Chapter 15
Fifteen
Mila
Coralie dropped her bag by her chair, then sat down beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
Turning my head and leaning in, I pressed my lips to hers, smiling into the kiss.
Didn’t matter that I’d literally seen her just a couple of hours ago.
I was always happy to see her and spend time with her.
Things were finally back to how they used to be, only so much better because now, Coralie was my girlfriend. She was everything I’d ever wanted her to be to me.
“You two act like you didn’t just see each other a mere three fucking hours ago,” Jessica griped as she dropped into the chair across from Coralie.
Brittany shot her an annoyed look and scooted her chair away from Jessica as if we were in first grade and she thought Jessica had some weird, made-up disease.
Coralie snickered and leaned back in her chair, her arm resting on the back of mine.
Her fingers still grazed my upper arm though—always keeping some point of contact when she could.
“Don’t be jealous,” Coralie retorted, smirking Jessica’s way.
Jessica mimed sticking her finger down the back of her throat and gagging. Brittany rolled her eyes. “Do you have to be such a bitch? Just be happy for them.”
Brittany and Jessica, who were still roommates, also still hated each other.
Asking them to at least tolerate each other in our presence was too big of an ask.
I was honestly surprised they hadn’t started throwing fists yet.
Brittany was always so calm and collected and sweet, yet Jessica had a knack for bringing out the worst side of her.
Jessica sneered at her. “I’ve been happy for them for three fucking months now. Not everyone is so desperate to be loved that they feed off everyone else around them.”
Coralie looked at me, rolling her eyes. I sighed and leaned my head on her shoulder.
She reached up and ran her fingers through my hair, soothing me.
I hated that Brittany and Jessica always fought.
I didn’t even understand why they hated each other so much.
Well, I understood Brittany’s side. Jessica had been a bitch to her from day one for literally no reason.
Brittany had never been the enemy in our story.
So, why did Jessica have such a problem with her? Why couldn’t they just get along?
“Can both of you fucking stop?” Coralie asked, scowling at them both. “I only have thirty minutes until my next exam, and I’d like to not listen to you two fucking bitch at each other the entire time.”
Brittany stood, grabbing her soda off the table and shouldering her bag. I frowned at her. “I need to get going anyway.” She looked at me. “Dinner?”
I looked up at Coralie, not wanting to make plans if she had something planned for us already. When she nodded, I looked back at Brittany and nodded. “Yeah. Around six?”
She smiled at me. “Yep. I’ll meet you in the lobby of our building.
” With that, she walked off, hiking her bag further up on her shoulder.
Coralie scraped her nails along my scalp, and I sighed, sinking deeper into her side.
I’d had to go so long without Coralie’s touch, and now that I had it, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough again.
“Can you chill the fuck out?” Coralie suddenly asked Jessica. “The shit’s over, Jess. There’s no reason to hate Brittany.”
“Really?” she demanded. “Do you know what it’s like living with her? She’s got makeup and hair products all over the damn place. She’s always watching movies that make her cry. She plays fucking pop diva music that grates on my goddamn nerves. And she’s always so fucking chipper.”
“That sounds like dumb reasons to keep hating her,” I spoke up, frowning at her. Jessica and I were no longer enemies; we were friends, but we weren’t anywhere near as close as we used to be. And as long as she kept treating my best friend like shit, we wouldn’t be.
“You don’t fucking live with her,” Jessica repeated, glaring at me.
“Watch how you talk to her,” Coralie snapped at her best friend before I could open my mouth and tell Jessica I had lived with Brittany, and she was a very easy person to live with.
“But she’s right. Those are stupid reasons to keep treating her like shit.
She’s Mila’s best friend, and trying to constantly alienate her will drive a wedge between us.
So, throw some water on your burning feelings, yeah? ”
Jessica’s upper lip curled as she glared at Coralie. “My fucking burning feelings are fueled with oil.” Huffing, she leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I’ll try. For you. Not for Mila.”
I rolled my eyes. “Jeez, thanks,” I muttered.
Jessica rolled her eyes at me so hard that for a moment, all I saw were the whites of her eyes. “Coralie is my best friend. You and I…” She shrugged. “I think you and I both know that bestie ship sailed a long time ago.”
I threw her a sickly-sweet smile. “It caught fire and burned.”
She snickered. “And that bitchy retort is why we’re friends, Mila.”
Coralie snorted. “Just be nice to Brittany, yeah? I hated her too, but she’s actually nice. And there’s not a bad bone in her body. And honestly, both of us should be grateful Mila had someone like Brittany in her corner while you and I were too busy being assholes to see the bigger picture.”
Jessica sighed, deflating. “This isn’t only on us,” she reminded Coralie.
“It’s not,” I agreed. “But Brittany is innocent in all of this. In fact, the only reason she got thrown in the middle of that shit show is because of me. So, just try not hating her guts, at least? I’m not asking you to be best friends with her.
But she’s really sweet, and while I know she’d never admit to it, the shit you say to her hurts. ”
For the first time ever, Jessica looked bothered. Like hurting Brittany’s feelings didn’t sit right with her. She didn’t say anything else, eventually getting up to go get food. Coralie sighed. “You think they’ll ever get along so we don’t have to listen to them bitch anymore?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. It would be nice.” Not only for our sakes, but for Brittany’s, too. I didn’t like seeing my best friend so angry and upset, which she was every single time she and Jessica were near each other.
Coralie hummed and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “After my exam, I’m going to the dorm and taking a nap. Will you bring me back a tray of food from wherever you and Brittany go?”
Turning my head, I lightly pecked her lips. “You know I will. You don’t even have to ask.”
She cupped my cheek and kissed me deeper, parting my lips with her own to slide her tongue along mine. I couldn’t help the soft moan that crawled up my throat. “Love you,” she murmured.
I smiled at her. “I love you, too.”