Red Hot Love

You Wouldn't Understand, Would You?

Sunny sighed and groaned.

"No sexy costumes today?" Jem teased. "I'd rather been looking forward to your next theatric role."

Sunny shook her head.

"Hey," Jem sat on the air mattress next to her. "I've already started talking to the board. They said they can make an exception for us."

"That's not possible," Sunny groaned. "Is that even…"

"Shh, shh. It's okay," Jem replied. "How do you feel?"

"Crampy, cranky, and tired," Sunny groaned. "My stomach and crotch hurt and I know this means that I'm losing blood faster than…than…"

"Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae?" Jem suggested.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I need to go to the bathroom."

Jem gently stepped out of her way and Sunny heaved her way to the toilet.

"Hey, how about a cup of something to drink? You're losing a lot of body fluid, after all," Jem suggested.

"Is that going to replenish my energy, or just make me bleed more?" Sunny grumbled from the toilet.

Jem did not reply. After a few minutes, Sunny groaned and messily ripped off swathes of toilet paper from the roll.

"Hey, don't use it all up," Jem spoke, aghast.

"Yeah, yeah…yeah…I'm on my period," Sunny muttered.

"You can't use that as an excuse for everything."

"Yes I can," Sunny replied, going over to the sink and washing her hands. She sighed heavily, looking at the mirror. Her makeup-less, dark-circled, unclear-skinned face stared back at her. "Jem…"

"Yes?"

"If you knew this is what I would look like in the mornings, would you still have moved in with me?"

Silence. Sunny frowned. "I asked you a question, Je-eeem! Am I still beautiful?"

A few moments passed. "You look pretty," came Jem's default response from the other side of the bathroom door.

Sunny groaned. Taking a few steps back, she then swung the door open rapidly and sprinted out, tackling the unsuspecting girl on the other side.

"Oof!" Jem exclaimed, caught off guard, and she caught Sunny seconds before both of them hit the air mattress with a loud smacking sound.

"Am I pretty or what, huh? How pretty exactly? Why do you always say the same thing every time?" Sunny growled, wrestling with Jem on the air mattress.

"Well, I simply…gak! Aha," Jem squirmed, when Sunny began to tickle her.

"Well? Which one is it? Hmm?"

"Ahaha…okay, okay, you are as pulchritudinous as the morning sky," Jem replied, gasping for breath.

"Pulchritudi-what? You make it sound like I'm covered in pustules!" Sunny growled. "No mercy! I'm not budging until you start showering me with compliments I deserve…"

"Hey, hey – alright, molon labe!" Jem replied, wrapping her arms around Sunny's waist and flipping them over. Sunny giggled uncontrollably as Jem took her revenge and went for the ribs. The sound of giggling and laughing filled the room.

Just then, a knock came on the door. Both froze. Jem looked down at Sunny, who looked back up.

"Probably the RA," Jem said, "Inquiring about the noise level. I can handle it."

"Sure," Sunny replied weakly, her cramps suddenly making themselves more apparent to her. Quietly, she clambered back onto the air mattress and wrapped the blankets around her.

Jem stood up and strode over to the door and opened up without checking through the peephole. Then, quite unlike Jem, she froze.

"Hey," a familiar voice spoke. "I just wanted to inquire about the noise level…"

Sunny stared. Jem took a step back and clenched her jaw.

"Oh, hey there. Sunny," Carson said.

Sunny closed her mouth.

"We will try to keep it down. Our apologies," Jem said briskly.

"Hey, no problem, it's cool," Carson grinned and waved at Sunny.

Sunny looked down and weakly coughed into her blanket.

"You'll have to excuse my friend," Jem replied. "She's not feeling well."

"Oh, of course," Carson replied. "Is she your roommate?"

Shit.

"She hardly stays here, just comes and goes whenever," Jem replied ambiguously, "But she's always a handful to take care of. She's too sick to make any more noises, I assure you."

"Oh. So, you two are…?" Carson gestured.

"We'll try to keep the noise down. I promise there will be no further incidents," Jem replied, back to her signature monotone.

"Ah." Carson raised an eyebrow. A few awkward moments passed. "Well, anyways, don't worry too much about it. I'm Carson," he held out his hand.

"Jem."

They shook hands a little awkwardly due to Jem's lack of enthusiasm. Sunny curled up further in the blankets.

"Well, nice meeting you," Carson replied amicably.

"Yes," Jem replied laconically.

Carson nodded and smiled. "Hope you feel better soon, Sunny."

"Thanks," she croaked quietly.

Jem then smiled briskly, said "Thank you," and made to close the door.

"Oh, wait!" Carson exclaimed. "Also, we wanted to invite you to our Thanksgiving Hall Dinner," he added, pulling an orange card out of his pocket.

Sunny raised an eyebrow. "Is it like a potluck where we have to bring food, or-"

"Oh, no, the food is provided and free for everyone," Carson replied excitedly, "All you have to do is-"

"We're pretty busy, but we'll try to show up if we can," Jem replied tersely, and made to shut the door again.

"I'll tell you more about it later sometime!" Carson called out. Sunny blinked, and Jem shut the door at last. Sighing, she turned around to face Sunny, huddled amongst a pile of blankets.

"Thanksgiving," Sunny breathed.

"Yes," Jem said, clearly disinterested.

"And free food," Sunny muttered. "Maybe…maybe we should go. We could, you know, get to know the other hall residents…I think the counselor would recommend doing something like that, you know, meeting new people…"

"Unfortunately we can't," Jem replied. "We have to move out, and as soon as possible."

"Why?" Sunny frowned.

"Sunny, I'm sure other halls will be holding Thanksgiving events. This isn't the only one."

"Yes, but…" Sunny frowned. "Why can't we go to this one? What's so bad about it?"

"Nothing's wrong with it," Jem acknowledged, "But we won't be able to attend it. It's all because of the scheduling."

"You're the one who can control the schedule!" Sunny groaned. "Just pull back the moving out a few days or something!"

"Sunny, I'm sorry, but…"

"Well, what would you know? You're the one with a study group, aren't you? You don't know what it's like to be all lonely and to never have any friends, except for one who's never home," Sunny accused, sniffling.

A silence passed between them. Jem stared at her. Almost hurt, except for Jem didn't really show emotions, she was always just stony-faced Jem. Sunny covered her face in the blanket, screaming into it.

She felt movement close to her and a hand gently stroking her hair. Sunny continued to hide her face in the blanket and began to sob. The hand continued to softly run its fingers through her long golden hair. This continued for a few minutes, until Sunny felt like she had no more sobs left in her, and no longer felt the hand on her shoulders and intertwined with the locks on her head. Slowly, silently, she felt Jem back away and the door, ever so quietly, shut itself.

"She doesn't like me," Sunny muttered. "She's just doing it because she feels like she has to."

You don't know that, the voice replied.