I felt her hips buck. Her back arched and I felt her climax tear through her. The pressure on my shaft was intense, and I suddenly knew that I couldn't hold back much longer. Freckles cried out, and her whole body shook in a way that felt magical. I almost roared as I dug my fingers into her hips and pumped her full. Her muscles clenched against my cock and I felt myself release. My nectars coated her pussy as I reached my loud orgasm, screamed in ecstasy and cum hard and long in her.

I awoke sweating and panting, horny and altered, with a hard-on. I threw my head back and I closed my eyes, sighing heavily. A fucking erotic dream about Freckles which felt so damn real, over again. It took me time to realize where I was. I opened my eyes very slowly, still confused, and I found myself tangled in the blankets, completely naked, and alone. Gradually, a lot of memories about what happened last night popped in my mind, in a blurry way. I took February here and I had sex with her; and it was great. She was great, even better than Kelly, maybe because I didn't feel anything for Kelly, but it was different with February because although I didn't know her so much, I had feelings for her because I liked her. Now the images were being clearer; she was so sexy… and I remembered she had a tattoo in her lower stomach, right above the bikini line; it was very provocative and extremely sensual; I remembered that seeing her tattoo was a real turn-on and she loved the way I teased that area when I was kissing it. I closed my eyes and I started remembering everything, she was really good and damn, just remembering all the things we did together was making me feel aroused. But where would she be now? Has she left my apartment in the middle of the night? She didn't seem the kind of girl who would disappear after having sex. Could I have made her feel that I only wanted her for sex? Because it wasn't like that. For the first time in a while, I didn't want a girl only to have sex, with February I wanted another thing, with her I wanted to share some things because I liked her personality. Damn, why would she leave? I opened my eyes again and I looked at the clock in my nightstand to see the time: 9 am. Then my gaze shifted to the teddy bear that Freckles once gave me.

"Don't look at me that way, Mr. Fluffy." I said serious, looking at the teddy bear. "I like this girl and I'm only friends with Freckles and she's dating Brian; so you have no rights to look at me that way. I haven't done anything wrong."

"Are you talking to someone?" I suddenly heard a voice asking.

I startled and I abruptly turned around to find February looking at me with an amused smirk from the door. Damn, she caught me talking to a teddy bear, how pathetic was that? I thought she wasn't here. Hopefully she didn't hear what I said. Man, I was so awkward, why did people always have to find me doing embarrassing and private things? It was as though I had some kind of neon sign that spelled: 'Darren Everett Criss is right now doing something pathetic, go and catch him!'. Screw that! I looked at February from head to toe. Hell, she was hot. She was wearing only one of my U-M hoodies that was on one of the chairs of the bedroom. Only. Of course the hoodie was too big for her and it covered her body till her knees. Oh man, it was super weird to feel so excessively attracted to someone this way.

"No…" I lied with a seductive look, sitting on the bed, yet still covering my private bits. "I was just wondering why you'd leave me here alone. I guess I didn't like to wake up without you next to me." I said in a flirty way from the bed.

"Oh, that's very sweet from you." February said smiling sweetly, walking to the bed.

She sat right next to me and she fondled my cheek in a very kind way. Whoa! This was certainly a good feeling. This was what I wanted since Freckles and I broke up, this feeling of affection, this feeling that someone cared about me. So I'd be lying if I said that this didn't make me feel mild and meek. She totally got me with that.

"I just went to the bathroom. I'd never leave you alone without telling you first, so don't worry because I'm not that kind of girl, unless you want that." She whispered with the same kind smile, now playing with one of my curls. I looked into her eyes and I grinned gently at her.

"No, do not ever be what I want you to be. Just be yourself because you're awesome like that." I answered and she finally looked into my eyes before grinning. Shit, her eyes were really bright.

"You really can be such a sweetheart, eh?" She said smiling brightly and I smiled widely.

"Only with the people who deserve that." I said while taking one of her hands to caress it with my thumb, moving my face closer to hers. "Hmm, can I get a good morning kiss?" I asked in whisper in front of her lips.

"That shouldn't be a question." February answered with a chuckle before leaning over to peck my lips. "Good morning, handsome."

"Good morning, gorgeous." I said smiling in front of her lips. Shit, how I missed being in this kind of situation with a girl. I couldn't believe all the things I've missed for having been thinking about Freckles all the time. "I had a really good time last night." I commented with a smile, lying in bed again.

"Hmm, me too." She whispered in front of my lips with a grin before pecking my lips again. "I wish this wasn't just a casual thing."

When she commented this I started feeling very nervous and uncomfortable. I knew what this meant. She wanted something more stable, she was trying to get some kind of committed relationship out of this, and she wanted to put some kind of label on our casual relationship. Fuck no; I wasn't ready to get that far with a girl yet. Yes, I wanted to be with her, spend more time with her and know her more; but I did not want a formal relationship with labels and all that shit. Damn, why did women always wanted to get a committed relationship? I needed to clarify her how things were; otherwise she'd think we had something we didn't have. I knew that because I already experienced it, and women always tended to make up in their minds entire relationships that never were.

"Umm… February, listen…" I said serious, sitting on the bed again and moving my face away from hers. "Uh… I had a really good time with you last night, it was great, and you were great. And you're cool, I like you. But… Uh, well… I'm not looking for any special attachment with someone. I may sound like an asshole, but… I really can't do that because, well, I know that if I do that, sooner or later I'll screw up everything. I'm sorry, but I can't give you what you want." I said determined, not being able to look into her eyes while saying this. She remained silent for a long time, without uttering a single word. Shit, this was uncomfortable.

"Oh, awkward." She finally spoke, chuckling softly and looking down. Oh crap, I felt like a total douchebag. Then she looked at me and smiled slightly. "But I completely understand." She said gently and I nodded with a faint grin. "You've been hurt by a girl in the past, haven't you?" She asked looking deeply into my eyes and I looked at her astonished, raising my eyebrows. Why would she ask that?

"Uh…" I hesitated nervously, not knowing if I should answer or not.

But she remained silent, so she was expecting some kind of answer. And I thought that if I wanted to try something different with February because I liked her, maybe the best thing would be if I was honest with her since the beginning. After all I was trying to know her more and I wanted her to know me; and this was a very important part of me, so she needed to know. And after all, it could be something good to have someone to talk to about all of those things, someone who didn't know me so well to judge me for being so stupid or something.

"Yes." I answered in all honesty while sighing.

"You were in love with this girl and, unfortunately, things never turned out as you always wanted, so now you're afraid of being hurt again, right?" She asked looking fixedly into my eyes and I looked at her amazed again. How could she know that?

"Yes." I answered while gulping.

"Was this girl your first love, maybe your high school girlfriend?" February asked curiously.

"Yeah… How do you know?" I asked suspiciously while frowning and she just smiled faintly.

"Because it happened to me too, so I can relate the feeling." February responded with a soft and sad half-smile. "I met this guy in high school, he wasn't my first boyfriend but he was my first real love, with him I learned what being in love is. He meant the world to me and I always thought we were going to get married, have babies and live happily ever after. Yeah, I absolutely believed in fairy tales by then." She confessed while giggling softly with her gaze lost.

I was looking intently at her, just feeling glad because she was opening herself with me. And I was feeling amazed because that was exactly what I always thought when I was with Freckles. I never expected to have this kind of conversation with her, but it was a good thing.

"Unfortunately those things never happened and will never happen because it changed when we started college. We went separate ways, he went to Stanford University and I came here. He told me to wait for him, he told me that distance wouldn't separate us; that we just should wait because we would be together again, and he told me that the waiting would mean something. And I waited for him for half a year. I never went to one of those fraternity parties, I never hung out with friends, I never talked to any guy because I was afraid I could enjoy it so much because I was feeling lonely, so then I wouldn't be able to wait for him as he asked me to do. I was always locked away in my room." February said with her gaze lost, with a sad smile as I was listening to her very intently, in silence. "When the first term ended, we both came back to Seattle; I'm from Seattle, by the way. And my boyfriend returned triumphantly to Seattle with a girlfriend he had met during fall semester. I didn't know what I thought I was waiting for. That broke me, and not only because he hurt me deeply and because nothing turned out as I always wanted, but also because I realized all the things I didn't do because I was waiting for someone to answer to, waiting for something to make it all worth it. I lost time in which I could have had fun, in which I could have been happy, in which I could have met someone new; and you never can get time back. You know, sometimes people say that waiting is something positive, that waiting is worth it, that with time you get everything; that's bullshit and I can assure this because I experienced it myself. Sometimes the waiting leads you nowhere; sometimes you just have to put into action what you want instead waiting." She said sadly, yet with a half-smile on her face, never looking at me.

I was listening to her and I started relating some of the things she said to my current situation. I knew I was waiting for something, so that I couldn't be with anyone and I couldn't open myself to the perspective of having some kind of love affair. Why was I waiting? And what I was waiting for? February said it; sometimes the waiting leads you nowhere and all you have to do is to take action. I should stop waiting for something that maybe would never be, because I could end up being even more hurt or disappointed. I shouldn't be waiting for something or someone in my case, because I'd miss a lot of things and I could miss the chance of having fun, meeting someone new and being happy. Again, why was I waiting? In all these years, no one made me fully realize this fact as February has recently done.

"When he hurt me, I thought I'd never be happy again; I thought that everything was unfair. Since he returned and hurt me, I decided I would never be involved with someone else, so that no one would hurt me again the way he did. With time I started being happy again, some friends helped me, Brian is one of those people who helped me." February commented unexpectedly, finally looking at me as I raised my eyebrows.

Just hearing Brian's name made me feel moody again; I didn't even know why I was so moody about it, I just didn't want to hear his damn name again. I knew she didn't do that intentionally because she didn't know about this situation Brian-Freckles-Me; she didn't even know about Freckles. She only mentioned Brian because she knew I knew him and I knew she knew him.

"Yet, I couldn't trust anyone because I was all the time thinking that sooner or later they would hurt me; I couldn't be with anyone because I was scared, I didn't want to feel unhappy again. I couldn't love myself and I couldn't see anything good of me, because at some point I was thinking that everything that happened between my ex and me was kinda my fault." February said shrugging with a sad smile. "Right when I admitted the fact that I'd never be able to be interested in someone; you appeared and you made me feel as if I were nice, smart and funny when I thought I'd never feel that again." She confessed, looking at me straight in the eyes with a nice grin, so I smiled back at her. I never imagined I could have had such effect on her; I always thought I was just a random guy for her, not the guy who made her feel all of that again. "So I wish you could meet someone, I wish you could stop being afraid, and I wish you could give yourself the chance to fall in love with a girl again. And I'm not telling you this because I want us to be together; I'm telling you to do this for yourself, because you'd be able to feel again all of those feelings you surely thought you'd never feel again. It's necessary that you stop waiting for something or someone, and it's necessary that you start doing all the things you're afraid to do; for yourself." February said with a kind smile, taking one of my hands, as I was looking deeply into her blue eyes, with a sincere grin.

