I Should Be Studying

11: I Shouldn't Be Blabbering

Word Count: 811

Niall's POV

Colleen and I are in the dining room; she's wiping down the scummy table as I sweep every inch of the floor with her fancy sweeping-machine-thing. She laughs when I tell her, but I believe this is messing with my masculinity. Men use janitor brooms not a little thin metal pole with a rag at the end.

Colleen asks me my opinion on her party but I know she's just trying to find a way to get it out of me.

"Fuck. Just. Exactly what happened last night?" she bursts, slamming the cloth rag she held on the table, as if her thoughts were eating her alive. "Be honest with me, Jamie." I stop sweeping and try to swallow discreetly.

"By last night, you mean-"

"Everything," she blurts, cutting me off.

"Eh," I tremble, not being very comfortable talking about my 'private interactions', especially with her being in the same building. "She seemed thrilled about being introduced to Darragh, so I tried to let her be. I was just gonna keep an eye on her to make sure she was fine," I begin, continuing to sweep. "A few hours into your party, I had completely gotten distracted and forgot to keep an eye out, so I went around looking for her."

"You were stalking her," she protests.

"No," I retort. "I wasn't. I saw her with a drink in her hand."

"What's that have to do with anything?"

"Remember when I was in your bedroom with her before the party?" She hums in response. "She was telling me about how she hoped she wasn't gonna be pressured into drinking, so I knew from the start that Darragh was trying to get her drunk." Colleen takes the rag again and continues scrubbing the table and tells me to go on. I slam the sweeper to the floor, dispersing all the dirt. "Col, I walked into the house and see him with Sydney. Her legs were wrapped around him like you would see in a porno," I protest, making her look up at me in a grimace. "I walk past them and run into the living room and there she is, sitting on the couch alone, with the fucking cup of beer in her hand. She looked almost disappointed in herself, almost like she knew what he was doing and I couldn't help but feel like it was partly my fault."

"Yours?"

"I could've told her what Darragh was really like," I huff. "So, anyway, I told her we we're leaving, so we left."

"Just like that? She left with you?" she says in confusion. I nod biting down on both my lips. "So, then what?" she nags anxiously. I look around the room awkwardly, leaning my weight on the sweeper.

"We, you know..." I mumble, softly thrusting my hips. She slaps her palm onto her forhead in disappointment, letting out a long breath.

"How," she inquires in an annoyed tone, rolling her wrist for me to continue. I begin to sweep, trying to avoid her question. "James," she grunts.

"Colleen, I don't like talking about this. I regret it enough as it is, I don't need to relive it."

"Why do you regret it?"

"Because here I was trying to keep Darragh from corrupting her but that's what I've gone and done," I sigh.

"Then why'd you do it?" she insists.

"She wanted me to. I wanted to as well, to be fair, but now I feel like I've done something wrong, you know?" Colleen nods softly. "I wish I knew what she was thinking so I could see if she did it for me."

"Well from what I know, she's only had a handful of boyfriends, who she said she didn't feel were 'right'. So maybe you did?" she shrugs.

"It could've just been the alcohol," I suggest.

"If she were to have been drunk, she wouldn't have carried a conversation. Have some positivity, Jamie! If she didn't like you, she wouldn't be leading you on, and she would have just let you walk out of that door! She risked our friendship for you, damn it! Do you know how angry that makes me?" she retorts sharply, slamming the rag down on the table again. "You are not gonna be just a hook up, James!" she shouts, pointing her ugly, little finger at me. "You'll just prove her right about what she thinks of boys; they're all looking for one thing, sex."

"That's not me at all," I murmur.

"Then prove her wrong," Colleen smirks, taking the rag and walking past me as I sweep the dirt into the dustpan. "Once you're done, you can go take a break too. I can finish."

"Too?" I chuckle.

"Evelyn fell asleep a half hour ago whilst making the beds," Colleen giggles as she walks into the kitchen. "Don't intrude her, Jamie!"

Well, doesn't somebody love to gossip!

This was a short chapter to clear the air between Niall and Colleen. Please let me know what you think!

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