"What the hell, Clarke?" she yelled over the loud music.
"Did you hear anything about Emily getting another guy?" I asked, I sounded jealous but I didn't care at this point. I couldn't hide it anymore.
"No. Why?" she asked, suddenly interested in the information she was about to receive.
"When I was outside, she was across the street at that hotdog joint, sitting outside, eating with this guy."
"Someone we didn't know?" She asked.
I nodded.
Natasha laughed and took a sip of her drink. "What a whore." she mumbled.
I was offended that she would even say that. As much as Emily has been seen with different guys she never had sex with any of them besides me. If anything Natasha was the whore, she slept with a new guy almost every other week. Emily was just like a magnet, her features and figures brought the guys to her. Natasha didn't have that.
"She's not a whore, Natasha. She's just moved on and I haven't." I retorted, stealing a sip of her drink.
"Dylan, she isn't 'moving on' she's trying to get you jealous." She scoffed, "And it's obviously working."
"She would never do that." I tried to deny the thought.
"Dylan," Natasha turned to me, "Move on, seriously, she's not like us at all. She's scared of everything we do."
"She's scared because everything we do can get us in serious trouble!" I shouted, my voice rising.
"Dylan, you know how many girls want you right now? Yet you're stuck on this stupid nerd whore at NYU!" Natasha stood up from the table and leaned closer to my face as she yelled.
"You know what, Natasha. If anyone is the whore here it's you!" I immediately regret saying those words because the moment they slipped off my tongue, she fell back down onto the chair and her features softened.
"I-I didn't mean that-"
"Get away from me-"
"Natasha, please-" I begged.
"-Just leave, Dylan! Nobody wants you here!" She threw the rest of her drink on me and ran into the crowd of people, disappearing instantly.
I banged my fists on the table and ran my hands through my hair.
Great, she was my ride. Guess I'll have to figure out how to get home now.
I walked back towards the exit and began to head back towards campus. As I opened the door, Emily and her mysterious boy were pulling away. I debated if I should run them down and ask for a ride but decided against it. That was the stupidest idea I have ever thought of. She hated me, there was no way she would give me a ride.
I pulled out my wallet and grabbed a fifty. I quickly hailed a cab and stepped inside.
"New York University, please." I said, sitting back in my seat.
I looked out the window and watched as people hurried down the sidewalks. As I looked forward, I could see the taxi driver's eyes on mine through the rear view mirror.
"You alright, kid?" He asked, keeping his attention on the road.
"I've been better." I responded curtly.
"Girl problems?"
I smirked. "How did you know?"
"It's obvious. No matter what poker face you put on, there is always something about girls."
I nodded my head as he pulled into the front of the building. I would walk from here, wouldn't take that long.
"How much do I owe you?" I asked, pulling out my wallet again.
"Twenty seven," I nodded, handing him my fifty. He gave me change and drove away.
I turned around to see an empty hall building and the lights of the dorms around me filling the dark campus. A few people were still outside this late. I had no idea why.
Emily's dorm complex was on the way to the Frat house. As I walked by she pulled into her usual parking space. I was surprised to see her walking inside on her own. The boy was no longer with her. That must mean something.
I watched as she locked her car and rubbed her eyes as she walked towards the front door.
As she disappeared inside, I waited for her dorm light to turn on.
This is ridiculous. Why am I watching her?
The blinds in her dorm were opened just enough to see inside and she must have not noticed or bother to shut them all the way. She began to pull off her shirt and slip on her pajamas. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I also couldn't believe that I was doing this.
I missed when she did that in front of me.
I shook the memory from my head.
When the lights shut off, I continued back towards the house. After ten minutes of walking down the, surprising, quite streets filled with fraternities and sororities, I made it back.
I pulled out my key to discover the whole house was empty. Everyone was out and I was the only one home. I started upstairs towards my room.
I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas. As I collapsed into bed I starred at the ceiling.
I felt as if I was in somebody else's body, dealing with somebody else's problems. All this drama was driving me insane. Nothing was normal anymore. Not even my own comfortable bed.
I shut my eyes when, all of a sudden, my phone rang on my bedside table. I reached over and unplugged my phone from the charger.
As I looked at the screen, my heart sank.
Mum
I slid my thumb across the screen as fast as I could and quickly answered.
"Hello?"
Emily's Point of View
I thought I was imagining when I heard my ring tone inside my dream but I quickly awoke and realized somebody was actually calling me.
I looked at the screen and read;
Dylan
I wasn't going to answer into but something told me if he was calling this late it was serious.
I pressed answer and immediately heard deep breathing on the other end.
"Dylan?" I whispered, looking over at Jasmine in bed next to me, sound asleep.
I heard cries on the other line and the faint sound of keys turning in an engine that won't start, "Emily?"
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up in bed.
"Emily, I know you hate me right now but please I need your help!" I could hardly understand what he was saying. Was he crying?
"Dylan? What the hell is going on?"
