Chapter 14 - What Did You Guys Do?
Author's note: This chapter is one of the longest chapters I think I've written and is written entirely in Simon's point of view. And this chapter will also heavily feature flashbacks, which will be in italics. I own nothing but the story, the mistakes, and Amanda.
Clary wanted to talk. My brain hadn't stopped working since she said that sentence a few short hours ago. And, since then, we'd left the bar, gone back to the dorms, gotten ready for bed since we were both under silent agreement that I wasn't leaving tonight, and were now just perched awkwardly on her bed together. Normally, we'd be so close together that anyone who walked in would think we were kissing, necking, or just snuggling. But, tonight, I don't think we could do that. Not without making the moment even more awkward than it already was. No matter how much I wanted to do it.
"So." Her voice was quiet in the darkness of her dorm room, lit only by a Scentsy oil warmer/nightlight in the corner, the moon outside, and the very faint glow of the city lights. "Where do you wanna start...?"
She sounded so small, so insecure, that I wanted to just hug her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. But, I didn't know if it would be until I talked. "Where do you want me to start?"
She looked up at me, her eyes intense, but not hurting. "What did you guys do this week?"
"We hung at the coffee shop once. And talked about horror movies, mostly."
"Hey." I looked up from my laptop, seeing Amanda heading over with a steaming mug set on a saucer, as well as a small sandwich, a bag of chips, and a cookie. I couldn't help it, I smiled at the sight of her, still in her work uniform, no less, and the food. "I just got off, and saw you were here for the past three hours and never moved once. Figured you could use a break."
"Thanks, I didn't even realize I was so hungry." I remarked, giving off a light chuckle as she set the food down.
"You've been staring at your laptop screen for the past three hours, ever since you came in." The strawberry blonde remarked, with a grin of her own. "I think we could've been looted for all our coffee, a horde of zombies could've come through, and then a tornado could've hit and you wouldn't have blinked."
"I dunno about the zombies part." I remarked with a laugh. "I DO like my zombies."
"They are one of the classic horror movie villains." Amanda agreed with a nod. She looked over at the counter, where a plate with another sandwich was set down. "That's mine, actually. Want some company? You're not the only one who's starving..."
What the heck? It couldn't hurt, right? "Why not?" I asked her, giving her a grin in return. "Go grab your stuff, I need a break from this paper, anyway."
"Good, because we need to keep discussing these movies, Lewis!" She called out, before going to the cooler to grab a Coke, and then her sandwich, before walking back over to me with a grin.
"Hey, what is this, anyway?" I asked her curiously, giving my sandwich an odd look. I never thought to ask her...especially since I didn't order it.
"Oh, it's our rustic Italian. Provolone, salami, pepperoni, capicolla, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pesto." She answered me. "You said you've been staring at it on the menu for awhile, so figured I'd make you one."
Immediately, I started reaching for my wallet. "How much is-?"
She cut me off just as quickly. "No, don't pay for it. It's on the house, on me." She smiled, biting into her own sandwich. Chicken salad from the look of it.
"Alright, but the next time we end up getting food or something, then I'm paying." I told her honestly. Because now that she di this for me, then I felt like I had to do something like it for her in return. It was just the kind of person I was.
"Deal." Amanda said it around a mouthful, giving me a grin that was spotted with mayo.
"Is your chicken salad sandwich always this messy?" I asked her with a snort, because really, I'm kind of glad I didn't get it like I've wanted to.
"Sometimes." She informed with, swiping at her mouth with a napkin. "But, it also depends on who's eating it...or how fast they're eating it, too. I'm starving, and when I let myself get this hungry, I tend to forget about much else than stuffing my face."
I stayed silent, just giving her a smile, because it made me think of a certain redhead I knew. Clary could do the exact same thing, especially when she got around Chinese food. The girl had two hollow legs, I wouldn't be surprised, since she could be called a fatty for how much she ate...yet she looked like she survived on water...with an occasional salad as a treat. Yet it was anything but.
"So. Favorite zombie movie, since we were just on the subject." Amanda's voice brought me away from thinking of my best friend, back to her. Luckily, I didn't have to think about the question she presented. Not for one minute.
"28 Days Later."
"Oh, god yes! So much better than 28 Weeks Later, just because of how the father pretty much..."
"And, after we got on that subject, that was all we talked about. Until we finished eating, and then I got up and left, since she had class." I didn't voice it, but now that Dahlia pointed it out...and given that she was in love with me after just that little bit of time, I wondered if she would've hung around if she didn't have class. Who am I kidding, she would've stayed. Probably walked me home. I know that now.
"Let me guess...when you guys met up on the street is when you decided to pay her back and go for Chinese, right?" I could hear the small smile in her voice. And it made me smile, too, because she knew me so well.
