The Renovation Complication

22. Put a Shirt On

                   

"F is for friends that do stuff together, you is for you and me!" Katherine and I sing along in sync to Spongebob Squarepants. What can I say? I'm obsessed.

We've finally gotten a bedframe up here and I'm ecstatic to say the least. I plan on using it all day for the rest of my life, if you know what I mean.

Sleeping. I meant sleeping.

Seen as it's a lazy Sunday afternoon, I've invited Kat over to watch a healthy five hour (and counting) marathon of my favourite show in the entire world. We're now splayed over my Queen sized bed (yes, I'm moving up in the world) with a laptop and a few hundred empty packets of junk food. I think I consumed my weight in Ben and Jerry's.

My room, though still rather barren, is definitely looking more habitable. Not only did Mason repaint the walls, he glossed the floorboards also. I still hate him, though. No amount of free labour could change that.

And even on that note, the jerk left me something of a keepsake. It wasn't a horse's head in my bed, it's worse.

He left one wall splatterfied. He gave three walls a beautiful, flawless coat of mint and left one turquoise with distinct lighter flicks speckled all over the surface.

And it's the main wall, if that makes any sense. It's the wall that I will face when I awaken and sit up to get a beautiful view of...

Splatters.

Splatters of paint, splatters of memories – I don't know which one is worse. All I know is that the baboon did this on purpose.

I'm going to have to scrap that wall at some point also. The only problem is that we're out of paint, and Ashley refuses to get me more. She took one look at the wall and squealed in delight, claiming that it was a lovely skew on things.

I will skewer Masons' things, that's for sure.

"Will you turn that crap down, I'm trying to concentrate!" A deep, irritated voice calls in from the window. Oh, the man himself.

Dares to make an appearance after all this, eh? I'll make him disappear.

"Oh, don't do that!" I feign concern, making my way to the sill. "You'll hurt yourself!"

Mason is half hanging out of his room, a scowl set on his face. But beneath that, I swear I can see a smile. Sort of.

Not really.

"Very funny, Aspen." He leans back and stretches and I stop breathing for a second.

He's not wearing a shirt.

He's not wearing a shirt.

And my goodness he has right to do so.

"Done staring there?" His arrogant smirk snaps me back to attention and I narrow my eyes.

"Put on a shirt before you poke someone's eye out." I snap.

At this, I hear a scrambling before a body collides into me, slamming me to the side. Katherine clearly likes the idea of a shirtless Mason.

I've got to say I don't mind it myself. Too bad he's rotten on the inside.

"Hey there Kitty Kat, didn't know you were here." He purrs, pun intended. I think I'm going to puke. By the looks of it, so is Katherine.

Much like me, she wouldn't touch Mr Pointy Pecks with a ten foot pole if she could help it. She definitely does't mind gawking, though. She really has no shame.

"Please, Mason. Go use your pathetic pickup lines on Kasey Harris." He seems a little taken aback at this. God, do people seriously believe that Katherine is all sweet and no sass? I wouldn't put up with her if she was.

He pretends not to hear her snide remark and faces me once again. Eyes on face, Tori, not on muscles.

No, don't flex like that you idiot. Sheesh, he's not going to make this easy is he?

"Do you like the paint job, Tori?" He grins, satisfied like a cat with a bowl of cream.

"I will kill you." I answer through gritted teeth. How dare he intrude into my space, vandalise my room and parade his body around? Just pure rudeness.

"Please, you couldn't catch me." He winks and I cringe - what an egoistic bastard. I suddenly remember the night of the football game and realise that... yeah... he can probably outrun a sports car.

Not if I hit him with it first.

Aah, Mr Donovan sure does bring out the best in me, doesn't he?

Mason's crystal eyes flicker to the laptop still sitting on my bed, alight with amusement. "What're you two watching?"

"Nothing." Kat and I say simultaneously, rushing to close the episode of Spongebob before it gives us away. He will never let me live this down if he knows I watch such a childish (fantastic) show in my free time. Katherine sends me a frantic look, as if sharing my thoughts exactly. God knows what would happen if the football team found out about this.

We attempt to ignore the boy next door who is currently wheezing and chuckling audibly. He just thought of a funny joke, he couldn't have possibly seen –

"How old are you?" He calls, still snickering and catching his breath.

I squeeze my eyes shut and pray that he'll go away, but the laughter remains. Finally, I leap off of the bedspread toward my newly painted window sill and grip the pane. He's still there, grinning from ear to ear, shaking his head of curls (who styles their hair when they don't even have a shirt on?) and baring bright teeth.

It takes all of my strength to remain composed, wearing an expression that is the epitome of unimpressed. "If you really have to ask that then I'm going to start pressing charges for violation of privacy!" With that, I slam the window shut. Admittedly, the action would be more effective with curtains, but I still don't have any, therefore a clear pane of glass will have to do.

Who doesn't buy curtains immediately? You tell me because I have no idea. I have to get changed in the bathroom at all times. The incidents when I have forgotten about the lack of curtains have instilled enough panic inside of me that it is becoming habit to pick out my clothes before showering. I refuse to show Mason any skin.

Through the glass, he is still sporting a highly amused smirk, head cocked to the side as if trying to understand my antics. From that angle he almost looks cute - in a demented-drowned-street-puppy sort of way.

I cross my arms over my chest and nod at him to go away, which he does after rubbing the back his neck, head shaking and saying something muffled through the glass. Dammit, doesn't seem like such a good idea now.

Good riddens. We don't need that kind of ab-action around here.

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Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that it's been so long!!! I'm just really trying to keep on top of assessment (and failing badly) right now and I can't afford to spend as much time as I'd like to writing...

Anyway, my goddamn laptop's audio is malfunctioning and it's driving me insane!!!!

Please stay with me, I know I'm not the fastest updater, but I'm really trying for 2 on weekends. <3

Thank you all so much and please don't forget to vote/comment/share!!!