Chapter 10: Chapter 10

"Hey Juls!" Kyle calls, striding into my room. "Do you still need help with anything?" His cheeks had a flush to them, hair was a bit damp and he had a bag over his shoulder, clearly he'd just gotten back from the gym.

"I think my dad's bringing in some boxes if you want to help?" I shrug and he nods with an unnecessary solute. I was moving my bed to be directly under the window when I heard a door across the hall unlock and open. Kent was here.

He was still insanely attractive, even if he looked sweaty and disheveled. I could see his muscles and shoulders really well in that tank top. My god, how am I going to live with this?

"Hey.' I say, trying to be polite but he doesn't answer me. Did he hear me?

"How long is your family going to be filling up our apartment?" He asks aggressively and my whole body freezes. I feel my hands stop in midair, my body straightening and I furrow my eyebrows, why was he speaking to me like this? I wasn't even sure how to respond to that.

"Um, I don't know. Maybe a while maybe?" I shrug, coming to the doorway and his chest puffs out as he lingers in the doorway of his room. He looked angry that I was just talking to him. "They just want me to get settled, you know? I think this stresses them out.'

"Whatever, make sure none of them bother me.' He answers instantly and I narrow my eyes.

"Excuse me?" I ask, crossing my arms. "I guarantee none of them fucking care about you." I answer and he rolls his eyes.

"Move your shit in, Juls. I can't stand the clutter in the halls." He answers and just like that he closes the door to his room, leaving me standing in the doorway of mine with endless questions.

He seemed like he liked me when I met him, he seemed excited that I might be moving in even and now what happened? Did I do something?

Maybe he just had a bad day, maybe it was just a little scuff and it would be over the next time we spoke. Nonetheless, my feelings on Kent had completely changed. I thought originally the reason I'd find it hard to live with him would be because I found him so attractive, now it was because he had this attitude and repulsive personality.

"Juls, where do you want this?" I hear Mark's appeared in the hall with a box.

"Oh, just on the floor until I get things in order." I answer quietly.

I felt disappointed and really irritated with the way he'd acted. It was completely unprovoked mind you, I was nothing but nice to him and he treated me like I'd done something awful to him.

Kyle and Mark continued to help me bring things inside, at least they still seemed to like me. After it was all in, they left me to be with my parents for a while to settle in. I put the new mattress on the iron bed frame, started to put up curtains and my lights around the top edge of my room.

After the big stuff was done, I said a big goodbye to my dad and brother who didn't want to keep getting in my way.

"You can always call home, alright?" Dad asks and I nod. "Don't be a stranger, come back to visit every once in a while, okay?"

"Okay." I answer and he gives me a hug.

"I love you, Juls. Have a great time." He whispers and I smile. Jesse gives me a quick hug too and they peel out, leaving mom with me to handle the rest of the details.

Mom had an eye for design, she helped me decide where things made sense, hung up my clothes to best fit the flow of my closet. She made my new big bed with me, putting things into place for a long time until it looked close to my room at home. Things looked cozy, warm and comfortable.

"Alright, is there anything else you need help with?" She asks and I sigh, shaking my head.

"No, mom, I think that's it." I admit.

"Well, then let me give you a big hug.' She whispers, squeezing the life out of me and I smile. I'd come home every so often, just so mom wasn't lonely. "I love you alright? You need my help, you can always call home."

"I know." I whisper and she nods. "I love you, mom."

"I love you lots." She whispers back and I grin.

She was about to leave and then I'd be doing this, my parents wouldn't be there when I came home anymore. This was so sad for me and I hadn't even been thinking about it.

She hugs me for a long time and I sigh, enjoying it as much as I could. Eventually, she pulls back and I smile at her.

"You're so grown up now." She whispers and I laugh. "You're sure you'll be alright?"

"I will, I'm sure." I tell her and she nods. I could figure out how to best handle this, it would take some adjusting but it wouldn't be impossible.

"Alright, then I'll let you settle yourself in and spend some time with your roommates." She whispers and I smile.

I walk her out to the front door and she gives me one last hug, kissing my cheek and waving as she steps outside.

"Bye mom." I smile and she smiles back, walking back up the metal stairs.

I linger by the door, watching her get in the car and go. It hadn't really hit me until right now that I was actually moving out away from my family.

"You and your family are close, huh?" Mark asks and I nod, turning back over my shoulder, seeing him enter the kitchen and open the fridge. "I guess you'd have to live at home for that long."

"Yeah, we're close." I shrug. "H-how long before this starts to feel like home?" I ask and he chuckles.

"Probably a few weeks." He shrugs. "You'll get used to it."

"I hope so." I sigh, shaking my head. "It's cool and everything but it's really different really fast."

"At least yours are close if you need them." He shrugs.

"Where are you?" I ask and he chuckles.

"Salt Lake." He answered and I raised my eyebrows. "I know, it's a good way to go, isn't it?"

"It's not too close, no." I admit, walking to the counter so it didn't seem like I was so far back away from him while we talked.

"I couldn't handle that community and everything my parents expected of me." He shrugs. "They're devoted mormons."

"Wow, really?" I ask and he laughs with a shrug. "Are you?"

"Nah, not at all." He insists. "My mom will try and convince you that I'm just 'lost' or whatever, but it's not my religion, it's theirs. It's not how I want to live my life.'

"I think that's good." I shrug, leaning my elbows on the counter. "I think that's what happens when you grow up, you figure out who you are."

