August // Jeremiah Fisher

4. kicking me in the

A/N if you're seeing this be reuploaded its bc the original one that was published was the unfinished version for some reason and I just now caught it. Wattpad is glitching on me so this is the official version. 

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Jeremiah

I couldn't sleep last night.

Well I could but I felt like the blankets and air was suffocating me and for a while I wish it did. Going back to New York to talk with dad was just as much as a mistake as proposing to Belly. Which says a lot.

Dad unsurprisingly let me have it on wasting money on the wedding and how irresponsible I was for even proposing in the first place. It felt like a forced replay of the entire summer which felt like a punishment in itself. It all felt routine until he let out the statement I knew he and everyone else around me felt since the day I was born.

"I wish you were more like Conrad."

My entire life its always just been Conrad this Conrad that. After all Conrad was the one in Stanford going to be a doctor to save the world and cure fucking cancer and while I did whatever dad asked me to do.

Conrad also didn't waste 15k on a wedding that didn't happen.

No surprise at all it this resulted in a screaming match that no doubt mom would of chewed me out on if she was still here. It all came to the final hit of him cutting me off for the year to "learn responsibility for once in my life".

All my cards were cancelled as I learned after trying to use my credit card to pay for gas halfway through in Pennsylvania. Phone plan and car insurance I had until the end of the month to send him the money or it would be cancelled. Any other expenses that weren't only tuition was now up to me, that included books, food and a fucking place to stay.

I was just lucky enough to have my frat dues paid off weeks before.

But from today until the next year, the only thing I was getting from my dad was tuition. It's not like I needed anything else from him.

I honestly considered just dropping out on the drive up in between Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. But even I knew that was a stupid idea, for once. So for now I would just have to figure it out and "grow up" as dad said in between screams.

Honestly remembering that I was cut off wasn't the worst part of this morning. Waking up to the sound of spanish music and a roaring vacuum at 9:30am the next morning was.

It reminded me of my favorite mexican restaurant back in New York, Tres Amigos. But instead of chips and salsa I got a vacuum circling the house in a frenzy and the only salsa available was salsa music that ripped through the entire house.

I made a mental note to gift Sofia one of those silent dyson vacuums and a pair of headphones. But given I had maybe one thousand in my bank account, that would have to wait.

After hearing the music for a bit more I ultimately decided to toll out of bed and throw on a blanket over my head and shoulders like a nun. I made my way to the source of the sound only to find Sofia loudly screaming spanish lyrics as her hair was held up by a claw clip and her oversized shirt and basketball shorts and extra fuzzy socks engulfed her.

"Why are you cleaning this earlyyyyy." I whined as Sofia looked back up at me with a surprised expression.

Sofia shut off her music, "Sorry I forgot I had a roommate again. Did I wake you up?"

She sounded more apologetic as she came to realize I was still staying at her house. I didn't mean to make her feel like that in her own home. Hell she had been more than generous given my less than fucking stellar attitude.

"No I'm fine really, I just had a rough night." I apologize looking down.

Rough night was an understatement, more like a rough year at this point.

"Well you know what helps me feel better? Cleaning." Sofia said as she handed me with rag. She gave me the type of look that didn't really give you a choice in what to do but in a nice way.

I took the rag from her hand and breathed in deeply from exhaustion from my restless night and got to work cleaning the pictures on the wall.

She turned up the music once again and began her solo show with the windex in one hand and the rag on the other. Sofia didn't seem to care at all that I was witness to her one woman show.

Most of pictures were of her and Lacie from different sorority events. Some were from their childhood with another little girl in the middle. It was hilarious to see Lacie with neon braces and thick glasses looking drastically different from now.

Eventually after two grueling hours of cleaning the house in places I didn't even know dirt and grime could even be, we finished. Laying down on the couch and turning on Netflix, Sofia joined me.

"I feel like I should ask you why you had a rough night?" Sofia asked.

Laying out on the couch with her in exhaustion I honestly just let out the truth, "He cut me off."

She turned to face me, "Your dad? Shit I'm sorry dude. Are you going back to college at least?"

I really wish I wasn't.  

"He said he was only paying the tuition so I'm not completely fucked over right now. But anything else is on me so I have to find a job or start selling everything I own." I let out in frustration.

She took a second to think before responding, "Well if you're willing to help clean and cook, I don't see why you can't stay here for the semester. My tuition reimbursement from scholarships pay for the rent in full anyways."

I was amazed, "Wait they pay you to go here?"

"Basically. I also have a job at a coffee shop at campus too so I can see if they're hiring once it's open again." Sofia explained.

While it was nice staying somewhere that all my past was left at the door, I felt like I was taking advantage of her kindness, especially with what I did to Lacie. Fuck, I didn't even know if Lacie knew about everything.

"That's way to generous, I can't-"

"-Life is currently curb stomping you in the dick. Take the help dude." Sofia bluntly put as she put out her hand for a shake.

Graphic, but honestly she couldn't have been more right. It felt like this was the only option besides taking out loans for the rest of my life. 

I nodded and took her hand, "Ya know I'm going to pay you back one day for all of this."

"I like my payments in the form of clean floor before 10am." 

I laughed but for some reason I couldn't help but look over at the picture of her and Lacie on the coffee table, it felt like her eyes were burning into me. I hadn't talked to her since the incident and frankly I didn't know if she'd want to talk to me. I didn't even know if Lacie knew I was staying here.

Considering Sofia would barge into her room everytime she got a call from Lacie, it was safe to say she was keeping it a secret from her to. So for now this was a secret between both Sofia and I.