Think About U

{12}

I wake up around noon which is kinda late for me but hey like I said before I was sleeping good. I'm starving as usual so I roll over and put on my glasses before trying to get up and fall out of bed because my foot gets caught in the sheet. I mumble a string of not so PG words to myself and stand up looking at my elbow which is already starting to bruise. I let out a sigh and head downstairs, the boys are nowhere to be seen so I grab a bag of hot Cheetos and make my way to Ian's room. I push the door open with my foot and walk in, he's sitting on his bed looking done with life staring at his laptop. "What's up dummy?" I say as he continues to work. "Trying to edit this last bad unboxing I filmed, wanna help?" He replies finally looking up. "Nah I don't get paid enough for helping you film, I'm not gonna edit too," I say heading towards the door. "But I don't pay you at all." He shakes his head. "Exactly Carter" I stick my tongue out and flip him off before closing the door and heading down the hall. I debate on going back to my room and working on some school work or reading but the music coming from Joji's room catches my attention. I knock on his door and hear him shuffle to open it. "Sorry I don't mean to bother you or interrupt I just... I'm bored and I don't wanna help Ian." He laughs and points down at my Cheeto breakfast, "One that's not a healthy breakfast and two I'm just messing with beats trying to get a new song to pop up in my head. You can chill and give me some opinions if you want, just try to be nice." I nod and realize I left my phone in my room. "I'll be right back I gotta go grab my stuff, and for the record, I'm always nice." I run across the hall collecting my phone laptop and vape, I take a rip off my vape and exhale a cloud as I come back into Joji's room. He holds out his hand in response so I hand my vape to him before getting comfortable and setting my own laptop on my lap. I listen contently and give feedback when he needs it but for the most part, I sit quietly working on a photography paper I've been procrastinating until the last minute. We sit side by side, each of us with one of his earbuds in staring at our computers. Every now and then we take a break and talk a little while eating my "unhealthy breakfast" of hot Cheetos and take turns with my vape. It's nice to have someone to just chill and work on our own stuff like this, Ian tends to have pretty high energy when we hang out and it's pretty rare I can get him to be quiet let alone chill and not ask me questions or for help with a squirrel vid or something while I'm working. After a while I've finished almost half of my paper and Joji's made a few sample beats, we decide it's time to get "real" food. "Wanna go get some McDonald's," he asks getting up and setting his laptop on the bed. I nod looking down at my phone realizing it was already 4 pm and neither of us have eaten anything but hot Cheetos all day. He looks at me then himself in the mirror on the closet door. He turns back to me, "preferably the drive-thru though because neither of us bothered to change out of our pajamas." I look down at my wrinkled tee shirt and baggy sweats and laugh realizing he's right, "I'll go get my shoes and see if Ian wants anything" I say saving my essay and setting my closed laptop next to Joji's. I pick up his beanie off of the chair next to his bed and put it on before walking out of the room causing him to roll his eyes at me. "I'll grab your phone and vape and meet you downstairs," he says as I make it across the hall. I put on a clean pair of Nike socks and slip on one of my black vans, I sigh and look around for the other shoe finally realizing I accidentally kicked it under the bed at some point. I grab it and put it on before heading to Ian's room. "Hey, you want some McDonald's?" I ask knocking on the door before opening it. I peek my head into his room and wait for a response. "Yeah that sounds good," he says briefly looking up from his computer. "Text me your order then, me and Joji are about to leave." He nods and holds his phone up in response. I close his door and head downstairs. Joji is waiting at the front door, he smiles and holds out my phone, "Ready to go?" I grab my phone and nod, "yep let's go." We head to his car and got in, "I got aux" I say grinning. "Be my guest" he says hitting my vape before handing it to me and starting the car. I start Rich Brian's album The Sailor and Joji glances at me laughing, "of course you like him too, didn't know I had so much competition." I shake my head and look down at my phone while hitting my vape, "He's not competition. The only reason I got into his music because the song Midsummer Madness, which I listened to because you were in it." He smiles and grabs my hand, his eyes not leaving the road. "Aw that's my girl, might even be my biggest fan." I shake my head, "Not your girl... Yet anyway. But the biggest fan part might be true, I have a tattoo to prove it, been a fan since the Filthy Frank days." We stop at a red light and he looks at me, "wait really?" I change playlists and start Peach Jam, "what the tattoo or the Filthy Frank thing?" I say looking up. "Both I guess" He checks to make sure the light is still red before looking back at me. "Yeah both are true" I pull my shirt down enough to reveal the flower on my collarbone that was covered by my swimsuit the day before, "and I watched Filthy Frank all the time, had a crush on you since I was like 14." The light turns green and we continue to McDonald's. "That's wild. I didn't expect that" he says letting go of my hand and putting it back on the steering wheel. "Yeah well I never expected to meet you and I definitely never expected to hear you say you liked me so we're even I guess." I laugh as we pull into the drive-thru. I tell Joji what Ian wants and wait patiently as he tells the worker his and Ian's order. He turns to me, "what do you want I'm not gonna let you survive on nothing but hot Cheetos all day" I look up from my phone and push my glasses up, "I just want nuggets and a strawberry banana smoothie." He nods and finishes the order then pulls up to the window and pays. We get our order and Joji hands me the food and my drink setting his and Ian's in the cup holder before we head back to the house. Midsummer Madness comes up on my shuffle and I grin at Joji. I start singing and rapping along and Joji gives me a slightly shocked look before joining me and singing along on his line. I laugh and rap the whole Rich Brian part as we pull up to the house. "Where have you been my whole life?" He says parking the car clearly amused. I shake my head and hand him one of the McDonald's bags before grabbing the other one and my drink. We walk up to the house with our arms full and both struggle with the door for a second before we get inside. I set everything on the counter and call Ian downstairs as Joji sets the rest of the food down. I look up the stairs, still no Ian. I decide it's time to resort to yelling at him again, "IAN WE'RE BACK WITH THE FOOD." A few moments later he comes down the stairs, "why are you always yelling?" He asks sitting down on a stool at the counter. I frown and sit down across from him, "I'm not always loud you just have a tendency to ignore me so I gotta yell sometimes" I sip my drink. Joji hands me my nuggets and sits next to me. I roll my eyes at Ian and start eating. "So I was thinking we could chill on the balcony and play cards against humanity after we eat," Joji says in between bites of his food. I steal a fry from him, "I'm down." Joji looks at Ian and he nods "sure why not." I scroll through my phone finishing my smoothie. "Hey Ash toss me a nug" I glance up at Ian as he says it. I grab a nugget, "catch." I throw the nugget at him and he barely catches it in his mouth. I look down and realize I threw Ian my last nugget, I shrug and get up to throw away my trash. I sit back down and wait for the boys to finish their food so we can head upstairs. I look down at my phone to see a text from my friend/roommate Jayden, I open it.

