CHAPTER 27: MARSHA'S BACK

It turns out, it does get better. Well, not exactly. I was so busy running around so much I didn't have time to think or even feel anything other than rushed. So, yeah, not that bad.

I keep running around from one faculty building to the others, to club rooms and offices to get my job done. There are also several new jobs posted on my social media walls that I haven't checked in the last two days. I'm overwhelmed. I'm so content. Working on things keeps my mind off of things I don't want to remember, let alone think about.

I am currently running through the corridor to get to the drama club while carrying a heavy set of new props when I feel my phone vibrating in my jean's pocket.

"Urgh!" I groan and look around. "Yo! Jordan!" I call out to the ever so energetic freshman when I spot him not far from me. I wait for him to approach me before handing over the props. "Here, take this," Huffing and staggering, Jordan makes his way to the drama club while I grin apologetically and fish out my phone.

It's Allen.

I stare at the name displayed on my screen. My grin immediately falls. I grab my phone ever so tightly. Manning up, I answer his call calmly, or as calmly as I can be right now.

"Yo. 'Sup?" Really? Trying for hood now? I mentally slap myself.

"Hey..." Allen sounds surprised. Probably from hearing me try and talk like some gangster or my overly cheerful tone? "Umh..." I tap my foot impatiently on the floor. I'm terrified to hear what he has to say. "Can we... I... need to talk to you."

There it is.

My heart clenched.

"Now? I can't, sorry," I immediately say and Allen immediately goes silent. I grit my teeth and sigh. "Look, Allen," I call out to him, softer now. "I'm not trying to avoid you or anything... I'm just... I really am busy right now. I'll talk to you when I can, okay?"

"Okay," Allen finally answers after a while. "Sorry," He adds before hanging up. My eyes start to sting.

For what? For sleeping with me when you already have a girlfriend? For letting me sleep with you even though you probably knew that I am in love with you and you already have a girlfriend? For not calling or showing your damn face and waited for three whole days to call even though I practically live beside you and have been in my room for the last two days?

Well... Chuck did turn my phone off... And he kinda barked at anyone trying to visit me... But still!

Yep. I'm starting to not make sense again.

Whatever. I'm just going to get busy with these people. I thought as I finally entered the club room and joined the cast.

We're practicing our lines and I sometimes help with the props and even though I'm tired, this is exactly what I need. I let the time go by running back and forth between the cast and the prop crew.

"Babe, lunch," I roll my eyes to no one in particular as I once again answer my ringing phone.

"It's three," I state through the phone at Chuck.

"Have you had lunch?" he asks.

"No," I can feel him snorting and I roll my eyes again.

"Then lunch. Now. F," he tells, well, orders me and then just hangs up.

Why do people like to hang up on me so much? I should teach them a lesson. Those damn boys.

I sigh and scan the room to look for the president of the club to excuse myself before gathering my belongings and stride heavily to the F building's cafeteria.

I almost turn on my heels and run away when I see that Chuck's not alone.

Joy and Allen. They are with him. Chatting so cheerfully. Chuck is sitting across from Joy whose shoulder is circled by Allen's big arm. They look so right together. So perfect. I bite my lip trying to hold myself together.

I have to face this. Sooner or later. Sooner is better. The sooner I get rid of this pain or any feeling, the better it is for me. I groan as I taste iron in my mouth. I tear my lower lip again unconsciously. I immediately wipe it away and enter the cafeteria.

"Hey," I immediately go over Chuck's side and flop down beside him, pretending to be majorly, acutely exhausted. "Hi Joy, Allen," I smile at my new friends who smile back. Allen's smile doesn't seem to reach his eyes though, as he stares at me.

"You order yet?" I ask the three of them who nod.

"Salmon steak in soy sauce?" Chuck asks me.

"You payin'?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Uh huh," He answers nonchalantly and I grin immediately.

"Thanks," I tell him. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you," I remind him.

"You still love me so I don't actually care," I roll my eyes at his overconfident ego. "Your lip's bleeding," He says suddenly. Sternly. I sit up straight right away and touch my lower lip.

