overtime [zegras + hughes]

chapter six

"Marcie?" An angelic voice calls from above me as I lay wrapped in the silky bath of my blankets.
"Marcie wake up" Their warm hand caresses my cheek as I hum impatiently under the sheet.
I slowly open my eyes and look up to see Stacy's glowing green eyes staring down at me. Her curly brown hair encases her mocha skin in a celestial halo as she blinks sweetly at me. "Goodmorning" she sings, her voice is smooth as butter and I smile. "I missed you" I say happily as I sit up. She smiles at me and takes her hand from my cheek, placing it gently in her lap. "You know I always come back for you" she whispers. Stacy has been my best friend since highschool. She was here before everyone else and has always been by my side. "How was Thailand?" I ask, scooting forward and reaching for the water on my nightstand. Stacy is a travelling nurse, she put herself through medical school off solely waitressing tips and has recently been travelling country to country helping frontline workers tend to the ill. When I grow up, I wanna be Stacy. She has her life far more figured out than I do and she does it all while keeping a smile on her face. "Good" she responds, tucking a curly ringlet behind her ear. "Clearly not as interesting as it's been around here tho" she winks at the end of that statement and points her eyes to the clothes on my floor. Were those...Jacks clothes? "So spill, what happened last night? I wake up and Jacks walking out of our appartement all disheveled? What's that about?"
I furrow my brow and look confusedly at her. No. There's no way, there's no way I slept with Jack last night and don't even remember it. "He left?" I ask. "And how on earth did I get in my bed, the last thing I remember is-"
The sound of the front door opening cuts me off and Stacy and I both turn towards my bedroom door. "Marce? You up?" Jacks voice calls. She looks back at me and raises her eyebrows teasingly. "Sounds like lover boy's back" she taunts. We quickly both jump out of my bed and race towards my bedroom door, pushing and shoving each-other to get out first. As the door swings open, we both tumble forward and land on the floor in a heap. Her foot is on my back and my hand is smack dab in her hair.
"Woah careful" another voice says and I hear footprints marching towards me. Stacy giggles ecstatically as Jamie pulls her from our mess and into his arms, planting kisses all over her cheeks and head. "You trying to take my girl, Boston?" he asks, squeezing her tightly against him. "Hey man, she was on top of me." I respond.
As I go to stand up, an outstretched hand comes into my view. I could recognize that calloused palm anywhere.
"You gonna let me help you up this time?" Trevor's sultry voice asks. I look up at his bruised face in shock. His eye is practically welded shut and purple and brown skin creeps down his cheek towards the cut on his lip.
I take his hand graciously and he pulls me into a tight hug, filling my nose with the scent of warm vanilla and tobacco.
"You okay?" he asks, pulling back from me and placing his palms on either side of my face. His eyes well up as he looks at the shiny bruise forming on my cheek. "I'm fine Z." I say quickly, turning my head from him. "It's you I should be worried about, look at your face...you are all swollen." I gently brush my finger over his cut and shutter. This happened to him because of me, the pain he's in is because of me. "I'm fine Robbie, don't worry. You should've seen the other guy."
The mention of Jeremy causes my heart to tear. I step back from Trevor and swallow deeply, the pain bubble getting caught in my throat on the way down. "Uh" I try to say, but it comes out in more of a choking sound. I watch as Jack rounds the island and steps towards us. "I brought pancakes from IHOP Marcie, your favourite".
I nod gently and try not to let myself think of Jeremy in this moment, but it's damn near impossible. Only two nights ago we were sitting here at the table playing cards and talking about our future. He seemed so kind and perfect, it just didn't make sense to me. "Where is he?" I ask, as Jack pulls a spot out for me at the table. I watch as he, Jamie and Trevor exchange a strange look. "Hello? Where's Jere?" I ask again, my discomfort clearly visible in the white of my knuckles as I grasp at the table.
Jack swallows his breath and places my pancakes down in front of me. "He's in New York" Jamie says, pouring some coffee into Stacy's cup. "He caught an early flight this morning, he couldn't stay here any longer."
I watch as Trevor's jaw clenches tightly from across the table. "He doesn't deserve to be flying to some rich fucking New York school. He deserves to be 6 feet deep."
Jack squeezes my shoulder and brings my attention away from Trevor's comment, to his eyes. "You don't have to worry about him Marce, he's gone. We're here." He places his palm on top of my hand and I feel my grip of the table loosen. The look in his eyes makes me feel safe as he trails his thumb in circles around my skin.

"Anyways, to move on from the topic." Stacy starts, "How are you guys feeling about the draft next month?"
I nearly choked on my pancakes when the words 'next month' fell from her perfectly pink lips. "Shit" I mutter, "I forgot! It's Sunday, you guys have a meeting today at 2. Trevor have you talked to Keith?"
Trevor absentmindedly munches on his piece of bacon as he nods his head. "This morning" he grumbles, crumbs falling from his lips as he does so. "I gotta figure out what to wear, he said something about a green suit you picked out?"
His eyes haven't lifted from his plate as he reaches for the orange juice in front of him.
"Yeah, it's a Sydney Taylor" Jack cuts in. "I picked up mine on Thursday from Carson's, very nice if I might add."
I smile at him and wipe my lips with my napkin, I'm too worked up to eat these pancakes right now. With everything going on, I completely forgot that I had told Keith I would pick up Trevor's suit and have it steamed and on him for 1:30. Now, pushing 11:45, I was running out of time.
"I gotta get going and grab it, we won't have time to get you guys ready and the suits steamed if I don't get it within the next 15 minutes."
I stand up abruptly and rush to grab my keys, still in the silk pyjamas I woke up in, yet don't know how I got on.
I turn to the mirror in the doorway to fix up my hair before reaching for the door handle.
"Woah woah!" Jack calls from behind me as he drops his toast onto his plate. "You aren't going anywhere, Trevor and I will get it. You barely got any sleep last night Marce."
I look back at Stacy who's grinning ear to ear at that comment. "I'm assuming you didn't either Jacky Poo" she teases.
Trevor's eyes shoot up and he looks between Jack and I, who's face is now beet red.
"We can go, can't we guys?" She asks, looking between Trev and Jamie. Jamie shrugs simply and nods his head but Trevor huffs at her.
His eyes haven't left Jacks face since she made that comment. "If Jack's not going neither am I" he says simply, crossing his arms.
"Oh stop being a baby Z, it's your suit" Jack says teasingly, "Its a 20 minute drive, you'll be fine"

Trevor shakes his head relentlessly and I sigh. His eyes are locked on mine and I feel almost as if I should ask him to stay. He fills my chest with heat everytime i think of him, why would I ever send him away to do something he doesn't want to do?
"Fine." He says finally. "I'll go, but Jack I need you to run by the house and grab my shoes. They are besides my bed."
Stacy looks to me with a confused look on her face and I shrug. Why did Trevor so intensely want Jack and I to be apart?
"I'll go with you Jack, I need to get out of this apartment."
Once again, I hear Trevor scoff as he stands up. He walks towards me and I feel my heart rate pick up by about 30 beats a minute. He reaches out to my hair and pushes a strand behind my ear. "Couldn't see your eyes" he whispers in that goddamn mesmerizing voice of his before winking flirtatiously at me. "I'll be in the car, bring me another piece of bacon when u come down" he calls out to Jamie. And just like that, he's out the door and gone.

When I turn to look at the rest of them, they are all staring at me, mouths slightly agape.
"What?" I ask.
Stacy smiles and shakes her head as she stands up and grabs a handful of bacon.
Jamie quickly follows her and they are out of the door faster than they can respond.