Saving Rosaline: Chapter 2

When I got to my apartment the door was already unlocked. I pushed the door open slowly and peered in cautiously. I let out an irritated sigh as I closed the door behind me. Nathan my nineteen year old brother laid on the couch eating my bag of potato chips.

"Nate, that key is for emergencies only foo!"

Thank God the RA didn't give a damn about what really went on our floor or he wouldn't have it at all. I took long strides to the couch and snatched the bag of potato chips out his hand.

"I was eating that!"

"And now I'm eating it!" I stuffed a handful of chips into my mouth and enjoyed the vinegar and salt coating my tongue.

Nate walked past me and opened the refrigerator that me and my roommate shared. I leaned against the bar table and eyed him suspiciously. I swear my brother had it ten times easier than I ever did. He was the baby of the family and as the baby he tended to get what he wanted easily. No love for the middle child huh? It was him, me and then Sarah who had graduated from college and was now working as a teacher, married with a child on the way. I suppose because he was the only boy he was given more attention, had more leeway and support to go along with it.

"Why couldn't you have gone to another school Nate?"

I was tired of looking at his sophomore ass, it was bad enough he was cute but add sociable with that and he was possibly one of the most popular sophomores. I had been in school a year longer than he, but no one really knew me until he came along, and then I was 'my niggas older sister' 'that funny guys sister' 'that sexy guys sister'. Saying that it didn't bother me would be a lie.....I mean really? Only a year into school and he already had a name.......bastard.

"Cuz I wanted to be with my big sister."

He turned around with a bottled Lipton green teen and flashed his teeth at me. I swear he made it bad on me.....He had Daddy's big brown eyes, mama's full pink brown lips and daddy's bright skin. He always kept his haircut close to his scalp, two slanted parallel lines in each eyebrow and bling bling on each year. Nate had Daddy's height as well towering over me and Sarah easily, thick in frame and yet slim if that makes sense. He made me think of that stupid song that I could never forget, pretty boy swag.
Ole punk ass nigga, he made me sick....but still I loved my li'l bro.

"I'm lookin for a yellow bone long head star..."

He started jigging and sung along, "Thick in the hips come get in my car."

I skipped a verse, "This right here, is my swag."

"All the girls are on me damn,"

"This right here is my, pretty girl swag."

"Pretty boy swag, girls on my d-"

"Ay ay ayyyyy!" I stopped him and burst into laughter.

He took a swig of his tea and said with a smile, "Ay we gotta let these hos know."

"Yeah," I flicked him on the nose, "Like Imma let you know go in my fridge one more time and I'm goin in on that ass."

"Ayyyyy." He did the Dougie all the way into living room, I promise that boy is special and not the good kind.

I turned the door as it jiggled and opened. My roommate Jennifer peered in cautiously before stepping in when she saw my face.

"Hey did you know the door was unlocked?"

I pointed at Nate, "Hey blame it on him. He sneaked in and left it open."

"Oh." She nodded and set her two textbooks on the table. Damn they were huge; well we had the same books since we were both Biology majors.

"Hey Nate." She looked in his direction briefly and smiled. His reaction though was anything but brief. First he stared at her blankly and then smiled. It was like a slow motion moment in one of those romance movies. Then when she focused back on her books he was already lost in her motions, smiling like a retard.
He definitely had a crush on her.

"Close your mouth you're drooling moron."

He shot me a 'F*ck you' look and settled back into his place on the couch.

It didn't make much sense for him to ogle at her. Honestly the moves and talent my lil bro had he could've gotten any girl at school, maybe the fact that she was a year older than him and a bit shy (just like me) threw him off. If you looked at everything from the outside you would think that they were completely wrong for each other.

Jen was Nerdy(like me), glasses, her shoulder length dark brown hair usually pulled up into a messy bob. Her bright skin was usually free of make up and she only wore lip balm. She was my same height, small wasted slightly thick in the hips with thighs that would make a man howl for mercy if he saw them in shorts. That's why we were the perfect roommates we completely understood each other and we had the right to be different. She was like the twin sister I wish I'd had and apparently the girlfriend Nate wish he had....

I rolled my eyes and looked at her concentrating on a page in one of her textbooks. All he had to do was ask her on a date. It was that simple! No point in acting like a moron and drooling over the girl for another year.

