Take My Breath (KShaw)

Chapter 2

"Request a new roommate, "Ethan suggests. "It's not that hard. I'm sure you could switch rooms." Harry sighs. He could, sure, but he doesn't want to. It's like they've started a war, him and JJ. He thinks it started in the second week, when he was trying to study and JJ was working out on their floor, and Harry couldn't help but demand to know if he could do it somewhere else, and JJ had only smirked and turned his music on. It's a war he refuses to lose, and if he gives in and requests a room change first, he'll be waving a white flag, surrendering. He's not going to do that. "No," he says firmly. "I'll deal with it."

Tobi pulls his legs up onto the couch and tucks his feet under Harry's legs. "Maybe you could get along," he rationalizes. Harry and Ethan both snort at him. "They'd kill eachother before they got along," Ethan adds, for good measure, and Harry agrees. "Plus, what would we do all day without Harry bitching about JJ? I live vicariously through his roommate drama. It's entertaining." Harry sticks out his tongue and turns the page of his book, and someone changes the channel of the wall-mounted TV. Their common room isn't all that big, just a group of couches, two tables, and a single TV. But most of the people in his dorm are pretty cool, and the room is one of Harry's safe havens. If he's not in here, he's either at the library or the campus library. Anywhere but his room. Just as he thinks this, his safe haven is invaded by the very bane of his existence.

Harry's eyes narrow as JJ and one of his friends from the football team fall onto the couch nearest the TV. Somehow they get the remote, and JJ laughs before changing it to sports. That's almost the extent of what JJ and his friends do all day, as far as Harry knows. They have practice, they hog the TV to watch sports, and they get belligerently drunk at least three times a week. In fact, Harry is, like, 90% sure that he's never seen JJ crack a book, and he's also pretty sure JJ rarely goes to class. How he even managed to get in here is beyond Harry, but he thinks he heard someone mention something about a football scholarship.

"Some people were watching that!" Harry calls, unable to help himself. Ethan 'oohs' as JJ leans over the back of the couch to grin at him. "Were you? Sorry about that." He turns back around and cranks the volume. "Fucker," Harry mutters.

He stands up, book dangling from his fingertips. "I'm going out" He doesn't get an answer. Tobi is too busy tickling Ethan's sides, and Ethan's squirming and giggling and trying to kick him with his socked feet. They collapse against the couch, Tobi on top, Ethan's legs dangling off the armrest, and Harry rolls his eyes. They've been like that since he met them. They come from the same town, grew up together, best friends, and they'd planned to go to school together since they were sixteen. And they actually did it, which is more than most people can say, because usually friends grow up, realize they have different dreams, go their separate ways. But not Ethan and Tobi. They're like conjoined twins. A package deal. There's no separating the two.

Harry bends to pick his bag up from the ground and carefully puts the book in it before slinging it over his shoulder and heading for the stairwell. He figures he'll head for the library, do a bit of work on his paper that's due Monday. Sure, he has a lot of time to work on it. Isn't in much of a rush, but this way he should be able to get it done by Friday, and he'll have the whole weekend free.

Someone blocks the door, Harry groans and rolls his eyes, and JJ defiantly crosses his arms over his chest. "Can you move?" Harry snaps. "I need you to stay out of the room until ten tonight," JJ says. Now Harry crosses his arms, too." Why the fuck would I do that? I have class at eight tomorrow." "I'm bringing someone back to the room," JJ explains. "I need you to not be there. Got it?"

Is he serious? He looks serious, but he's fucking deluded if he thinks he can keep Harry up until past ten just because he wants to get laid. But Harry's still pissed from being woken up early this morning, so he plasters his sweetest, most genuine smile on his face. "Sure thing. I'll be in the library until then anyway." JJ looks a little thrown by that, but he grins back at Harry and says a cheerful," Brilliant. Thanks," confirming Harry's suspicions that he's never been in the library. The library closes at nine, even if he wanted to, he couldn't stay there until ten. When JJ's no longer blocking the exit, Harry pushes through the door and heads down the stairs. He lights up a cigarette as he walks, a smirk playing on his lips.

The library is mostly deserted when he gets there, which is his favorite part about the library on Wednesdays. Usually the only days it's really packed are Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays. Other than that, it's only the stragglers, the kids who are really focused on getting good grades, and the occasional student passed out at a table, probably because it's quieter in here than it would be in their dorm.

"Afternoon, Harry," the librarian greets when he walks in. Harry smiles at her. "Nancy." He swipes a sucker from the bowl on her desk. There's no food allowed in the library, not even coffee, but candy is the one exception. Nancy's always got candy on her desk, and she allows certain students to take them. Harry is one of the lucky few.

He spends the next three hours in the back of the library, working on his paper. The few students around him seem exhausted and stressed, but Harry isn't one of them. He maybe, secretly sort of likes the hard work. Likes being challenged. Likes the research and working his brain and putting effort into doing well. He likes the accomplished feeling when he knows he's put his heart into something and he does a good job of it.

It's about eight when he piles up his stuff and heads back to his room, paper nearly done. He just has to finish another two hundred words, type it out on his laptop and it's finished. He tosses his bag on top of his dresser before settling into his bed.

At around nine the doorknob jiggles, and he hears a girl laughing, bright and feminine, before JJ says, "I can't wait to get you naked." Harry rolls his eyes and adjusts his glasses on his face while pretending to read his book. The door opens, the two of them stumble in, wrapped up in each other, and then they stop dead. The girl's eyes widen, and she looks uncomfortable. JJ, on the other hand, looks livid. "What are you doing here?" he demands. Harry shrugs a shoulder. "What's it look like?" he asks. "I'm reading, obviously. I know that's a foreign concept to you, but it's really not that hard to understand." "Is he going to stay?" the girl whispers, as if the room isn't the size of a shoebox, impossible to not be heard in it, no matter how you try. "I'm really not into exhibitionism. I'll deal with this," JJ tells her.

He crosses the room and pulls the book from Harry's grip. "Get out." "Don't touch my shit," Harry counters, reaching for the book. JJ holds it high over his head. "Or do, and I'll let our RA know that you're defacing my property and get a new roommate." JJ growls in frustration. "You said you'd be gone!" "You woke me up at three in the morning off your ass because you didn't have your fucking key!" Harry says right back, standing up. "And it's my room too, you can't just kick me out of it." JJ throws the book at him. It doesn't hurt, but it pisses him off. "Maybe if you got a life," JJ hisses, "outside of the library and your homework, you wouldn't be such an uptight asshole about everything!" "Oh, wow," Harry mocks, feigning shock. "You actually know what the library is? I never would have guessed." JJ grits his teeth, jaw clenched. Harry grins at him, only because he knows that pisses JJ off even more. Really, he's just as pissed, vibrating with anger, but he doesn't want JJ to know that he gets to Harry as much as he does.

"I'm just gonna go," the girl says quietly. "You two keep, uh, doing whatever this is." JJ glares at Harry for a beat longer before jogging after her. Their door slams behind him, and Harry lets out a shaky breath. Maybe Ethan is right. Maybe he should request a new roommate before he and JJ really do end up murdering each other in the middle of the night.