#tango 3

Y/N, I know you’re probably pissed at me. I’m really sorry and I, uh, I hope Lee’s okay. Can we please talk? Call me back.

You saved the message and waited for the next one to start.

Hi it’s, um, John again. Look I know you’re mad, but can you please just give me a chance to explain? I don’t know what you’re thinking right now and I don’t know what Lee told you or whatever but I...I just want to talk to you, I guess.

You rolled your eyes and kept listening.

Okay you not picking up is started to make me nervous. Burr said you drove Lee to the hospital which means you’re alone with him and, ugh I don’t know that just makes me feel uneasy. Just like text me or something. Please.

Y/N please pick up. I’m worried, and I know it’s probably dumb to be worried, but I am. I’m sorry just please respond to me. I need to hear your voice.

Just text me so I know you’re alright. Please.

Guilt twinged in your heart. You were about to text John when your phone rang again. This time it was Alex. You reluctantly Answered.

“Y/N? Are you-”

“I’m fine,” you interrupted Alex. “Tell John to chill.”

“Uh…I don’t think that’s gonna happen. He’s kind of losing it right now.” Alex whispered.

You sighed and rubbed your eye. “Is he alright? From the fight, I mean.”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Lee got a few good ones in but- oh. He wants to talk to you.”

“I...I don't think I want to talk to him yet,” you said, despite the fact that you wanted to hear his voice as much as he wanted to hear yours.

“Please, Y/N. He’s dying over here.”

“Okay, fine. Give him the phone.”

There was a pause and then, “You’re okay!” John said with relief. His voice gave you chills.

“Yeah, of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?” You tried your best to keep your voice sounding cold. You were mad at him, after all.

“I don’t know, I just thought Lee might have tried something.”

You furrowed your brow, feeling defensive, “He’s not a bad guy, you know. He’s just...complicated.”

There was a scoff on the other side of the line. “You didn’t hear the things he was saying about you.”

You gripped your phone tighter. “The what? He was talking about me?” There was an unnecessarily long pause that was filled with static from the phone.

“Never mind. Forget I mentioned it.”

“Um, fuck no I’m not gonna forget it! John Laurens, if he was talking about me, I have the right to know.”

John sighed, “Alright, fine. The reason we were fighting, well, I- the fight was my fault, okay? Because Lee was acting all high and mighty and saying some shit about how he owns you and his plan was finally working. It was some sick shit and I-”

“So you told him,” you cut him off, “You told him exactly what I told you not to. And how did you think that would help, John?”  

“I don’t know. I thought it would shut him up. I couldn’t let him keep saying those things about you.”

“And then you resorted to violence. Real classy, Laurens.”

“Jesus, Y/N! I was defending you!”

“Oh my god!” you shouted, “Why is everyone so obsessed with defending me? I can defend myself!”

“You weren’t there! And I couldn’t let him get away with it!”

“Just stop John! I don’t need your help! We’re barely even friends!” He was reminding you of Charles. You thought back to the first time you’d had sex with him. John had been pretty possessive, and you hadn’t even noticed. Had you gotten yourself involved with another Charles Lee?

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I don’t need you. Especially if you’re gonna cause this much drama in my life.”

John was silent for a while before he spoke up, “Fine. See you later.” The line clicked dead. You threw your phone down with a frustrated grunt. Turning over, you buried your head in your pillow and screamed as loud as you could.

You did this for several minutes, punching the pillow and shouting into it about how much you hated the world before you finally came to your senses. You didn’t have time to be stressing about this stuff. You had chores and homework and the talent show.

“Oh god, the talent show,” you complained to the air. What was it gonna look like if you lost another dance partner because of stupid drama? You knew who you needed to talk to.

You grabbed your phone, thankful that you hadn’t cracked it, and called Angelica.

“Y/N. Y/M/N. Y/L/N. I have had a death grip on my phone waiting for your call. The fuck took you so long?”

“I’m sorry, I….it’s been a bit of a day. Do you have time to talk?” you asked quietly. You had a headache from all the screaming, but your brain wouldn’t shut up.

“I can do you one better. I’m coming over.”

You sighed with relief. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too. See you soon.”

Angelica hung up, and you laid back against the pillows. You closed your eyes for a few moments in an attempt to relieve your headache.

The door to your room opened a few seconds later. “Wow, that was fast Angie. Were you already-”  Angelica wasn’t standing in your doorway, but Charles Lee was. You sat up quickly. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

Charles only shrugged in response before stepping closer to your bed. Your entire body tensed in anxiety. “What do you want?” you asked again.

“You,” Charles replied. “I’ve always wanted you more than he has.”  

“You need to leave right now.” You stood up and grabbed a lamp. It felt strangely light in your head.

“I’m not leaving.” Charles’ voice started to change. It became slower and deeper. “I’ll always be right here.” He took another step closer and tapped one finger against your temple. As he did so, something shifted, and you realized it wasn’t Charles at all. It was John. “Right here, Y/N.” John tapped your head again.

“Y/N! Will you wake up?” A voice shouted.

You opened your eyes slightly. Angelica was sitting on your bed. You sat up slowly, trying to sort reality out. You took a deep breath. It was all a dream. Charles and John had never been in your room. Well, not this night at least.

