NYU Library

[Tiger-Lily]

[[February 14th - James' Birthday - 1 PM
Jake and Evelyn from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

[Guest]

Jacob had left his dorm to get some homework done. He had been pretty busy the last month working and studying.

Although things had gotten a little better at home his mom had started talking to him again which was kind of a relief. Jacob had been doing work when he saw Evelyn.

He had wanted to talk to her about the comments on James' wall between James and Seth about her. But Jake wasn't sure if he should bring it up.

Jacob walked over to Evelyn and sat down at her table. "Hola Red. Hittin the books?" He grinned.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn's head shot up and she spotted Jake sitting a couple seats down from her at the round table she was at. There were two other people sitting there.

She'd been at the library for an hour already, finishing off an assignment due at the end of that week. A month had gone by in a blur, and with midterms coming, homework had been piling up. She hadn't had much time to talk to anyone except for Ashlee and Carrie, so she was looking forward to James' birthday dinner tonight.

Evelyn flashed Jake a smile, pausing in her note taking. She reached into her [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] pocket for her phone to check the time. "Hey, how've you been? I didn't see your ugly face much lately."

[Guest]

"I could say the same for you too, J-Rab. But not much just school, studying, and working. Same old shit. Where have you been hiding?" Jacob asked as he drummed his fingers on the table.

[Tiger-Lily]

"I've been - " Evelyn began.

"Could you please not do that?" a girl sitting across from Jake at thier table said irritably. "We're trying to work here. This is a place for quiet study."

Evelyn bit her lower lip, stifling a grin.

[Guest]

"Could you please not do that its a place of quiet study." Jake pulled a face mocking the girls voice.

He then proceeded to drum to the beat of "We Will Rock You." on the table.

"Red how do you sit with such boring people?" Jake asked.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn shot the girl an apologetic look and then shot Jake a warning look. "Weren't you working, Jake?"

[Guest]

"Yeah but your purdy liddle head caught my attention." Jake grinned.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn was starting to get used to Jake's borderline-flirty commentary. She tutted and shook her head. "You're an asshole, Salazar."

The girl who had spoken rolled her eyes and returned to her work.

[Guest]

"I call you pretty and I'm an asshole? Geez are all you girls always this complicated?" Jacob asked the girl that he had bugged earlier as he grabbed a stray piece of paper, ripping the paper to shreds and rolling it into tiny little paper balls.

[Tiger-Lily]

"We're not complicated," Evelyn said, when the girl simply threw him an annoyed look and kept working silently.

Evelyn reached over and took the piece of paper from Jake's hand, examining it. She frowned. "Jake? This is my revision sheet! Lucky for you, it's an old one!" She tossed it back to him and then continued. "But anyways, we're not complicated. Take for instance the cheesy candy and shit that turned up in my mailbox today. That was simple and it worked." She frowned, twirling a pen as she looked down at her books. "Of course, the fact that it was all anonymous doesn't help."

[Guest]

Jacob had been twirling a piece of paper in his fingers, he went on his phone and noticed everyone had been wishing James a happy birthday. To be honest if he hadn't read what had happened on Seth's wall with him. He would probably be wishing him one too but that wasn't happening.

Although what was really on his mind was that Evelyn had gotten the flower and chocolate had sent her. Of course Jacob had left it anonymous because he knew if he signed his name it would have made this whole friends thing awkward. But Jake knew he didn't want to be Evelyn's friend, but he had promised her he'd wait for her. Sure he had gotten a couple of flowers or chocolate from some random girls, but he didn't care about them.

Jacob had realized he was being too quiet, he didn't want to make it obvious so he decided to talk about anything, even if it was James.

"Oh its James' birthday today, wow. Born on Valentine's day, talk about your irony." Jake snorted as he went through Facebook.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn stifled a laugh. She'd poked fun of James for being born on Valentine's Day for the past two years. "Cupid goes on a rampage the moment James graces this earth. How adorable," she commented, scribbling away in her notebook again. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and looked over at Jake. "You're coming out tonight, right?"

[Guest]

Jacob bit his lip and looked up at Evelyn. "No I can't make it tonight."

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn paused writing and looked up at him in surprise. James had told her he was inviting Seth and the other guys. Did that not include Jake? "Why not? Hot date?" She smiled slightly and glanced back at her books.

The girls across the table looked even madder at their constant chatter.

[Guest]

"No I turned down girls actually, no date for me. Just not going I um... don't feel comfortable going." Jacob said, although he knew Evelyn was gonna ask why,but it was true. Well that and he didn't want to have to beat up James on his birthday. That's kind of mean.

[Tiger-Lily]

"Oh, come on, Jake," Evelyn remarked, although she kind of figured it might be awkward for Jake to go, even with the present truce situation.

She reached over and patted Jake's hand. "All your roommates are going. Come on, we haven't all hung out in a while. It'll be fun."

She checked her phone. The Valentines would have been sent out by now. She'd actually sent Valentines to Ashlee, Luke, Carrie, and also to Jake, none of them anonymous.

But it wasn't the kind of Valentine that boys had been sending her. It was a very...nonconformist-humorous message with each Valentine. But Jake had told her he had school Monday mornings, and so he'd clearly not seen his.

[Guest]

Jake pulled his hand back, he still couldn't really touch Evelyn or whatever without feeling shivers or something. It was hard, and he hated it. He hated that James had hit on her, even if it was a joke!

"I can't I have, um homework. Obviously I'm not finishing it here, and with Seth gone it won't be as loud and..." Jake's voice trailed off, he really had no good excuse other than him not wanting to punch James out for hitting on Evelyn, because when that had happened. Him and Evelyn were still together. If he did that now he would just look like some jealous idiot, and he had already made himself look like a fool in front of Evelyn and everyone else enough.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn studied him curiously. Homework? Jake?

She began to say something but then a voice cut through.

"Excuse me, Chatterbox," the girl across the table who had spoken before interrupted them. "DO you mind? Take it elsewhere, Christ!"

Evelyn sighed and shoved her pen back into her pencil case. "Let's talk elsewhere," she said, before Jake could reply with something mocking, no doubt.

She stood up and puled her coat on, shivering in the cold library. She shoved a few books into her satchel and then held onto the rest of them and looked around for someplace else to sit. This section of the library was quiet. The downstairs part would probably work better. "Come on, let's go downstairs."

[Guest]

"Fine." Jacob said but as he got up he took all the crumpled up pieces of paper he had in his hand and sprinkled them over the girls hair, and went to go his backpack and books, along with his coat.

[Tiger-Lily]

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"; the girl screamed after him. Evelyn grabbed Jake's arm and firmly steered him away hastily. She yanked him down the stairs and to the ground floor, where there were a few empty couches and sofas littered around. She looked up at him as they walked, her books wedged under her free arm, the other tugging Jake along. "You shouldn't have done that. That section is supposed to be for quiet study." Her lips twitched despite her best efforts to hide a small smile.

[Guest]

Jake sat down on one of the couches and said, "Really who studies anymore? She needs to take the stick out of her ass." Jacob stated bluntly.

[Tiger-Lily]

Evelyn frowned at him and sat down on the single-seater sofa nearby, putting her books down and flipping them open. "I was studying," she informed Jake. "Keyword being was."

[Guest]

"The other boys?" Jake blurted.

[Tiger-Lily]

She blinked up at him from her textboook, lifting her feet and resting them on the coffeetable she had set her bag on. She leaned back in her seat and peered at him. "What other boys? Your roommates?"

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