Page 30 of Break You

When I got back to my apartment, I sprinted to my room and stripped immediately, not stopping to see if my roommate, Erykah, was home. I hoped she wasn’t, but if she was, I didn’t want to run into her while still soaking wet, and be forced to come up with an explanation for my disheveled state. In fact, I didn’t want to talk to anyone for any reason until I’d washed the smell of chlorine and fear from my body.

I threw on my robe, hugging it tight around myself, and crept across the hall to the shower. I stayed in there for so long, I lost track of time, until a sharp rap on the door brought me out of my trance.

“Hey, Rock, remember we agreed to keep shower time to a minimum to be the power bill down? I don’t mind you going a little over five minutes, but it’s been like half an hour. Is everything okay?” She was concerned, not angry.

“Umm… yeah, sorry, I didn’t realize it had been that long. It’s period pain. The shower helps a little.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. Now I feel like a total bitch.”

I switched off the water, reaching for my towel.

“No, don’t feel bad. I was the one pushing for the whole shorter shower thing in the first place.” We shared bills, and given my meager budget, I’d been looking for ways to make my money stretch further.

“I know, which is why I should have figured that you had a good reason for an extra-long one. Do you need me to do anything or grab anything for you? How about one of those donuts you love? The ones with the extra gross and sickly frosting.”

“You’re so sweet and way too good to me...” And I felt hugely guilty for lying to her. “...but I’m okay, thanks. I’m going to dry off, then I think I’ll catch an early night. I’m sure I’ll be cool by the morning.”

“Okay, but make sure you holler at me if you change your mind, okay?”

“Okay. And Erykah?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t even. Seriously.”

She really was a gem.

Xavier

I couldn’t concentrate during psych class the next day. Actually, that wasn’t strictly true. I couldn’t concentrate during any class, but psych was the worst, to the point where Dr. Reylton called me out.

“Mr. Cross, do you have somewhere better to be?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve done nothing but look at the door for the entire class. If you’d rather you were somewhere else, feel free to walk through it. I don’t want anyone here against their will. This is not a jail.”

I mentally gave her the finger. For more than one reason, she was fast becoming my least favorite teacher.

Despite my expletive-ridden inner dialogue, I managed to keep a civil tongue in my head, staring straight ahead in lieu of actually answering her. As much as I wanted to tell her to eat a dick, I didn’t want to get pulled from the class, and not because I was afraid to fail.

“Okay, so if you’re here, actually be here, and if it’s your assignment partner you’re looking for, given that you’re collaborating, I’m sure she would have let you know of her absence today, as she did me.”

I waited until Reylton had resumed teaching, and had her back turned to me before I pulled out my phone and fired off a quick message.

Me: We need to talk.

Rocky: Negative.

Me: We need to work on the assignment.

Rocky: Negative

Me: FFS. Why are we going around in circles?

Rocky: No idea. But I’m going to square this circle right now. I’m pulling out of the assignment, flunk or no.

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