G O L D

“Oh my god!” Jamie hadn’t expect to see her classmate’s reflection in the mirror, quickly turning around with her hand clutching her heart. She had looked away for a moment to reply to a text and taking a quick break from getting ready when she looked up and suddenly saw them in her mirror. “How long have you been standing there?!”

“Ah!” Chelsea yelped and held her hands up in surrender, almost dropping her phone as she did so. “Only a second!” she told her with a shake of her head and taking a step back. “I was coming over to tell you that you have some toilet paper stuck on your show, and like girls stick together and have each other’s back! I’m sorry, I totes didn’t mean to startle you!” 

“Oh, I forgot that he’s back. How is he doing? Is his hair still the same way I made it? Are you dating yet? I’ve been shopping loads too, for clothes and guys. Both very enjoyable.”

“Yeah, he came back just before school started. He’s doing good, he’s doing better. A lot better than before, but he’s also a little quieter than he was before. It’s grown out a little, but I like his curly hair and think it looks cute. We’re not dating, I don’t think he’s ready for that... I don’t think he wants that, I mean he hasn’t said anything since he’s gotten back... So I don’t know... Anyways, what about you? Tell me everything that you’ve been up to! How are things with Derek going? What other guys? Tell me everything!”

“So, I like totally haven’t seen you a lot recently. What have you been up to? I wanna hear details.” 

@chelsgold

“I know! I’m totes super sorry for being like totally m-i-a lately. I’ve just been trying to help Gill get back into the groove of things since he got back. That and retail cardio mostly, how about you, babes?” 

callie immediately smirked at her second suggestion, “i like the way you think sunshine” she admitted approvingly, “let’s do some redecorating” she nodded, looping their arms together, “lead the way”

Chelsea grinned brightly back at Calliope when she smirked at her like that. “Thank you!” she replied with a pleased nod. “I do try,” she replied with a little laugh. “Loves it!” she told her, happily hooking their arms together and walking with Callie, leading the way to the dorms. “Do you wanna make the pick of who to ‘help’?” she asked.

“Oh, this old thing?” she responded, though she had just bought it that weekend, “You really think it’s cute? I usually just wear it when I go volunteer at the soup kitchen.” Clarissa had never actually spent more than 3 minutes in a homeless shelter before (just to take a quick selfie and then go home), but no one needed to know that. As they hooked arms, Clarissa led them outside to begin walking to the cafe down the road. “So what’s new with you?” she asked, hoping Chelsea actually had some useful information for her.

"Super,” Chelsea reassured the girl with a nod as she looked at her outfit. “I can see that! It’s like cute, but understated. Totally a volunteering outfit, I see your vision,” the girl told Clarissa with a genuine smile. “New with me? Oh nothing particularly. Oh wait! I’m finally on the cheer squad and not just an alternate! So, that’s exciting and I’m glad that Karma’s back on the team,” she told who she thought was her best friend, humming as she thought some more. “And I’m glad that Naomi transferred, but other than that. I’ve mostly been focusing on shopping cardio and Gill,” she admitted. “We should totes take on a new person project!” 

“okay sunshine” she nodded, prompting the girl to follow her lead. “i’ve got a flask, paint, and partner in crime” she smiled at her, “what’s the first thing that came to your mind?”

Chels smiled at the nickname and nodded as she she followed Calliope. “Ooh, tipsy painting! That’s so much fun!” she replied with wide, bright eyes at the idea of getting to drink and paint. “Or we could um... Do some redecorating in one of the boys’ dorms?” she suggested with a nudge to the other. 

“No, I love it.” he corrected quickly to not hurt her feelings, “It’s from you. I’m gunna wear it like every day. Not even wash it. It’s just gunna get Febreezed.” Gill reached out, mimicking her pout teasingly and gently tugged at her bottom lip with his fingers, “I just find it hard to believe that you didn’t see this sweater and want to make me a human body pillow.” He couldn’t help but smile back, reaching his arms out and motioning her towards him to join on the bed, “C’mere.” The boy feigned an insulted look, grasping his chest dramatically as his fist clutched his sweater, “Don’t you dare take this sweater from me. No Jewish boy has ever loved a Christmas sweater as much as this.”

Chelsea instantly smiled again when the boy reassured her that he loved the sweater. “Aww, you’re just the sweetest, Guppy,” she told him, laughing when he tugged at her lip like that and batting his hand away gently. “Well, maybe there were some ulterior motives,” she admitted with a smile and moved towards the bed when he motioned her over, crawling onto her own bed and into Gill’s awaiting arms. She settled in comfortably against the other. “I’ll get you a Hanukkah one too,” Chels told him, tugging gently at the sweater and just feeling the soft material and how comfortable he actually did feel with it on. Though, she would probably be just as comfortable if he was in anything else. “I just want you to stay nice and warm this Chrismukkah.” 

Hayden shrugged a bit at the question, but laughed as he watched the puppy jump around. “I was walking through the park on the way back, I wanted some chips downtown because the ones on campus are absolute garbage.” He prefaced, “and I stopped to pet her and then she started following me and so I picked her up and here we are.” The puppy shifted her attention to Chelsea as she started petting her, clearly very energetic. “Yeah, I’ll go there tomorrow, I don’t think they’re open today.”

“Well, she is the sweetest little thing I have ever seen!” Chelsea cooed as the puppy fixed her attention onto her now, letting her hop up onto her lap and cuddling the furry little thing close. “Oh, I hope she’s unchipped and no one’s missing her so you can keep her! She makes me miss Prada,” she pouted a little, but it didn’t stick too long with an adorable puppy in her arms. 

