31. Lolly
thirty-one
Lolly
The dorm smells like Ramen noodles and ass, but at least it’s familiar. I throw myself onto the bed, leaning my head against the wall.
“Why are you wet and what the fuck did he do to you?” Jay questions.
“I’m wet because it’s raining like a motherfucker.” I ignore the rest, but the silence is short-lived.
“Lolly, you can tell me now, or in fifteen minutes after I’ve recited that scene from Princess Bride. The choice is yours, my guy.”
I fight back a grin, knowing he’s right. “The fuck outta here, Jay,” I say with annoyance.
“Nerp.” He says, arms crossed as he kicks his legs up on the desktop and stares at me.
I get straight to the point, “You were right.” The words are easier to say than I had initially imagined they’d be. The truth falling heavily onto my chest as my cheeks heat.
“That motherfucker,” Jay growls. “I fucking warned you, man,” he sighs, running fingers through his loose locks. “Go ahead and give it to me now, so I don’t find out later and accidentally clock that pretty boy twat waffle. My right elbow has a mind of its own, you know.”
I start at the beginning, leaving only the intimate parts out of it. Jay is a, ‘heart not the part,’ type, but he’s made it clear he has no desire to hear about my sex life in any detail.
Jay puts his feet on the floor and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “You can’t be serious,” he exclaims, brows raised. “That nerdy, freckled-face fuck nugget threw away the best thing he’s ever had because he was afraid of what his family might think?”
I huff a laugh, unable to stop myself because he’s not wrong. “Freckled-faced fuck nugget?” I shake my head. “I fucking can’t with you.”
His eyes soften, “You love him, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do,” I say, voice quieter now. I wipe a tear from my cheek before it makes it any further, hoping Jay won’t notice.
“Dude, fuck that. Fuck him and his closet. You have come too far, worked too hard to be with someone who can’t be proud of you.
Hell, man, I’m just your friend and I’m always proud to have you by my side.
You’ve pulled yourself up from a darkness most wouldn’t be able to find their way out of.
You fought your demons and won. You deserve sunsets and rainbows and fucking unicorns if you want ‘em.”
“Unicorns?”
“Fuck yeah, man. Unicorns.”
I smile at that, the cold chill from the rain and Bailey’s dismissal finally thawing. My resolve seeps in quietly, and I know that my only move is to give him what he asked of me. To slam our book closed before the ink has dried, and turn my back on every sunset.