Whoa, man! It's been a while since the last time I felt like this, like so sensitive and thoughtful. February really had a point and I was super glad she had the guts to tell me all of that despite she didn't know me that much. But at some point it seemed she already knew me well because she described exactly the mess I had in my mind and she said exactly what I was feeling and what my fears were. Maybe she was a very observant girl and she could figure out a lot of things about me without the need to have talked much. The most impressive thing was that she didn't say all of this because she wanted us to have some kind of committed relationship as I thought at first; she told me all of that for my own good, as if she cared about me or as if she wanted to help me some way. I smiled at her even more widely at this thought.

"Well, considering that your words helped a lot to clear up things in my mind, and considering how honest and open you were with me; I think it's only fair if I tell you what happened to me to be and feel like this, just as you told me your reasons. Only if you're interested, of course." I said with a gentle grin, still holding her hand.

"I'd love that." February answered with the kindest smile. Jeez, why was she so fucking adorable?

"Okay, my story with my ex is quite different from your story with your ex; but I won't deny that I felt kinda related to the feeling when you were telling me that." I admitted, sitting upright in the bed, making sure to cover my private bits. "She wasn't my first girlfriend, yet she was the one I loved the most; she was the first girl with whom I truly fell in love. The first and only. Before meeting her, I could never really believe in love, actually in falling in love; I thought that was just reserved for hopeless romantic girls. When I met her and when our friendship started to grow, I knew I was completely wrong; it was possible for a guy to fall in love, because I did." I said giggling softly and I saw how February smiled warmly. "She was the only girl with who I wanted to be, I wasn't interested in any other girl; she meant so much to me. It took me months to tell her my feelings; and when I finally dared to do so, everything went perfect, because she was in love with me too. But things were never easy for us, and that was because of external factors that I must explain, because they were a very important part of our relationship since they affected us a lot. She was that kind of girl everybody calls a loser, nerd, freak or weirdo and I was just one of those guys who aren't either popular or loser. She was bullied in high school, and when I started to be her friend, I started to be bullied as well. It wasn't a simple bullying, it was terrible..." I started explaining while February was listening to me very intently, frowning slightly because of all the things I was telling her.

I told her the entire situation we had to go through in high school; I told her about W and the bullying, I told her how Freckles and I were always supporting each other and how that made us grow as individuals and as a couple. I told her all the good and bad things that happened to us. It was amazing how comfortable I felt telling her all of this; she made me feel comfortable enough to talk and talk about something that happened long ago but I still couldn't forget; and it felt good the way she seemed very interested in listening to me. I needed this kind of conversation with someone who didn't know what happened to me. Yet, I never mentioned Freckles' name, I always referred to her as my girlfriend. Then I finally told her why she and I walked away.

"Nothing was ever as before ever since. That night basically changed everything and changed me; and I could never be the same ever since, I could never fall in love again ever since. She was still the girl I loved, the girl with who I wanted to spend the rest of my life. And everything was so fucking unfair. You see, I've been hurt because of love; but I haven't been hurt by her; I've been hurt by what they did to us." I said sadly, looking down. I remained silent for a while and then I looked up to look at February who was looking at me with a distressed look. After that, I sighed before speaking again. "So, it's not that I can't fall in love with another girl because I can't trust anyone; it's not that I don't want to have a committed relationship with another girl because I've been hurt by a girl in the past. I can't get there because I could never find someone like her, someone who could mean what she meant to me. And I'm scared and I avoid committed relationships because I can't feel for someone else all the love I felt for her, because I gave her everything about me and I have nothing left; so if I start something with someone, I'll make that person suffer, even if that's not my intention." I finally admitted, biting my lips and looking into February's compassionate eyes. After this, she remained silent for a long time, still looking at me that way.

"Do you still have feelings for her?" February suddenly asked and I took a time to answer.

"While it's true that I'm no longer in love with her, yes, I still have feelings for her and I'll always have feelings for her; just because she's the girl who changed me and she's the girl with who I realized that it's possible for a guy to fall deeply in love with someone." I answered in all honesty, shrugging.

"And, have you ever seen her since that day?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. Oddly enough, she's also attending University of Michigan. We're friends now." I replied with a slight grin.

"Really? Friends? Haven't you told her what actually happened that night?" February asked kinda confused.

"Yeah, it's a long story..." I said and February looked at me expectantly, so I started telling her all that happened between me and Freckles since we met again.

"Okay... Your situation is... Unusual." February finally said, frowning slightly, looking down. Then she looked at me again. "But I still think that you shouldn't be afraid of having a committed relationship with another girl. Yes, you mentioned you'll make the other person suffer, but maybe you won't and maybe the other person will help you with your fears to make it work. And yes, you said that you could never find another girl who could mean what she meant to you... But let me ask you, have you ever given yourself the chance to be open with another girl to get to know her well and figure out if she could ever mean what your ex meant to you? Or have you just assumed that no one could ever mean what your ex meant to you?"

"I may or may not have assumed that no one could ever mean what my ex meant to me." I answered frankly, looking away and biting my lower lip. Dammit, how could she have known that? I had not even noticed that.

"Well, in that case I think you're not doing anything to reverse the situation that saddens you. You somehow enjoy being distant with every girl you meet; because you just took the easy option, which is not to continue working to overcome your problems." February started saying and I looked at her in disbelief. She was just not saying that.

"Excuse me?" I asked kind of harshly because of her boldness to have said such a thing.

"Wait, I'm not finished and I don't want you to misunderstand me. I think that your fear is actually that you could overcome your problems, as odd as it may seem. Yes, you're afraid to overcome your problems, because that would mean to finally move on without your ex, and that could involve forgetting her, and you don't want to forget her, because she was and is very important to you and to who you are." February said and I frowned and looked away, thoughtful. Shit, nobody ever made me see that and maybe she was right. "And it's necessary that you try to overcome your problems to move on; and you don't have to forget her to get that. Nay, you have to remember her because thanks to her now you know how it feels like to be in love, and that's something beautiful. But just because she once meant the world to you doesn't mean that another girl will never mean the world to you. Yes, it's not gonna be the same as it was with your ex; maybe the other person won't have all the things you loved about your ex, but maybe you'll love other things that the other person has, and maybe you'll fall in love with those things and you'll have the chance to experience new things with this person." February said smiling encouragingly while I was still looking away, thinking about all the things she was saying. I was feeling confused. "Think about this, before meeting your ex, you thought it wasn't possible for a guy to fall in love. Who is to say that another girl won't prove you that it's possible to fall in love with someone completely different from your ex? Who is to say that another girl won't make you feel all the love you felt for your ex?" February asked rhetorically, very excited and in an encouraging way.

This time I looked at her and I saw her beaming widely at me, but I remained serious and silent; not because I didn't like what she said, but because I was very thoughtful. Holy shit, someone should have told me this long ago. Suddenly, nothing seemed so terrible, suddenly I felt as if I had a chance to feel something deep for another girl who wasn't Freckles. I was a mess, yeah, but things were getting straight.

"I think you're right." I finally admitted and she smiled tenderly. "But it ain't easy. It will take me a lot to try to be open with another girl. I just feel that I can't."

"You think you can't, but you can because nothing is impossible, Darren. And yes, I never said it'll be easy and sure it'll take you a long, because it's always hard to overcome a love. But eventually, you'll get that; you just have to give another girl the chance, have no more fear, nothing bad could come out of this." She said shrugging, still grinning tenderly and cheerfully, so I couldn't help smiling back.

"Yeah, I think so." I said shrugging. "Thanks, February. You really helped me to clear up some things; nobody ever made me see all of that."

"You're welcome." February said smiling brightly that, again, I couldn't help smiling back. "You know? I really liked to have had this conversation, I feel like I know you more now. Besides, I think this is the first time I had such a deep and friendly conversation with a guy after having sex with him. It's kind of weird." She said laughing loudly as I laughed along with her.

"Same here." I commented while still laughing. After a while, I stopped laughing and I looked at her kindly with a slight grin, very thankful for what she did. She was cute.

"Well, I think that now I should just get dressed to return to my room; that way we will avoid any kind of awkward situation; you know, when two random people have random sex in a random night and then they wake up in the same bed and neither of them know what to do." February said giggling with her amazing cheerfulness.

"You're not a random person, February. And we did not have random sex; I wanna think it meant something." I said chuckling softly as February looked at me surprised. "And I know what we can do now..." I said looking at her, smirking mysteriously as she looked at me intrigued. "We can get dressed, not so that you can return to your room, but so that we can have breakfast together and we can enjoy together the delightful pleasure of the morning coffee. What do you say?"

"I say you're weird, Criss. You're the first guy who asked me to stay for breakfast after sex." February answered with an amused grin, yet it was a surprised and happy grin.

"Well, the other guys don't know what they're missing." I commented while shrugging and smiling at her. "Yet, you haven't answered my question. Do you wanna stay for breakfast?"

"I thought the answer was unnecessary for you to know that I'd like to stay." February answered with an amused and cute smile.

"Good, because I have cookies." I joked and February laughed joyfully. How could it be possible that she laughed all the time? She was truly a cheery person and I liked that. "Well, gorgeous, I'll put some clothes on." I said winking at her and she giggled softly.

I had no shame to get out the bed and stand up completely naked in front of her. Patiently and slowly, I walked to the closet as if I was alone, I noticed she was looking at me, but I didn't mind; actually, deep down, I wanted her to look at me, I didn't know why I enjoyed flirting with her. I opened the closet and I chose underwear to wear and I also took a pair of gray jeans, a light brown long sleeve shirt and a black sweater; I walked to the bed again and I left the clothes there. I was about to put on my underwear, but I got distracted with February. She was near the window where the chair was; she was taking off my hoodie, surely to put on her clothes. When she took off my hoodie, I observed very intently her whole naked body. Fuck, she was stunning. Unlike me, she seemed to be kinda uncomfortable being naked in front of me, because she was trying to cover her private bits with her arms and hands. Why, though? It wasn't as if I haven't seen her naked before. I slowly walked towards her; she was giving me her back, so she didn't see me getting closer. From behind her, I placed firmly my hands on her hips and I moved my face closer to hers to brush my lips on her neck. Of course she jumped because she wasn't expecting this, but shortly after she relaxed.

"You're beautiful." I whispered in her ear and she turned her face to look into my eyes with bright eyes and a warm grin.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" She asked a bit shy, so I smiled warmly at her.

"Yes, I do. You're gorgeous." I said kissing her cheek. Then I looked into her eyes and when I saw her smiling widely and looking at me with a pair of bright blue eyes, I dared to ask her something I really wanted but I didn't dare because it was awkward. "February…" I asked slowly, still standing behind her and placing my hands firmly on her naked waist.

"Yeah?" She asked still smiling.

"I'd like to try to be open with you. If there's any girl with whom I'd give myself the chance to be open and give myself permission to fall in love again, that's you. I like you, and I'd like to try it with you; but at the same time, I don't wanna hurt you on my progress of trying to have a committed relationship with someone. Would you help me to get there with you?" I asked a bit uncomfortable, so I sounded like a dumb. Now February was looking fixedly into my eyes in silence, and she remained like this for a while. Damn, the silence and the waiting were killing me.

