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ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult · 5 months

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Unpredictable, Part 4-Limoreau x black!fem!reader fic

A/N: I thought this one was going to be a little shorter but I was wrong. Hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: swearing, sensuality, and Rufus appears in this part.

Word Count: 6.6k

Series Masterlist

Being perpetually early was a good habit until it left me bored and looking up from my phone every few seconds. Of course, it was always a stranger, and we would exchange quick smiles when we made eye contact. However, my nervousness increased each time it wasn’t Jordan.

As I replied to a voice note from Sydney, I wondered why Jordan asked to train with me today. Last year, they basically forced me to train with them all the time after our first match.

“You can’t be one of Brink’s new favorites and be this bad at basic combat,” they’d insisted.

Every match was horrible, and I thought I was going to die each time. Though Jordan never hit me hard, they were still intense, and my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest at the end. When I passed my Intro to Combat class, Jordan agreed that we didn’t have to train together as much but they still expected me to practice.

I gulped at the thought and sent off the comment.

At least I was in shape.

“Lookin’ good, Y/N,” a deep voice called.

When I glanced up, Chad Mitchell and Thad Browne, the Alpha Tau vice president and treasurer, were walking up the gym steps. A pair of skinny blondes in Lululemon leggings exiting the gym gasped at the two of them. Chad grinned widely, revealing his movie-star smile, and Thad winked at them as they passed. No one could blame any girl for staring at two tall broad-shouldered guys in Gymshark t-shirts, Gymshark shorts, white Nike ankle socks, and Nike sneakers.

Chad pushed his dark blonde hair away from his face while he towered over me.

I straightened up a little. “Oh, thanks, Chad.”

“I never thanked you for warning me about trying to do a backflip during the Get Lei’d party,” Chad said.

“It’s no problem; I’m glad I had a vision about it in time.”

“But it would’ve been awesome if you landed a backflip from the house roof!” Thad interrupted.

Chad glanced at him. “The broken nose and knee would not have been worth it.” He turned back to me, eyes roaming the black Alo Yoga set I wore before making it back to my eyes. “So, was rush a success for Si Chi?”

I swallowed and folded my arms over my chest. “I would say so; Bid Day will be interesting. How about Alpha Tau?”

“We always get the best,” Thad interjected, chuckling.

“Yeah, ours aren’t looking bad. You know, after Bid Day’s over, Alpha Tau and Si Chi should have a mixer; make sure all our recruits get to know each other,” Chad proposed.

He placed his hand on the wall beside me, right next to my head, and leaned closer. The scent of musk was nauseating, and I turned away from him to cover my nose with my jacket.

“You should reach out to Alina about that; she’s in charge of social events,” I rushed.

Chad nodded but I wasn’t sure he listened. “Yeah, Thad, do that.”

“Cool,” Thad agreed.

“You seem a little jumpy, Y/N. Are you waiting for your boyfriend or something?” Chad asked.

Last year, Thad and Chad ignored me, opting to hover around Alina and Sasha. I guess my warning impressed Chad at the end of the year Get Lei’d party. Plus, it wasn’t like either of them were bad prospects but each time Chad looked at me, it was like ants were crawling over my skin.

“Sort of.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re too sure. Why don’t you warm up with Thad and me? I’m sure he won’t mind.”

That would be the worst idea since acid-washed jeans. However, Si Chi and Alpha Tau were close houses and one had to maintain the balance between them. Sydney and Lydia always made it look so easy.

“I can’t leave you alone for five minutes?” Jordan’s voice cut through the air as she strolled up the steps, irritation clear on her feminine features.

Suddenly, Chad was about a foot away from me, both hands in front of him for a second before he finally put them back at his sides. Thad looked as though he saw a ghost as he moved to stand next to Chad.

“My bad, Jordan, I didn’t know she was with you,” Chad rambled.

“Yeah, man, we had no idea,” Thad added.

Jordan glared at both as she moved to stand next to me. “You can go away now.”

