Beyond Education [Jemily]

Yours

"Just Roxanne."

"Roxanne?"

"Yeah. She put her number in my phone."

"And you took it?"

"Well why not? What was I supposed to do?"

"Say 'I have a girlfriend!'"

"She's not hitting on me, Jayje."

"Yes she is, Em! You really can't see that?"

"I mean... No?"

I rolled my eyes and got up, "Oh my god."

"What?"

I paced in front of her bed and exasperated, "Emily, she was flirting with you all afternoon. She was asking me all these questions about you during practice. She gave you her number, and now she's texting you!"

"So? She hasn't explicitly said anything to me."

"That's the point! She just wants to weasel her way in. Trust me, she's done it so many times. She thinks she can have whatever she wants and I just... I don't want her to have you. Okay?"

Emily sat up on the edge of her bed and chuckled, "Babyyy... She's not gonna 'have me.'"

"No?"

"No, of course not. You have me." She smiled at me lovingly. God, she could get me to do a thousand things with that smile. "C'mere." I playfully kicked the ground and then shuffled over, standing between her legs as they dangled off the bed. Emily held my torso on both sides and looked into my eyes, "You have nothing to worry about, my love. I'm yours." She kissed the center of my chest and laid her forehead against it as I ran my fingers through her hair.

February 3, 2022
Emily talking to Roxanne has gotten really old, really fast. Her phone pings every 20 seconds and she refuses to let it go unanswered. I rolled my eyes as she got her one-millionth text today, "Jesus, can she stop already!?"

Penelope agreed from her bed, opposite where we were sitting on mine, "Yeah, can't this girl take a hint?"

I scoffed, "Well Emily hasn't exactly been giving the right hints."

Emily sighed as her thumbs speedily worked to text Roxanne back, "Don't start again, Jayje."

"I'm not, I'm not."

Penelope chuckled, "Is this currently a popular conversation topic with you guys?"

"She gave Emily her number and she's totally flirting with her but Emily refuses to ghost her."

Emily insisted, "She's not flirting."

"Yes, she is."

"Is not."

"Yes, she is. She even calls you 'Em.' I mean, no one does that. No one except for me and Tara and occasionally Derek."

Penelope cautiously suggested, "JJ, if you're so worried about it then why don't you just read the texts? And, Emily, if there's nothing for JJ to worry about, then that should be okay."

I dismissed, "Pen, I don't really think that's a good—"

Emily handed me her phone, "Fine by me. I'm not flirting with her. I've got nothing to hide." I shrugged and took the phone, starting to scroll to the top of the texts to go through them. Most of them were very one-sided: Roxanne did all the talking. The more recent ones, however, had a different pattern. Emily's were more playful and friendly; she was getting more comfortable.