I couldn't hold back a chuckle...or resist scooting closer to her. "Yeah. You got that right."
The restaurant was small, a little place called Chan An, tucked into a strip mall next to a major grocery store chain, called Giant Eagle, out here in Western Pennsylvania. Dahlia had once told me that it had the quality of mall Chinese, but in my opinion, Chinese food was Chinese food, and I didn't care how I got it, so long as I got it. It's something Clary and I shared.
"So, lucky coincidence, huh?" Amanda's voice brought me out of my internal musings, once again, about my best friend, the girl I was in love with, and the girl who I missed dearly after nearly a week straight of not talking to her.
I chuckled quietly, as a waiter brought our drinks. A Coke for her and a water with lemon for me. "Yeah, I guess it kind of was." I agreed with her. "Though, it looks like you had plans already." And she did. Since she was done up a bit more, but still casual about it. Her hair was curled a bit more than usual, and she was in a sky blue halter top, jeans, and a pair of high heeled sandals.
I watched her as she shrugged, taking sip of her Coke, before answering me. "Just a date." She answered me, giving me a small smile.
"Do I know the lucky guy?" I asked her out of curiosity. Maybe talking about someone else's love life would distract me from my own.
"Yeah, you do." Amanda replied, tossing her hair behind a bare shoulder. She looked ready to keep talking, but her phone vibrating stopped her.
"Something wrong?" I asked her, because she didn't look up from her phone, which made me think it was something important going on.
"Roberts gave us a huge test at the end of this week." She replied with a groan...and I just stared at her blankly.
"You mean you're not ready for it?"
"No! Not at all!" She looked upset, like it was like she'd fail out if she didn't ace this test. So, I ended up coming up with an idea.
"How about, after you get your chicken lo mien and I get my spicy garlic chicken and we split an eggroll...or three...we talk about meeting up a day next week? Order some dinner, I can help you study?" The offer was made without a hint of malice. After all, she looked worried for her grade. And she was a friend of Clary's. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let a friend of hers fail in a class where I excelled.
Amanda seemed to give my offer some thought...before she held up a finger with a serious face. "On one condition."
"What would that be?"
"I take you to The Exchange and grab a few new horror movies. This way, if we get bored or tired of studying, we have something else to do."
That was a fair trade...and I just held a hand over the table, giving her an amicable grin. "You've got yourself a deal, Amanda."
"So, then, you guys meeting up today. Tonight was supposed to be a study session?" Clary, leaning against the wall and curled into me, with one of my arms over her shoulders, asked me quietly.
"Yeah." I admitted to her with a sigh. "It was. Until the whole thing with the two of you went down at Hello Bistro, and then how she behaved afterward. I mean, I feel guilty about just bailing on her like that, but-"
"You shouldn't." Clary's voice came through with a bit more venom in her tone, as she sat up to look at me, eyes flashing in the dim stillness of the room. "You shouldn't feel guilty about bailing on her after what she did to me, Simon! I mean, god, it's like Jace all over again...except this time, it's a female version and she's in love with you and I'm going to lose you once-!"
"I feel guilty about it, but I'd feel guiltier about going with her given what she did to you."
That statement stopped her anger cold, I could tell it did, because she stared at me liked a slack-jawed fish. And it was the most adorable thing I'd seen her do in recent weeks. "And, for the record, you're not going to lose me, because I'm not going to give up on you. I'm going to stand here, be your best friend, and be nothing but your best friend...until you fall in love with me so slowly that you won't even realize it."
"We're sitting on a bed, Einstein." Leave it to Clary to try to mouth off to me when I try to be all sentimental and serious.
"You know what I mean, Tiny Tot." As quick as I said it, a hand connected with my stomach, pitching me forward with a groan, as Clary tried to get away. But, I wasn't having any of that, since I grabbed her and just started to tickle her, laughing at her little shriek as she started to kick out and squirm away from me and my deadly fingers. She could talk the talk, but as soon as I started to tickle her, I proved I could totally walk the walk.
"OOOH!" ...until she managed to nail me where the sun doesn't shine. Despite my pain, I could still hear her laughing...and wasn't prepared at all for when she tackled me, sending me flying off her bed and onto the floor, with her on top of me the entire time.
"I rule all." I could hear the smugness in her tone, even through her giggles.
And all I could do was groan in defeat. "I swear, I think you do that on purpose." I groaned again, feeling her whack me on the stomach once again, and I rolled onto my side, curling into a slight fetal position.
"You're just a sore loser, since you got taken down by someone a foot shorter than you." She squealed again, because I tossed her off me quickly, rolling so that I was on top of her this time. And I just continued to tickle her into submission, this time not being too merciful about it.
The both of us ignored someone pounding on the door, a familiar-sounding voice telling us to just quit with the foreplay already.