Donovan
Leaving Clark and Karri upstairs, I head down to the kitchen to see that someone made hot dogs. I've acquired a taste for these puppies, no pun intended.
When I sit down at a table, Holly, very unwelcome, comes and sits down next to me. I'm trying to eat here.
She talks. "I thought that was you with Karri up there making all that noise, but since it's started back up again, I'm guessing it wasn't."
The woman gets on my nerves, but I suddenly remember that Karri used to do the same thing. However, Karri never actually nauseated me.
Does this mean I'm making some kind of reputation for myself... for her (and everyone else probably) to assume it was me?
"No, that would be Clark." I say and enjoy her almost-spit take.
She turns to me to ask, "But you all three were in there at the same time!"
Nosy, gossiping woman. "Yes, so what?" I look her with a completely calm expression on my face and watch her squirm.
She stays quiet, and I, smiling, go and put my dish in the dishwasher.
We have an outside activity in class today, and Tiffany doesn't show up. Her roommate, whom I've learned is named Millie, actually looks at me sympathetically. Well, that's new. ... I don't care though.
I spend the entire class unable to get the angry look that Tiffany gave me out of my mind's eye. I sit and draw eyes the entire class. I try to make them smiling, but I can't seem to get the happiness there.
This is hell. I have nothing to distract myself from thinking about her.
Feeling down, I decide the last place I want to be is sulking in my room, so I head out to a hangout I don't frequent usually.
While I try to decide between a slice of cake or a donut, my phone rings. Willow.
"Oh good, I'm right around the corner." she says when I tell her where I am.
I don't suppose Willow is the person to talk to about this.
I work on controlling my mild depression before Willow can sense it. The lady running the register gives up on me ever ordering anything.
"What's wrong?" I hear coming from behind me.
For about three seconds, I debate not telling her. Then, I decide it's pointless. "Tiffany doesn't want anything to do with me anymore."
"Because of me." she states.
"Well, yes. Mostly that I don't want to be in a committed relationship."
"Then she never would've been happy. Deciding not to see her anymore was the right thing to do."
What a wonderful woman that I don't have to try to describe how I feel, I think with relief. And neither is she gloating.
Without a word, she puts her arms around my neck and pulls herself up to me in an affectionate hug that I happily return. Once again, her jasmine perfume that she knows I love assaults my senses, and I wrap my arms around her even tighter. Willow is smart. She knows talking is the last thing I want, and she feels so good in my arms. It's as if she's telling me with her body that she's still here and not worried that I just want to date. Who needs Tiffany?
"There! All better already." I say and smile a real smile. I haven't smiled a real smile since last night after Karri met Clark... right before I passed out. I guess she did wear me out after all. I'm glad Clark isn't mad at me. He told me he didn't blame me, but if I tried anything like that now that he'd be angry. I told him not to worry about it.
"Good." Willow says, bringing me back to the present moment. "Let's find something else to take your mind off of it."
My mood instantly changes.
She lets out a high-pitched noise as I surprise her and wrap my arms around her like a cage. It takes me a few seconds to realize that she likes what I did.
I hear the shop door open and close, but I don't care. I need this.
"Not that." Willow whispers to me. "Not today." she says.
I make a guess. "Willow, I don't care if it's that time of the -"
"I do, and the other night actually made me a little sore." she whispers back, interrupting me. "Let's go play pool. I still have yet to beat you, and that bothers me. I'm used to winning." she continues with a small grin.
I smile down at her and lightly kiss the tip of her nose before I say, "Alright."
"I'm breaking this time." she states in a determined voice.
"Fine, be my guest." I tease over my shoulder. "I'll just stand here and think up what I'll want when I win." My smile widens when I turn around to see her looking at me with one eyebrow raised.
We play back and forth, neither of us having the stellar game we'd had the first time. I'm not worried, however, because I'm thoroughly enjoying the new, loose shirt she wears. My hands around the cue tighten.
"No!" she whines when what would've been a masterful shot doesn't work.
"Aw, that's a real shame." I say in mock-sympathy. Then I smile to her mild glare.
While I'm setting up for my shot, Josue walks up out of nowhere and spins Willow around to start dancing with her!
The nerve! She's obviously here with me, and this strangely-dressed buffoon thinks he can just dance with her like that?! I seethe as Willow laughs at something he says.
