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(just because jeremy's and ben's face kills me every time)
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Katherine woke up to 47 messages on her phone, stunning her into a state of confusion. Groggily taking her phone off of her nightstand, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Nearly all of the texts on her phone were from unknown numbers bickering back and forth, except for one that caused her to groan both internally and externally.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Katherine called Jack's number, listening through the ringing until his familiar voice greeted, "Yeah?"
"I regret giving you my number already," Katherine remarked, standing and walking over to the window in the corner of the room to look down at the busy streets of the city.
On the other side of the call, Katherine heard Jack chuckle, "And why's you sayin' that?"
"Maybe it's because you added me to a group chat with people I don't even know." Katherine grinned despite the fact Jack couldn't see her face.
"Ta be fair, you met 'em yesterday," Jack reasoned. "You doin' anythin' today?"
"I've no plans."
"Well, I finished da drawing you asked for." Katherine's grin transitioned to a smile. "Meet somewhere and I can give it to ya?"
"You can just come over to my dorm," Katherine said, tilting her head to hold her phone against her shoulder while she scavenged through her wardrobe for something to wear.
"What about your roommate?"
"She's out of town for the next two weeks. I'll meet you at the front desk, okay?" Katherine withdrew a sweater dress and tossed it onto her bed, taking a pair of white tights and brown leather boots to change into.
"Yeah," Jack said from the other line, "See ya there."
As soon as Katherine had changed, she left out her door for the elevator. She dialed a number into her phone, holding it up to her ear as she walked. Eventually, after a few quiet rings, a familiar voice said from the other line, "Hello?"
"Hey, Darcy!" Katherine greeted, waiting for the elevator to reach her floor.
"Kath! Hey! Why are you calling? Is it about Jack? Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened," Katherine reassured him, leaning against the wall opposite the elevator. "Except I received his number and now I just invited the biggest flirt into my dorm."
"Woah, okay. So what do you need me for, then?"
Katherine stepped into the empty elevator, grateful that no one else was in the contraption. "So I may have tipped him off that I was going to quote-on-quote 'end it' between us. What better way to end it than when he's right there in front of me as I do it?"
"Are you sure this is a good idea? He's infamous for his tricks on girls, and once you do this, you'll be vulnerable to him. Not to mention you'll be in a room together. Alone. With a bed."
"Darcy, shut up!" Katherine demanded amusedly. "I swear... Nothing like that is going to happen. Heck, I've only known this guy for two and a half days." She paused, biting the inside of her cheek. "Well, except for the time he flirted with me at the supermarket."
"But for that length of time, you've been attracted to him."
Katherine bit the inside of her cheek, suppressing a retort. "No."
"Yes."
"I'm not."
"But you are."
Katherine stepped out of the elevator, seating herself on one of the sofas by the front desk. "Get those false ideas out of your head. I do not like him."
"Whatever you say, Kath. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other last night. I'm slow to understand, sure, but I'm not an idiot."
"There was no 'looking at each other.' We were simply talki—here he comes!" Katherine spotted Jack's silhouette approaching the front door of the dorm, causing Katherine to fly to her feet and turn awkwardly as if she hadn't been watching once he entered the building. "Yeah, Darcy. I hope this doesn't end our friendship. You're still my best friend and I don't want that to end. So are we okay?"
Darcy laughed on the other end of the line, knowing Jack wouldn't hear. "This is how you're playing it off? Wow. Smooth, Katherine."
"Good. Talk to you later, okay?" Katherine lowered the phone, knowing Darcy was still laughing even though she couldn't hear anymore.
A hesitant voice spoke up behind her, "Hey." Katherine pretended to be startled, looking up at Jack who was standing across from her with his hands in his pockets.
"Oh, hey. How long have you been standing there?" Katherine's top teeth dug into her bottom lip as she spoke. Although she knew her 'break-up' wasn't real, she was still anxious to see what Jack would say and do.
Jack shrugged, "Long enough ta hear part o' that phone call."
"Well, you probably have an idea of my relationship status, then. Come on, let's head on up." Katherine took Jack's wrist, guiding him to the elevators nestled in a corner of the ground floor. She didn't bother to look over at his face as they stood together, waiting for the elevator. Nor did she bother to say a word to him.
