Everything Is Fuzzy - A.C.K (On Hold/Editing)

You're My Final Destination

TW // Sexual Harassment 

June 6th, 2021

"LUNCH IS OVER. PLEASE PROCEED OUTSIDE TO THE COURTYARD IMMEDIATELY." A female voice crackling through the loudspeakers said.

"This kinda reminds me of school, right?" Daphne remarked, breaking from the hug with Awsten.

"Ya, kinda." He replied, pushing his hair down to make it look more presentable. Like he hadn't been balling his eyes out for 5 minutes into the shoulder of a girl he literally just met. "Where do you live, Daph?"

The two started to find their way to the double doors at the corner of the room while Daphne answered him. "I grew up in Virginia, but I moved here to go to the University Of Houston. I was studying psychology, but you know." She throws her arms out and spins around. "I got stuck here."

The air outside is hot. The muggy kind of hot everyone hates. It was normal for Texas, but that doesn't mean people are in love with it.

"Look! A seat! Come on, Aws, let's get it!" Daphne exclaims. She grabs hold of Awsten's hand and starts running him over to the bench. In that moment, Awsten knew, deep down, she was a keeper. Her hair flying around as she ran, the feeling of Awsten being dragged behind. He loved it all.

She threw herself onto the bench and laid her whole body over it. "Daph, can I sit down?"

"Not at all."

"I'm gonna sit on you."

"No, you won't."

Awsten rolls his eyes. "You're right."

Daphne pulls herself up and pats the space next to her. "Here, Prince. Sit down." He slighty blushed at the pet name she gave him.

"Go back to where you came from, Pretty Boy!!" A guy yells across the courtyard, pointing right at Awsten. His friends all snicker. Awsten sits down and puts his head on Daphne's shoulder. 

"Everything about being a celebrity is hard." Awsten sighs.

"I can believe you on that."

"I'm sorry, you don't wanna hear me complain."

"Aws, I was literally studying psychology before I got stuck here. I was training to be a therapist. Also stop being a pick me boy."

"Oops, Sorry."

"It's okay, go on."

"Well, making my living on music is something I always wanted to do. But it's so hard. Especially the fans. They just want more and more. And the haters? Well you just saw it. I don't wanna feel ungrateful."

"You're not ungrateful. It's okay for you to ignore the people that are getting within your personal space."

Awsten was drowning in tears after she said that. He pulled his head onto his knees and covered his head with his hands.

Daphne put her hand on his shoulder. "Aws, tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you."

"I think Hunter sexually harassed me." Awsten mumbled.

"You have to speak up, Awsten."

"I think Hunter sexually harassed me!" Awsten cried.

Daphne pulled Awsten into a hug, his hands still over his head. "I can't take it anymore, Daph. I just can't. The image, it's still so fresh in my mind. It makes me sick."

"What he did to you was sick. No one should ever do that to another person, especially you. You're a great guy, you don't deserve it."

"He was kissing me. He kept kissing me even though I tried to push him away. He was fat shaming me and he was looking under my shirt. He was like 'Surprised you got abs, you fat', well I can't say that word. It was terrible. I was scared he was gonna go further. I was terrified."

"PLEASE LINE UP OUTSIDE THE CAF DOORS. WE WILL BE GOING TO CELLS SHORTLY."

"Well, bye Awsten. Meet me at dinner, okay?"

"Ya, okay."

==

Awsten sits on his bed, reading whatever book he grabbed out of the library. It was called One Way Or Another by Kara McDowell. He thought it was written like a wattpad fanfic, but for some reason he was really into it.

My thoughts are all mixed up as every ounce of focus narrows in to the feel of his fingers in my hair. In another life, the decision would have been paralyzing. But now, even with all this chaos in my head, I don't need Magic 8 to tell me what to do. Maybe because Harrison is impossible to resist. Or maybe because I'm calmed by the notion of infinity, of the fact that different versions of me are playing out different versions of the same scenario in every space and time imaginable. Or maybe I finally know what I want. Yes, I'm in love with Fitz. "...But I want to kiss you anyway." His lips crush against mine.

"Damn. And I thought my love life was difficult," Awsten thought, scoffing. He folded over the page and threw the book across his bed. He had the bottom bunk; Charlie was above him. Next to their bed was Jake and Ryder's. His head falls onto to pasty white pillow and he closes his eyes. 

Awsten's mind couldn't get Daphne out of it. Her smile, her soft hair, her compassion. It entranced Awsten. She makes his stomach flip and heart flutter. He doesn't understand why her boyfriend was such an ass to her, she deserves so much more than him. He could give her better.

Awsten pulled his eyes opened and looked around the room at his cellmates. The room was pretty big, and much better looking than you would think a prison cell would look. Ryder was bouncing a baseball off the wall in front of Awsten's bed, his neon yellow bandanna and bright orange attire bouncing around. Charlie and Jake were sitting on latter's bed; the bottom bunk. It looked like they were playing cards or something. Awsten didn't care.

All he wanted to do was hang out with Daphne. He feels so bad for venting so much to her. He feels like she should let out her feelings to him more. Ya, she's almost a therapist, but Awsten stills feels terrible. He just dumps his problems on her. She tries to comfort him, but who can comfort a 20 something year old guy claiming he got sexually assaulted?

Suddenly Awsten doesn't want to see Daphne anymore.