Are We Just Friends? / / Matty Healy / /

// FOUR //

As it turns out, I didn't break my ankle, but it was severely sprained. Unsurprisingly Katie freaked out when she saw my swollen and bruised ankle and asked a million questions. I came up with some bullshit excuse that I missed a step on the stairs and twisted my ankle. I wasn't ready to tell Katie about the boys because I knew she would have a heart attack and I didn't even know what exactly was going on with me and them.

I sighed in frustration as I heard Katie let out another giggle. It is 9pm and I've been trying to study for an exam I have tomorrow morning, but Katie kept looking at her phone and giggling for the past hour. I tried my hardest to ignore it, but everyone has a breaking point eventually, right?

I slammed my textbook shut which caused Katie to jump and look in my direction.

"Okay, seriously. What is so funny that you have to giggle every 30 seconds?" I snapped.

"Oh, sorry. I'm texting Brody and he's so sweet," she blushed while chewing on her fingernail, a slight smile sneaking its way on her face.

"Brody? Sweet? Now you're making me laugh," I said dryly. The smile slipped off her face and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you have against Brody? You've barely ever talked to him!" she defended.

"He's Aaron's best friend, I know what he's like," I shot back.

"Oh yeah? Then enlighten me," she said with narrowed eyes.

"He...he doesn't respect women. He probably just wants to sleep with you then leave you," I said knowing that Katie wasn't one for sleeping around. In fact, I'm not sure that she's even lost her virginity yet. And what I said was true about Brody, but of course I knew a lot worse about him too.

"Just because he was like that before doesn't mean anything! He really likes me, I can tell. And you know what? I think I do want to sleep with him even if he never asks me out. I like him, I think he's sexy, and he's such a nice guy," Katie said.

"What? You can't sleep with Brody," I demanded.

"Why the hell not?" she asked with a raised voice.

"You just can't!" I yelled back.

"So you can just go around and fuck everything with a dick, but as soon as I want to sleep with one guy you tell me I can't? That's so hypocritical coming from a slut like you!" she screamed. I'm sure everyone in this building probably just heard her outburst. I certainly did, and it struck me right to the core. The anger left my body and once again I found myself feeling defeated. I could see the regret immediately cloud her features, but it was too late. The damage was done. And even if she hadn't meant to say what she said, it was clearly something she believed.

"Daniella, I'm sor—"

"I was just trying to look out for you," I said softly before picking up my books and walking out of the room. I headed to the campus library which was open 24 hours for students. I was exhausted and knew I wouldn't be able to retain much information at this point, but I definitely needed to get out of that room. I was already dreading the next interaction I'd have with Katie. She and I have never fought before and she was the one person I thought would be there for me. But after tonight I'm reconsidering everything.

I plopped down at a vacant table and opened my textbook back to the page I had previously been on before the fight. I stared at the page for a while, reading the same paragraph again and again. I was seeing the words but they weren't meaning anything to me. All I could think about was the possibility of Katie losing her virginity to a rapist. I didn't realize I was beginning to doze off, but soon enough my heavy eyes drooped closed and my body slumped forward in the seat, my textbook becoming a makeshift pillow.