"I just need a ride to the train station,"
"Why do you need my help?" I asked, confused.
"Because," he began, trying to sound as if he wasn't being mean, "My fucking car won't start and I need a ride."
I wasn't going to be a jerk about this whole situation; if he needed a ride I'll give him a ride.
"Fine, are you at the house?"
"Yeah," he answered, I could still hear the faint sound of his engine failing to start.
I quickly got out of bed and didn't even bother changing. I looked out the window to discover it was down pouring outside. I ran out the door quietly and rushing downs the stairs. As I pulled out my keys, I unlocked the car and quickly collapsed into the driver’s seat. I started the engine and drove down the street towards the fraternity house.
As I pulled up onto the curb, I saw Dylan's headlights on as he sat inside the car trying to get the engine to start. I honked my horn and he crawled out of the driver’s seat. He had his hood over his head and was wearing sweatpants. He took the keys out of the ignition and placed them in his pocket after locking his Audi.
I unlocked the doors and he slipped inside, soaking wet.
We didn't even exchange hellos as he sat down. He just stared out the windshield.
"Well?" he asked.
"What?"
"Are you going to drive or are we just going to sit here?" He was being completely obnoxious.
I pulled my keys out of the ignition and turned to him. "Listen, I don't know where you're going but if it's to some party then you can get out of my car and walk for all I care!"
Dylan pressed his palms to his forehead and took a deep breath, "I'm not going to some party, and can you please just drop me off at the train station?"
I grit my teeth and began to drive.
The
rest of the car ride was silent, other than Dylan turning the radio station to a different channel ever second.
"Can you just choose? You're giving me a headache." I asked.
He just looked at me and continued to turn.
As I stopped at a red light, he turned to me.
"You should really close your window at night." he said, his green eyes staring at me. It made me feel uncomfortable. Not only was he staring me down but also he was telling me to close my window.
"What?"
"You left it open, you should really learn how to close it."
"What window?"
"Your dorm window."
My eyes widened. "You looked in my window?"
He nodded. "Yeah, and I saw you at the restaurant too."
"So is your new hobby stalking me now?" I retorted.
"No, we just seem to always been in the same part of town I guess." He shrugged his shoulders and turned to face the passenger window. He pressed his fingers to the damp window and began to doodle on the glass. "How is the new guy? Is he as good as I was?"
I slammed on the breaks. "What?" I choked on my breath and he turned towards me as if I were insane. People behind me honked on their horns. "That's my step-brother!"
Dylan laughed. "Oops."
"You know, I actually thought you were changing but I was wrong. You're back to you old self; being a dick, partying all the time." I pulled up to the station and he grit his teeth at my remark.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Why do you even need to be here anyway?" I asked as he flung open the passenger door.
"That's none of your business." He said, slamming the door and walked towards the platform.
Chapter 31
"Sweetheart," Chelsea said from outside the dressing rooms.
I poked my head out from behind the curtain as she held out a few different ideas for bridesmaid dresses.
"Pearl or gold?"
"What are the colors of the wedding reception?" I asked. I looked over at Brandon. He was lying back in a chair as he drank a glass of something the workers had given him.
"The reception is gold and black."
I figured if she made all the bridesmaids wear white they wouldn't match very well but then again, Chelsea was wearing white too.
I tilted my head before saying, "How about a dress with gold and black."
Chelsea lit up. "Good idea! Makes everything easier."
I smiled as she ran as fast as she could in her heels. I was about to slip back into the dressing room but Brandon began to laugh.
"What?" I asked.
"It's funny. She's done this so many times and she still freaks out."
I raised my eyebrow. "It's a lot of work."
Brandon shrugged and laughed.
I stepped back into the dressing room and waited for Chelsea to hand me the next dress. She came back with a tight black dress with gold sparkles in the fabric.
"I know it's rather tight but you have an amazing figure, try it on!" Chelsea excitedly handed me the dress and I slipped it on. I stared at myself in the mirror and admired how I looked. I haven't felt this confident in a while.
"Show me, sweetheart!" Chelsea yelled from outside, I stepped out and both Chelsea and Brandon's eyes widened.
"That's perfect! I'll buy it for you." She clapped her hands and I tried to tell her that I had my own money but she insisted.
"Go change and meet me by the suits, I’ll be there with Brandon." she said as I disappeared behind the dressing room curtain.
I changed and placed the dress back on the hanger as I made my way towards the back of the store by the suits. Brandon was picking out a tie.
"Ready to go?" Chelsea asked. I nodded along with Brandon. She took the dress from my grip and the two ties Brandon had picked out and walked over to the register.
Brandon began to follow her but I pulled on his arm. "Wait," I began, "I need to talk to you."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened?"
I bit the inside of my cheek but finally began to speak, "It's Dylan."
Brandon stepped closer to me. "What happened now?"
"He called me really late last night asking me for a ride to the train station."
"Where was he going?"
"I have no idea."
Brandon shrugged his shoulders. "He is just trying to get back together with you, Emily."
