The Study Group

Chapter 3: Third Wheel|Mariah

God, I thought to myself. How did I become friends with two of the most oblivious idiots in existence?

When I walked into Zach's room, I wasn't sure what I was expecting.  The creaking bed was suspicious but it stopped pretty quickly. But I tried not to squeal with excitement when I walked in and saw the two of them cuddling in the bed.

I was so excited. He finally did it! Quintin finally grew a pair and told Zach how he felt. But alas, my hopes were quickly trampled upon and that fateful day still has yet to come.

"So," I sighed, growing tired of watching the two of them dance around their feelings for the other. "Are you working again this year, Zach?"

"Yep," he nodded. "I don't know where yet, though."

"Well then," I nudged him towards the door. "Why don't you go find out?"

"What, right now?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, right now," I pushed him to the door. "Why not?"

"Because I still have to unpack!"

"Oh please," I waved him off. "Quintin and I can help you unpack. Go. Figure out where you'll best serve our capitalist overlords."

He laughed at that one. Quintin finally climbed down, getting his ass out of the bed that wasn't even his.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Absolutely," I waved him off again. "I've already finished unpacking. And I'm sure Quintin has, too."

"Actually--," Quintin started. I jabbed my elbow into his side. "Ow!"

"Go," I smiled at Zach. "Quintin will stay here and help me help you. Right?"

I dug my elbow into his side, emphasizing the last word.

"Ouch!" He jumped away from me. "Fine! Yeah, I'll help too, Z."

"Thanks, guys," Zach said as he walked slowly to the door. "But you really don't need to do this."

"Well if you're offering--," Quintin said, trying to make his way to the door.

"Nope!" I grabbed his arm. "Get your ass over here and help me!"

I let go of his hand and thrust a box into his arms.

"Bye, Zach!" I waved him out of the room again. "We'll have this done when you get back!"

With my final reassurance, Zach reluctantly left the room.

Finally, I thought to myself. I thought I would never get him to leave.

I turned to Quintin who was slowly opening the box.

"So," I said as I started unpacking my own box. "We're on--what--year seven now? Or is it eight?"

"I'm working on it, okay?" Quintin responded.

"Are you? 'Cause it seems like you just chicken out whenever you have the opportunity to tell him."

"Of course I do! Are you saying you've never had trouble confessing to a crush?"

"Obviously," I said sarcastically, flipping my hair for emphasis. "No one can resist me. I am a goddess amongst plebs."

"You're hilarious," he rolled his eyes. "But seriously. Haven't you had problems with confessing to a crush before?"

"Of course I did," I scoffed. "But I womaned up and got it over with. Now, unless there's something you'd like to tell me, I'm not sure "womaning up" would be as effective for you. Just tell him how you feel."

"It's hard, though!" He whined.

"No shit, Sherlock! Being vulnerable with your emotions is one of the most difficult things anyone can do! Especially when you have no guarantee of how the other person will react!"

"So what would you suggest I do then?"

"Tell him! Just be open and honest about it. Have a healthy conversation about your feelings."

"I don't think I can," he said quietly. "It's just too difficult."

"That's fine," I sighed. I was really getting sick of Quintin waiting to make a move. "But if you're not going to make a move, you need to be prepared to let him go."

"What?!" His head snapped up and he glared at me. "What the hell do you mean?"

"Just because you don't want to tell him," I explained. "Doesn't mean he needs to wait for you. If you don't tell him, Zach is still allowed to be his own person and date someone else that isn't you. You do know that, right?"

"...I do," he mumbled.

"Great," I said. "So you know that if someone shows a romantic interest in them this year, you cannot scare away their potential partner."

"...Fine," he mumbled again.

"Good," I sighed. "Glad we got that sorted out."

We worked on unpacking Zach's things in silence. Genuinely, I took no joy in having that conversation with Quintin. I didn't want to have it to begin with but someone had to tell him. And I was the only one who could.

Those two were perfect for each other. I would be lucky if they figured it out before I died of old age. It was confusing as to why they couldn't see the truth that was right in front of them. They were meant to be together.