"Are you sure you wanna try it with me?" She asked.

"Yes. You are the only girl with who I feel comfortable and who made me feel as if really cared about me. Now I don't know if it is like that, but it's what I felt… You were really nice… And this may sound so awkward and I may be looking like a damn jerk…" I started rambling nervously, looking down.

"Darren!" February stopped me with a giggle, now turning her body to place her hands on my shoulders. "I'd really like to help you. I like you."

"Do you?" I asked like a goofball.

"Yes, I do." She answered smiling kindly. "So, let's make a deal…" She said smirking mysteriously. "We won't have a committed relationship because you're not ready for that. Yet, that doesn't mean that I won't help you. We can see each other and hang out together more often, just to get to know each other even more. We'll be like friends and we won't force anything. That way, with time, you'll figure out if you really like me or not and if you really want to start something else with me or not. What do you say? Deal?" She asked, stretching her hand.

"Before closing our deal... Will I be able to; you know, kiss you and, you know, have more nights like last night and more breakfasts together?" I asked a bit awkwardly, but looking deeply into her eyes as she raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Oh! Well, we'll see that. If it happens, it happens; if not, no. I guess that will depend on the situations." She answered shrugging.

"Well, but let's say that I want to kiss you right now. Am I allowed to do that?" I asked, moving my face closer to hers, still looking deeply into her eyes.

"I guess you're allowed, only if you make it worth it." She said smirking mischievously.

"Tell me we can be friends with benefits." I said, biting my lower lip.

"I'm not sure. Convince me to say yes." She challenged me in a mischievous way.

"Hmm, I like challenges." I whispered in front of her lips with a sensual smile.

Right after that, I placed my hands on her hips and I pulled her closer to me to start kissing her lips in fierce but slow way while closing my eyes. I moved a hand to place it on the back of her head and be able to pull her even closer to deepen the kiss. Our naked bodies were touching and this made me feel really aroused, yet I tried to keep my cool because I didn't want to screw this. Shit, she was a good kisser and the way she was rubbing my back with one hand and ruffling my hair with her other hand… Fuck, I needed to stop right there, I knew my limits. I slowly broke the kiss and nibbled her lower lips. I brushed her lips with mine and then I opened my eyes. She still had her eyes closed and she seemed to be smiling in pleasure, so I felt accomplished; then she opened her eyes to look at me with her precious blue eyes.

"I'll have to think about that thing of friends with benefits." She commented, smirking mischievously and then she winked, so I giggled softly.

"That's something. I promise to please you better next time, now breakfast is waiting for us, gorgeous." I said smirking seductively.

I pecked her lips before she could say something and then I turned around to walk to my bed and dress up. I was faster than her, so I sat in bed and I observed her while she was dressing up. You could say I was some kind of stalker or creep for doing this, but I was actually very quiet, just admiring her beauty. I smiled to myself thinking that maybe this thing between her and me could work, maybe she could turn into my new Freckles; sure it would be different, but I was really willing to get there with February. After all, she showed me the affection I was longing from some girl. When she finished dressing up, she looked at me and grinned softly; I stood up and walked towards her, I placed a hand on her waist and I brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face, then I held her hand.

"Do you prefer coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast?" I asked with a smile.

"Uh, hardest question ever." She joked with a joyful giggle. "I guess that depends on what snacks you got."

"Well, we forgot to buy groceries, so you'll have to be content with chip cookies." I answered.

"Oh, delicious. I guess I'll ignore my age and I'll go with the hot chocolate." She answered amused.

"There's no age limit to enjoy a hot chocolate. But, just in case it makes you feel awkward for wanting that, I'll go with a hot chocolate as well." I said while winking. "Now, let's get out of here, I'm kind of starving." I said cheerfully while intertwining my fingers with hers.

When I opened the door of my bedroom, I heard some voices coming from the kitchen. I frowned in suspicion. Joey... Talking with? I glanced at February and she was also frowning slightly. We walked to the kitchen holding hands and when we entered the kitchen, I saw Joey having breakfast and talking to May in the breakfast bar, both of them with sleepy faces and their hairs disheveled. Was Joey having breakfast with May? That only could mean something: the asshole got laid with her last night. I had to bit my tongue not to laugh at this. The fucktard got it! About time, he needed to get a chick. February, next to me, giggled softly and this made Joey and May turn their faces to our directions.

"You fucking bastard!" Joey exclaimed while pointing me with a fork as I looked at him with my most innocent face, trying not to laugh. "We were playing bowling and then we turned around to see why the fuck you weren't playing when it was your turn and guess what? Oh! The bastard disappeared without even notifying us! I should punch you straight in your face and kick your ass, but you can consider yourself lucky because I woke up in a good mood, so not even you and your damn stupid lack of consideration for your friend can screw it." Joey said still pointing me with the fork as I laughed softly. "Yet... I'll punch you later." He said determined before eating his scrambled eggs.

"Just let it go, hunk." May said with a nice smile, running her fingers through Joey's hair. Joey looked at her like a goofball and nodded.

"Maybe only for today." He whispered while still looking at her in that goofy way, so I couldn't help bursting out laughing. Why did I have the sense that May would make him do all she wanted? Of course Joey shot me a withering look. "You better don't laugh, Criss, or I'll be forced to stand up and kick your ass."

"Not laughing!" I exclaimed amused, still giggling.

"You got it, Criss!" Joey exclaimed, attempting to stand up, but May took his hand.

"Come on, hunk; keep telling me about that interesting script you were writing." May said and Joey looked at her and nodded. Then, surreptitiously, May winked at me in conspiracy and I chuckled.

"It seems that May found the way to keep your ass safe." February whispered in my ear and I laughed.

"You have no idea how much I love your friend right now." I commented in a whisper.

"More than me?" February asked while pouting but with an amused look. Fuck, that was cute as hell.

"Never." I answered while pecking quickly her lips before she could complain or say something. "So, hot chocolate before going to our super boring Costume Design class?"

"Oh, I forgot we had that course now. So, hell yeah! I guess the hot chocolate will help to stand that class." February answered giggling softly.

We joined Joey and May in the breakfast bar and I started making hot chocolate for both of us. We had a very pleasant breakfast and I realized this was the first time in a long in which I had breakfast with a girl after sex, and it didn't feel uncomfortable, it felt nice. This was a progress, I thought. I glanced at February while she was talking to Joey and May and I smiled to myself; now I was surer that I wanted to make this with her. Maybe it was time.

---

The alarm sounded. After doing your routine activities: complaining half-asleep because you had to go to class, dozing for more than ten minutes after the alarm sounded, contemplating the options whether it was worth it to get up and go to class or not, and thinking that you should definitely get a clone to go to class for you; you got up, went to the bathroom to take a shower, brushed your teeth, washed your face, and you dressed up. While you were dressing up, you began to feel nauseous, very nauseous. It seemed as though sounds were off and your body was shaky, you were having difficulty breathing and rapid pulse. You felt wooziness, abdominal pain, an acid reflux and an urge to vomit. You ran to the bathroom, kneeled in front of the toilet and threw up. You coughed as few tears escaped the corner of your eyes; when you wiped your tears away, you saw inside the toilet. The dark red vomit with clots made you feel a bit scared. Why were those clots there? Why was your vomit dark red? Probably the meds caused this; you weren't used to take meds and maybe this was a side effect of them. You were sweating now, but you felt much better; therefore, you stood up to brush your teeth. When you were doing this, the adorable puppy appeared in the bathroom with sleepy eyes, surely it woke up few minutes ago.

"Good morning, little adorable Sawyer!" You greeted while taking the puppy in your arms to pet its very soft and fluffy hair. "True, you stay with me? I'll hide you so that Brian won't find you; therefore you'll stay with me forever." You said looking into the cute puppy's eyes. Then you rubbed its hair with your cheek while grinning. "I'll buy you a very nice collar and leash so I can take you out to go for a walk; and let's not forget the bolster pillow so you can sleep very comfortable. And I can also buy you a sweater vest, a camp hat and dog boots, so you'll look like a very fashionable puppy; Brian won't like that and will say you'll look ridiculous, but you don't have to listen to him, you'll look very stylish." You said winking at Sawyer and laughing softly while picturing Brian saying all of those things. The puppy was looking fixedly into your eyes as if it could understand what you were saying, or that was what you wanted to think. "And if you're a nice puppy, I'll buy you bulk rawhide bones and chewy dog treats, and I could also buy you some toys so you can play, such as a tennis ball, a chewy toy or a plush toy so you can snuggle with it. We'll force Brian so we can stay together and become best friends. What do you say?" You asked cheerfully, petting Sawyer. Sawyer only licked your hand as a response and you took it as a positive response. "Good, it seems we have a plan, Sawyer. Brian won't be able to refuse the loveliness and cuteness of the two of us." You said winking and giggling. "Now, we must have breakfast, I have class in one hour."

You placed Sawyer on the floor after petting its head and then you walked to the kitchen to make breakfast yourself and to feed Sawyer, considering that Brian woke up four hours earlier because he had a course to attend. Sawyer followed you. Damn, you hated cooking in the morning, so that made you feel a bit moody. But Brian did fed Sawyer already and he did make breakfast for you; you only had to heat the coffee, because the table was already set with a plate of oatmeal biscuit shortcake with fruit compote of blueberries, strawberries and cherries. God, Brian was your perdition, he really needed to stop cooking all of those delicious meals all the time because you couldn't resist the temptation to eat them; the guy was increasing your allowed calories per day. However, you heated the coffee and sat on the table to start having that damn delicious breakfast, which made you gladden and start the morning in a good way. While having breakfast you saw a note that Brian left.

"Good morning, Sunny. Today I'll be back at 11 am because the Art of the Essay professor is gonna be absent for two weeks. So, let me know if you come back by that time so I can cook something for lunch. Now, when I come back from this course, I don't wanna see you here, you know you have to go to your Costume Design course no matter how much you hate it and how much you want to sleep a little more. No excuses for you. I hope you enjoy your breakfast, see you later! Love, Brian."

"Damn you, Brian. Who are you? My father?" You giggled in the silent room, putting the note aside and taking a sip of your coffee. Then you looked at Sawyer that was snuggled on the floor next to your chair. "See, Sawyer? Your daddy Brian thinks he's my father! Can you believe it? Wait… Would that make us brother and sister?" You asked goofily, laughing alone in the room for your very lame joke. "No way, I'm your mommy, okay?" You said looking at Sawyer that was now looking at you blankly but nicely.