I never saw them move so quickly and when they were gone, I stared at Jordan. “What was that?”

She shrugged. “They know their place. Were you waiting long?”

“No, they just happened to beat you here. Thanks, by the way.”

“Don’t worry about it. Do you have to see them a lot?”

“Kind of and this is the first time either has been that close to me.”

“I thought frat guys were every sorority girl’s type.”

I scrunched my nose. “Not the stereotypical ones.”

“Oh, I forgot, you’re the pickiest girl I know.”

I huffed and gently pushed her shoulder, but she didn’t miss a step as we walked towards the gym entrance. “Don’t judge me for having standards.”

“It’s not my fault that you’re easy to tease.”

Since Jordan rented out the training space, it was quiet outside of the few grunts and weights clanging in the neighboring weight room. The entire space was reinforced for any power mishaps and the focal point was the blue mat in the middle of the space with a large black ring lining its perimeter. I groaned as Jordan pushed on my back, forcing me closer to the mat and making my inner thighs burn in the splits.

“I thought yoga was supposed to make you flexible,” she quipped.

“I am, but I think you like seeing me in pain,” I replied.

“Never,” she teased. “So…did you get anything else on Emma?”

Her words made me stiffen and I sat up on my forearms and shook my head. “Something’s blocking me. Usually, even when I can’t see clear images, I get blurry images but it’s like something has shut off that part of my brain.”

It was the same issue last night when Jordan, Marie, Andre, Cate, and I went looking for Emma. All I could see was her with that guy I never met. Even though everyone said it was okay, their sulking shoulders and lack of eye contact spoke louder; especially Marie’s.

When I got back to the house last night, I gave myself a migraine trying to find Emma and it took me forever to stop hyperventilating. I could have killed Andre for coming up with the dumbest plan on planet earth.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jordan said, cutting through my thoughts.

She let me sit up and I turned to her.

“I just feel useless. Finding things out is the one thing I’m good at and I can’t even do that?”

“Hey, it’s not the one thing you’re good at. You’re good at dancing, studying, fashion, and helping other people.”

Jordan’s tone was earnest and matter-of-fact; no one could have argued with her and I suddenly felt all fuzzy.

I smiled. “I am the best-dressed on campus.”

“Relax, we’ll find Emma, just focus on what you can do. Like, trying not to get knocked out of bounds four times in a row.”

I scoffed at Jordan but she grinned at me. “Maybe you should take your own advice.”

“Oh, she has an attitude now?”

“Maybe you just bring it out of me.” I pushed myself up to stand. “Usual rules?”

“I won’t use any powers outside of shifting, you can use yours as much as you want, no cheap shots, and the one knocked out of bounds the most loses.”

“I can’t wait to try the new sushi place at the union; Shelby said it’s amazing.”

“You’ll be trying it on your own dime.”

Jordan always got cocky when sparring. Now that Luke was gone, Jordan was the best fighter on campus. Whenever we trained, I tried to use wiping that big smirk off their face as motivation and it never worked. The best I ever managed to do was not break anything.

Jordan’s smirk never left her face as we squared off from each other. I took the deepest breath I could and tried to quiet my mind. Seconds later, my mind filled with the image of Jordan going for a right hook. I blocked her and went for a jab of my own, skimming her left cheek.

“Not bad,” she huffed as she dodged it. “You need to hold your upper body better; anyone could knock you off balance right now.”

Based on a brief flash, I knew that she was either going to sweep me or push me to prove her point. So, when she went to push me, I slipped away from her, maintaining my guard. She blew a piece of hair out of her face.

“What was that about my balance?” I panted.

“Don’t get cocky, freshie, I won’t go so easy on you,” She taunted.

My heart might have skipped a beat as I took a risk based on a vision and rushed her. When I saw she was going to shift, I stopped just short of Jordan’s reach, slipped down, and swept her feet. Just when I was going to make contact, she backflipped, shifted in the middle of the back flip, and landed in a crouch.

