𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝.

"  ....  oh  .  h-hey,  zach  .  ”  eli  huffs  out  a  hesitant  laugh  at  the  sight  of  the  frat  boy  .  he’s  heard  rumors  of  zach  coming  around  the  office  ,  but  this  is  the  first  time  he’s  seen  him  for  himself  .  it’s  the  first  time  they’ve  even  looked  at  each  other  since  the  fight  that  got  them  kicked  out  of  class  .  it’s  been  months  since  then  and  maybe  that  means  zach  is  back  or  –––––  whatever  ,  it  for  sure  means  that  it’s  time  for  eli  to  stop  being  an  asshole  .  “  i’m  sorry  ,  ”  he  blurts  out  before  he  can  think  better  of  it  .  he  bounces  anxiously  on  his  toes  ,  but  doesn’t  run  away  ,  the  way  he  probably  should  .  “  i  ...  what  i  said  to  you  ,  like  ,  forever  ago  ,  was  the  meanest  thing  i’ve  ever  done  and  that  was  so  super  unfair  of  me  to  ,  like  ,  lash  out  at  you  because  i  wasn’t  okay  .  and  i  definitely  didn’t  mean  to  ,  like  ,  push  you  away  ,  especially  when  you  were  trying  to  be  nice  to  me  ?  like  ,  that  was  SO  DICKISH  of  me  ,  and  i  became  the  thing  that  i  hate  ,  then  i  didn’t  even  man  up  to  apologize  to  you  ,  which  is  even  worse  .  like  ,  i  one  hundred  percent  deserve  to  be  punched  for  that  and  i’m  hoping  you  won’t  hit  me  ,  but  i’d  also  understand  if  you  did  ?  so  ...  uh  ,  yeah  .  ”  the  curse  of  the  chronic  rambler  :  not  knowing  when  to  shut  the  fuck  up  .  “  ...  wanna  bagel  ?  ”  eli  smiles  nervously  ,  holding  the  fresh  bagel  out  as  a  proverbial  olive  branch  ,  well-aware  that  he  looks  like  a  total  dumbass  .

“  GOOD  MORNING  , Y’ALL  .  ”  eli  beams  as  he  enters  the  office  ,  a  fresh  (  &  fourth  )  mug  of  coffee  in  hand  &  a  battle  plan  for  halloween  already  figured  out  .  he  smiles  even  wider  at  the  sight  of  bryce  ,  and  starts  in  his  direction  .  “  bryce  ,  my  man  !  how  you  doin’  ,  buddy  ?  you doin’  good  ?  you  look  good !  you  would  not  BELIEVE  the  morning  i  had  ,  how  was  yours  ?  ”

even though eli was joking, it got julian questioning. what was there for micah to care about? he knew that the twins meant just as much to him as they did to naomi, but he wasn’t about to be an accessory to kidnapping just for a fun joke. nor did he want to be stuck with the twins for the hours it would take the two to complete a simple scavenger hunt. “i’ve got it. i think we’d have to wager our silence. we just don’t shut up until he does it. that also might drive him to insanity. his choice, though.” certain that he wasn’t going to be getting any work done for a little while, julian rolled his chair back and stood up. “you want a drink, eli?” he asked out to his friend as he walked towards the mini-fridge across the office.  

“  you are such a guy.  ”  she leans back in the cahir, spinning it slightly.  “  it’s clear as day that you two like each other. a little cliché, too. i’ve seen the way you act around her. and vice versa.  ”  she holds her foot out to stop herself from spinning again, looking down at elijah,  “  have you ever seen a good rom-com?  just tell her how you feel. it won’t be hard. that’s what i did with daniel and look at us. we were fake murdered and in a cult together.  ”