"I-I want to but I just don't want to get hurt again, you know?"
Brandon nodded, "I understand."
Chelsea finished paying and all three of us walked outside back towards the car.
I collapsed onto my bed as I finally arrived back home. Jasmine was sitting at her desk finishing her homework. We hadn't seen each other in days. She was either at a party or always with Ethan.
"Welcome home," she greeted, as I rolled over on my bedspread and starred up at the ceiling.
"You too," I chuckled, "Haven't seen you in a while."
Jasmine didn't answer. She turned towards me in her office chair and pulled her thighs up to her chest.
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up and sitting at the corner of my bed.
"I-I lost it."
I narrowed my eyebrows. "What did you lose? Do you need help finding it?"
Jasmine threw a pillow at me. "No, stupid! I lost it."
It took me a few minutes to understand. "Oh wait, what?"
She nodded. "Last night, Ethan and I did it at the fraternity house."
"Give me the details."
She tilted her head and leaned her head back, laughing and covering her face as if she were embarrassed.
"Don't tell anyone, okay?" She grabbed a pillow and pulled it close to her chest.
I nodded.
"He saw that Dylan's room was unlocked and."
My mouth widened, "you had sex in Dylan's room?" my voice came out too loud.
She slowly nodded her head.
"He's going to kill you! I am not even joking!" I shouted.
"His bed was comfy and Ethan was so sweet! When I woke up he was lying next to me, unlike Dylan who left!" She began to laugh at her own joke. My heart sank at her last sentence as my features softened.
Jasmine looked over towards me to see I wasn't laughing, I was embarrassed.
"Sorry." she apologized, "I thought you were over him, I-"
I shook my head, she was clearly hanging out with Natasha too much.
"Anyway," She cleared her throat and walked over to the closet, "Can I borrow a top? I have a party tonight and-"
I cut her off. "Jas, give it a break!"
She looked startled, "Huh?"
"Is there ever a night where you don't go to a party?" I pointed out, shutting the closet door and standing my ground in front of her.
She furrowed her eyebrows. "Listen, Emily. You don't control me, okay? We aren't even friends anymore!"
She pushed me out of the way, slammed the closet door, grabbed a change of clothes and ran across the hallway into Ethan's room.
I stumbled back down onto my bed and lay down. I was losing everyone. I couldn't even tell Jasmine my closest secrets without being afraid of her telling Natasha. As much as I wanted to tell Dylan I still had feelings for him, he was back to the boy he was before I met him.
I finally found the strength to get up and take a shower downstairs. It was getting late and I was exhausted, thank god we have two weeks off for thanksgiving.
I stepped into the shower and made sure the water was scorching. It relaxed me.
Once I was finished and slipped into my pajamas, I brushed my teeth and made my way upstairs. Jasmine was standing in the hallway when I approached the elevator. She was standing with Ethan and Natasha.
I heard them snickering at me as I stepped into the elevator. I didn't even turn to face them. I just pressed the button and continued on upstairs.
Once I was back inside, I hung my dress for the wedding on my desk chair and lay back in bed. I pulled out my laptop and decided I would ju
st watch some old romantic movies on Netflix the rest of the night.
In the middle of my second movie, my phone began to ring. I looked down at the clock and read that it was a quarter to one in the morning. I misplaced my phone but eventually found it underneath clothes.
I looked down at the screen. Dylan was calling me.
I slid my finger across the screen and held the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
I heard muffled crying on the other end. Was this really him, was Dylan actually crying?
"Dylan? Are you there?" I asked again.
"Emily?" he finally spoke.
I walked back over to my bed and collapsed onto the sheets. He sounded like he was crying so hard. I couldn't even understand him as he spoke.
"W-what's wrong, Dylan?"
"It's my mum. S-She’s," he hesitated on the other line, not talking for a few seconds. I could hear him trying to talk but he was crying so hard he couldn't speak. I have never seen or heard him show this much emotion before.
"What, Dylan? What's wrong with your mom?"
"S-she's not doing well." He finished, I could hear his heavy breathing through the speaker. I sat back up in bed and faced the wall. My heart dropped in my chest.
"What do you need, Dylan?" I asked, walking over to my closet and getting dressed as fast as I could.
"I-I just want someone here. Natasha and I are in this fight a-and I just need someone right now." He struggled to find his words. I wanted so badly to tell Dylan that he was all I had left too but I couldn't. It was too hard.
"I'll be right there, okay?"
"Okay,"
"Wait, Emily." he said softly through the speaker.
"Yes?"
"I love you." he whispered, and then the line went dead.
Chapter 32
I rushed down the hallway of the hospital corridor, not even bothering to stop at the desk and ask which room Dylan's mother was in.
I kept hearing his voice in my head when he called me thirty minutes ago at one in the morning crying, "Emily,"
He sounded like he was crying so hard he couldn't breathe. I couldn't even understand him speaking on the phone.
"W-what's wrong?"
Party Boy Love Story Page 13