Fervid as a Flame || A Jamilton Story

James R.

Alex POV
Before anyone could say or do anything, I grabbed Maria's hand and we shoved our way outside with James. Once we were in the hallway, he put all of his weight against the door, the only one strong enough out of the three of his to hold it shut. However, that didn't last because shouts were coming from inside the dorm and the door was being pushed open. Maria and I rushed to help hold the door shut, Maria in between James and I so I was as far from him as possible.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Maria pants angrily, strained from holding back ten very protective people.

"Relax, Mar. I'm not here for Lex." James rolls his eyes.

I wince at the nickname, immediately trying to block out the memories that were trying to force their way in. Speaking of things forcing their way in, I hear Hercules demand that we open the door. We all ignore him.

"Okay, then what are you here for?" Maria asks, far too exhausted to make herself sound angry.

"Your mom wants you back home. Something about she never gets to see you, or some shit like that." James groans, pushing harder against the door.

"Why couldn't she just call me?! You did not have to come here to tell me that." She exclaims, clearly frustrated.

"Do you even have her number saved on your phone? Or my number, for that matter?" James bites back.

That makes Maria falter, resulting in the door almost opening. James and I push against the door with all our might, and Maria is barley even putting weight against it.

"Aw look at us, Lex. What a power couple." James purrs.

I shudder and give him a look. I know he's not good for me, hell the farthest thing from. But it's only been months since I last had that voice whispering in my ear. Only less than a year when I still felt like I loved him. It doesn't feel like a lot of time. It feels like last week I thought he was the one. And, it took me forever to convince myself that he's not.

"I will let them open this door, and you'll practically be dead in a matter of seconds." I snarl at him.

That makes him pale, and he just turns his attention back to the door. Maria seems to have composed herself and pushes against the door, seemingly with a newfound motivation.

"Tell my mom I'll be home next week," Maria grits out. "And if you ever come near Alex again, we will let Hercules shove a cactus up your ass."

James gives a tight nod, clearly disturbed by such a thought. We count down from three, quietly. On two, Maria and I slam all of our weight against the door. On one, James is sprinting down the hallway for his life (literally). He makes it out of sight before the door is pushed open, and Maria and I topple on the floor.

Everyone rushes out of the dorm in a flurry, a murderous glint in all of their eyes. Lafayette goes to help Maria to her feet, while John does the same with me.

Next thing I know, there is a crowd of people around me asking if I'm alright, or if they need to find a cactus. Rushing out assurances, I pull myself away from the circle.

I take a deep breath, and then immediately scrunch up my nose. The stench of vomit has clung to Thomas' hoodie , and I most definitely have not showered in at least three days. "Ugh, I need a shower," I groaned. "I'm going back to my dorm."

Everyone exchanged glances, clearly not believing that I was okay. They all had something to say, but nobody wanted to say it first. After giving them a few more seconds for a chance to speak, I briskly walk down the corridor.

I hear footsteps behind me and turn to look at John. He smiles nervously at me and I give a light one in return. We walk in silence, the only sound being other students. Eventually, we reach our dorm and I book it to the bathroom. Before I can lock myself in, John pulls me into a tight hug.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" He whispers. I nod and he lets me go.

Once I'm in the bathroom I shut and lock the door. I turn on the shower, and make sure it's scalding hot. Taking out my phone, I turn the volume all the way up and play some random radio station, I set it on the counter. Undressing, I step into the shower. And immediately sink down to the floor.

Taking a shaky sigh, I trace the scars on my arms. Sniffing, I look up and blink repeatedly. I refuse to cry over him. But, I'm a dumbass because water immediately falls on my face and into my eyes. That breaks me, now I can't tell what's running down my face. Hot water or salty tears?

Light sobs shake my body. My only hope is that the running water spilling from the faucet and the trashy pop spewing from my phone prevent John from hearing. I don't know how long I was crying on the shower floor, but there's a knock at the door.

"Are you okay Alex? You've been in there a while." John yells from outside the door.

"Yeah!" I reply, not trusting my voice to say more than one word.

John gives an affirmative, hopefully not hearing the strain in my voice. Sighing, I stand up and put my head directly under the faucet, soaking my hair. Reaching for the shower shelf, I snort at what I see. On the shelf, there is a suave kids watermelon two in one. Honestly, I don't know what I expected when I asked John to pick me up some shampoo.

Putting some in my hands, I work the shampoo into my hair. I let it soak in my hair for about a minute until I put my head under the faucet again and wash the soapy suds out. Grabbing the body wash, I make quick work of washing myself; I know I've been in here for too long to be considered a normal shower.

Turning off the faucet, and stepping out of the shower, I wrap the fluffy teal towel around my waist and look around the bathroom. I curse at myself, realizing that in my rush to get in here I didn't grab some clean clothes. Picking up Thomas' clothes that I left in the pile, I exit the bathroom.

I walk to my room, dripping water all over the tile. Once I'm locked in my room, I toss the clothes that Thomas lent me into the hamper. Walking over to my dresser, I pull out a sweater and some yoga pants. After I pull on my clothes, I use my towel to dry my hair.

I open my dresser again and fish out a hair tie. Pulling my hair back into a loose ponytail, I lay down in my bed. I close my eyes and try to sleep, refusing to let myself think about this morning.

Sorry it's pretty short and uneventful for the most part. I've been pretty busy and there most likely won't be an update until late into next week. Sorry! Hope you enjoyed.