narrowing  her  eyes  at  the  screen  ,  verena  desperately  tried  to  focus  on  the  article  she  was  analyzing  ,  but  no  matter  how  hard  she  tried  ,  eli’s  voice  kept  penetrating  her  ears  ,  forcing  her  to  lose  focus  every  time  something  tumbled  out  of  his  mouth  .  snapping  her  laptop  closed  at  the  sound  of  him  falling  back  in  his  chair  ,  she  tossed  a  scowl  his  way and  stood  from  her  desk  .  “  eli  ,  i  am  trying  to  focus  and  i  can’t  do  that  while  listening  to  the  jumbled  up  ramblings  about  your  cat  who  only  likes  my  room  because  of  my  plants  that  she  is  close  to  killing  by  the  way  .  so  ,  buy  a  plant  ,  take  your  cat  back  ––––  i  don’t  care  but  can  you  please  ,  for  the  love  of  god  ,  stop  with  the  cat  woes  and  do  your  work  ?  ”  her  chest  rose  and  fell  as  she  felt  the  weight  lift  from  her  shoulders  ,  finally  getting  her  bottled  up  frustrations  out  .  “  please  ?  ”  she  added  on  hoping  she  didn’t  hurt  his  feelings  with  her  outburst  .

“  you’ve  guys  have  known  each  other  for  like  what  –––  two  years  ?  three  ?  you  at  least  have  to  know  there’s  feelings  involved.  ”  but  by  the  way  he’s  sputtering  like  an  idiot;  blair  doubts  it.  “  look,  i  only  ever  speak  the  truth.  most  of  you  can’t  handle  it  and  i’ve  grown  to  accept  that  fact.  but  you  can  literally  ask  everyone  around  here  and  they’ll  tell  you  the  exact  same  thing.  maybe  not  as  bluntly  as  me  but  you  get  the  gist.  so,  ditch  the  cat  and  go  after  the  psychic.  loser.  ”

vanessa  snickers,  shaking  her  head.  “  c’mon,  don’t  stoop  so  low.  but  the  sound  of  another  kitten  is  making  my  heart  melt.  actually,  have  you  considered  getting  a  dog  ?  can  you  imagine  tippi  and  co  ?  that’d  be  so  cute.  ”   she  leans  against  his  desk,  adjusting  the  glasses  on  the  bridge  of  her  nose.  “   oh,  speaking  of  pets––  this  has  nothing  to  do  with  them,  anyway––  guess  who’s  moving  out  of  her  nana’s  house  this  upcoming  semester  ?  ”  to  thumbs  jolt  out  and  she  points  them  in  her  direction,  “  i  am.  found  the  cutest  little  townhouse  near  campus.  it’s  official,  you’re  gonna  have  to  help  me  decorate.  i’m  thinkin’  halloween  decorations  all  year  ‘round.  yes  ?  no  ?  am  i  over  doing  it  ?  ”

well, eli was obviously having a good day. everyone seemed to be, recently. and it made julian’s heart swell. he’d been with his roommate for nearly two years, and he had witnessed elijah go through a lot of ups and downs–– granted, every other sentence for eli was either an up or a down, but that was besides the point. this was probably the longest good streak he’s seen from eli, and it was a breath of fresh air to julian. knowing that his friend was happy and healthy calmed him. it was a pleasure to hear eli’s rant, and julian was sure to agree with him after he was done. “no, i follow you, new yorkers are weird. the same breed of news headliner-worthy crazies. just ones that live in high rises, not house-boats on the florida bayou.” julian squinted. “we should put micha and naomi on a little mission one day. something very simple. maybe like a scavenger hunt where they have to go around town, working together, to win. but we’d have to have the prize something important to them–– like the key to their apartment. they wouldn’t care otherwise.”

she  lets  out a   sigh,  looks  like  eli  was  always  going  to  be  eli.  she  can  see  why  daniel  was  so  fond  of  him.   “   calm  down,  elijah.  it’s  just  a  cat.  ”  rolling   her  eyes,  she  kicks  his  foot  softly,  “  also,  you’re  too  timid  and  awkward  to  be  a  drug  dealer.  i  wouldn’t  buy  anything  from  you.  i  say  ditch  the  cat  and  pay  attention  to  ness.  you  guys  are  killing  me  with  the  vee  and  julian - esque  relationship  you  have  going.  just  fuck  and  get  it  over  with  already.  ”  blair  says  very  bluntly,  playing  with  the  ends  of  her  hair.  “  i  know  i’m  right  so  don’t  even  try  and  deny  it.  ”