Still I had to admit, she didn't seem like the type of girl he would date and he really didn't seem like the type of guy she would date. She was smart and Nate was too, but he was a natural goofball and believed C's were blessings from God, whereas she made a point to make nothing less than a B. See where I'm going with this? Complete opposites? Need more info?

He liked to club, get wasted at parties, have casual sex every now and then, she liked to stay in side, study, read a book and had only had sex once in her entire life and she regretted it. How they would work together I had no idea, but seeing his lovesick expression every time she looked away from him, made me want to slap the dog sh*t out of him.

"Nate mama said you betta be at church with me this Sunday."

"Well mama's not here, sooooooooo....."

"Nate, I'm not finst to play with you. That's why mama didn't want you up here."

"I'm going.....now leave me alone."

I knocked his feet off the arm of the couch, "Get lost, I have to study."

"It's ok, he can stay, I don't mind." Jennifer made her way to the living room and sat on the wooden coffee table in front of us still reading.

Nate smirked at me, "Thanks Jen, see she said I could stay."

I rolled my eyes, "Ok well go somewhere and don't bother us. Do me a favor and hand me my bag over there."

He tossed the bag in my direction.

"Hey! You trying to kill me?"

He shrugged and pulled off his t-shirt, "Uhhhh no."

"Get naked somewhere else."

Jennifer blushed and giggled, Nate smirked once again and bit his lip all while looking at Jennifer perched on the coffee table.

Messss I tell ya.

"Listen Niglet, strip somewhere else."

Knock, knock.

I rubbed my forehead, I could never study in the living room without someone interrupting me!

"On second thought get the door please."

Surprisingly he did as I said.

Oh hell. I groaned as I watched Adam saunter in confidently. He nodded at Nate and Jennifer before leaning against the bar table and smiling at me.

"Adam, are you stalking me now? So not cool."

Nate walked over to Adam and they exchanged cocky grins while dapping.

"Hey man, I haven't seen you in a while you still smashing Maria...or is it Britt this time?"

I cringed at the name and forced myself to open the textbook I was supposed to be reading.

"Just f*ck it up for me." Adam sighed.

I read the first line of the page only to read it again and again because I couldn't concentrate.

Nate chuckled and I looked up to see him walk into my room.

"Don't touch anything in there!"

"Rose can I talk to you." Adam said.

"I'm busy."

I heard him breathe in deeply.

"Rose remember when you got your first hickey?"

If my face wasn't so dark I would've been turning red at what he said. Jennifer lifted her head up and cocked an eyebrow at me. I shook my head and smiled nervously.

"He's just lying."

"What about that time I felt you up."

I slammed my book down and raced up to him, my hand reached for his throat and I threatened to tighten my grip on him.

"You do not want me to get violent."

He smirked, "I like it rough."

"Ew." I took my hand from his throat and grabbed his wrist.

"I'll be right back Jenn."I said in midstep towards my room.

She winked at me before turning another page in her book, at least she was getting some studying done.

I gripped his wrist as I turned the doorknob to my room, it was locked. I banged on the door.

"Freak! Get out! I know you're in there jacking off NASTY!"

He swung the door open and mumbled something incoherent into the phone before hanging up. Nate pushed pass me and grinned.

"What are you so happy about?"

Sure he was a naturally happy guy, but when he smiled like that.........it usually meant that it had something to do with a chick.

"Some chick."

Uh huh. I looked him over and noted his jittery movements.

"Mama told me to watch you while you down here. Please don't catch any STD's while you sexin random chicks."

"Chill out, don't tell mama anything."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Lock my front door."

I closed the door after Nate and waited for Adam to speak.

"You said you had something to tell me, speak now."

"Well...." He made his way to my bed and sat down on the edge with his legs spread wide apart and his head slightly bent.

"I was thinking about what you said earlier...."

I rolled my eyes, "I said a lot of things..."

That's when he lifted his head up to my ceiling and smiled bitterly.

"It would help if you didn't act like a b*tch all the time."

Anger slowly began to form and I stared at him a moment before walking to the door. I touched the doorknob and twisted it, but didn't pull it open.

"Get out. Now."

He slid off the bed and walked over slowly, "It's true you know. You talk about me, but you never give me the chance to explain myself."

"You just called me a b*tch! Am I supposed to care about what you say?"

"If you would just listen and stop being so damn DEFENSIVE!"