“Each box is a different kind of pizza, it’s like a surprise each time. You’re welcome!“ Ryan mused a playful smile on his lips as he looked down at the small human who he realized was the hot girl from the other night. “You’re cool costume girl right?”

“Aw, that’s so nice of you!” Chelsea said with a bright smile to Ryan. “You’re so sweet,” she told the boy and took a little bite of the pizza as she looked up at him with a small smile. “What?” she said and giggled as he looked at her like that. “Oh yeah!” she said, only now recognizing the other boy as the one that complimented her. “It’s Chelsea, actually,” she told him with a laugh. 

Oh just great, it’s this dumb fucking cun– “Hi, Chels!” Clarissa feigned excitement as she leaned over and kissed her best friend’s cheek, “You look sweaty great, as always. Wanna do me the honors of being my coffee date? We need to play catch up. I haven’t seen my sunshine in like one whole day.”

// @chelsgold

Chels smiled brightly when she heard then saw Clarissa. “Clarissa, hey!” she said, giving her a quick air kiss back to her best friend. “Aww, you’re always way too sweet,” she said, waving her off. “But always right,” she added playfully, showing off her outfit. “But thank you, so do you! You look totally Dior!” she told her. “Of course, do you even have to ask?” she asked the girl and nodded, hooking their arms together. “I’d love nothing more. Shall we?”

Hayden hadn’t even realized that it was Chelsea’s dorm that he was knocking on, but when she opened the door, he let out a sigh of relief and let the puppy onto the floor once the door was closed. “Yes but John is around the corner so we have to be quiet.” He said, his voice still hushed. He did finally relax a little bit though and sat down, cross legged, on the floor, and laughed as the puppy ran up to him and jumped into his lap. “I should put up Found signs, right? She doesn’t have a collar though so I’m not sure what to do.”

She nodded quickly and mimed zipping her lips closed, making sure the door was locked so John couldn’t just swing right in on them before walking over to Hayden. Chelsea sat down on the floor across from him and cooed over the puppy as it jumped around. “Where’d you find her?” she asked, calling the puppy over and reaching to pet over it’s soft, little head and scratching to see how she liked it. “Aww, yeah. I bet someone’s missing her. You could check if she’s chipped at the vet’s?” 

callie’s eyes widened a bit at the other girl’s excitement for fun. she knew then there ideas of fun were different. “yeah we’re not going to do any of those things” with a shrug of her shoulders, “maybe you sit this one out, rest or whatever people do”

“Oh...” Chels said, pouting at that and deflating a little. “Okay, I guess...” she replied. “What were you thinking of doing, though?” she asked, head cocking to the side slightly like a puppy as she looked at Callie. 

“I picked up a few slices anyone want some?“ Ryan asked fellow students who were passing by before flipping the top of the box open and grabbing a slice for himself. 

“Ooh, what kinda pizza is it?” Chelsea asked excitedly and stepped over to Ryan, looking into the box before picking up a slice. “I guess one wouldn’t hurt, thank you!” she said with a bright smile. 

“This sweater is super soft, but like… do you really think it’s me?” he asked, making himself comfortable on Chelsea’s bed. It wasn’t just because it was colorful and happy, but also because Gill was Jewish. “I have the feeling you had ulterior motives for buying me this.” he grinned, rubbing his hands across the material of the Xmas sweater, “I think you just wanted me to wear something cuddlable in.” They hadn’t had the conversation about Gill screaming that he was in love with her since he came back from rehab, but he was a dumb boy and just kind of hoped maybe he wouldn’t have to talk about his feelings if he just never brought them up ever again.

// @chelsgold

“What, don’t you like it?” Chelsea asked, sticking her lower lip out in a pout as she turned back to Gill and looked at the boy where he was now laying on her bed. “I got it for you because it’s warm and soft, and you’re warm and soft,” she told the boy, walking over to the bed after setting away her shopping bags. “What? Why would I ever do something like that?” she asked before giggling and biting back a smile as she looked down at him. She still liked Gill and had feelings for the boy, possibly more after all the time spent apart. Chelsea had been left a little traumatized from watching him be dragged away yelling that he loved her, but he hadn’t said anything since he got back. Now she was unsure he had ever really liked her in the first place. It could have all been a side effect of the drugs and she was too scared of being hurt to mention it. “It looks good on you. But if you don’t, you can exchange it...” 

Hayden was calm and collected as he walked through the hallways of the dorms, despite the wriggling that was happening inside of his jacket. He was hurrying, clearly, but he was trying his best to hide what he had. He planned go get all the way back to his room, but before he knew it, he could hear the dorm supervisor talking to someone around the corner, and he panicked. Immediately he turned to the closest door and started knocking quickly. “Let me in let me in let me in let me in let me in!” He said in a hushed voice, waiting for them to answer the door before shoving himself into the room and revealing what was in my coat. “Close the door, quickly.”

Chelsea was just standing in front of her bed with all her clothes spread out on it. She was putting them together so she could hang them back up in her closet and have outfits ready to go whenever she wanted to look particularly cute. She always did, but you know, it’s still nice to plan ahead. She jumped when suddenly there was urgent knocking on her dorm room’s door. Chelsea rushed over and opened it, stumbling back when Hayden rushed inside like that. “Oh em gee, what happened?” she asked, before hasping at the sight of the puppy. “Oh em gee, she’s the cutest little thing!” she cooed, shutting the door quickly and locking it. “Oh can I please pet her and play with her?” she asked with excitement, jumping in place.