you know i will

welcome aboard, gertrude ‘gertie’ guerra, student #2. we are excited to set sail with you!  has anyone told you that you look like kiana madeira? according to our records, you hail from london, england, prefer she/her, are female, and are here to study law. we also see you received a spot on the ss university because of your money — we won’t tell anyone. during your first few weeks here, other students said you were + dedicated, + resilient, but also - cynical. it sounds like you spend most of your time at the fitness center. upon checking your luggage, we noticed you packed a first place ribbon. hopefully your roommates don’t steal it!

the sound of gertie’s voice distracts him from his efforts at fixing the string on the old guitar in his hand, the string he was trying to fit instead pinging up and catching his finger. he wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by the sudden surge of pain or the person that was addressing him. at times he wasn’t sure what to say and considering micah had told him to be careful after hooking up with both gertie and elle, he had been very on the fence about whether he was in the wrong or not… it wasn’t like the two of them had seen him as anything more than a piece of meat, right? especially gertie, she had really taken him by surprise, if he hadn’t been so turned on then he would of simply been terrified. shaking his hand, “no, it was too dangerous, i swear i almost died,” he musters, his voice dredged in a certain amount of humour as in asher like fashion, he plunged into a semi-monologue drenched in drama and something parallel to sarcasm, “sorry to hear about elle. i didn’t know that my penis was so powerful that it could break you too apart, make her need to leave the country. but i get it, it’s embarrassing. only the bravest and most terrifying of women could stick around to face me again,” the edges of a smile are now apparent, swiping hair back out of his face, “with great power comes great responsibility, spiderman nailed it. gotta be careful from now on. can’t send the rest of the ship home with one move.”

“Almost died? I’m really that bad of a lay, huh?” Her friendly smile melted away to be replaced with a genuine smirk, the humor something she desperately needed as of late. To say her life was falling apart all over again... maybe it was a bit dramatic, but it was sure feeling that way. Life had a way of screwing up her plans over and over again, she was beginning to wonder, would the cycle ever end? “I hate to break it to you, but your dick isn’t that powerful, dude.” She held no hard feelings towards her best friend. The whole situation was nothing beyond a funny coincidence, a shared shame. It felt shitty now, being in the middle of sea without the only reason she’d came out in the first place. Gertie wasn’t quite sure how to cope with being truly alone, the one person she’d always had not being there. But while it hurt, she hadn’t lost her. They hadn’t fallen out. Life just liked to fuck people over. Her especially, it seemed. “You don’t think I’m capable of sharing? I can play nice.” Trying to ignore the faint pang in her chest, she focused on the fact that he was comparing himself to Spiderman instead. “Right. You’ve got the right idea. Gotta be careful where you point that magical wiener.”

“I like my work ethic, but my attitude is straight shit on a good day.”

“I am quite content with the amount of friends I have and don’t have, thank you --- but I suppose it would be nice to be closer to Cecilya and Zara.”

There was no getting out of this one. Leaned against the wall, she mustered up the friendliest smile she could, followed by a small wave. “Been training lately?”

Fable was sipping her coffee as she lounged in a chair with the book she was currently reading perched in her lap. Hearing the words directed towards her she looked up confused. “I believe i was just reading my book.” She replied in a soft tone. “Are you okay?” She asked. 

...

“Oh, sorry,” Gertie muttered, her defenses dropping. She might’ve been too quick to lash out. Misdirected anger wasn’t unusual for her, but at least she recognized she should reel it in this time. “I guess I was being assumptions. No, yeah, I’m fine, nothing I’m not used to.”

            sujin  was  in  the  middle  of  people - watching—  one  of  her  favorite  pastimes—  legs  kicked  up  on  the  table  in  front  of  her  and  a  glass  of  sangria  in  her  hand.  ‘  you,  obviously.  why  did  you  ask  such  a  dumb  question  ?  we’re  literally  making  eye  contact  right  now.  ’  sujin  sets  her  glass  on  the  table  after  taking  a  long  sip.  

...

“You don’t have anything more interesting to focus on than me?” Regaining her composure, Gertie managed to keep herself from actually snapping at Sujin again, mumbling in annoyance instead. “Just seems a little rude, is all.”

she wanted to hate the other, she thought as soon as she saw her she’d be angry but all she felt was pain. raylee fiddled with her fork while gertie cleaned up her shirt and attempted small talk. being called by her actual name felt almost wrong coming out of her mouth. “i’ve been alright. you?”

...

Gertie was almost surprised the girl was holding a conversation with her. She wouldn’t blame her for ignoring her existence or telling her to fuck off. But of course, Ray was too nice for that. The guilt grew. “Glad to hear that. I’ve been... good, yeah, I’ve been good. Just focusing on school and stuff, you know...”

   "Did you just YOLO me, Gertie?” Georgie raised his brow as he let out a soft fit of laughs. “Never do that again.” He joked. “Hey nothing wrong with being honest, theres just people who are a little too sensitive or hate to know the truth. I have tough skin though, I can handle it.”

...

“Hey, you mom me, I can yolo you.” Not that she’d ever unironically say the abbreviation. She wasn’t trying to be that cringe. “Hell yeah, it’s not my fault if someone his sensitive, right? Of course, I’d rather watch myself, I don’t want to make someone cry and have to deal with that.”

“Are you okay?” Jude asked, worry flaring up instantly. He hated seeing anyone in pain ( even if he was ever so slightly intimidated by Gertie — something he’d never admit aloud ). “I can get some ice. Or some Tylenol.”

...

“I’m fine,” Gertie responded, more attitude in her voice than necessary. “No, it’s alright. Actually,” she hesitated, wincing slightly at another wave of pain, “do you happen to have that Tylenol on you?”