Jayben 🤡: So there's a pic of some dude that I guess is famous and a girl that looks like you trending on Twitter.

I feel my face redden and I get a little nervous, I respond.

Ash🤞: what?! Send it to me I call bs.

Joji looks at me, "you ok?" I nod as another text comes up, this time it's a picture of me and Joji from the other day at Tacobell holding hands.

Jayben 🤡: Isn't that the singer guy you like that's friends w/ Ian? Guess you're his type bc you and that girl could be twins.

I shake my head getting progressively more panicked, I stare at the pic for a minute before replying.

Ash🤞: we could be twins bc that's me ugh.

I let out a sigh and put my head down on my arms. Joji pokes me, "What's wrong? Don't lie." I push my phone to him without raising my head. I hear him pick up my phone, "We're trending on twitter. 'Joji has a secret gf' is the caption of the original post. Someone had to have snuck that picture when we were leaving Taco Bell the other day." I peek over my arm examining his expression as I finish speaking. He hides his shock better than I do, "Well, let them believe what they want. They don't know who you are so don't worry about it. We'll just have to be more incognito when we go places this week." I shrug pushing the thought from my mind. I sit up, "Can we stay inside to play cards against humanity tonight?" Joji nods and I stand up and walk over to the couch flopping face down onto it. Ian sits down on the other couch as Joji runs upstairs to get the game. I roll over and sit up. Ian looks at me, "You whine a lot." I launch a pillow at his head and glare at him, "You know how much hate I'm gonna get once his fans figure out who I am? Fangirls can be brutal and yeah I get it, not all fans are like that but if the pic is trending and they think I'm dating Joji it's only a matter of time before they rip me to shreds." I look down at my phone which Jayden has been spamming with texts. I text back without checking the 15 messages he sent.

Ash🤞: I'll facetime you later and explain.

I toss my phone onto the table and cross my legs under me. Joji sits next to me and tosses the game to Ian, "Hey it's gonna be ok. I don't care what anyone thinks and you shouldn't let it get to you." He gives me a reassuring smile and hugs me. I nod and decide to focus on the game. We play for hours and I try to make awful Filthy Frank and Pinkguy references to the best of my ability with the cards I have. Joji is trying to act like it bothers him but I catch him stifling laughter a couple of times. I've beaten the boys a handful of times before we decide to call it quits and Ian takes it upon himself to get up and make everyone pizza rolls. I roll my eyes as he hands me mine, "what are we freshmen in college?" He sits back in his spot and pops a whole pizza roll in his mouth, "says the one who ate an entire bag of hot Cheetos for breakfast." I eat one of my pizza rolls and look at him, "to be fair Joji ate more than half the bag." Joji elbows me and shoots me a look before swallowing his mouthful of food, "you didn't have to call me out like that." I giggle and continue to munch on the pizza rolls that are almost too hot to eat. "Oops," I shrug and finish my food. "I gotta go call my roommate and shower sooooo have fun boys I'll see you guys later." I get up and take my stuff to the kitchen before heading upstairs to my room dreading the call I know I'm about to endure.

Word count 2334.