39. Georgia
Marg Central Plus Four
Cleo
I’d like to call a meeting right fucking now
Jace
Oh boy
Derek
When did you guys make this chat??????
Georgia
I fear I know where this is going…
Sienna
Derek, she’s coming for you
Denver
HOW DARE YOU
Ryan
She found her phone, sorry dude
Blake
Tried to keep them both away, sorry man
Derek
***
Cleo
HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL US ABOUT EREN
Sienna
Eren?
Jace
You just woke a sleeper agent… Stand down, Agent I repeat… Stand down.
Derek
Eren?
Marlowe?
Sienna
EREN MARLOWE??????
Cleo
If you weren’t so busy shoving your tongue down that blonde assholes throat you would’ve been here when Georgia told us that Eden Marlowe is Derek’s godmother
Sienna
WHAT?
Jace
I quite liked her tongue there….
Blake
Gross
Cleo
Disgusting
Derek
I could’ve went my whole life without reading that
Ryan
DISGUSTING
that’s my COUSIN!!!!
Georgia has removed Jace from the group chat
Georgia
Whoops
Sienna has added Jace to the group chat
Derek
Eden’s my God Mom, Eren’s a cool dude. We hung out a few times
Georgia
Wait. We watched the F1 doc together…
YOU KNEW MARLOWE WAS MY GUY
Jace
Which one of you ugly fucks removed me????
Sienna
Georgia we’re otw
Cleo
I’m packing face masks and candy
Denver
I have the liquor
Georgia
Doors open
Derek come home
As soon as Sienna and Jace arrive at the apartment, Cleo, Blake, Denver, and Ryan are hot on their tails. I shake my head as each of my friends stalks past me, the girls all wear their F1 pajamas that I bought last Christmas, while the guys–they’re just here.
“Sleepover!” Sienna exclaims, doing a small dance. Her white hair swooshes with the movement, causing her to look like a fairy.
The boys each huff and puff as they take seats on the couch, their own “self-care materials” in hand. I hold back a laugh watching as Blake struggles to put on his own face mask, so Jace does it for him.
Those two are practically husbands with the way they love and bicker with one another.
We’re all sitting around the living room, eating snacks and doing facemasks when Derek gets home. His deep brown skin is littered with sweat from the gym, and his curls stick to his forehead.
He looks like a wet dream as his compression shirt sticks to his abs when he walks past us to our bedroom. I’m almost tempted to kick everyone out so I can have some time alone when my phone buzzes.
It’s been two weeks since spring break. All the guys, minus Ry, are preparing for the Frozen Four after winning their playoffs. My show and final project as a student at Summerfield University is in two days, and to say that I’m freaking out would be an understatement.
I’m nervous as all outdoors.
I need everything to go smoothly; you never know who could be in a crowd like this, and what a fuck up at this level could cost. Checking my phone, I nearly go cross-eyed as I reread the chat with all of my male models for the show; only six of them have just left the chat.
Everett
We can’t do this thing if Dillon and Joel are going to be there. Consider us all out.
I’m speechless as I open a private thread with Everett, ready to ask him what the hell he’s doing, only for my messages to turn green when I try to message him.
Did this dickhead just block me?!
Racing back to the group chat, I’m a wreck, running a hand through my hair as I reply.
Georgia
What the hell happened? I left for a WEEK and now I’m missing more than HALF of my models.
The mission of our project was to curate and bring to life twenty designs; we needed to make ten for men and ten for women. All my girls are ready for the show in two days. My friends and a few girls that I met on campus agreed to model for me.
Getting a response from the two culprits of this disaster, I groan as I reread their texts.
Dillon
It’s not our fault, G
Joel
We told Everett what would happen if he tried dating my little sister and he didn’t listen
For the love of God…
Georgia
You fuckfaces realize the show is in TWO days and I NEED to have everything finalized tomorrow, right?! What the hell were you thinking?
Sighing, I throw my phone onto the couch and plop down next to Cleo. She immediately turns to me, her plump pink lips downturned as she tilts her head, analyzing me.
“Who did it?” she asks, her voice soft as she eyes the phone on the other end of the couch.
Without hesitation, I reply, “The baseball team.”
I knew something like this could happen, pairing the baseball and lacrosse teams together, but a piece of me hoped that the guys would be at least a bit civil with one another.
This is what I get for placing my faith in men. They’re all disappointments.
Everyone groans around the room; all of them had clearly been listening in on the conversation.
“It’s fine, guys, I’ll have to find six men to replace the baseball team and tailor them to fit into the outfits tomorrow… No biggie.”
This is the biggest biggie I’ve ever biggied.
It’s still early in the afternoon today, and if I can get out and find at least two guys, it’ll be a miracle.
“Are you sure? You don’t look like it’s not a big deal…” Ryan says, his brows furrowed as he looks at me.
I sigh and lean my head on Cleo’s shoulder. “Everything’s fine.”
“Everything is not fine, everything is not okay! Oh my God!” Sienna exclaims, her smile bright as she pushes and pulls Denver's arm, the two girls smiling brightly.
After everyone left our place yesterday evening, I went on a social media manhunt for guys to walk in the show tomorrow. Since all my girls have already been fitted for the show early yesterday morning, there’s no need for me to worry about them at the moment.
The girls and I all decided to have a small breakfast together before we got the day started, something we haven’t done in a long time, when Denver dropped a bomb on us.
“It’s fine, Si Si. It’s not that big of a deal,” Denver says shyly, ducking her head as her smile brightens.
Cleo waves off Denver, her smile as bright as the sun as she says, “Girl, not everyone gets a job under their favorite director. Are you kidding right now?”
Denver blushes, covering her face as we coo and tease her. It feels good to celebrate my friends’ accomplishments, and I wish her nothing but the best, but a piece of me can’t help but feel a bit sad, knowing that my own achievements are crumbling beneath my fingers.
I’ve got to find some male models and quickly.
“So where is it? Have you agreed yet?” Sienna asks, taking a sip of her mimosa, grimacing. “This shit is nasty…” she grumbles, passing the drink my way.
I scrunch my nose, sliding the drink away as Denver’s eyes go wide. Her eyes fall to her lap, her fingers twiddling nervously with themselves.
Uh-oh…
“It’s uh… It’s in California, and if I agree, I’ll have to leave the day after graduation.”
Our table goes silent, and it feels like we’ve been dunked under water as Cleo, Sienna, and I share worried looks before all our eyes fall on Denver. We’re silent, trying to process her words, but the shock of them is paralyzing.
Denver’s moving to California.
We won’t ever let her pass up an opportunity like this; that’ll be insane, but she and Ryan just started dating last month. Would they be able to go the distance?
I grimace at the thought of Ryan in this equation. I’d never tell a woman to choose a man over their aspirations, but he’s also one of my oldest friends, and I’m scared for both of their mental health.
This is going to get messy and quick.
Denver gives us a half-smile, and we all go back to eating our food, as tension settles amongst us.