His elated expression made the hairs on the back of my neck stand as he stalked towards me. Our sparring match continued with me utilizing my ability as well as I could to get in the best hits. My heart hammered in my chest as I kept up with their ever-changing forms and fighting styles. In between jabs, Jordan continued giving me tips.

“Use your full body weight with each punch.”

“Your right roundhouse has gotten stronger, that’s good.”

“You’re dropping your left elbow too much when you weave.”

I did my best to incorporate all their tips into the sparring match and even got a couple of hits on them. At one point, Jordan and I exchange a flurry of punches and blocks and for the first time, I almost laughed while fighting them.

It was…fun.

I was able to get some distance between us before attempting another roundhouse kick that was guaranteed to make contact with the side of his head. Just as I was about to kick out my left leg, Jordan shifted to their female form and tackled me. Her grip was harsh around my shoulders while mine struggled to hold onto hers because of the sweat. I paused and noticed she was practically drenched and panting over me. A few strands of black hair fell out of her ponytail and stuck to her forehead, and she was still so pretty.

She seemed to pause as well and raised her eyebrows at me. “Focus on the fight.”

Her words stirred something in me, and I focused on what could be my best move.

The image was only a few seconds long but it almost left me catatonic went it ended. If this didn’t work, I had no idea how I would live it down.

Quickly, I leaned up and closed the distance between us. Jordan’s lips were so soft against mine and I yelped a little when her body pressed more into mine. Her soft breaths felt like whispers over my face as she kissed me back and I squirmed underneath her.

Focus, Y/N, focus! My mind screamed.

As casually as I could, I pushed my wrists against Jordan’s hands, and a second later, she loosened her grip. Her fingers trailed down my arms as my legs wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer to me. When I felt her smile against my lips, my stomach sunk.

Sorry.

The leverage I had around her waist was useful as my hands grabbed her shoulders and swung her down onto the mat. Jordan gasped as we pulled away and my hands captured her wrists. “What the---”

“I win!” I cheered.

“No, you just pinned me,” Jordan rasped.

I shook my head and gestured to her right hand, which was just over the out-of-bounds line. In the dozens of fights we had, this was the first time that I won. If I could fly, I would have probably been floating. When I looked back at Jordan’s face, I came back to earth.

“Oh, sorry,” I muttered, releasing her wrists and pushing myself to stand. “And I’m sorry about kissing you without warning.”

When I extended my hand, she looked at it as though it was a cobra ready to strike. After a few seconds, Jordan took the risk and let me help her up. Then, she walked back over to her bag, grabbed her water bottle, and chugged.

“It’s okay, uh, just don’t make out with everyone you fight with; that’s how you catch mono,” Jordan rambled.

I wrinkled my nose. “Ew, I wouldn’t even think about it. With us, I knew it would be my best way to beat you.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.”

Then, I took a second to look at Jordan. Something was off, she seemed tenser than she usually did after we sparred. Also, she stopped looking at me and started playing with the rings on her fingers. It had to be because of the stress of Emma missing and how there was more lurking on campus than anyone thought. That on top of Brink and Luke’s deaths would make anyone nervous.

Yes, that had to be it because those were the reasons my lips buzzed the entirety of the next training round.

The two extra rounds gave Jordan their bragging rights and no one could wipe the giant smile off her face as we wandered around campus. At the very least, the blazing sun provided some comfort from the cool breeze that blew past us. Since there were several classes in session, only a handful of people were hanging out, panic-studying, and Tik-Toking.

“You should have seen your face when you landed, it was gold!” she laughed.

“I’m glad it was entertaining,” I replied.

Jordan glanced at me, fished a protein bar out of her gym bag, and handed it to me. “Here.”

I shook my head. “I’m fine.”

Jordan paused in her walk to side eye me and I stopped as well. “Don’t give me that shit. I didn’t say anything earlier but, you look awful.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.

Jordan sighed. “That came out wrong; I mean, you look like you haven’t been taking care of yourself.”