"Yeah, I agree with all of that but to be honest, I couldn't live where I wasn't allowed to drink coffee, alcohol, have sex or do anything enjoyable.' He admits and I snort in agreement.

"True enough.' I admit.

"So what are your plans tonight?" He asks and I blow out a breath, shaking my head.

"I'll probably finish organizing my room, get something to eat, nothing too high-tech." I shrug, looking down at my hands. The countertops were so weird in here, this fake pink granite look.

"What if we all went out?" He shrugs and I blink up at him. "We could do a roommate trip, just the four of us."

"Are you-um " I mumble, leaning in closer across the peninsula. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yeah why not?" He asks, looking confused and I sigh.

"Kent snapped at me earlier when I was moving in and I'm just not sure what I did to him.' I admit. "And I don't want to make him more angry with me.'

"Kent gets in moods about things sometimes, I'm sure he's fine." He says, waving the air. "We'll all get a roomie beer and some fries." He tells me and I shrug.

"Okay, I'll-um I'll go get ready.' I shrug, walking away from him and back down the hall.

I looked sweaty and homeless after moving in all day, I wasn't planning on getting dressed up, just reversing my nasty look.

I brush my hair and put in some dry shampoo, working it in properly. I put on some mascara and conceal my dark circles. Lastly, I changed my clothes and put on some jean shorts and a ribbed tank top. It was casual but looked a little more put together.

I grab my purse from the back of my door and toss my phone into it. I still had to move my stuff into the bathroom and shower, but I figured it would be better done once I clarified what space I could use with everyone.

I smile and walk back out to the main room where Kyle and Mark are already putting on their shoes.

"Juls, you know you can bring your shoes and coats and stuff out here and put them in the closet, right?" Kyle asks and I nod with a smile.

"Yeah, I just didn't get to it yet." I assure them. "That's tomorrow's problem."

"I'll say, you did plenty to get moved in already." He chuckles and I look down at my shoes. "Where's Kent?" He asks, looking behind me and I blink. "He's been acting like a little bitch all day."

Kyle walks past me and down the hall to go knock on his door again. "Come on, dude! We're taking Juls out to dinner, get up!"

"It's really okay if he doesn't want to come,'' I tell Kyle, shaking my head and Kent's door swings open. He comes out looking moody, working up about something and I press my lips together. My god, he just looked so gorgeous though, he could really be on the cover of a magazine.

"Well then, let's go, quit standing around." He grumbles, immediately stepping through the door.

Moody. Totally moody.

Mark swipes his keys off the counter and smiles, gesturing for Kyle and I to to follow him.

Kent walks ahead of us, hands in his pockets. My legs aren't as long as all of theirs so I have to walk twice as fast to keep up with the group.

"Kent, you don't know where we're going!" Kyle calls as we reach a fork in the road. "We're headed to Flanagans!" He tells him and the three of us head right, clearly fucking with Kent who was already going left.

By the time he catches up he's walking next to me, I just try to hide the fact that I'm breathing this heavily while he's so close.

"Why are we going to Flanagans? Headhunter's is bigger." Kent grumbles.

"Because Flanagan's has a special tonight with pitchers.' Mark answers. "Could you stop acting like a little bitch now?" He asks and Kent chews the inside of his cheek.

We got to the place Mark and Kyle were describing, it just looked like an old student pub. I walk inside with the three of them and we pick a table. I sit down in the chair next to Kent who immediately gets up and makes Mark trade with him.

"He's definitely pissed at me." I mumble to Mark. "What did I do?"

"I don't know Juls, he's not normally like this.' He assures me. "It might just be the adjustment thing, Kent likes things his way a lot.'

"If he didn't want me with you guys then I wouldn't have signed that lease."

"He did, he was the most enthusiastic about it I don't know, sometimes change makes him weird." He shrugs "Let it settle, I think he'll get over it."

"Okay." I sigh, pulling my hair off my face and trying to relax. I had other things to think about, like school starting in five days, my shifts at work this week and getting settled in. Kent would have to get over it.

"If he really gives you trouble, come let me know alright?"

"Yeah sure." I nod with a weak smile and he picks up the table card from the middle.

"Let's change the mood, if he wants to act like a wet blanket then he can. We'll have fun." He assures me and I nod, smiling a bit wider. Mark was so nice. "Have you been here before?"

"No.' I admit and he nods.

"You drink though, right?"

"Yeah, I do." I assure him and he nods. I haven't had much recently and I'm sure these guys could out-drink me, but now I'd have the chance to do it more.

"Do you like beer?"

"Yeah, I like it," I nod. "Especially on a hot day, go to the fridge, open a can, sit in the sun and chug it down."

"Juls, I think we're all going to get along just fine.' Kyle butts-in and I laugh.

I really did like it, it wasn't a lie so I could fit in. It was mostly what I drank if I was having a casual drink at home and growing up it was always what was at parties.

"What kind?" Mark asks and I shrug. "I'm fine with literally whatever." I assure him. Mark orders a few pitchers of Bud and two orders of fries for us to share. Once they arrive we all pour a glass and Kyle holds him up.

"To our new roommate, Juls." He says and I smile and tap my cup on his and Marks. Kent reluctantly picks up his cup and taps it with ours and I look up to him, expecting him to be looking somewhere else.

But he's not, he's looking right at me with this weird look in his eyes. This fear or pain almost and I didn't understand it. But I'm sure I would at some point, I'm sure he'd make sense eventually. But in reality, I knew better. Assholes don't change and I think the best move is to keep my distance with Kent.

I just hope things don't get any worse.