House of Anubis

House of Discovery p5

'I'll be right back.' I told Jerome after we had taken a break from dancing. Amber was putting on a brave face; that much I could tell as she and Mick cut the cake earlier and passed it around.

Extremely delicious as always, and the icing— hmm. Tops it all off. Couldn't be better if Trudy had tried.

I had noticed Mara and Patricia were gone, so once Jerome gave the ok, telling me he'll be with Alfie, I headed off into the kitchen.

The second I saw Mara and Patricia, I knew something was up. Between the way Amber was no longer happy go lucky on her night, while also getting to see me and Jerome be together, filling the fantasy in her head, something had to have happened.

'Ok, just what the hell did you do?' I typed with narrowed eyes.

"I didn't do anything!" Mara responded mid sob, the tears she held in her eyes never falling.

'Right, whatever.' I rolled my eyes. 'Frankly I don't care all that much, though I did warn you not to push your luck. You're really testing your waters, Jaffray.'

Given how things with Amber and Mick aren't an issue, at least he didn't seem to be involved. Or at least not directly to his knowledge.

'And you,' I turn to Patricia, 'I thought you'd cut the crap with Nina once you heard from Joy, figuring it was a coincidence after all. So what was with the attitude before?'

Patricia rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't be saying that if you saw what she wrote about me in her diary." She scoffed.

My eyes widen. 'You read her diary?! Are you insane? You're snooping through other peoples private things now? Really?' Unbelievable.

I shook my head, butting my tongue, 'Ok, shoot, what did she write about you? Huh?'

Patricia crossed her arms, "She said, and I quote 'Patricia is possibly the meanest person I have ever met'," are you kidding me, that's it? That's what she's mad about? Pathetic!! "And after I started being nice to her!"

'Really?' I ask tilting my head. 'Did you even bother to read the entire thing? Or see the entry date if she wrote it? Or if that was even the latest thing she even wrote?' I questioned looking at her with mock skepticism.

'In case you probably didn't put two and two together, Williamson; you were a complete bitch the moment you found her in our room!' I tapped my head, looking at her like she was stupid. Which she might as well be. 'You were on her ass all the time, accused her of shit she never did, dumped water on her, mocked her for her nightmare, and oh, I don't know, LOCKED HER IN THE ATTIC WITH THE INTENTION OF LEAVING HER THERE ALL NIGHT!!'

I was fuming, and I noticed the subtle change of Patricia having her arms crossed stubbornly with the attitude she always had, to her stance weakening the more I ranted.

'All she did was call you mean, which frankly is the NICEST thing she could have possibly said about you after everything you did. And you're mad at her for being honest?' I stared at her and she licked her lips, remaining quiet, knowing I was far from finished. 'Written in something that is meant to be her private thoughts and venting space?'

'Because lord, if it was me in her position, I don't think there'd have been a single cuss word in the dictionary that wouldn't have found it's way into my diary.' I pause and then sigh.

'What? What could Nina have possibly done now that you know she has nothing to do with Joy, that warranted you going through her things to begin with, and clearly taken old written text out of context, that you're unrightfully offended over??' I looked at her with tired eyes.

With everything I said, she no longer looked confident. "She... she's very secretive. I don't trust her."

'Why,' I ask again, 'what has she done, Patricia? Cuz I can't think of anything.'

"You two snuck out last night and she hid something under her bed," ugh, she was conscious enough to know that? Damn it. "What was that all about, huh?"

I nod my head, silently chuckling, unamused and tired of all of this. 'Patricia, kindly fuck your self, please? And learn to mind your own damn bloody business.' Her eyes widen at my language, Mara pressing her lips together.

'So long as it doesn't concern or affect you in any way, what Nina and I do, sneaking off in the middle of the night shouldn't be anything for you to worry about.'

The second I heard it out loud, seeing Mara's flushed face and Patricia's repulsed reaction, I quickly backtrack. 'Ok, that admittedly sounded a lot more inappropriate than intended, and far off from what you're now thinking happened,' I said, quickly trying to shut that idea down. 'But that's besides the point.'

'The point is, 1) you have no reason to be mad or rude to her after all the shit you pulled, 2) you fucking went through her stuff, like you honestly think that's ok? And 3) for someone who wants to make things right and fix things, you're doing a bad fucking job at trying to win yourself any fucking favours. I'm supposed to trust you? You're joking, right? If anything I now need to worry about you going through my things!'

"Ok... I get it.. I'm sorry." She frowned. I only hummed in response. Sure she was. "You won't have to deal with me after tonight anyways."

To this, I raise an eyebrow, and Mara is the one to come through with the answers. "She and Amber are swapping rooms tomorrow. She won't be your roommate anymore."

I take a moment to process this, nodding my head slowly. 'At least Nina won't need to sleep with one eye open anymore.' I comment, giving Patricia the stink eye. 'Well, I'm going back to the party, I got the answers I wanted and more. Sayonara.'

With that I turn on my heels and head out of the kitchen, heading towards Amber. 'So I hear I'm getting a fashionable roommate?'

Amber tilts her head "How did you know?"

'Needed to talk to Patricia about something, and it came up, that's all.'

"Oh, ok." She said before smiling. "Soooo are you and Jerome an item yet?" Giving my arm a gentle shove.

I shook my head. If I had a dollar every time someone brought this up, I'd have half of her fortune.

"You're kidding me? After all that?" She asks in disbelief, referring to earlier. "You're telling me you don't have any sort of feelings for Jerome at all? Despite how... touchy you are?"

'None, Amber.'

"Sad,' she sighed, playing with her hair. "Cuz I'm 100 percent certain that if Jerome hadn't realized his feelings for you before, he's definitely unlocked them and took notice now."

I roll my eyes. "It's true!" She exclaimed, taking one of my hands in hers, coming closer, whispering in my ear. "He's been wondering where you went now for a while, and he's checking you out with this puppy dog look as we speak."

She hands me a compact mirror, handing it to me as she takes my laptop and sets it inside a drawer so no one else would touch it. I open the mirror, holding it up to my face and angle it enough to see Jerome; who was in fact looking at me, but trying to be subtle about it, a soft look in his eye as he glanced in my direction.

I put the mirror down and Amber smirks, taking it from me. "He's on his way, good luck." She waved, lightly wiggling her fingers before going off who knows where.

I turn around as I feel a tap on my shoulder, smiling up as I do, knowing it was him. "Hey." He said softly, which I mimic with a silent 'hey' of my own.