"Oh," I say when I see blood on my thumb.

"I've told you to stop biting your lip," Chuck grabs my chin and dap my lip with a tissue. I groan and try to get away but he holds on to my chin firmly.

I can feel the side of my face burning. Knowing that, without having to confirm it, Allen's staring at me. At us. I scoff mentally. Let him.

"I've told you to stop calling me babe like a gazillion times and you still won't listen, so..." I shrug and earn a smack to my head.

"Not the same thing dumbass," I'm about to return the favor when I catch two figures strutting towards our table and I immediately yelp and stand up.

"Marsha! Kenneth!" I shout so loudly that the whole cafeteria is now staring at us. The two wave at us. I immediately throw my hands around them once they arrived at our table.

"When did you get back?" I ask, bending my knees a little so Marsha can kiss my forehead as she usually does.

"Last night," Marsha kisses my forehead and turns to kiss Chuck's.

Kenneth is about to do the same to me when Chuck yanks his shirt and his body away from me, making me chuckle and Kenneth groans in displease.

"Back off," Chuck grins at his friend before hugging him.

"Aw... Can I kiss you instead, then?" Kenneth teases.

"Maybe when I'm dead," Chuck says and we laugh before calming down and sitting back in our seats, after pulling two more chairs to our big table.

"Kenny, this is Joy and her boyfriend, Allen. Our new friends," I introduce them to Kenneth emphasizing on the word boyfriend not very so subtly.

"Nice to meet you," Kenneth says as he shakes hands with them. Allen and Joy smile back to him as I stare at Allen who looks as calm as ever.

"So, you're okay now?" Marsha asks, turning to me. as well as four other heads.

"I'm fine. It was just a fever," I roll my eyes, mostly at Chuck and I also send him some deadly glares.

"Chuck really freaked out, you know," Marsha tells me, frowning. Well, now I feel slightly bad.

"What? Like you weren't," Kenneth teases his girlfriend.

"I'm a woman, Kenny. I always freak out. It's our job," Marsha glares at him, though not with deadly glares. Her eyes still glint beautifully every time she looks at him.

"I'm sorry," I finally say to them. "Did I ruin your vacation?" I ask guiltily.

"Not at all," Marsha reassures me. "We originally wanted to spend the rest of summer here. Kenneth managed to get some time off. We just came back a little earlier, that's all," She tells me. still not convinced, though.

"Still... sorry...." I say again.

"Then don't get sick again. You have to take care of yourself more, babe," Marsha starts the scolding. And I start rolling my eyes.

"It was just a fever, Sha," I remind her.

"Fever can lead to a lot of things, you know," Kenneth suddenly says with his know-it-all attitude that sends me rolling my eyes again. "Paralyze, loss of hearing, sight, speech..." he shrugs. I shoot daggers at him also.

"If that's your way of helping, then stop. You suck at it," I tell him.

"Stop pouting. It's not attractive," Chuck tells me as he pulls me closer so he can just mess with my hair and mock me.

"You know that's not true," I grin back at him.

At this point, I am terrified to even glance at Allen. Why? Fuck if I know.

Thankfully, the food is here! Not Marsha's and Kenneth's though. They already ate lunch so they just order drinks.

As usual, Marsha and Chuck are doting on me. So much that Joy finally asks out of pure curiosity. "Do they always do this? Even in front of you?" she asks Kenneth, nodding at the three of us.

"That's the best part of this codependent dysfunctional relationship they got going on," That earns a smack from both me and Chuck and a giggle from Marsha. "I meant it in the best way!" Kenneth says defensively.

"Yeah, right," Chuck and I scoff.

"Really, though. Don't you ever feel jealous?" Joy asks again.

"Of this no-brain here?" Kenneth points at Chuck who says 'Hey!' "And little princess here?" he points at me and I 'Hey!' him too. He earns two more smacks for that. "No. never," He grimaces, rubbing the back of his head where we smacked him. "I sometimes join in too, you know," He tells Joy and Allen. "I get why Marsha and Chuck dote so much on Lee and I also get why Marsha and Lee put up with everything that is Chuck," He smiles at the new friends.

