Bleed Until You Heal

19- Heartaches

"I picked up your dry cleaning, your meeting is moved to six o'clock, and your digitals were sent to the lab for printing. Anything else?" I ask Sebastian, standing across from him with his desk between us as he's typing away at his computer.

"No, that's all for today. You can go now, Miss Mast, have a good weekend," He tells me after I've hung his dry cleaning on the door knob of his office like he'd asked.

"Thanks. You too, Dr. King," I respond before returning to my tiny cubicle to grab my bag so that I can go back to the apartment. I've never wanted a weekend not to happen so badly. Not that the week wasn't long, because it was excruciatingly so, it's just that tonight is Scott's date with Phoebe and I can't stop thinking about it. Ever since Monday, the whole thing has put me in a sour mood.

Working with Sebastian had helped get my mind off of it while I was working for him but that's only a few hours a day that I can completely submerse myself in the work instead of worrying about Scott and Phoebe flirting in psychology. I use my school work to avoid it too, finishing all of my drawing and photograph assignments early and with so much effort that I could completely distract myself for a good extra hour with each one.

But Friday comes and my shift is over and I've done all of my assignments in full and I have nothing else to distract myself with. I do, however, have a few tricks up my sleeve.

"Let's go out tonight," I suggest to Jasper when I get into the apartment and he's watching TV and glances over at me when I walk in.

"Out," He repeats in a way that's asking for me to elaborate.

"Yes. To that gay bar that we went to before," I tell him, sitting beside him on the couch. "You can bring your boyfriend."

"No labels," Jasper corrects me.

I roll my eyes at him. "You can bring Conner. Let's just go out and get drunk."

He looks at me with his head tilted to the side as if he's trying to figure me out and then he says, "No."

"Fine," I sigh. "Then maybe Conner and Noah can come here or something and we can all just get drunk here. Like a mini little party, it'll be fun."

"No," He says again.

"Why not?" I sigh heavily. "Are you fighting with Conner or something?"

"Oh no, we're great," Jasper assures me. "It's just that I'm not going to let you start binge drinking and sleeping with Noah again just because you're upset about Scott."

"You're not going to let me?" I wonder with raised eyebrows of indignation.

"I'm not going to let you," He says. "You can tell me that I'm not your boss and that I'm being too controlling and that I can't tell you how to live your life, I don't care. I'm not going to let you. Bottom line. I might be too bossy or controlling but I'm a good friend."

"I've slept with Noah before. I've gotten drunk before. It's no big deal and it has nothing to do with Scott," I assure him but he gives me a look and I know that both of us know that I'm lying.

"Sure, but you do it because you like it, and that's fine. Sex and drinking is fine but it's not fine when you're doing it just to try and get over somebody. Sad sex is not okay because that's the kind of crap that you regret in the morning and I'm not going to let you put yourself through that," He explains.

"It's just Noah," I say to Jasper but even as I say it, I know that he's right. Just like he always is. But I've had a long week and I think that just one stupid one night stand won't be so bad in the long run. "It's no big deal."