The situation was almost laughably ironic since just a couple of days ago, I was sleeping like a baby. However, the Emma-shaped hole was enough to spike my anxiety and the final touches on Bid Day were not helpful either. If Alina tried to deny my top pick at this last meeting…

Oh no, I had totally forgotten to take my meds.

“It’s okay, you actually have perfect timing,” I replied, accepting the protein bar.

It wasn’t super chalky and even if it was, I didn’t care as I popped two of the pills from Shetty and chased it with water.

“You pop pills in public now, freshie?” Jordan joked.

I shook my head and nibbled on the protein bar. “They’re prescribed by Shetty. That explains why I was freaking out earlier.”

“With Dumb and Dumber?”

“Chad and Thad, and yes.” Jordan nodded. “So, they work?”

“Yeah. I probably would have been able to save you the trouble if I’d remembered.”

I put the pill bottle back in my bag as we continued walking. The medicine would take a while to kick in but it was better late than never.

“It wasn’t trouble,” Jordan said.

I didn’t know how to respond so all I could do was nod. In all honesty, I was still processing that kiss. Jordan must have reacted the way she did because she was so caught off guard. If Emma were here, she would help me process, that is if she was willing to speak to me.

“So, do you want me to buy you lunch today or tomorrow?” I asked.

Jordan shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Hey, I’m a good sport and I always hold up my end,” I tried to joke.

“Yeah, so it makes sense that I would do the mature thing and treat you to that sushi place you were talking about. You beat me for the first time and that shows how much you improved; I remember when you used to drop your guard every time you got scared.”

“It’s not my fault that my first instinct is to run!”

“You won’t always have the chance to run when you’re a supe. Now, I feel better about you being out there on your own.”

Her words made me swell with pride and I thanked her.

“Plus, there’s no one out there as good as me.” I playfully rolled my eyes. “Of course, it all goes back to you.”

“I’m being honest. Seriously, wherever you get a contract, you’ll kick ass especially if you practice more.”

“Fine, Mx. Li.”

At that moment, I couldn’t wait to go back to the house and shower. Class wasn’t for another hour and a half which gave me enough time to try and process everything.

“Is that Marie?” Jordan asked.

I paused and looked in the direction she nodded to. Across the way, Marie slowly approached the bleach-blonde weasel that was Rufus, who was smugly perched on an overpriced bench. He was (fake) reading a book and looking semi-thoughtful.

The protein bar suddenly felt like a rock in my throat.

“What’s she doing with Rufus?” I muttered.

Jordan didn’t reply and we both watched as the two started speaking. Then, Rufus set his book aside and reached his hands out to Marie.

“Shit!” Jordan exclaimed.

“Marie!” I called at the same time.

It was too late, as soon as her hands grazed his, they disappeared. Panic started rising up from the back of my neck and everything was suddenly quiet.

“Y/N!”

When I blinked, Jordan’s hands cupped my face, and our faces were nearly touching.

“Focus, where did Rufus take Marie?”

After taking a couple of seconds to focus on it, I answered Jordan, and she nearly yanked my arm out of its socket as she raced towards the location. A minute later, we were pushing past people in the dorm until we reached Rufus’ room. My stomach lurched at the muffled sounds of “True”.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

Jordan didn’t respond. Instead, she took one step before kicking Rufus’ door down. The sound of the door hitting the ground should have made me jump but I was too busy staring at Marie’s blood-splattered face as she stared down at Rufus’ keeled over body on the floor. When he rolled onto his back, I saw all the blood covering his groin and the agony on his face.

Somehow, it was both disgusting and exhilarating to watch, kind of like those ridiculous mukbang videos.

I didn’t realize I was staring until Jordan tugged me by the arm down the hallway, Marie in tow. When we got a few hundred feet away, Jordan released us and glared daggers at Marie.

“What the hell was that?” Jordan demanded.

“I don’t know…I just exploded his dick,” Marie uttered, astonished.

“That was…wow,” I breathed.

Marie smiled, accepted the towel Jordan handed her, and wiped her face. “Thanks, I didn’t know I could do that.”