You took all the time in the world to have breakfast very slowly to enjoy it. Of course when you checked the time it was already time to be in the course and you were still in your room, in the Central Campus. Crap, why couldn't you ever arrive in time? And to top, your Costume Design professor was a real bitch. You quickly petted Sawyer, left the room and practically ran to the bus stop. Fortunately you didn't have to wait so much and you arrived at the North Campus in a matter of fifteen minutes. Now you ran to your classroom, trying to dodge all the people who were in your way. Damn, what were you going to tell the professor to make her let you in? A little white lie. Before entering the classroom, you decided to take a deep breath to be ready to stand the scolding. When you took a deep breath, you felt very agitated and this made you cough. You covered your mouth with your hand and coughed for several seconds. When you moved your hand, you saw a spot of blood; you frowned in confusion. The side effect of the meds, you thought. Damn, it was too late; you had to enter the classroom right now. You opened the door and noticed how everyone looked at you, including the grumpy professor.

"You cannot attend the class, you're twenty minutes later. And this is your last warning; next time, you'll be expelled from the course." The professor announced authoritatively. Damn, you forgot how much this professor hated you.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Hahn. It was impossible to arrive earlier because I was in a reunion. You know, I'm part of the competition of Creative Playwriting for freshmen. I didn't know the reunion was going to take so long, but I was obliged to participate in it. Next time I'll talk to the person in charge, so this won't happen again. I'm so sorry." You lied in a very persuasive way.

"You surely have a signed notification saying that you were in that reunion. Show me." The professor demanded strictly. Damn shit. Damn, damn, damn. And know what? You didn't have such notification.

"I... Well... I didn't know I had to ask for a signed notification. I'm new on this, so I don't know the rules about this whole thing of competitions and reunions. I thought that since this is a curricular activity, no notification would be required." You lied, this time a bit nervous. You were now aware that this lie could lead you to a very bad result.

"And you think I'm gonna believe that lie?" The professor asked almost darkly. Damn.

"Excuse me, professor." Someone suddenly said.

You turned your face to see who talked. It was a girl with blue eyes, brown wavy hair and olive skin tone, a girl you didn't know and who was sitting next to Darren. Darren was serious and he was looking at that girl kind of surprised.

"I'm part of the Board of Directors of the Basements Arts theatre organization who is in charge of the competition of Creative Playwriting for freshmen and I can firmly ensure that the student is one of the freshmen who showed interest in participating in such important event for the Basements Arts. They indeed had a reunion with the Artistic Director and that's why she couldn't arrive in time." The girl said as the professor was looking at her fixedly. Who was that girl and why was she helping you? Maybe she confused you with another freshman who was in that competition. "I'm February Alice Lawrence and I'm the Production Stage Manager of the Basements Arts, I can show you my ID if you want."

"No, I know who you are." The professor refused. "But if there was a reunion and you're the Production Stage Manager, then why have you arrived in time and this girl didn't, Miss Lawrence?" The professor Hahn asked in suspicion.

"Precisely for that, Ms. Hahn, because I'm the Production Stage Manager and not the Artistic Director. The reunion was only with the Artistic Director. I can call Taylor Norton and ask him if he can come over here to explain and ensure you that the student was in the reunion and for that she couldn't arrive in time, but that will delay all the work we have to do. I thought all the professors were informed about this situation and the reunions, Ms. Hahn; therefore, on behalf of the Basement Arts theatre organization, I apologize." The girl named February said very persuasive. Wow, you owed her a big one. Why was she doing that if she didn't even know you?

"It's okay. Just this once I can forgive the tardiness." The professor said kind of moody, now looking at you. "Next time, I'll demand a signed notification." Ms. Hahn said strictly, still looking at you in suspicion.

"Yes, Ms. Hahn." You answered shyly while nodding.

"Now go and find a work group, they'll have to explain you what to do." The professor said kind of upset and then she walked to her desk, without even glancing at you.

"You can join us, we're only two." The same girl who helped you said and you nodded.

You slowly walked towards that girl, assuming that she was in a group with Darren. You really needed to thank her, whoever she was. You were still amazed by what she did for you, a stranger to her; she basically saved you from being expelled for the course for all the times you arrived late. When you reached her, you sat next to her and smiled slightly at her and she smiled back.

"Thank you, February Alice, right?" You said still grinning.

"That's right and you're welcome." She answered friendly. "I never saw you in the competition; you aren't really part of it, are you?" She asked curiously and you looked down and bit your lower lip.

"Umm, well..." You stammered uncomfortable.

"Uh-oh, someone's good at lying." Darren suddenly exclaimed next to February, and you looked at him serious.

"I'm not good at lying; it was just a little white lie..." You said now looking away.

"That's still a lie, Freckles." Darren stated and you avoided his gaze. Why would he be saying that? It was only making you more uncomfortable; that wasn't funny if what he was trying to do was to joke.

"Freckles?" February asked curiously, looking at Darren who shrugged and nodded and then she looked at you.

"Yes, that's the way he calls me." You answered and February nodded. "You can call me Freckles too, if you want."

"Alright, will do. So, you guys know each other?" February asked and both Darren and you nodded. "Are you friends?" She asked and again, Darren and you nodded. "That's great!" She exclaimed joyfully and then she looked at you again. "So, Freckles, you definitely aren't part of the students in the competition."

"No, I'm not." You responded with guilt. "I know it was wrong and..."

"You know, that lie could have risked February's reputation as a Production Stage Manager." Darren suddenly commented and you looked at him astonished.

Why was he treating you that way? Have you done something bad to him? And did he know this February girl? Because he talked about her as if she was his friend or something, and you haven't seen her before.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm so sorry for that. I didn't know she could be part of..." You started apologizing.

"But she is and you didn't have the guts to tell the professor that you were lying." Darren interrupted you kind of harshly and you frowned in consternation.

"Darren..." February said serious, looking at him. "She did not ask for help, I could have stayed silent, so it was my decision, you know? So you shouldn't treat her as though this was entirely her fault." She articulated roundly and you looked at her surprised as Darren bit his lips and looked away, kind of annoyed. Why was she being nice to you? Why did Darren seem to be upset with you? "Freckles, don't feel guilty, you don't have to apologize for this." She said with a nice grin, so you smiled back. "Nonetheless, I'd want to ask you a favor."

"A favor?" You asked curiously, frowning slightly.

"Yes. While it's true we still didn't know each other, I know you." She said mysteriously, smiling slightly and you looked at her confused. Darren turned his face and also looked at February confused and curious. "The real reason why I helped you is because we're interested in having you in the competition." She said and you frowned. What? "You see, the competition is for those people who are interested in participating and do it by choice, but we also look for potential students for the competition, students who are considered as potential because of their abilities. It's rare to find those potential freshmen in the first term, because the professors of different courses still don't know the full ability of the student to develop in certain courses, so they can't provide us a consistent report." February started explaining and you still didn't know why they wanted you or why she was explaining this. "But, oddly enough, you were highly recommended by many professors of different courses, including First Year Writing, Playwriting, Acting, Script Analysis Black Theatre, and Directing; and that's only in your Theatre & Drama courses, because I know you also have Art & Design courses. You know, that rarely happens. Professors are never able to recommend us someone, and if they ever do, they all have different recommendations. This wasn't this case; you were the first recommendation by all of them and that's really strange. So we made a research to figure out why you were highly recommended, so we've been studying your works and we're really astounded. You're like a gem for us, so we really want you to be part of this competition." February said beaming cheerfully as you were looking at her very flabbergasted. You undoubtedly weren't expecting to hear something like this.

"Whoa! What is she? A super girl?" Darren exclaimed with a sarcastic laugh. You glanced at him kind of hurt. Why was he acting that way around you? He wasn't like this.

"Yes, actually, yes. She's like a super girl!" February exclaimed happily, obviously not realizing the sarcasm.

"What would be her super power? Lying?" Darren commented again with a sarcastic laugh and this time you looked down.

"I thought we were over that, Darren. As she said, it was a little white lie and this helped me to finally have this talk with her. And why are you so moody, anyway? You weren't like this few minutes ago." February asked while frowning and Darren remained silent, looking away. "Oh! I see!" February suddenly exclaimed as if she was realizing something. "You want to be in the competition!"

"Uh... No?" Darren said perplexed while frowning.

"Well, thank goodness because the competition is only for freshmen." February said with a joyful smile. That girl was really cheery. "So, Freckles, what do you say? Are you willing to be part of this competition? It could add many points to your curriculum." She said persuasively, winking.

"Umm... Oh, well... Jeez! I wasn't expecting this." You confessed with a nervous giggle. "I don't know if I have the ability to participate in the competition, to be honest."

"Why not? I mean, it's ridiculous to think that. If you didn't have the ability, then nobody would recommend you." February said, trying to encourage you.

"Yeah, why not, Freckles? You're the super girl." Darren commented and this was starting to make you feel a bit annoyed. "Oh! Is that because you lied on all of your courses, making the professors think that you were good when you actually aren't?" Darren asked in a very rude and ironic way, so you were now definitely annoyed.

"Darren, you're being rude." February stated, frowning and serious. Why was February defending you that way? You didn't know, but you were grateful for that. "I don't know if you guys have a personal problem, but I'm trying to be professional here, so I'd be grateful if you put aside those personal problems, if they even exist." She said very serious.

"Alright... Sorry!" Darren exclaimed sarcastically. Why was he acting like an asshole? He wasn't like that, dammit. "Anyway, I shouldn't be taking part of this conversation because it's none of my business; so, I don't give a shit about this. Let me know when you're finished, so we can start doing this shit we should be doing because we're in Costume Design course, not in flatter my ass and make me feel a super girl course." Darren commented rudely before focusing on some sketches that they were apparently drawing before you arrived.

"I'd really like to know what your problem with me is, Darren. Have I done something bad to you? Because if I have, then I'm sorry, I didn't know." You finally said, facing him but not in a rude way, it was more like in an afflicted way. Darren turned his face to look at you for several minutes in silence, then his annoyed face turned into a sorry face.

"No, Freckles." Darren said, this time in a soft way. "I'm sorry for being rude; I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm just stressed out for other things and I unburdened my stress on you. Sorry, you do deserve this opportunity because you're actually really good; the Acting professor also told me that about you." Darren said apologetically and he sounded sincere.

"It's okay, I understand. After all, this term is ending and we all have a lot of exams and assignments, so now I understand you're stressed out. Don't worry; I just wanted to make sure whether I have done something bad or not." You said, also in a soft way and with a slight smile.

"You haven't, Freckles." Darren said from behind February, finally grinning at you. You remained looking at each other in silence for a while, until February talked again.

"So? Are you in?" She asked enthusiastically.

"I don't know. I mean, I'm very thankful for what you did for me today, but I don't feel qualified for this." You answered in all honesty, feeling insecure.

"You gotta be kidding, Freckles. You've always been the smartest person I know, you'd be qualified for everything, except for doing things that involve coordination and movements skillfulness; let's not forget that you're as clumsy as me, if not more. But that's a minor detail." Darren said jokingly and in a good mood while winking, so you giggled softly, amused and also feeling a bit flattered. "Seriously, Freckles, you should accept February's offer." Darren suggested and then you looked at February who nodded with a wide smile.

"Well, maybe I could give it a try." You finally accepted, shrugging, with a cheery grin.

