On thin ice

----
•𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗔•
----

"WHAT DO YOU WEAR TO A COURT TRIAL?"

"Fuck—I don't know—usually I wear suit pants and a white button up." Jules sticks her tongue out to mock me, exposing her smiley piercing.

Leaning over me and takes a look at the items I've been dangling in front of her face for the past few seconds now. Dragging back her shoulder to make room in the hoodie that's a size or two, too small for her I do a double take on the BULA women's swim team logo that's plastered against the chest.

"Didn't know you took up swimming. School allows you to major in two varsity teams?" Acting smart, I watch her drag up the sleeves to give her arms maneuvering space. "Is it trendy to choose out the smallest sized sporting jackets or am I just behind?"

"She's a small girl and I'm not." She sparks an eyebrow. "So when you drunkly jump in the pool with her in your clothes before hooking up, you end up facing a bit of a dilemma in the morning when what you came in is now soaked and reak of mildew."

"Hm. I like to believe I'm a little more organized than that." I tease—raising another blouse up to my chest and watching her hesitate to turn it down.

"I'm sensing what seems to be jealousy," she loves across the isles, scanning the clothes as gum rolls over her tongue.

"Not exactly," I bob my head before turning on my feet. Walking in the opposite direction of her to avoid confrontation.

Quickly catching up to me, a wide grin spreads across her face. Though she takes a moment to read me as if to reassure her suspicion. "Who?"

"It's really nothing," I double down. I've barely even bright it up to Christina yet, I'm not quite sure how to inform her—Me and Elijah are kind of a thing now? Also! He gives amazing head!

"You can't make a teasing comment like that then skip away as if it's nothing." She beams. "Surely you tell me."

Nipping at my arm with her fingers I let out a chuckle. "I have a tutoring session with Jaiden in a minute from now so we should wrap up."

"You better make sure he's wrapping it up." She scoffs and my hand miraculously find itself hitting her chest.

"Oh my god no. It's not Jaiden," I shake my head. "I cherish our friendship too much to date the guy,"

"Then whose dick is it? Don't say Elijah."

I don't say anything.

"You're kidding." She bursts into laughter before brushing her curls over her head. Her eyes remain pinned straight ahead of us in shock. "Holy fuck I owe Christina a fifty."

"You bet money on me?" I'm tired of people doing that. "I didn't even know you two were friends,"

"I said I wished that it was me who was living with a woman like her, not that I didn't know the girl." Her fist rests against her lips. "But Elijah. wow. Good luck with that one."

"What does that mean?" My lip curls.

"You're gonna make a lot of enemies baby."

----
•𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗝𝗔𝗛•
----

BUMPING INTO JAIDEN IN THE CORRIDOR, I GRAB ONTO HIS SHIT.

"This feels a little too intimate for my liking Elijah," he gives me a weak smile when I back him up to the wall.

"I got on my knees for her when I got drunk. I ignored it when you told Leo because it was real fucking comedic for me to do that." But now I'm irritated.

Unsure if it's because I didn't sleep because I was up all night doing coursework or it's because Leo has been sending me voicemails of him laughing at me for being right after he found out she was in my bed. "But you told him you saw me in my room with her without clothes?! This is the second time you told my shit to him man."

"Hold on? I didn't tell—"

"Tighty whities? Are you actually fucking serious?! And you ignored him at the rink when he yelled it across the ice too." I cut him off. "I love the guy but he can't be serious for more than then minutes and it's frustrating. You know that so why would—"

"I didn't fucking tell Leo!" He throws his hands up in defense.

Rolling my eyes, he's got to be kidding me right now. Unless our condo was possessed by the Holy Spirit then I don't understand who could've told him.

"Don't fuck around Jaiden."

"I'm being serious! He was laughing at his phone in the locker room before he said that to you when we got onto the ice." He has that innocent look in his eyes that—since Athena brought it up at the beach—I can't disassociate with a puppy. "I had to drop him off since his license was suspended for a month for racing. He kept dragging his feet and claiming he was waiting for something after training then Athena showed up and he practically skipped to the door to open the rink for her."

Dumbfounded, I take an apologetic step back from him. "Athena told him? Does she even have his number?" That doesn't really make sense.

"Why are you gonna pin her to a wall too?" He fixes his hoodie before pausing. "You probably have already,"

"What?" I pinch my nose-bridge, ignoring his comment. "I don't understand why she'd tell him. I didn't know they were close like that."

"Someone's jealous," he pulls up his hood. "I don't think it was her though. Ask her roommate, his location is always at their apartment."

"He's never there whenever I go over."

"Do you always see Christina whenever you go over? Like you see her in the eye?"

"Half the time she's the one who opens the door for me." I agree.

"And the other half of the time? Do you actually go on her room and check that he's not patiently waiting?"

Rocking on my feet, he furrows his eyebrows. "I shouldn't have told him last time Elijah. Sorry, but don't jump me for it. I kept your secret this time around or whatever the secret is at least. I don't really know what it was that I saw,"

Making an uncomfortable throaty noise, I'd much rather he just didn't know but I can't reverse the time can I? "It's complicated right now but we definitely don't have nothing."

"Complicated? Then why were you in your boxers?" He seem a little confused but I don't know what to say to him since I feel like it's a little obvious.

Giving him a look that screams what do you think? He tilts his head knowingly. "The girl gets shy when she's wearing a dress that's a little too short and when she makes eye contact with a member of the opposite gender. I don't think she's going around stripping random guys."

"What are you saying?" Honestly what's his point with saying that? That I managed to get through to mother Teresa?

"I'm saying that you'd be stupid to think she truly feels nothing for you." He nods. "She likes you. Like she really likes you and you should've known for a while now. It's so obvious to everyone else but you. Yeah, Leo is a tease but he's not an asshole. He saw how she spoke to you, he just doesn't want you to make a mistake by pushing her away when you deserve to be happy."

He walks away from me. "You think he's cruel and is out for you but if anyone cares more about you it's him Elijah."