“Why were you talking to Rufus anyway? He’s a creep,” Jordan scolded.

Marie narrowed her eyes at Jordan. “We didn’t have any leads on Emma, and I heard he was a psychic.”

I winced at the jab.

Jordan rolled her eyes. “Rufus is not a psychic; he’s a perverted loser who takes advantage of anything with tits.”

“Gee, thanks,” Marie hissed. “I can take care of myself.”

She shoved the towel in Jordan’s chest and started storming down the hall. Immediately, we started following her and my irritation grew with each step.

“Fine, then I won’t rescue you next time,” Jordan called.

That made her stop and whirl around. “What?”

“I saved you back there, well, Y/N and I both did since she knew where Rufus would take you,” Jordan insisted.

Marie took a step towards us. “I exploded his dick; I didn’t need your help.”

“But I provided a distraction; tag-team cocksplosion here,” Jordan said, gesturing between the two.

“I’m okay being cut from this team,” I commented.

“Oh no, you’re in it too,” Jordan said.

Marie shook her head. “Weirdo.”

Jordan shrugged. “More importantly, Tek Knight is on campus and he’s doing a story on Luke’s death.”

Marie’s eyes widened and I had to stop my mouth from falling open. Tek Knight was the slimiest, most prolific true crime “journalist” on Vought TV. He covered only the buzziest stories, and it made sense he would be on campus. I thought I heard some guys talking about it during a lecture yesterday, but I was so preoccupied that I didn’t focus.

“He’s guest lecturing Shetty’s class today and he’s going to want to talk to you,” Jordan stated.

“Shit,” Marie cursed.

I ran my hands through the ends of my braids. “And if he even gets a hint of what might be going on, we could all be screwed.”

“So, what do we do?” Marie asked.

“If you decide to keep up the lie, don’t let him see you waver, he loves going after that shit,” Jordan grumbled.

Marie rolled her eyes. “Are we on this again?”

“Yeah, you lied!” Jordan snapped.

Quickly, I stepped between them. “Okay, this won’t get us anywhere. Just breathe for a second.”

They both did, eyes still shooting lasers.

“We need to think about this. Since you two are in Shetty’s class, you two will have to figure something out.”

“Are you taking her side?” Jordan accused.

“Are you taking theirs?” Marie asked.

“I’m not taking anyone’s,” I insisted. “If you two keep fighting, no one wins. Just go your separate ways for now and regroup before class?”

It was not my best work but they both seemed to agree as Jordan went one way and Marie started to head down the other. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding and jogged to catch up to Marie.

“Hey!”

She slowed down a little but didn’t face me. “I’m not sorry for trying to find Emma.”

“And that’s great but you should talk to the rest of us before getting mixed up with someone like him.” I shivered at the thought.

Then, she turned to me. “Like I said, we had no leads.”

“I know that, and I am working on it, trust me, I am but I can’t believe you went with Rufus the Rapist instead of giving me time.”

“We don’t have any, Y/N!” Marie snapped. “She could be hanging on by a thread somewhere or dead but we don’t know anything and now I have this Tek Knight shit to worry about.”

I flinched. “I told you, she’s alive and I know you’re scared but I’m scared too. Emma is my best friend and not being able to figure out where she is has been driving me crazy.” Tears began burning in my eyes.

Marie hesitated and looked down for a moment. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, it just sucks that the last time we talked, we fought. I didn’t even get to talk to her at the gala,” I admitted.

“Yeah,” Marie looked back up at me, “I saw you were talking to a lot of people.”

“I kind of had to.”

“With Jordan?”

I cocked my head at her and she stared at me. “Wait, what?”

She sort of pouted. “I saw you were spending a lot of time with them.”

“We were schmoozing for their ranking,” I explained.

“Oh.”

I didn’t need a vision to tell me that she wanted to say more. What was going on with everyone today?

“Next time, I could help you do it, I mean, I don’t think you’ll need my help with Vought liking you,” I thought out loud.