"Oh, thank you so much!" February exclaimed shrilly, bouncing in her chair in excitement.

"Is there any specific reason why you are chattering instead doing the assignment?" The professor suddenly asked from her desk, looking at your direction. February, Darren and you shook your heads in unison. "Then I don't want you to talk unless it's something related to the assignment."

"I think we should do this, girls; we really don't wanna have extra homework because the grumpy woman says so as punishment." Darren commented and February and you nodded.

"I think Freckles should tell us her opinion. I have the feeling she's super good at this, considering the amazing and unique clothes she always wears. By the way, where do you get those clothes? They're so colorful and exceptional; I always secretly admired you for that, they make you look so very pretty." February said kindly.

You felt extremely flattered; it's been a while since someone flattered you this much, making you raise your self-esteem; and it was very odd that it was a girl the one who was complimenting you, usually girls weren't so nice to you, so you were starting to like this February girl. Of course you remained silent, looking at February, you were kinda speechless and very surprised, and you didn't know what to say in moments like these.

"Umm, well..." You babbled because of your amazement.

"Oh, February! Didn't I tell you? Freckles is very outgoing, but when it comes to someone saying very nice things to her, she's shy." Darren commented with an amused smirk.

"Why would you be shy? You should embrace your beauty and your sense of fashion. I can assure that most of the girls here would kill to be as you are." February said looking at you with a huge grin, as you looked at her even more amazed and speechless, so you started babbling again.

"I think you're making her feel uncomfortable, February." Darren commented with a giggle. "I told you, she's shy and very humble. She'd never admit what you said, even if that's the truth." Darren said and you also looked at him amazed. Ah, you didn't like to be flattered so much; Darren was right, it was uncomfortable because you didn't know what to say.

"Alright, then I won't say anything else. But you just should know that you're considered as one of the prettiest girls attending this university. I'm not even kidding, once I saw one of those posts on Facebook, of course it belonged to an account run by men of the Phi Psi fraternity, in which they posted pictures of girls and you had to vote who was the prettiest. I think you were in second place; first place was a girl called Elona Finlay." February commented and you widened your eyes in astonishment.

"What?" Darren asked loudly the same question that was in your mind; he was just as astonished as you were.

"Silence!" The professor exclaimed strictly.

"Yes, what you heard, Darren. Your friend Freckles is one of the prettiest girls in here." February said in whisper, while nodding in a joyful way. "What? Don't you think the same?"

"Uh, no... No, it's not that. I do think she's very pretty... But, seriously? Are guys voting for the prettiest girls?" Darren asked in disbelief.

"Exactly. Your friend is like one of the girls that every guy would want to get, she's got the best reputation on campus." February answered and you were super speechless. You couldn't believe this; this was surely some kind of joke. Come on, nobody showed interest in you.

"Hmm..." Darren commented and then looked away, frowning.

"But hey, this is not only about guys voting the hottest girls. Girls are also voting, but they have to vote the hottest guy, and that account is run by women of the Tri Delt sorority." February commented with a giggle. "And guess what? You're on the list, Darren."

"Am I?" Darren commented puzzled, looking abruptly at February as you also looked at her very perplexed and surprised. So, girls wanted Darren. Uh, this wasn't so nice to hear for some reason.

"Yes, you are. Yet, you're not as lucky as Freckles. You're in the fifth place, and one of your friends, Joe Walker is in third place. Shane Morris, the quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines is in fourth place." February said. Well, Darren was way hotter than Shane; but well, maybe Shane was in fourth place because he was in the Michigan Wolverines and everybody loved them. "And, Noah Lawrence, my adorable cousin, is in second place." February said smiling proudly as Darren looked at her disturbed.

"Noah Lawrence is your cousin? Oh gosh, such a coincidence! That explains why you have almost his same eyes!" You exclaimed amazed thinking this was one little world, as February chuckled.

"Yes, I know. He told me about you; you're friends, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yes, we are." You answered with a cheery grin and when you glanced at Darren, you saw he was frowning, apparently disgruntled. Well, he never liked Noah. "And who's in first place?" You asked intrigued, because Noah was one of the hottest guys you knew. Seriously, who could be hotter than him?

"Brian Clerk, duh. As far as I know, he's been requested to join the Phi Psi house, one of the top houses whose members are the fratstars, but he never went." February responded and you got extremely surprised. Brian? Seriously, Brian? Brian was the hottest guy in college? Was he requested to join the best house? Why the heck has he never told you about this?

"Wait, hold on, Brian? Brian Clerk? Really?" You asked in shock while Darren was looking at February and you very astonished, confounded and serious, frowning.

"Yes, Brian Clerk. No one can deny he's the hottest guy. I think every girl has ever fallen for him, you should see how all the girls stalk him all the time, but no girl stands a chance with him since he's simply not interested. You see, Brian was chosen as the hottest guy not only because of his very appealing and sexy features, but also because he doesn't flaunt his sexiness and he's very nice, unlike any other hot guy." February explained but you weren't paying attention, you were still shocked.

Brian... Oh dear, Brian was the hottest guy and every girl wanted him. You never thought he could be one of those guys, considering you knew him pretty well; and yes, you were aware he was very handsome, but you never saw him like one of those guys you wanted to be with because was the hottest one. Damn, he never mentioned a damn word about him being stalked by many girls. How the fuck could he feel lonely, then? Why would he think he didn't have a chance with the girl he was in love with, then?

"I can't believe it!" You exclaimed puzzled and you noticed Darren clenched his jaw and focused on the sketches of the assignment, now ignoring your conversation with February.

"Why? I mean, have you looked at him? Holy cow, he's sex on a platter!" February exclaimed and you could swear she was like drooling over him, something that made you feel a puncture in the stomach; yet, you ignored that feeling. "Come on, have you ever seen him?"

"Well, actually Brian is my friend." You answered in all honesty and February raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Is he?" She asked and you nodded as a response. "Well, then you're a lucky one to have him as a friend. I honestly don't know how you do to be only his friend without wanting to rip off his clothes." February joked but you didn't like her joke. Obviously she noticed. "I was just joking. Bad joke, I know, sorry. So, there you have another reason to be one of the most enviable girls in college, you're friends with the hottest guy." February pointed and you grinned slightly because you weren't enjoying this conversation any longer, for some weird reason.

"Can we just stop talking about Brian and the hottest whatever and I don't care what shit, to start doing what we have to do?" Darren suddenly exclaimed very moody and irritated. Whoa! What was that about?

"Yes, sorry, let's get started." February said and joined Darren, and so you did, in silence.

They started explaining you what you had to do; it was a costume representing the 60s. Oh, you loved the 60s! It was exciting to design costumes with psychedelic prints, highlighter colors, and mismatched patterns. They explained you that you had to make one costume for each member of the group and then you had to present them next class, wearing them. For the first time in a while you felt really excited for this project of Costume Design. You spent the rest of the class discussing what to design, yet you didn't agree on many things; so you practically had nothing.

"Remember to bring the costumes next class. There's no excuse for anybody, clear?" The professor emphasized, looking particularly at you, and the whole class nodded. "Now you can go."

"Hey guys, do you want to come over my dorm room to finish the project? Just saying, this way we'll be free all the week and weekend. Besides, my roommate could cook lunch for us, he's a good cook and he won't have any kind of problem if you come over." You proposed while standing up with your messenger bag.

"Umm, I'm not sure..." Darren hesitated and then he looked at February. "Don't you have to attend a course right now?"

"Oh yes! But the professor won't come today, so I'm free." February answered, looking at Darren with a polite grin. "I think it's a good idea to finish the project today. I would offer my dorm room, but it's very small and it'd be uncomfortable. Are you sure that your roommate wouldn't mind if we go to your dorm room?" She asked looking at you.

"Yes, I'm sure. He's very nice and... I think you'll like him when you get to know who he is." You responded with an amused giggle.

"Well, if you say so, I'm excited to go to your dorm room." February said with a cheerful laugh. "Can you come, Darren?"

"Umm..." Darren mumbled while running his fingers through his curls. You knew him, he was uncomfortable. Why, though? "I don't know..." He hesitated. Why was he acting so weird?

"Think about this, Dare..." February started saying. Dare? Did she call him Dare? You were the only one who called him Dare. "If we finish the project today, we'll have the weekend free to do whatever we want." She said while winking and placing a hand above his, as Darren smiled widely. What? Something was going on here, you weren't fool.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go to your dorm room, Freckles." Darren agreed determined, without hesitating, so you raised an eyebrow. Maybe there was something between them.

"Alright, we'll have to take the bus, because I live in the Central Campus." You answered, not so cheery now.

"Oh, I have a car!" February exclaimed joyfully.

"You have a car?" Darren asked amazed, looking fixedly into her eyes.

"Yes, I do. My parents gave me one when I graduated high school." She answered with a bright smile. She was a smiley girl.

"That's totally awesome, Feb!" Darren exclaimed very excited. "Imagine all the places you can go with a car!"

February was a pretty girl and you knew she liked Brian, after the way she talked about him. Maybe you could pair Brian off with her. Yet, you weren't so sure about it; yes, you wanted Brian to be with a girl, but you knew he wouldn't like if you pair him off with someone and you knew this was because he was in love with a girl; but there was something else that you never admitted. Maybe you did not want to see Brian with any random girl. What if you did not want to see him with any girl? That was ridiculous.

"I know, it's incredible. Maybe someday I could drive us to Detroit or somewhere. I always wanted to go to Detroit, but I never had the chance." February commented.

"Fuck yeah! You can go with me, I'd love that. So, count on me if you feel like travelling." Darren said winking and she chuckled.

"I bet you're a good traveling companion." February said and you started feeling pushed aside and ignored, as though you weren't there.

"Yeah, seriously. What if we go to Detroit this weekend? I mean, if we finish this damn project today, we both can go to Detroit this weekend. Damn, man! Imagine all the things you and I can do there! It'd be like the best weekend ever!" Darren exclaimed very excited and you looked down and bit your lower lip.

"See? That's why finishing this project today is a great idea! That's it. This weekend we're going to Detroit! Oh gosh! I'm excited now!" February shrilled and bounced happily. Although they weren't looking at you, you forced a smile to try to pretend you weren't feeling pushed aside and uncomfortable. "So, Freckles..." She said now looking at you with a cheery smile. "What if I drive to your residence? You only have to give me the indications." She offered politely.

"Yes, that would be cool." You answered with the same forced grin.

"Alright, let's go to get this shit done, ladies." Darren said very merrily and you nodded dispirited.

February led you and Darren to where her car was. Fortunately it wasn't so far, because you were feeling very ignored while Darren and February were talking and joking as if you weren't there; you were feeling as if you shouldn't be there with them, you felt as if you were cluttering there among them. Besides, you were feeling a bit dizzy again, like in the morning; fortunately, you didn't feel nauseous. February's car was amazing, it was a red Dodge Dart; jeez, that was expensive. Darren didn't stop admiring the car in a very excited way and for some odd reason you wanted to have a car; but that was ridiculous because you couldn't drive. After like fifteen minutes Darren complimented and admired the car, you got into the car. Of course February sat in the driver seat and of course Darren sat in the passenger seat and you sat in the backseat. You indicated February where your residence was and when she started driving you were ignored again while Darren and she kept talking non-stopping. You never wished more to arrive to your dorm room than this time.