I still glared up at him, but I gave him a chance to speak. He was now and arms length away from me, but he made tiny steps to close the gap. I shivered violently at his closeness remembering the times I used to shudder around him and feel butterflies grazing my throat. Adam took my free hand and folded it in his own, then he took his other hand and did the same, so now his two hands held my own.

"Rose...."

I winced at the breathlessness in his voice, whatever he was getting ready to say....I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear it. He turned his gaze away from my face to my hand still clutching the door knob. I watched his right hand drop and make its way to the one on the knob. He loosened my grip and held that hand as well.

"I never told you this...."

"Oh you're gay? I figured."

He sighed, "I'm serious, don't ruin the moment."

Moment huh? Oh boy, I should've left him outside.

"Since senior year I couldn't look at you the same way..."

I raised my eyebrows.

So he was addressing the confusion?

"I thought well after prom, or after this....if it didn't work out we could go back to being friends."

Oi, I hated moments like this.

"Middle school, we were cool. You were just this girl I had fun hanging out with. You weren't all girly and sh*t, you were shy, but not when I was with you. I told you secrets you told me secrets, as far as I was concerned you were just another boy to me."

Ouch? I cringed and he noting my expression spoke quickly.

"Not saying you looked like one at all...well anyway. Then in high school...it was stupid. I'm sorry I dropped you and cracked jokes about you. I felt bad...if that helps."

I frowned and tugged at my hands but he didn't let go. If he was going to go all the way back to those times then I didn't want to talk about it.

"I really don't want to talk about that. I hated high school-"

"Wait I have a reason for this I promise. I missed you those three years; I know it doesn't seem like it. Once I hurt your feelings I couldn't just go back, so I kept going and going until senior year....when I missed you so much....I had to talk to you. And we fought, and you forgave me, and we hung out, and I realized that I liked you."

I rolled my eyes.

"It's true Rose. I'm telling you the truth, and you liked me too didn't you."

I shrugged, "For a minute I guess."

"At least you admit it."

I breathed in deeply and let it out, shuddering as it left my body.

"Ok, are we done?"

"No. a few more minutes."

My shoulders sagged and I leaned against my bedroom door.

"And Freshman year...when you found out about that other girl?"

I nodded remembering that scrawny li'l whore, "Yes I do..."

"I was stupid. It was freshman year....."

Ahhhhh no excuses moron!

"It's ok-"

"No, no, it's not. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. And you're right, I've been an Ass but I miss you. And I can't just be your friend, because I think about the first time I kissed you and the way you made me feel and how much I'm sorry and want to touch you."

"Adam....that's really nice but-"

"Another minute that's all I ask."

I avoided his eyes searching my own. His serious moments really got to me, because when he was deep in thought or intent on what he wanted there was no way to distract him from it.
Adam closed the gap and pulled me away from the door to his body. He rested his forehead against mines and closed his eyes, I did the same and let my arms hang limp.

"Say you forgive me."

His body heat had begun to envelop me, confusing me and ish. My frustration and anger dissolved..

"Uhh...yeah...yeah."

And then I felt the heat moving closer and closer to my face. His lips touched mine gently.

I shoved him away. His expression was one of bewilderment and lust.

"DAMN IT, ADAM!"

"What?"

I opened the door, "I said I forgave you, I didn't say anything about being That Girl."

"I just opened myself up to you! I told you how I felt! Didn't I make it clear that I want to be with you?"

"Adam I don't see you in that way anymore! We're just friends that's all!"

His eyes widened and before long they were slits, his once plump lips pressed into a hard-line and the vein in his jaw jumped.

"You're lying! Swear to God Rose! Swear to God!"

Wonder why people think they had things so easily?

"You walk in here expecting me to fall in your open arms and say 'yes baby, yes I love you and I been waiting on you to say that?'. Adam where the hell did you come from? You know I'm not stupid right? I'll hook up with you today and next week I'll see you with some other girl."

"Why would you assume that?"

"Just go, I'll talk to you tomorrow or something. I have to study."

"Yeah whatever." He slid by careful not touch me as he walked out the door.

Bang. I closed my eyes at the sound of the front door slamming and thought about how confused he was making me.

I opened my eyes to Jennifer peeping into the room.

"Hey what happened?" She asked.

I shook my head, "Nothing studying won't fix. Come on, I have to get this stuff down."