“Don’t remind me.” Marie leaned against the wall. “I don’t know what to do! I’m so deep in this shit that there’s no crawling out.”

She slowly slid down until she sat on the ground, and I sat across from her.

“It might seem like that but, there is a way out, you probably just won’t like it.”

Marie’s eyes flickered up at me. “Are you siding with Jordan?”

“No! What is it with you two? It’s like a live X beef and I’m somehow in the middle!” I exclaimed. “No, I’m not on anyone’s side, I can see both your sides clearly: you want to get ahead and this a great chance to do it and Jordan feels like they saved you only to have you trample all over them.”

Marie frowned at my words. “They would have done the same thing!”

“I don’t know…” I don’t know anything anymore.

I pushed myself to stand. “It’s your choice, Marie.”

“What would you do?” she whispered.

“Honestly, I have no clue but I would probably talk to Cate about it.” I pulled her to her feet. “By the way, that cocksplosion was so awesome.”

Marie smiled. “Like I said, it just happened out of nowhere.”

“I knew he had some bad karma coming his way, but I didn’t think you’d deliver it.”

Then, she hugged me and I felt stunned. She smelled like cinnamon and something earthy that I couldn’t put my finger on. I had no idea that she had such a strong grip, it was kind of comforting. I slowly hugged her back and when she pulled away, she gasped.

“I got blood on you, I’m so sorry,” Marie apologized.

“It’s okay, no one should be able to tell unless they have a luminol ability,” I pointed out.

She nodded and as I made way out of the dorm, my curiosity got the better of me, and I focused on how the lecture would go. Unfortunately, all I saw was a brief scene of Jordan and Marie speaking in Marie’s dorm. They weren’t fighting so that must be positive.

Two hours later, I was sitting in one of the beach chairs out by the Si Chi pool, fuming. Sasha thought she was so slick, trying to persuade Sydney to let Justine in despite all the issues. She could have at least come up with a decent argument; the fact that she hadn’t even tried was almost the most insulting part.

I just happened to catch the two of them speaking on the staircase when I returned from my advanced modern dance class. Sydney politely nodded as Sasha spoke.

“…and she’s the best in her class!” Sasha finished.

“That’s great, but I don’t want anyone who uses someone else’s triggers for their own gain representing this house,” Sydney replied firmly.

“But----”

“Sydney, how’s the selection process going?” I called.

They both turned to me and Sasha lost some color in her face.

“Good, we’ve narrowed it down and we’ll finalize it tonight,” Sydney said.

That should have been satisfying but it wasn’t. Who did Sasha think she was? She could be antagonistic but she never outright bullied anyone. Does she want Justine to be a protégé?

“Y/N,” someone whispered.

I jumped in my seat and glanced around the pruned backyard. No one else was out with the other girls either heading to another class or studying. It must have been my imagination.

“Y/N!”

That time it was louder, and I slowly stood. “This isn’t funny, whoever’s out there!”

This day really was turning into too much. First, I kissed Jordan----which I still hadn’t unpacked----, second, Rufus got castrated in the most violent way possible, and third, I was hearing voices or being stalked.

Slowly, I started creeping back towards the house. Maybe it was time for a nap since sleep deprivation could drive anyone crazy. Maybe that would help me find Emma.

“Y/N, it’s me!”

And now the voices sounded like her.

“Over here!”

Something told me that I wouldn’t end up like every non-final white girl in a horror movie. So, I started walking in the direction of the voice, which just happened to be in the thick wall of shrubs that lined the perimeter.

“Where is here?” I whispered.

Then, a hand reached out from some shrubs on the right side. Carefully, I approached it and knelt down, still keeping my distance. Then, a head of curly blonde hair poked its way out of the shrubs, pieces of greenery attached to its scalp.

“Emma!” I rasped.

“Hey, do you mind being surprised after you help me out of here?” she asked.

As soon as I got her out, I hugged her. I was right, she was alive this whole time. I almost cried tears of joy as I slowly pulled away from her.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so happy to see you!”