"I kinda get what you mean," Joy says thoughtfully. "Lee is very adorable and Chuck is very fun to hang around with," She says and I can feel once again, the guilt that is trying to eat me alive.

She thinks I'm adorable. This slut who fell in love with her boyfriend and managed to make said boyfriend to have sex with said slut.

I laugh bitterly inside.

"How long have you been together anyway?" Joy asks again.

"Us?" Marsha and Kenneth point at each other.

"Us?" while me and Chuck point at each other.

Joy giggled at us.

"Well, me and Marsha have been going out for six years now," Kenneth explains to Joy. "Chuck and Lee have been together since second grade and Marsha completed their little circle in third grade. That is if I'm not mistaken," He looks at the three of us who nod.

"Sounds about right," I say to him.

"So, let me get this straight," Joy says in a serious tone while her eyes twinkling. "There are three couples, well, relationships going on between the four of you? You and Marsha. Chuck and Lee. And Marsha, Chuck and Lee?" she asks. I blink.

"That's basically, strangely, terrifyingly, obscurely correct," I say slowly almost deadpan.

Well, when she puts it that way, it does seem kind of messed up, no?

"I have been trying to form a new relationship between me and Lee for quite some time. But a certain douchebag keeps yanking me away from the opportunity," Kenneth snorts at Chuck who grins.

"12 years dude," he says. "You have loooonngg way to go," Chuck says and Kenneth rolls his eyes, earning a laugh from all of us. Even Allen. I recognize his laugh, though this one doesn't sound quite right.

"Schedules," Chuck suddenly says as if he just remembered. I immediately roll my eyes.

"I'll be done by seven tonight," I tell him without wanting to give details. "Pretty much the same thing tomorrow," I shrug.

"I have practice until nine today," Chuck says.

"Me and Kenneth have to go back to my house later..." Marsha trails off and glances over at Joy and Allen.

"I have a dinner meeting tonight... Sorry," Joy says apologetically to me. Our eyes turn towards Allen now. Yes. Even mine.

"I have to take Joy to her meeting..." Allen says slowly, eyeing the others before his gaze falls on me. "But I'll be free for dinner," He says.

I feel the familiar chill run down my spine.

"That's settled then," Marsha says happily. "Me and Kenny will be here tomorrow afternoon. Why don't we head out somewhere for dinner tomorrow?" she says.

"Let's!" Kenny chirps in too cheerfully which makes Chuck and I to narrow our eyes suspiciously at him.

"What's the occasion?" Chuck says accusingly at Kenneth who immediately turns to Marsha for help. He's the worst actor ever while Marsha is probably one of the best ever. She completely ignores Kenneth's pleading eyes and just focuses her words on the rest of us.

"We missed you," She says calmly. "We haven't properly gone out in forever and of course, we have to celebrate our new friends and welcome them officially." She explains.

I shudder. I don't know why I did, though. She speaks so calmly but there's always something terrifying about the ways she speaks. Not that I am actually afraid of her. It's just that she's always that kind of person who knows more than she lets on and her way of handling stuff is very nerve-wracking. She's the most powerful one of us after all.

"I'm down as long as I don't pay," I say finally ever so shamelessly.

I have a reason. Let me explain. Every time Marsha wants to 'go out' instead of 'hang out', she'll pick the most ridiculously expensive place there is. But I never have to pay originally so I never really argue anyway. Heh heh heh.

"Sure," Chuck just shrugs.

Marsha smiles again then she turns to Joy and Allen who look clueless. "We would really love it if you two can also come with us," She says ever so softly and sweetly. Her voice and tone are as sweet as they always have been, flashing her beautiful smile that will make boys, even girls, swoon. "So, please come," I shiver at her very subtle, almost undetected command in her voice. I shake my head at my beautiful friend.

Joy and Allen don't seem to sense it because they're still returning Marsha's smile with their own.

"Sure, we'd love to," Joy says thankfully for the both of them, taking Allen's hand and holding it tightly.

Yes. That hurts.