university (justin bieber)

9

"This hangover is killing me," I frowned, popping the lid off the pill bottle. Swallowing a pain reliever, I passed it over to Melissa.

We sat on the large grass field on campus, skipping our first classes. The sunlight beamed down upon us, warming our skin and leaving us satisfied.

"Next time, let's drink juice or something. I'm through with alcohol," Melissa laughed, rubbing her temples slowly.

I groaned and laid back in the cool grass, cupping my hand over my eyes to block the harsh sunlight.

A large shadow suddenly casted itself over my body, causing my hands to fly down to my sides to see who it was.

"Jasmine," Justin croaked from above me. His hair was tucked sloppily into a beanie, and stubble pricked out from his jaw and chin.

My stare widened as my eyes met with his bloodshot ones, my body shooting upwards to sit.

"Shit," Shania whispered from beside me, covering her hand with her mouth.

"Can we t-talk?" His voice strained, his hand raising up to scratch the back of his neck.

I looked over at Melissa and Shania, noticing their gazes were on the ground. When they felt my eyes on them, they looked at me and shrugged their shoulders. It was almost as if they were saying "do what you want."

"Yeah," I tried to reply steadily. "Sit down."

He bit his lip and tugged his beanie down slightly.

"Uh, privately, please."

I tucked my lips into my mouth and nodded my head hesitantly, rising to my feet and standing awkwardly beside him. He dug his hands into his pockets, taking the first step forward. We began walking away from Melissa and Shania, the silence enveloping us in a bubble as the rest of the campus buzzed with liveliness.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked stupidly, curious to hear his response. He sighed, looking over at me with his weary eyes.

"Really, Jas? You know what I'm going to say," He threw his head back. "You know that I'm going to apologize. I'm sorry, okay?"

I rolled my eyes as we continued to walk in silence, our feet leading us towards the coffee shop on campus. He opened the door for me, motioning me to walk before him.

I took a seat at a table beside a window, looking around to find only a few other students inside.

"I'm going to buy us some coffee. I'm going to come back, and we're going to talk about this," He said definitively, his eyes boring into mine. I simply nodded my head, placing my gaze outside the window.

After a few minutes, he returned with a cup of coffee, sliding it before me prior to sitting down. I thanked him silently and opened the lid to stir in cream and sugar, seeing that he had already done so.

"One cream, two sugars. The way you like it," He said with a sad smile. I bit my lip awkwardly and took a sip of the coffee.

"Let's just get to the point," I huffed, placing the cup down. I was fed up with the constant back-and-forth movement between Justin and I.

"I haven't slept in days. I can't stop checking my phone. Hell, I even got so drunk that I dyed my own hair lilac. I'm a fucking mess, Jasmine," He cried out, pulling his beanie back to expose the dyed strands of hair.

My eyebrows widened and I choked on my coffee, staring at him in shock.

"Why are you losing so much sleep over someone who means nothing to you?" I questioned, crossing my arms against my chest.

He furrowed his eyebrows and put his cup down, staring at me with bewilderment.

"Someone who means nothing to me? Are you serious? You obviously mean something if I've been acting like this," He said, irritation laced deep within his voice.

"You have a funny way of showing it."

He pulled his beanie back down and ran his hand over his face, groaning in frustration.

"I care about you a lot, Jasmine. Believe it or not, but I do. I couldn't sleep without knowing if you were safe or not."

"I was safe, thanks for wondering. I had a few drinks over the last few days, but I slept fine at night," I lied through my teeth, bitterness appearing on my tongue.

I tried my best to push him away, putting him down after everything he said. I had reached my breaking point and I couldn't handle anymore foolishness in my life.

"Did I mean nothing to you? I mean, even as a friend?" He asked painfully.

I took a deep breath and sipped on my coffee, straightening my back out against the chair.

"I'd be lying if I said you didn't," I said truthfully. His eyes glimmered with hope as he stared into mine. "You've made me lose all respect for you, though. Nothing can be the same if we're ever friends again."

He rubbed the stubble on his face and gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"So, you're saying we can be friends again?" He said hopefully, placing his shaky hands on the table.

I shrugged, swirling the last bit of coffee around in my cup.

"Maybe one day when we're both ready for it," I breathed out finally, seeing his shoulders slump in disappointment. "We don't know what we want right now."

"I know, Jasmine!" He cried out, his hands flying up in the air. "I need you in my life, dammit."

His voice shook and his jaw clenched, making me feel uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Just," I sighed, pausing to pull on the ends of my hair. "Just let me think about all of this."

Justin shot me a disapproving look, but nodded his head and pushed his chair back before angrily tossing his cup in the trash. He stormed out, the door of the coffee shop slamming behind.

I looked up at the ceiling and felt my eyes fill with tears, my heart clenching by the second.

I didn't know what I was doing, but I hoped it was for the best.