“I’m happy to see you two but we’re both in trouble if someone catches us like this,” Emma said.

As quickly as I could, I snuck her up into my room and she collapsed on the bed as soon as I closed the door. With the better look at her, I noticed she was in a random black movie theater t-shirt, shorts, and she only had one shoe. She wasn’t too dirty but I tried not to think about having to wash my comforter once she left.

“Emma, where have you been? What’s going on?”I asked.

“Well, Andre sent me on a mission to find Luke’s brother,” Emma started.

“I know that much; is that the guy you were with?”

Emma shot up to a sitting position. “You saw us?”

“Sort of. I had no idea where you were going, why?”

“No reason, I don’t know why I was surprised, you see everything.”

Even though I didn’t, I let Emma continue. As she spoke, my eyes got wider and wider. There was so much to unpack: there was a research lab under the school called The Woods where they tested supes, the researchers faked Sam’s, Luke’s brother, death but kept him in The Woods, and they are working on something big.

“What is it?” I asked.

Emma shrugged. “Sam has no idea but he knows that the doctors have been working on it for a while and they’re almost done.”

I nodded. “Okay, where is he now?”

“In an abandoned theater. It sounds creepy but the stale snacks and ambiance make it kind of cute,” she chirped.

I shook my head. “You like him.”

Emma gasped, “What? I do not!”

“He’s your type: cute and a little messed up.” “I don’t have a type and even if I did, you might’ve been close to it,” she muttered.

I smiled and hugged her again. “It’s so good to see you again. I don’t know what I would have done if…”

“Hey, like someone could kill me.” Emma tried to keep her tone lighter, but I could tell she was scared.

When I pulled away, I apologized for everything that happened before the gala. I wasn’t that good of a friend and Emma did everything she could for me, even when she didn’t have to.

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have projected and called you perfect; I know that everything with your parents has been rough for you and you’re managing it as well as you can. Plus, I hid the whole how I get small thing from you,” Emma rambled.

“Why’d you hide it from me? You can tell me anything, that’s what best friends do,” I whispered.

Emma looked down at her hands. “Because I knew it would make us both feel like shit. You had other stuff going on and I didn’t want to be a burden. I’m the one who cheers you up and I was ashamed.”

“You’re allowed to feel bad sometimes, Emma, but it really hurt knowing you felt like you couldn’t reach out to me for help,” I managed, feeling myself starting to choke up.

“Don’t cry because if you cry, then I’ll cry.” She hugged me again and we both sniffled. “Okay, from now on, we tell each other everything.”

“Agreed.”

When Emma pulled away, she had the most mischievous grin on her face paired with a fake nonchalant look in her eye. I immediately eyed her as she crossed her legs and started glancing around the room.

“So, to go off that, what’s going on with you and Jordan?” she asked.

“Are you kidding me? You come back from disappearing and that’s the first thing you want to know?”

“I could have died, Y/N.”

“Do not try to guilt me!”

I took a deep breath and mulled it over for a moment. A couple of hours ago, I would have killed for this chance to talk to Emma and now that it was here, I was stopping myself. There shouldn’t be anything stopping me, especially since we just promised each other that we wouldn’t keep anymore secrets. With that thought, I told her everything, from the night at the club, to when we kind of rescued Marie.

When I looked at her, Emma was stunned.

“What?” was all she could muster.

I nodded. “Yeah, it’s a lot.”

“You went from almost kissing Jordan to full-on kissing Jordan. I could tell you liked them by the way you talked about them last year but this is progress,” Emma remarked.

“I didn’t like them like that last year, I don’t now. Anyway, I only did it after I saw the vision and it was to win the fight, so does that really count?” I asked.

Emma raised her eyebrows. “Did you feel anything on the other side of that kiss?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, did you feel them kissing you back? Were they breathing all heavy? Were their hands moving all over your body?”

All those things happened but, Jordan must have been caught up in the moment.

“If Jordan was caught up, they would have snapped out of it but they didn’t until you pulled away,” Emma pointed out.

