CHAPTER 5

Evidently in the Sharpton family, shyness was abundant in the girls. I couldn't speak for their mother, but I could speak for Daisy and I could definitely speak for Molly. It was Monday, a day when we both were busy with classes right up until lunchtime, which we regularly spent at the university's cafeteria together.

"Thanks." She quietly thanked me as I put a tray in front of her. "I owe you for the next meal."

"Don't worry about it." I smiled as I sat down next to her and gave her a side hug.

She smiled softly before putting her arms on the table and digging in. "How was the seminar?" She asked me.

"Brutal." I answered. "Whoever created the timetable to include 8am should be fired. I'm just glad I have Tuesday off. Otherwise I'd be dead all week."

"Is that why you always sleep in until 4 on Tuesdays?" she humorously asked me.

"I do not." I protested, a sly smile on my face. "I just stay in my room until four."

"With the door closed. Making no sound. With paper-thin walls. With me playing music loud enough to wake anyone up." Molly continued for me, cocking an eyebrow with a sly smile of her own. " you do."

"Well, what else would I be doing in there?" I asked her.

I could swear her eyes flickered down to my crotch briefly, but knowing me, it could have been my imagination, plagued with desire. "Hey, that's your business." She finally said.

"I ought to wash your mouth out with soap!" I told her.

She shrugged innocently and took a bite out of her sandwich. "I didn't say anything!" She protested.

"But you implied it!" I argued.

"That's what you think." She argued back. "You're the dirty mind here."

"Maybe I wasn't thinking of something dirty. Then you're the one with the dirty mind." I protested.

"This conversation's going in circles, isn't it?" She asked me.

I shrugged. "That tends to happen."

"Yo." Some prep tapped me on the shoulders and I spun around to face him. Several other similarly dressed kids were awkwardly standing behind him. "Mind if we sit next to you guys?"

I glanced around. It was around lunchtime, so the cafeteria was pretty full. "Yeah, go ahead." I said, knowing what was coming next, but not wanting to be discourteous. I looked at Molly as the guys sat around across from us and next to me, and sure enough, her shoulders hunched forwards slightly, and she was looking straight ahead at the table. We had the foresight to have her seated at the edge of the table, at least.

"Thanks, guys." The prep said, seated across from Molly. "Will you be here long?"

I shrugged. "My next class is at 2, so I might, if that's alright." I answered. The prep nodded, and looked at Molly. I didn't even need to look at her to know I had to take over. "She'll-"

"I was asking her, not you, bro." The guy coolly told me. "I'm sure the lady can answer for herself."

Molly took a small inhale that would be unnoticeable if I wasn't looking for it. "Dunno." She told them with a completely expressionless face.

The prep chuckled in confusion. "'Dunno'? You don't know your own next class? You should look into that, then. It's probably important to know your own classes."

"Yeah, probably." Molly simply answered him, still staring at her food.

"So what's your major?" He asked, leaning in closer. Molly nudged me with her foot.

"Look, buddy, cool it with the questions, huh?" I told him, placing an arm down on the table to assert my dominance.

"Whoa, bro. Didn't realize you got to speak for her." The prep told me. "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No." Molly cut in before I could say anything. I didn't want to admit it, but it hurt that she said it before I could.

"Well, there we go. Looks like not only is it okay, she also can speak for herself. So why don't you just let two people talk, huh?" The prep stared me down.

"Walk away from this table." I ordered calmly. "Take your friends with you. Sooner would be better than later. That's what I want, and that's what she wants."

"This got hostile really quickly." One of the prep's friends muttered.

"Is that so?" The prep challenged me, looking towards her. "Is that true? You want me to go?"

"I don't care." Molly flatly said. With one hand, she held her sandwich. The other was down on the bench between us where no one could see, her fingers nervously tapping away.

The prep smiled smugly in victory as he shifted in comfort, evidently staying. "Alright, fine." I admitted, my tone even. "We'll just go."

I stood up and took my tray, and without a word, left the guys at the table. Molly followed suit immediately, wiping the smile off of the prep's face as she left them behind. We quickly found a table for just two people and sat down.

"We should have just come to this one first." I remarked.

Molly sulked. "I'm sorry." she said quietly, still notably uncomfortable. "I don't mean to be a burden on you."

I grabbed her arm opposite the table. "You know it's not like that at all." I assured her. "As long as you're okay, that's all that matters."

She smiled weakly, not believing what I said. She never really did. I let go of her arm and she went back to eating her sandwich.

"So..." I tried to break the awkward silence. "How's Georgina?"

"You mean Georgia?" She asked.

I shrugged in response. I didn't really pay attention to her friends - I listened when she had stories but I was never good with names anyway. I just wanted to change the topic to something else.

"She hasn't really talked to me much." She answered simply, taking another bite and slowly chewing. "I think she found a new circle of friends. I'm happy for her."

"What, so she just left you?" I asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "Maybe she's just busy." She offered.

"Molly, you really need to start sticking up for yourself." I told her seriously. "You stick up for Chris just fine. You stick up for that classic shit you're taking. Talk to her. You've lost a lot of friends since you started uni?"

She shrugged again. "It happens. People branch off into different paths. It can't be helped."

"Molly..." I groaned.

Her shoulders moved forward. "Next topic."

She couldn't use this tactic forever, but I had to comply. "Alright, alright." I admitted defeat. "I'm sorry. I'm just concerned."

"Got it." She simply said in response, before taking another bite and chewing nervously.

The rest of the time there, we ate in silence. It was painful.