"It is right here!" You indicated when you saw the building.

February nodded and she parked in the first place she saw. She was a good driver, and she was really pretty, and Darren surely liked her. You didn't have anything against her, she was nice and funny and she helped you, you liked her unlike Kelly; but that didn't mean that you weren't feeling like you wanted to be like her at some point. You got out the car and you told them to follow you; well, Darren knew where you lived but February didn't.

"You live in this residence?" February asked and you nodded with a grin. "Holy moly! This place is amazing!" She exclaimed in amazement, so you chuckled softly.

"Yes, it is." You answered quietly. You realized you were being curtly and you didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable, so you tried to keep talking as joyful as always. "Yet, I still think that living in the North Campus is better than living here; well, at least it's like that for people who are into art, drama, dance or music programs. You know, there you have special common rooms to practice and all, here you must be quiet. It's just different."

"Oh yes, I understand. One of my friends lived here, in this same residence. We used to study together and we always studied in his dorm room because it was way quieter than in mine. I love this residence, but you're right, people like us just need other things, let's say we're noisier and we love that." February said while giggling and you giggled along with her, for real.

"Exactly like that." You commented. "It seems like..."

"Feb!" Darren suddenly interrupted you, as if he wasn't aware that you were talking to February or something. "You told me you finished your Scene Design project and I'm having trouble drawing my idea to do the presentation. Would you give me hand with that?"

"Sure!" February replied with a kind grin. "I'm not so good at drawing, but I could help you with other things."

"I could help with the drawing. After all, I'm studying art and design." You offered politely, shrugging.

As soon as you said that, you regretted because of the way Darren was now looking at you, as though you've said something really inappropriate. Maybe Darren didn't want real help, maybe he was only looking for excuses to spend more time with February and you just blew it. Oh dear, why was he looking at you that way? Seriously, have you said something super terrible?

"Yeah." Darren answered after hesitating. Then he smiled. Whoa, finally he smiled at you. "You're a genius when it comes to drawing; you'd help me a lot. Problem is I have to do it due tomorrow, so I'm in a bind."

"Well, I think we could help you after we finish the Costume Design project. It'd be a long afternoon, but we'll make it." You encouraged him and he smiled widely.

"Would you really do that?" Darren asked, still grinning.

"Of course! You know I love drawing." You answered cheerfully, because finally he wasn't ignoring you.

"Thank you, Freckles. That's why I love you, my friend." Darren said kindly while wrapping an arm around you and squeezing your shoulder.

Then he walked to February and took her hand as she looked at him and grinned slightly. Darren whispered something in her ear and February laughed and nodded. What were they whispering? You wanted to know. You looked at them and frowned, feeling confused. You could swear there was something between them. Then you walked silently, leading them to your dorm room as they were still whispering things and holding hands. You should not feel jealous, you were over this; it happened with Kelly and it shouldn't happen with February; February was a nice girl and you had to keep in mind that you didn't own Darren; he was just your friend. You coughed again and covered your mouth with one hand; again, the spot of blood. Damn the meds, you were determined to stop taking them, you preferred having a fever than feeling this way. You finally and thankfully arrived to your dorm room and you heard loud music coming from inside. Weird, you thought, Brian wasn't used to listen to music this loud. Oh damn, Brian. You totally forgot to tell him that you were going to come for lunch and you obviously didn't tell him that you invited Darren and February to come over. Well, he surely wouldn't mind, he wouldn't get mad at you; you knew that was impossible coming from Brian. You opened the door and what you saw left you stunned. You didn't know if you should let Brian know that you arrived with guests, if you should feel embarrassed because of what Darren and February were seeing or if you should laugh because of how funny this was. Brian had his back to the door, he evidently didn't notice someone arrived; he was shirtless, only in a pair of lounge pants and he was singing out loud along with the music, holding a picture in his hands. He seemed to be in a role-play, as though he was a rock star. Well, you've never seen Brian doing something like this before, so it was kind of hilarious. Yet, none of you interrupted him, maybe because of the shock; so you all watched him performing as a rock star singing to the picture he was holding with his very tuneless voice.

I wish I could tell you

But the words would come out wrong

Oh if you only knew

The way I felt for so long

I know that we're worlds apart

But I just don't seem to care

These feelings in my heart

Only with you I want to share.

The first time I caught a glimpse of you

Then my thoughts were only of you.

Brian sang to the picture, still with his back to the door. Why was he doing this? You had to bit your tongue not to laugh. Although this was kind of embarrassing because you couldn't believe that February met him this way, you had to admit that Brian looked super-hot while pretending to be a rock star, despite his tuneless voice.

I hope that when time goes by

You will think the same about me

Many nights awake I lie

I only wish that you could see

I know that we're only friends

I hope this feeling never ends

If I could only hold you

It's the only thing I want to do.

The first time I caught a glimpse of you…

Brian sang to the picture, almost yelling with hoarse voice, while kneeling on the floor and raising the picture. Then, as a way to finish the song, he finally turned to face the door, yet he didn't look at you because he had his eyes closed.

"Then my thoughts were only of…" Brian sang with his very hoarse voice.

And when he finally opened his eyes, he noticed you were there with Darren and a girl he didn't know. Now his face reflected horror, like real horror. Oh yeah, nothing worse than being caught while doing something embarrassing. He quickly stood up and hid the picture he was holding.

"You." Brian finished singing in a whisper, still with the horrified face. "I didn't know you were coming, goddammit!" Brian exclaimed horrified, dropping the picture and covering his bare chest with a cushion. None of you uttered a word. "Shit! This is so fucking embarrassing." He whispered, already blushing, clearly not knowing what to do.

"Wow, Brian, that was hot." February commented with a giggle and you looked at her astonished. Why would she talk to Brian in that sassy way? She didn't know him in person, so you didn't like her comment.

"Ha-ha, how funny, February!" Brian replied very embarrassed. What? How did Brian know she was named February?

"Guys, do you know each other?" You asked suspiciously.

"Yes, we do. Remember I told you I knew a guy who lived here and we used to study together? Well, that's Brian. I didn't know he was your roommate." February commented and you looked at her surprised.

Then you remembered when Brian told you last year that he was friends with someone and they used to study together. That was surely February; yet you didn't get it, February was in Costume Design. How come she shared courses with Brian?

"Yes, we share most of the courses. Remember last year I told you I had a new friend? That's February. I didn't know you girls knew each other." Brian commented, still covering his chest with a cushion.

"Yes, we do, we share Costume Design course." February said looking at Brian and then she looked at you and she noticed you were confused. "I'm in both programs, Theatre and English Language and Literature." February explained and now you understood. "And you guys? How do you know each other?" She asked curiously.

"Oh! From high school. We're best friends." You answered with a kind smile.

But something weird happened when you answered that. February frowned and then she looked abruptly at Brian kinda disturbed and Brian gulped and looked at her very edgy. He was nervous about something because he was scratching the nape of his neck as he used to do whenever he was nervous, uncomfortable or he was hiding something. What was that? Then February looked at you, now with a grin.

"You're Sunny, aren't you?" February asked and you raised your eyebrows in amazement. You never mentioned that someone called you Sunny, because Brian was the only one who called you like that and since you arrived here, Brian didn't call you like that.

"Yes, I am…" You answered a bit unsure and suspicious. "How do you know?"

"Brian has told me a lot about you. It's really nice to finally meet that mysterious Sunny that Brian has talked about. Judging by the way Brian always described you, you're an awesome person and I feel like I've known you a lifetime. And Brian, she is indeed very pretty." February answered with a very wide smile.

Well, this was what happened next: You raised your eyebrows, feeling confused, amazed and surprised since you weren't expecting this kind of answer; Brian talked about you with February, he apparently said nice things about you and he mentioned you were pretty; yes, you definitely weren't expecting that. Darren frowned, looked at February kinda astonished and then he looked at Brian, still frowning and now clenching his jaw, before looking down with a very serious expression, maybe a suspicious expression. Brian widened his eyes, raised his eyebrows and his face reflected horror and nervousness while looking fixedly at February. And February kept smiling widely, apparently unaware of this odd situation.

"So, have you been talking about me with your college friends?" You asked curiously, looking at Brian. He was still nervous. Why?

"Yeah." He answered almost in a whisper, scratching the nape of his neck. "Yes, of course, you're my best friend, after all." Brian added, this time louder.

"You should be very grateful to have someone like Brian, Sunny. That guy really loves you." February commented with a cheerful grin and Darren looked at her, even more serious and still frowning.

"Do you?" You asked, looking at Brian and frowning. He was even more nervous and he kept scratching the nape of his neck.

"Yeah, sure. I told you, you're my best friend." Brian responded, emphasizing the best friend part, looking at February very fixedly as if he wanted to let her know something. Darren, in the meantime, looked at Brian suspiciously; Brian noticed and looked down, biting his lower lip. "Well, I guess I'm gonna dress up properly because obviously I was not expecting anyone and, evidently, someone forgot to tell me that you were coming." Brian said looking fixedly at you kind of upset.

He left the cushion on the couch, so now his bare and toned chest was in sight of everyone. You glanced at February and you noticed she was checking him out with a mischievous smirk, something you didn't like. Then Brian, before going to the bedroom, walked to you.

"This was one of the most embarrassing things that happened to me. I'll kill you, Sunny." Brian whispered, so that no one other than you would hear.

"Sorry." You answered with a short and amused giggle.

"Not funny!" Brian whispered, clenching his jaw. "Now, we have no food to cook something."

"Don't worry, I'll buy something. Sorry for what happened, Brian. Now, go and dress up or you'll kill someone with your hot toned and bare chest." You whispered while giggling and Brian frowned and blushed.

"Argh, I swear I'll kill you." Brian commented once again before turning around to go to the bedroom.

"Well, guys!" You exclaimed loudly to draw attention and make February stop looking at Brian's ass. And it worked. "It seems we don't have food, so I'll go buy something, I won't take so long. Please, make yourself at home." You said with a cheery grin and February and Darren nodded in silence.

Like this, you grabbed your wallet and left the room, while thinking how weird this all was. This was definitely one little world. Damn, headache.