“Are you alright?” Angelica asked, sitting back. You nodded and wiped at your mouth. Sleep drool is gross. “You sure? You were like...shaking while you were asleep. I thought you might be seizing. I was about to turn you on your side.”

You laughed at Angelica’s concern. “No. I was just having a dream, a really weird dream.”

“A sexy dream?” Angie raised her eyebrows. “About John?”

You shook your head. “Not sexy, but John was there.”

“Is he alright?” Angelica asked. “I didn’t see much of the fight. I only heard stuff from other people.”

“John’s fine. Charles is too, I think. I kinda left him at the hospital so I’m not sure.”

Angelica slapped your thigh. It was something she did when she was shocked or thought something was hilarious. You figured this was both. “You didn’t! You just left him stranded there?” Her voice sounded more excited than most people’s would’ve.

“His parents were on the way!” you defended. “Besides, he was saying all kinds of weird shit again.”

“The usual weird shit?”

“Yeah, ‘‘I know you better than anyone, Y/N. He’ll never love you like I do, Y/N,’” you imitated your ex-boyfriend.

“He really said that about John?” Angelica’s jaw dropped.

“Yeah, are you really shocked? Seemed like typical Charles to me.”

Angie shrugged. “I guess, but I didn’t think he’d heard about you and John. Even then doesn’t he know it’s just casual.” You looked at Angelica silently. “Oh god. It’s not casual is it?”

“No, it is!” you said quickly. “I just, I don’t if it’s still casual for him. I mean we’ve only had sex two times. I all but hated him until last Friday, and now John’s fist-fighting my ex because he said some stuff about me? That doesn’t feel casual.”

“You’re right. That doesn’t sound casual at all,” Angelica agreed. She leaned in closer and smiled. “So what did Charles say to John?”

You rolled your eyes. Angie always loved hearing about drama, even though she claimed she was too smart for it. “I don’t know exactly. I think it was the same stuff about how Charles thinks I’m still in love with him. Whatever it was, it was enough for John to think he had to tell Charles that he’d slept with me the night before.”

“The one thing you told him not to do.”

“Exactly! So you don’t think I’m wrong for being mad at him?”

Angie pursed her lips and looked to the side. “I mean, I do think you overreacted a bit.”

“Come again?”

“Y/N, I know you and I are all about feminism and sticking up for ourselves, and that’s great, but Charles was saying shitty things, and John did something about it. He stood up for you.”

“I can stick up for myself. He didn’t need to fight.”

Angelica nodded. “Yeah, I think the fighting was a bit unnecessary, and John was definitely wrong to tell Charles about you two, but Y/N, think of it from John’s perspective. He wanted to protect you from your manipulative ex.” You opened your mouth to speak, but Angelica cut off. “Yes! He did do it in a shitty way. But do you really think Charles is gonna fuck with you if he knows John will punch him in the face?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. The whole thing makes me feel weird. When I think about what John did, it makes my stomach turn and it’s hard to breathe.”

Angelica gave you a dumbfounded and annoyed look. “Damn bitch. I didn’t think you were this stupid.”

“What?”

“Y/N! You have feelings for John! Just admit it!”

You threw your hands up. “It doesn’t matter if I have feelings or not! I told him I didn’t need him, and now he’s never gonna speak to me again.”

“Nope.” Angelica grabbed your phone out of your hands, and before you could protest, she was talking again. “You are going to make up with John Laurens. If not for your own sake, then for the sake of my talent show. We have come too far, and he’s a good dancer.” Angie finally handed you your phone back. She had texted John.

“I’m sorry. I’m just stressed and angry right now. Can we talk tomorrow in person?”

“I hate you for making this sound exactly like me,” you said to Angelica.

She smiled and winked, “What are besties for?” You hugged her and thanked her profusely.

You didn’t have any more weird nightmares that night, but when you got to school on Wednesday morning, you were still thinking about the one you’d had before Angelica got there. What had it meant? Would Charles always be in your head? Would John?

You didn’t have much time to think about it because once you were in the building, people started to stare. Most of the other students were minding their own business, but you’d definitely grabbed more attention than usual. Rumors must have been circulating all night. When a fight breaks out in school, people like to know the cause. Unfortunately, it looked like everything came back to you. They weren’t wrong so you couldn’t blame them. You and John had planned to meet at his locker fifteen minutes before the first bell. Now you were regretting that choice. Everyone would be watching you, but sneaking off together seemed worse in your mind.

You turned down that hall that John’s locker was in. He was standing there staring into his locker blankly. You approached him carefully, “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied in a monotone voice.

“I’m sorry I got so mad. I know you were trying to help me.” You bit your lip and waited for a response. It took awhile, but eventually, John looked at you.

“I’m sorry too. I blew this all way out of proportion and made things worse.”

You waved your hand, “The gossip will blow over in a few days.”

“And Lee?”

You rubbed your arms. “That is a topic for another time. I don’t really feel like talking about it. It’s a complicated situation.”

John nodded. “I get it.”

“Yeah.” You looked down at the ground. There was an awkward pause, and you could feel John’s eyes on you. Eventually, you took a deep breath and faced him. “I just wanted to apologize and say that we should be friends. Just friends, no benefits. That’s probably what’s best for everybody.”

If John was surprised, he didn’t show it. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

You smiled and stuck your hand out for him to shake, “Friends?”

John ignored your hand and pulled you in for a tight hug. “Friends.”