Red Hot Love

Do You Even Care About Me?

Quietly, Jem turned the doorknob and entered the dorm room.

"Sunny," Jem spoke, "I need to talk to you about something-"

Instantly, she was greeted by a classic Sunny dressed in a towel, who launched herself at her with exuberance. Had it not been for the fact that Sunny would have landed stark naked in the middle of the dorm hallway, Jem likely would have stepped aside, but she instead caught her.

"Sunny-" Jem sighed.

"Jem, you're back," Sunny grinned. "I've been waiting for you~"

"Sunny, I really need to tell you something-"

Sunny pouted. "Can't it wait?" Grinning, she slipped her hand in and began to slowly slide the towel downwards. "If you like, there are other things we could do-"

"Sunny, we need to move out of this dorm," Jem spoke.

Sunny froze and frowned. "What?" She frowned. "Is the housing staff evicting us? I thought you said they were fine as long as we provided the air mattress."

Jem stared at her for a moment and shook her head. "It's, well…complicated. But I can take care of it, Sunny. I found us a double on the other side of campus."

"What?" Sunny shrieked. "On the other side of campus? You must be kidding me! Don't you already have to walk hours to get to class?"

"I know, but I can manage it…"

"Also, is it even possible to change housing after we've already paid for this quarter's tuition?" Sunny continued, beginning to tear at her hair with her hands.

Almost instinctively, Jem reached out and grabbed Sunny's hands. Sunny stopped and stared up at her, eyes panicked.

"It's going to be okay," Jem murmured gently, lowering her hands. "I can take care of it, don't worry. I have good favor with the housing department. I can get this sorted out…"

"But…but…this doesn't make any sense," Sunny frowned, "If they're not evicting us, why are we moving out?"

"I didn't say that-"

"Then you tell me!" Sunny screamed. Jem stepped back. Sunny glared at her, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

"Sunny, please, just trust me," Jem spoke in the same soft, reassuring tone.

"No. Why should I trust you? Every day, you skulk out of her and you won't spend two minutes with me in the same room. I get it, you're not interested in me. All of these roleplays are just jokes," she angrily yanked on the edge of her towel and wound it tighter around her chest. "I don't think you even like me as a friend," she hissed.

Jem stood back, her fists clenching and unclenching. Sunny scowled at the ground, shuffling and crossing her feet, her brows still furrowed.

"What would make you think that?" Jem asked quietly.

Sunny sniffed again. "You're always so furtive, so distant," she accused. "I don't remember the last time we had a moment to just sit and talk. It's like we're not the same people anymore."

"Oh, Sunny…"

"Don't you dare say that!" She shrieked. Jem held her hands in front of her. She stepped back. "You sound like my mom."

"I'm sorry," Jem muttered. "I promised you, I'd never let your mom catch up with you, didn't I…"

Sunny breathed in. "Yes," she muttered reluctantly, eyes looking down at the ground again.

Jem moved closer. "So trust me," she spoke quietly.

Sunny glared up at her. "So this has something to do with my mom? She's found us? Why don't we just move campuses?"

"Well, I…" Jem crossed her arms. "We're fine. We can stay. We need to. You…you still have your life ahead of you," she murmured, reaching out as if to stroke Sunny's hair.

Sunny frowned and turned her head aside. Jem's hand fell back to her side. "No, I don't. I'm a failure. I have nothing to get by with," she muttered.

Jem sighed. "Sunny, you are…you can do anything once you put your mind to it. You just need to see that."

"And then, will I be smart like you?"

Jem paused.

"I didn't think so," Sunny sneered.

Jem frowned. "You are a good girl. You are capable of plenty of things I can't do."

"Like what? Sitting still and looking pretty? Not terribly useful, is that?" Sunny sneered.

"Sunny, you still…" Jem frowned. "What brought this on? Did you go to the appointment with the counselor I arranged for you?"

"No," Sunny snarled, just to be mean.

"Oh." Jem looked defeated. "Why not?"

"Because. I didn't want to." Sunny turned away. "Why did you sign me up in the first place?"

Jem sighed. "Well, because…I'm worried about you…"

Sunny did not turn around. "You're worried about me so you cart me and my burdensome ass onto some poor counselor lady we don't know? Thanks, Jem. Thanks."

"Well, I just…don't want you to become unhappy," Jem tried.

"Become unhappy? About what? I'm living with my best friend, except, oh wait! She doesn't want to live here anymore. In fact, I think maybe the problem isn't that we need to move, it's that you need to get away from me. So why don't we just eliminate the middle man and have me go find a cabin in the woods to write terrible philosophy in, and you can stay here and enjoy actually getting an education?" Sunny snarled.

Jem almost looked hurt. "Why? What brought this on?" She repeated.

"You don't care about me."

A few minutes passed.

"I do care about you," Jem replied. "Why else would I work so many jobs to support us, if I didn't care? It'd be easier for me if I didn't have to, and yet, I still-"

"So then why don't you do it," Sunny muttered bitterly. "Drop me."

"I…I wouldn't do that."

"Why not?"

Jem frowned. "You matter to me. I won't do that. Now," she paused, "Why are you upset today? What happened?"

Sunny shuffled and rubbed her arms. "I don't know," she admitted. "I think I'm close to my period…"

"Oh. Sunny," Jem sighed. Quietly she walked over and stopped a few inches from her. Breathing in, Sunny looked up at her. Jem gently placed her hand on her cheek and stroked it. "I'm not going to leave you behind, understood?"

"Okay," Sunny muttered begrudgingly, though she did not move away from Jem's hand.

Jem smiled. "That's my girl."

Sunny said nothing.

"Promise me you'll at least try to go to one session with the counselor? Please?" Jem asked softly.

Sunny raised an eyebrow. "Maybe," she muttered.

Jem smiled and caressed the side of her face, then gently ran her fingers through locks of golden hair. "Thank you."

Sunny looked down, her face warming up slowly.

"Now, maybe you should get changed and go to bed. We may need to pack up early tomorrow."

"Don't want to," Sunny groaned.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Jem replied, walking over to the bathroom.

Sunny frowned and looked over at the door, crossing her arms. "I'm not cooperating."

"Yes, you will," Jem replied in a singsong voice, and closed the door.

Slowly, Sunny brought her hand up to her cheek and hesitatingly began to rub it, just as Jem's hand had a few moments before.

Have you learned anything? The voice in her head asked.

"I guess…not. Also that maybe I should worry more about stocking up Midol instead of taking old meds that I stopped using a while ago," Sunny muttered.

Yeah also a box of tampons would be nice, the voice in her head added.

"Fuck." Sunny groaned, taking off the towel and rummaging through her clothing pile for pajamas. "May have to put the seduction attempts on hold. I am not wearing a tampon AND a thong at the same time…"