“I did it as a distraction tactic!”

“Doesn’t matter since they liked it,” Emma said with a shrug. “And you must have enjoyed it.”

“How would you know?”

“Because the tip of your nose is turning red.”

I yelped and covered my nose. “It’s because this conversation is embarrassing. Besides, I don’t have time for a relationship; I have to finish out rush week and then there’s initiation and not to mention classes---” Emma placed her hands on my shoulders and forced me to look at her. “Y/N, ‘having time’ has nothing to do with liking someone. You’ve had googly eyes for Jordan for a year now, it’s okay to admit it!”

“I have not! They bullied me for half of last year.”

“Really? Did they ever say anything super mean to you or try to hurt you?”

As I took a second to think about my dynamic with Jordan, I realized that they only delivered playful jabs that I returned when I got comfortable around them. So, I shook my head.

“And aren’t they always trying to keep you out of trouble?”

“Not always,” I muttered.

Emma groaned. “Why did I think it would be easy to get you to admit that you like someone? You’re so oblivious.”

“I am not!”

“Really? So, how would you describe your relationship with Marie?”

“Friends.”

“Really? Because when you were doing her makeup that night, I thought you got lost in her eyes. Those big, beautiful, puppy dog eyes.”

I playfully pushed her but she maintained her pose and I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me. Even though her words were lighthearted, I had paused a few times that night to admire Marie but she was pretty, everyone admired pretty.

“I was trying to do a good job with her eyeshadow. Besides, I thought you were still insisting I like Jordan,” I responded.

Emma relaxed and stared at me like I grew a second head. “You are way deeper in denial than I thought you were.” “What are you talking about?”

“I know that sexuality is a spectrum and a journey and everything but, Y/N, you clearly like two people.”

Her words hung in the air as I returned her stare. Emma had lost it, officially.

There was no way I liked both Marie and Jordan. Marie relaxed me as soon as I saw her and friends are supposed to be relaxed with friends. I felt like I could tell her anything and any friend would feel bad about accidentally ditching their friend on a night out. Also, any friend would feel like crying if their friend told them that they accidentally killed their parents. Any friend would want to try to make them feel better since they couldn’t take away the pain.

And as far as Jordan went, I was well aware of how attractive they were in both forms and occasionally felt warm inside when they smiled at me, but those were just hormones. Plus, Jordan was a protective person so it made sense that they would jump in when necessary. The shivers I’d attempted to hide when they pulled me onto their lap were normal.

“No, that doesn’t make any sense,” I muttered.

“I can only help you so much. It’s clear to me and maybe even to Jordan and Marie.”

I shook my head. “We don’t have time for this. We should find Marie and let her know that you’re alive and everything you told me.” “Okay, and if she just happens to give you a thank-you kiss, I’ll try not to gloat.”

“Emma,” I warned.

“Okay, can I borrow some shoes before we leave?”

Emma practically bounced with each step on the way to her dorm. Even though I convinced her to wear one of my hoodies just in case, she seemed happy to be back on campus. Hopefully, we could get everyone together and get this all figured out. Once this was over, then I would be able to focus on Bid Day and maybe what Emma had been saying.

It was going to be so awkward talking to Marie after that conversation. I felt so many things that I didn’t know what to settle on: confusion, frustration, anxiety, and all the others I couldn’t name.

The meds must have kicked in as Emma began trying to unlock her door. I was settled and comfortable. Everything was going to be fine.

Finally, Emma threw open her door. “Holy shit, so much is happening!” she announced as she stormed into her room.

I trailed after her and felt my anxiety break free from its cage. Jordan had Marie pinned against the wall, kissing her like it was his last chance. Marie seemed equally as passionate as she tugged on his shirt. At Emma’s words, they jumped away from each other, both frazzled and disheveled, eyes wide.

Then a flood of more emotions I couldn’t name washed over me.

#black!reader #jordan li x reader #gen v x reader #limoreau x reader #marie moreau x reader

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