vii. HERACLES KLINE IS A TEENAGE GIRL

sunday, december 13th

ROSIE SOAP AND TRAVIS M. RIDDLE OFFICIALLY MET IN APRIL OF 2012. I say officially because they had at least once class together, and had bumped into each other all over campus multiple times. But at the release party for Waterparks' 'Airplane Conversations,' the two of them realized they had a mutual friend.

  They thought it was weird they didn't figure this fact out before considering Rosie and Awsten had now been friends for about eight months.

  "The universe really just wants us together I guess," Awsten had said, a big grin on his face. "It's not even letting us make new friends."

  Sitting in the car now, how many years later, Rosie wanted to tell the Universe to fuck off.

  She didn't know what was going on with her. One second she was offering up her bed for Awsten to sleep in, and the next she just wanted him to leave.

  They were driving to Quinn's now. They couldn't find any air mattresses. They'd gone to two different stores and both were completely sold out.

  If it was 2011, Awsten would've said some bullshit about the Universe.

  "So what CDs are you gonna get, Juniper?" Awsten asked. He was sitting in the backseat again, leaning in through the gap just as he did on the way back from the airport. "You gonna get one of my albums?"

  "I already have 'em all," she told him.

  "Even 'FANDOM'?" He raised his eyebrows.

  "It's in the glove compartment." She nodded towards it.

  "Well, then let's fuckin' listen to it!"

  Herc put the CD in, and the intro started. Then, Awsten's voice was singing over the shitty speakers. "Cherry red / You know I died for you / Sour green / We both lost me"

  The boys sang along the entire ride there, and Rosie sat in silence, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Do you think they restocked the One Direction albums?" Herc asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

  "I'm guessing," Rosie shrugged. "With the amount of teenage girls that go in and out of here, they would have to."

  He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you implying I'm a teenage girl?"

  "No?" she laughed. "No one said that."

  Herc shook his head. "It was implied. Awsten and I both heard it in the tone of your voice. Right Awsten?"

  Awsten nodded. "It was definitely implied." He paused. "Rose, you gotta chill with all the implying. Just come right out and say it: Herc Kline, you're a teenage girl."

  The three of them walked into Quinn's and both Rosie and Herc instantly ran over to the CD section, Herc pulling Awsten along by his hand.

  As long as Awsten has known Rosie Soap, she's had an obsession with CDs. She'd had the same CD player for almost 20 years, and he had no idea how it still worked.

  It was blue. A light blue. And white. He wasn't sure what brand it was, but he absolutely adored it.

  Even just the thought of her CD player brought back memories of dancing around her dorm, and then her apartment with Aurora and West.

  He wondered if she still remembered all that. Surely, she had to. But the past few years she'd been distant with him. And even now, she seemed as though she didn't want him here.

  He wouldn't dare bring it up. Not yet at least. He hoped it would fade, and he'd have the old Rosie back.

  He hoped this visit brought her back out of hiding.

"I can sleep somewhere else if you want me to," Awsten suggested that night.

  Rosie was straightening out the pillows on her bed and she shook her head. "It's fine, really. You can sleep on here. It's a big enough bed, I swear."

  She paused. And in an attempt to make this awkward situation a bit lighter, she added with a smile, "As long as you're a gentleman, I won't make you sleep on the floor."

  Awsten wasn't sure why he laughed. It wasn't exactly funny, but something about how she said it brought him back to the days when it was just him, Rosie, and the boys.

  Brought him back to how she'd say shit like that all the time, and he'd be brought to tears every single time.

  As Rosie continued to straighten up the sheets, Awsten wandered around her room, admiring the decorations and the furniture.

  Her bookshelf was yellow. The top didn't even reach his waist, and he had to crouch down to read the titles. The top shelf had all her books, and the bottom shelf had yearbooks and photo albums that he'd have to explore later.

  He saw Hunger Games, Travis' books, some Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, and a few memoirs.

  Including his.

  There it was, 'You'd Be Paranoid Too If Everyone Was Out to Get You' by Awsten Knight. Displayed proudly in between 'Spit and Song' and some actresses life story.

  He lifted his hand and ran his fingers down the orange spine.

  "Do you mind if I put on some music?" Rosie asked, her voice soft.

  Awsten glanced over. "Go for it."

  She hooked up her Bluetooth speaker and shuffled a Spotify playlist. Naturally, because she refused to buy Premium for political reasons, they had to listen to an ad for 30 minutes free.

  But when it was over, a familiar intro started and Awsten stood up from the bookshelf.

  "No, I don't care / About anything at all / But I still stop and stare / Every time that you call." Dallon Weekes' voice filled the room, and some switch in his brain — or maybe it was his heart — flipped.

why is maia mitchell so sad?? every gif i have of her she looks fucking miserable