---

Freckles left and February and I were sitting on the couch in silence while Brian was dressing up. Before sitting on the couch, I saw the picture Brian was holding while singing that song; it was a picture of Freckles. Fuck man, this was too obvious and everything made sense. The stupid of Brian was in love with Freckles and February knew it; that was why Brian was so nervous. I remembered the text message that February once sent me: 'The problems Brian currently has, involve that girl he's in love with since years?'. She was talking about Freckles, for sure. So Brian liked her since years, it wasn't since this year or last year. February mentioned years, so it meant it was before Freckles and I parted. Yes, fuck, that was why the asshole always helped her in high school, because he wanted her even when she was my girlfriend. He surely convinced her to disappear and never talk to me since that night in the hotel room; Freckles would have never had that idea, it was for sure Brian's idea because he wanted her for himself. But wait, if Brian was nervous because of February's comments and Freckles seemed to be very oblivious about Brian's feelings... That meant that Brian didn't tell her his real feelings after our conversation, so they weren't together. That was good, Freckles shouldn't be with Brian. Brian was a fucking liar. I was deep in thought when Brian entered the living room.

"Guys, can I offer you something to drink?" Brian asked politely. He was surely faking that politeness, the same way he always fakes everything.

"What do you want, Brian? Tell me, what's your plan? What was your plan all this time?" I asked kind of harsh.

Brian looked at me and frowned, with that stupid face of confusion, it was surely false. February also looked at me kinda confused, but her expression was real and it was understandable, unlike Brian.

"I don't understand your question, Darren. I just asked if you wanted something to drink. What plans do you mean?" Brian asked, obviously playing fool.

"Don't play the fucking dumb with me, Brian. I'm tired of that shit of you." I said harshly and Brian raised his eyebrows, stunned. February also raised her eyebrows in surprise; naturally, as far as she knew, Brian was my friend.

"Excuse me, did I do something wrong?" Brian asked squinting, looking fixedly at me.

"You know exactly what you did and what you're doing. Why don't you just admit it, so that we all stop pretending as if nothing is going on? Admit the obvious, Brian." I answered very coldly and Brian frowned, disturbed. He was disturbed because he knew he had no way out now, I knew it.

"If I knew what the obvious is, I would admit it; but I honestly don't know what you're talking about, buddy." Brian answered.

"Do not call me buddy." I said coldly, clenching my jaw and teeth as Brian raised his eyebrows, pretending to be befuddled. I didn't want to beat about the bush, so I got straight to the point. "Considering you won't admit a damn shit, I'll ask you some of those obvious things; so maybe that way you'll get the hint of what I'm talking about and you'll stop playing dumb. Come on; let's air your dirty laundry." I said coldly and Brian looked at me confused, but then he nodded. "Do you want to get in Freckles' pants?"

"What?" Brian asked loudly and overly bewildered. Sure, as if the asshole didn't know what I was talking about, I thought in my mind in a sarcastic way. In the meantime, February widened her eyes, raised her eyebrows and looked down, apparently feeling uncomfortable. "No, of course not..." Brian started answering, but I interrupted him to reformulate the question.

"Do you want her? And tell the fucking truth, Brian." I reformulated in a very harsh and authoritative way. Brian widened his eyes, mumbled without sound, looked down and scratched the nape of his neck. I waited patiently for his answer.

"Yes, I want her; but that's something very different from wanting to get in her pants. I want her, naturally, because she's my best..." Brian started answering and I interrupted him again because he was about to say shit and lies again and I wanted to get straight to the point.

"You want her because you're in love with her, aren't you? Have the guts once in your life to admit that." I said rudely, looking fixedly at Brian who was now looking at me puzzled and frightened. Of course he didn't answer, he seemed to be in shock; surely he was pretending to be in shock. And I waited for a long time without getting his answer. "That's a yes, I guess. Since when, Brian? This year? Last year? Maybe since high school? Since when, eh?" I asked provocatively because I was starting to feel upset. Brian was biting his lips, scratching his neck and still looking down, in silence. He wasn't going to answer. I couldn't believe this shit. So I looked at February, I knew she knew something. "It seems Brian won't answer." I said looking at February and she looked up and raised her eyebrows, feeling noticeably uncomfortable. "Tell me, Feb, since when is Brian in love with Freckles?"

"I... I think I should not interfere in this. This is a conversation only between you, guys. So, leave me out of this conversation." February responded resolutely.

"Tell me, Feb, or I swear I won't talk to you ever again. I know you know, so tell me since when he's in love with Freckles." I demanded a bit harshly and a bit threateningly.

February was now more uncomfortable, she was nervous and insecure, and she was hesitating. She looked at Brian and Brian looked at her in a pleading way; then she looked down and bit her lips, apparently feeling troubled. After a while, she sighed and looked at me.

"Since high school." February answered and then looked at Brian who was now looking at her in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Brian. I know I promised not to say anything, but... I had to." February apologized, feeling bad. Brian just looked down and clenched his jaw.

I knew it. The fucking stalker was in love with Freckles since high school, when Freckles was my girlfriend. This all was a huge shit. All these years, the asshole wanted her; it was obvious that he was the one who set Freckles against me; if it weren't because of him, Freckles and I would be together. But no, the asshole even tried to make her feel confused about him; he got to that point. And what nerve of him to pretend he was my friend! He was only pretending that to get closer to her, and I was a fucking fool all this time.

"So, that's it all." I commented with a bitter and short laugh. Obviously Brian didn't dare to look at me. "You've been stalking her since high school; you've been stalking her even when she was my girlfriend and now you're here, pretending a damn fucking shit around me! All this time you wanted to steal my girlfriend to get her for yourself!" I yelled angrily, still laughing bitterly. Finally Brian looked at me; he was serious.

"Sunny was your girlfriend? Is she the one you told me about, Darren?" February asked disconcerted, stunned and perplexed. Both Brian and I ignored her question. It wasn't time to answer that.

"It's not like that, Darren." Brian finally spoke. "I never wanted to steal your girlfriend. I always admitted the fact she loved you and so did you; so I always admitted the fact I'd never have her for myself." Brian said. Fucking liar.

"What the fuck have you told her to convince her to stay away from me? What have you done? You fucking jackass, you were surely jumping for joy when she and I parted. You surely brainwashed her to make her fall for you." I said completely angry, pointing him with my forefinger.

"Why are you being like this, man? Why do you even think that I've told her something bad about you?" Brian asked puzzled, squinting and looking fixedly at me. Shit, man, could he just stop playing dumb?

"Because I know that!" I yelled in a rage.

"Then you have no idea." Brian stated coldly.

"Stop with that bullshit and lies. I know you told her something bad about me to set her against me, for the simple fact that you always wanted to have her! Or would you now say you didn't want her?" I asked rabidly, clenching my teeth and my fists.

"Yes, dammit! Yes, I always wanted to have her because I fucking love her, okay? And yes, I'm in love with her since high school, since when she was your girlfriend, even before she was your girlfriend." Brian admitted in a yell. Then he looked down, bit his lips and sighed. "And just because I love her like hell I never told her something bad about you. Never. Because I knew she loved you and not me; because I knew she was happy with you, not with me. What would be the point of having her if she wouldn't be happy with me, eh?" Brian asked, this time softening his voice. Now he didn't sound upset, he sounded sad. He was pretending; I knew that; he noticed he was forgetting his role play, so, as a way to fix it, he was now pretending to be sad. Dickhead. "And you have no fucking idea how hard this all was for me!" Brian exclaimed distressed, pointing himself. Oh great, he was now playing the victim. "You have no idea how it felt to listen to her talking about you all the fucking time, but I let her doing so because I knew she needed to talk to someone; you have no fucking idea how hard it was for me to tell her all the time that she should forgive you, that she should talk to you, that she should give you a chance to start again, that she shouldn't be afraid of falling in love with you again. And I did it because I knew this was the best for her, even if it wasn't the best for me. So do not judge me if you don't know how things were." Brian pointed with a distressed expression. Cool, I didn't know he was a damn good actor. I wanted to punch him, I was sick of lies.

"So, let me get this straight..." February suddenly said, filling the silence of this fraught situation. Yet, Brian and I kept staring each other very fixedly. "Darren, your Freckles is your Sunny, Brian?" She asked and I didn't answer anything at all. Brian was the one who responded the question with an affirmative nod. "So, that girl over there is your ex-girlfriend, Darren; and she's the same girl with who you've been in love since years, Brian. Is that right?" February asked again, and once again, Brian was the one who answered with an affirmative nod. "So you both have feelings for the same girl and you are friends... And now you, Darren, are saying that Brian was always trying to take her away from you to get her for him. But you, Brian, told me that you were all the time helping her to be happy with her boyfriend and then you told me that you couldn't be with her because she was still in love with her ex-boyfriend, now I know that ex-boyfriend is Darren." February started saying as a way to clarify things in her mind. Neither Brian nor I uttered a word. "And now you, Darren, found out Brian's feelings for her, feelings that you, Brian, have been hiding from everybody, even from Darren, who is now your friend and who is, at the same time, the ex-boyfriend of the girl you love. And this girl is friends with the two of you and she is completely unaware of this entire situation." February said thoughtful while raising her eyebrows. No one answered and Brian and I kept staring each other. "D'oh! This is a mess." February exclaimed troubled and super puzzled. That didn't help at all.

"Tell me since when exactly you love her." I demanded harshly as Brian looked down and sighed.

"Since I was a Sophomore and she was a Freshman." Brian answered in a whisper, still looking down. I raised my eyebrows and I laughed bitterly, so this made him look up.

"Since you were a Sophomore? Yeah, sure, I believe that; especially because you spent all your fucking Senior year harassing her, bullying her, even punching her. What a big love you felt for her! A very unusual way to show such love, eh? I wouldn't deny that you're original, Clerk." I stated in a very sarcastic and bitter way as Brian frowned and looked at me kind of upset or offended, I didn't know.

"Hold on... Darren, was Brian one of those people who bullied you in high school as you told me?" February asked bewildered.

"Exactly. You see, nothing is what it seems, Feb. The adorable and nice Brian is actually a frigging bully." I answered rudely, feeling really mad.

"That's impossible." February whispered while frowning, with a disturbed face.

"Well, believe it because..." I started saying, but the jerk interrupted me.

"You perfectly know that I was forced to do that, Darren. I didn't want to do that, but I was bullied too, or have you forgotten?" Brian asked now angry. "Out of all the people, they chose me to do all the things I did. Haven't you ever wondered why they chose me? Do you really think it was pure coincidence? Or because I was in the football team and for that people recognized me? Or because I seemed to be a rude guy because of my appearance? Or because I seemed to be a troublesome and badass guy? If so, then you were very naive." Brian said upset, clenching his jaw, as I looked at him rabidly. How did he dare to call me naive? "They chose me because they knew I was in love with her and I'd do everything for her. They chose me because they had something to threaten me, because they knew I'm a fucking weak person when it comes to my father and Sunny. I was the perfect target for them." Brian kept saying, but this time sounding less upset. This time he sounded kind of frustrated. Then he looked down, bit his lips, and sighed, apparently to keep his cool. Fucking drama queen; that was quite a show. "I guess you don't know they threatened me to kill my dad and Sunny if I didn't do all the things they told me. And I always preferred to punch her rather than risk the possibility of them killing her. Do you really think that I don't regret all those times I punched her? Do you really think it wasn't hard for me to punch the person I love? Do you really think I never felt bad for it? But what could I have done, eh? What would you have done in my place, Darren? Eh?" Brian asked exasperatedly, looking fixedly into my eyes.

