Enemies With Benefits - T.H

•46•

I sit in my bed, studying my ass off. I have my finals this week and I feel like I'm going to throw up because I'm so nervous. This semesters classes have been really hard for me, and going through the breakup with Tom made me do poorly in class for a bit so I'm not that informed on everything we've learned. I'll be lucky if I get above a C grade.
"Auntie Sav, come out here with us." Tom says in a baby voice as he stands in the doorway with Rosie.
"Tom I gotta study." I say.
"You've been cooped up in here studying for three days I really think it'd do you some good to come on a walk with us." He suggests.
I look up to Tom, seeing his smiling face as he rocks Rosie in his arms. I guess taking fifteen minutes to go on a walk wouldn't hurt. I can do that.
"Let me get some shoes on." I say.
"Yay! Auntie Sav is going with us!" He says happily to Rosie and I laugh. I love how he is with her. They're already best friends, sometimes he's the only one who can get her to stop crying.
I slip on my shoes and grab my jacket.
"Alright let's go." I say. "No more than twenty minuets."
"Deal." He nods.
He lays Rosie safely into her bassinet style stroller, pulling the blinder over so the slight sun that's out doesn't hit her skin.
"Alright Rosie lets go pick up some hot chicks." Tom says and I raise my brow at him.
"Excuse me?" I say.
"I don't think your auntie liked that joke." He whispers to her.
"No she definitely didn't." I say.
We step out of the house and start walking down the sidewalk. I love going through this neighborhood, it brings back so many memories. A few people from our childhood still live here, even the family that use to babysit my siblings and I. I doubt they'd recognize me now though.
"Remember when you and Haz use to always walk back and forth down this street until that girl saw you? What was her name?" I laugh.
"Ah, Caitlin. Yeah she was my first crush." He laughs. "I thought I was gonna marry her. Turns out I'm stuck with you."
"Stuck with me?" I question.
"Another joke. Maybe I should stop with these jokes?" He says.
"Wow, you have a good idea for once!" I exclaim.
"You know I love you." He rolls his eyes.
As we walk past a house I know all too well, I see someone I really didn't expect to see. Someone I haven't seen since I was sixteen. He's not exactly someone I want to see but.. this could be fun.
"David?" I say, making the now taller and older looking boy turn to me. He looks at me confused, not realizing who I am. I guess I do look a lot different now, I had a huge glow up, and he's not one to remember faces.
"I'm sorry.. do we know each other?" He asks.
Tom looks between us, and quickly remembers who he is. Ah yes, the guy who I took my first nudes for, thinking he was in love with me. Turns out he was just an asshole and showed them to almost our entire school.
"Savannah." I say. "Savannah Osterfield. You played football with my brother Haz." I say.
"Oh yeah, shit what are you doing around here? Haven't seen you in ages." He says.
"We just moved into the old house actually." I say.
David's eyes flick over to Tom, looking him over.
"Nice to meet you, I'm David." He says, putting his hand out to him.
"I'm the guy that beat your ass for sending out pictures of Savannah's ass." Tom says.
What?.. it was Tom who beat him up that week? How did I not know?
"I knew you looked familiar.. Tom fucking Holland." He shakes his head.
At this point I'm just really glad Rosie is sleeping and didn't hear her first curse word like this.
"Good to see you without a bloody lip and black eye mate." Tom says with a shit eating grin that makes me laugh a bit.
"I just stopped to say that what you did was disgusting, wrong, and I really hope you grew up a bit and learned to treat women with respect. Now if you'll excuse me." I say, and start walking away with Tom and the baby.
"Oh my god that was great." Tom laughs.
"I was shaking." I admit. "That felt so good. That dickhead deserved to know that I still haven't forgotten that he did that."
"He looked so shocked." He says.
I look over to him, and give him a smile.
"You beat him up for that?" I ask.
He shrugs lightly, then nods.
"Yeah I mean.. not badly. Just a black eye and a busted lip." He mutters.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask.
"Because I didn't want you to think anything of it." He says. "Besides, at the time he was seventeen and I was nineteen. I could have gotten in a lot of trouble."
I wonder what else he's done for me without saying anything. That's so sweet. I remember when I was telling Haz about what had happened, Tom was silent. He gets silent when he's super angry, then explodes. He just waited to explode until he could pound David's face in privately.
"Well.. thanks. For watching out for me." I say.
"Of course." He nods. "While you're finding out things Uhm.. maybe you should know.."
"Know what?" I ask as we reach the park that's just a few blocks from the house. We get to a bench, sitting down and resting for a second.
"That uh.. remember Brian? The guy you were practically in love with in your sophomore year?" He asks.
"Yes..the one who dumped me on prom day" I say. "What'd you do Tom?"
"I may have told him to dump you otherwise I'd beat his ass." He says, and my mouth drops.
"Why?! What was wrong with Brian?!" I ask.
"You were still so innocent back then and he just wanted to fuck you." He says. "Haz wanted to threaten him, but I knew he wouldn't be threatening enough so I did it."
I laugh a bit, not really caring now, and more so finding it funny, but that really upset me back then.
"You ruined my senior prom!" I scold.
"Believe me darling his shrimp dick would have ruined it worse." He says.
I shake my head, realizing Tom has been around a lot more than I even realized. Even if it was in annoying, borderline obsessive ways. He's always just wanted to keep me safe and happy. Even when we didn't like each other.