I work at getting a handle on my temper as I walk up and tap him on the shoulder.
He immediately stops dancing and says, "Oh, hey man. I just saw it wasn't her turn anymore and thought I could entertain her while you took yours."
I think I surprise him with my hostility as I tell him exactly what I think of his 'entertaining her'. The guy could probably pound me because he's bigger, but I'm angrier.
Another girl runs up to him while he starts arguing back with me. Whoever she is, she can't get him to calm down.
Willow looks to be enjoying herself.
He backs down eventually, and the other girl asks him to dance.
Happy now? I scream with my body language over to Willow.
She looks contrite for a few seconds before she smiles and saunters up to me. She whispers, "That was so hot."
I groan. Willow, what am I going to do with you? "Dance with me." I practically demand.
I can't help but feel a little pissed off when I see her looking over at Josue behind me.
She looks at me and asks, "What?"
"Would you rather dance with him?" I can't help but ask. Has she slept with him? Does she like him better than me?
I sound just like Tiffany.
She stops dancing. "Donovan." she says in a mildly-accusing whine.
"Sorry, sorry." I say and wrap my arms lightly around her waist. She only looks at me now as I mention, "I thought you said this was hot, my being jealous." I watch as Josue and the other girl leave with his arm around her shoulders.
"You don't have to be jealous... even if I like it. He's an idiot. A funny idiot, but an idiot nonetheless." She has her arms around my neck.
"So what about our game?" I ask.
"I guess it's messed up. I'll forfeit."
"I was hoping you'd say that." I say happily.
She grins and says, "C'mon, Don Robles." Then she drags me into the men's room, and I discover that she and Karri share a similar talent.
"Feeling better?" she asks once we decide to come and sit on a little loveseat.
The place will close soon. It's gotten really late.
"Much better." I say before my phone interrupts us. With a small sigh, I check to see who it is out of curiosity. Tiffany?! I think and scowl into my phone.
"It's Tiffany." I tell Willow, almost like I'm asking her what I should do.
"Well, answer it and see what she has to say." she recommends.
"Are you sure?" I ask. "I don't want to date her anymore."
"Then tell her."
"Hello, Tiffany." I say stoically. Crap. She's crying.
"A threesome, Donovan?!" she quietly screeches into the phone.
That was the last thing I expected to hear. "Um, well... not exactly. More like 'one-at-a-time'."
"Oh, so the b*tch serviced both of you?" she kind of mumbles out a cry. "And only hours after I ended things with you? That tells me you had it planned all along. That whole time we were talking you were probably checking the time to make sure you weren't late."
"Tiffany, Are you drunk?" I ask, concerned that she's on a bender or something. "And I wanted her to meet Clark... and then things got out of control."
"I don't hear you complaining." she sniffs.
"Why should I?" I ask. "Why do you even care? You broke it off with me. As I recall, your last words were 'so long, Donovan'. Why are you calling me?"
"To answer your earlier question, yes. I'm drunk." She makes these little hiccuping sounds. I'm hazarding a guess that she's a crying drunk.
"Tiffany, stop drinking that stuff, drink some water, and get some sleep."
"Shut the f*ck up, Donovan. You can't tell me what to do." she snaps.
I pull the phone away from my ear and look at it like I can't believe what I just heard. "I'm hanging up now, Tiffany." I say and do so.
I sigh and turn around to look down at Willow as she asks, "Do you need me to go so you can go to her?" She asks the question nice enough, but only an idiot would fail to see the underlying jealous anger.
"No, absolutely not." I say before I flop down next to her and prove my point by passionately kissing her. She sighs and relaxes against me.
She pulls back for a second to whisper a question, "One-at-a-time?"
"Karri, and no, I didn't sleep with her." I answer her question in a roundabout way. It's technically the truth... maybe. At any rate, I don't want to discuss it with Willow right at this moment.
I finally make it back to my room at around two. Clark's bed is empty and unmade, and it doesn't take much to figure out where he is.
I finally make it back to my room at around two. Clark's bed is empty and unmade, and it doesn't take much to figure out where he is.





















