Of course I didn't answer. Crap, the asshole almost made me believe that lie; he sounded honest but I needed to keep in mind he was a fucking liar. No matter what he could be saying, he was the damn bully who screwed my Senior year and Freckles' Junior year. Alright, he wanted to act, I was going to act and pretend I believed him. He was going to get a taste of his own medicine.

"I didn't know that. Well, now it makes sense. I'm sorry, man, for being rude; I honestly didn't know all of that and I was just confused." I said apologetically.

"It's alright; just forget it." Brian said politely, gesturing with his hands and looking down. Fuck yeah, he believed my false apology.

"But, man... If you love her that much, why haven't you ever told her that?" I asked in my falsest nice voice.

"Because it's not that easy. I can't just go and tell her. Remember in high school how long it took you to finally tell her your feelings. You know it's not easy." Brian answered sadly and I clenched my fists because I suddenly felt mad because he was comparing my situation to his; but I tried to keep my cool.

"My situation was different. So do not compare this to my past with her, because it's not the same." I said a bit coldly because I was mad, but I tried to make it sound as if I was encouraging him or some shit like that.

"Of course it's not the same, because there's a huge difference." Brian said, now looking at me distressed. Well, let's see what the jerk had to say. "When you told her your feelings, you were sure she wasn't going to reject you; you knew she was going to love you back the way you loved her, because before telling her your feelings, Mandy told you that she loved you; Mandy told me this. Instead, I know she's gonna reject me because I know she doesn't love me the way I do; so it's not something I can just say unlike you, because I could lose her for this." Brian added, looking down with a sorrowful expression, as I was thinking how much he enjoyed playing the victim. How could Freckles be friends with an asshole like him?

"How can you be so sure about it? You'll never know if you don't talk to her, if you don't stop lying to her." I said with my falsest nice and kind voice, yet trying to say in an implicit way that I was feeling rabid because of this all. He didn't notice, or he pretended not to have noticed it.

"I'm sure about this because I talked to her yesterday." Brian answered while looking down and this time I looked at him very intently. So he talked to her about this, let's see what happened. "I tried to tell her my feelings in an implicit way; I asked her in an implicit way if she ever considered being more than my friend. Do you know what she answered? We'll never be more than best friends." Brian said and his voice choked. He wouldn't convince me, no matter how honestly sad he sounded, he was acting. But he did convince February, who was now looking at him distressed, apparently feeling pity for him. "So, how do you expect me to tell her my feelings if I already know what her answer will be? Would you tell someone your feelings if you already know that what awaits you is only rejection?" Brian asked looking into my eyes, his eyes were teary. Shit, he was better than me in terms of acting. I remained silent. "No, of course not; anyone would want to feel rejection." Brian whispered after the abysmal silence, looking down. He was starting to annoy me with his way of playing the victim and I could barely keep my cool. He was such a hypocrite, man.

"So then, why do you love her so much if you know you won't be together?" I asked in a very cold way.

I could barely recognize myself because I was being nasty and heartless; but he had it coming. Brian looked up at me very disconcerted, still with that stupid sad face. He remained silent for a while, but I didn't talk, I wanted to know his answer, I wanted to make him suffer because I knew this jerk was pretending this all. February, in the meantime, looked at me a bit disappointed, as letting me know that what I asked and in the way I asked it was wrong; but I didn't care.

"And why do you breathe if you know that someday you're gonna die?" Brian answered back, as challenging me. That made no sense, or maybe yes, but it was stupid and I hated his answer, I hated the fact he answered me with another question when he was supposed to remain silent. "I didn't choose to feel this way, Darren; I hate feeling this way. I thought you would understand it." Brian said while frowning. He finally noticed I wasn't asking all of these things because I wanted to help him out with Freckles; he finally noticed that this situation annoyed me.

"Guess what? I don't understand it. I don't understand why you're a fucking douchebag who is lying to her all the fucking time, making her think that you're a good friend while all you want to do is to fuck her. You were always an asshole; it won't change, will it?" I asked rudely, totally losing my temper. February, next to me, widened her eyes and looked at me puzzled.

"That's not what I want. I love her." Brian answered quietly while frowning. The fucking asshole could remain quiet, the fuck? That was irritating.

"Tell me the truth, dickhead, why are you doing this? Is that your friend Jim asked you to pretend to be her friend to hurt her?" I asked foully, looking at him with contempt.

"What?" Brian asked in disbelief while frowning, completely thunderstruck. "What does Jim have to do in all this? And to be clear, Jim's not my friend. You know he's not, you saw what he did to my room; you know what he did, he stole me something important." He said confounded and also kind of exasperated. Bullshit.

"Fuck, man! I'm totally getting it now!" I exclaimed very loudly when I realized something super important. Oh holy shit, all this time… "Shit, how the hell could I have been so damn blind? You faked it all!" I exclaimed while laughing bitterly, sarcastically and a bit nervously. Damn shit, he was a real asshole, a total psycho and freak. Brian, in the meantime, was looking at me bewildered and disconcerted. "You were the one who destroyed all of your stuff that day! You stole your own money, if there was such money. There's no Jim, it was you all the time! You're the one who is sending those text messages to me, her and yourself. You pretended it all so you'd get closer to her, so she would trust you and then you'd be able to play with her as a damn puppet! Crap, I get it now, it all makes sense now!" I exclaimed very loudly that I seemed almost a neurotic one.

Finally I could see all of that, how could I have taken so long to find it out? I was an idiot! Everything was more than clear! Now both Brian and February were looking at me baffled and dazed. And Brian, particularly, was looking at me a bit upset.

"What the fuck are you saying?" Brian asked darkly, clenching his teeth. Yet, I could notice the disturbance in his face. He was nervous because now I knew what he had in his hands all this time.

"You were the fucking asshole all of these years! You were the damn bully and psychopath; Karen, Jim and Susan were just distractions to your morbid plan!" I said almost yelling, pointing him with my forefinger, feeling super hyper, agitated and rabid.

"You're raving, Darren! How can you think that?" Brian asked skeptically, frowning and squinting.

"You even played with your own father! How can you be such a douchebag, Clerk?" I asked, completely ignoring his question. I couldn't believe this shit! He was a fucking maniac and creep.

"Shut the fuck up, Criss!" Brian yelled his lungs out furiously, now completely mad.

So this, for sure, made me shut up because of the sudden change. I wasn't expecting him to yell that way. February also looked at Brian stunned and I could swear she was scared of him. Yes, sure, imagine Brian, a tall, huge and robust guy yelling his lungs out in a very fierce way, feeling extremely mad, and completely losing his temper. It was scary indeed. I thought that in any moment he could pounce on me to start hitting me, something that would kill me because, after all, he was very strong and I was just a tiny guy compared to him.

"I won't let you compare me to that asshole!" Brian yelled heatedly, pointing me with his finger while clenching his jaw. Fuck, he was in a rage and I was scared. That fucking bully could kill me. "If you're mad because I have feelings for your ex-girlfriend, fine, insult me if you want, punch me if you want, make my life miserable if you want; but do not mess with my father, do not mess with this fucking thing of bullying because I have enough shit of that to deal with." He yelled angrily.

Whoa! He was choleric! This only could mean that I was right, so he was sensing how all of his plans were going straight to hell, so he needed to fix that somehow. Fuck, I needed to get something to protect myself, just in case he decided to attack me. After all, he was a bully and a violent person. Damn, I had nothing.

"Do you think this shit is easy for me? Do you think this shit of W is easy for me? Do you think it's easy for me to receive all the damn threats I receive every fucking day of my life, threats about my dad, your ex, and even you, and then be accused that I do it myself?" Brian yelled exasperated with trembling voice, clenching his teeth and pointing himself. "Oh no, you just accuse me and you don't have a damn idea of what they tell me! And I never mention a damn thing because I don't want you to be at risk because of this shit. And I don't want you to be at risk because I thought you were my friend. I thought you were my fucking friend! And all I get is to be accused for shit!" Brian yelled with trembling and choked voice, frowning and looking at me furiously and disappointedly. I just remained looking at him with disdain. "Screw everything, goddammit!" Brian yelled wrathfully, huffing in frustration, and this time he did not yell at me, he yelled at no one in particular.

"You were never my friend, Clerk." I clarified and I emphasized in a very cold way. Brian looked at me abruptly. "If I ever tried to get along with you, it was only because of Freckles, not because of who you are." I said scornfully with complete hatred towards him.

Brian just remained looking at me fixedly, his stare blank and his face expressionless; yet, for a millisecond, he made me think this was hurtful for him to hear judging by the way he looked at me. Of course that feeling disappeared quickly when I remembered the kind of nasty person he was. Meanwhile, February was speechless and very shocked for this entire dispute. Then Brian looked down and didn't utter a single word. But this dispute wasn't over, oh hell to the no.

"You have two options, Clerk. Either you tell Freckles that you've been a fucking bully all this time or I tell her so. One way or another, she'll know what kind of person you are, I swear on my life." I said menacingly and Brian looked at me again.

"I'm not the person you think I am, Darren. Think whatever you want about me, except that I'm a bully, because I am not such a thing and I won't tolerate being called that. Call me asshole if you want, and call me asshole because I could never tell her my feelings; call me asshole because I've been hiding it all this time. But I am not a bully!" Brian exclaimed with choked and trembling voice.

"Alright... Let's suppose you're not a bully, which is bullshit because I know you are and you won't fool me. You still have two options. Either you tell her your fucking feelings or I tell her. And you should appreciate that I'm letting you choose." I said very coldly.

"Don't do this to me, Darren. Even if you don't consider me as your friend, at least don't do it if you have a little mercy. This ain't easy for me." Brian said looking at me pleadingly.

"How dare you to ask for mercy after all you've done, Clerk? You deserve nothing but shit." I said contemptuously.

"I'm not asking you anything else. I need to be the one to tell her my feelings, but I need time." Brian begged.

"More than you already had? If you truly loved her as much as you said, you would never lie to her the way you're doing. Oh, that's it, isn't it? You're afraid because she'll find out that you're a fucking liar and she won't forgive you that. Deal with your own shit, Clerk." I said nastily. I was sick of him, he wouldn't mess with me. I wouldn't let him hurt Freckles. Brian looked down distressed and troubled, biting his lower lip.

"Darren, let it go." February suddenly whispered.

"I won't let it go. This fucking asshole deserves this shit." I said angrily and then an abysmal silence invaded the room and lasted several minutes. "So, Clerk, what if we stop with this shit and you tell Freckles all you feel for once and all, eh? Because if you don't do it when she comes back, I'll tell her, I swear."

"Brian?" Freckles' voice suddenly asked from behind.

No one noticed she was already here. The first thing I did was to look at Brian, who glanced at me pleadingly before looking at Freckles nervously. Hell yeah, she was going to find out that her false best friend has been lying to her all this time. And I'd win.

"What feelings do you have to tell me, Brian?" Freckles asked suspiciously.