[008] the wrong idea

                                  As Iris finished getting dressed for the day, she thought about her upcoming plans with Gwen. They were supposed to be hanging out for the rest of the day, seeing as they didn't have any classes or lectures to be worried about. She liked the fact that Gwen relied on her so much, that Gwen didn't really have anyone else but her to rely on. Because really, who would Gwen have if Iris hadn't taken such a generous chance on the awkward loner? As far as Iris knew, it was always going to be her that Gwen relied on. It was always going to be Iris that would save Gwen and keep her close.

                                 No one else would have the privilege of having Gwen to call their own except for Iris.

                                It's with those thoughts that Iris keeps going, deciding to put her hair up in a bun. But just as she finished, she heard her phone ringing. She picks it up before answering, assuming that it was Gwen calling her. While her best friend could certainly be clingy, Iris didn't really mind. Anyone else exhibiting the same behavior certainly would've annoyed her but with Gwen, Iris was flattered that the girl constantly stuck by her side.

                                "Iris? I was wondering when you'd finally pick up your phone," William answers instead of Gwen, making Iris's shoulders sag in disappointment. She really should've checked the caller ID first.

                                "Who is this?" Iris pretends to play dumb.

                                William huffs. "You know exactly who I am, Iris."

                                "Ah, now I remember! Why are you calling me?" Iris's head cants to the side.

                                "Are you mad at me or something?" William questioned and Iris rolls her eyes at how needy he sounded. While it was kind of hot other times, Iris found it to be more annoying now.

                                 "In order to be mad at you, it implies that I care about you which... I really don't," Iris shrugs.

                                "So if I decide to show up to your dorm in about twenty minutes from now... would you suddenly care then?" William offered.

                                "That depends. What do you plan on doing to earn back my interest?" Iris asks, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

                                Iris figured she'd hear him out and see what he wanted. Maybe it wouldn't take too long before Iris kicked him out and then she'd be heading out to meet with Gwen as planned. But... things wouldn't turn out that way.

                               "You have exactly five minutes to explain why I should even bother giving you the time of day," Iris replied, opening the door for William to walk inside her dorm room.

                                She closes it after him before making her way towards her bed, sitting on the edge with her legs crossed. As much as William wants to sit with her, he needed her permission. Iris was very much in control and if William dared to push the boundaries, he'd be kicked out.

                              "What? Do you have to go and rush off to meet your new boyfriend? Or maybe girlfriend's a more appropriate term? Fuck if I know. Gwen looks so much like a boy it's hard to tell," William scoffs.

                              Iris laughs. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Gwen too. First my friends and now you."

                              "You don't think it's a little weird that the both of you spend so much time together? It's starting to give off the wrong idea," William remarked.

                              "And what idea is that? That the two of us are lesbians or something? Maybe we are. Maybe I've finally discovered the power of the pussy," Iris shrugs, a smirk on her lips.

                              William scoffs. "Do you love just saying things without thinking of the consequences? I forgot how utterly insane you are sometimes."

                              "I thought that's what you liked the most about me. After all, you're crawling back to me because you missed just how insane I can be," Iris pointed out, her head canting to the side.

                              "Maybe there is something wrong with me because I can't get you out of my head. I know how this sounds but I'm falling in love with you, Iris," William reasoned.

                               Iris laughs. "You don't even know me."

                              "And what? Gwen does?" William questioned with a disbelieving look in his eyes.

                              "She's closer than you'll ever be," Iris retorts.

                              Gwen managed to see Iris's ugliness and still stick around all the same. She loved Iris despite of it, which made Iris wonder just what lied behind Gwen's meek and awkward facade. After all, you couldn't love someone's ugliness unless you had an ugliness of your own.

                             "So what do I have to do? What will it take for you to see that I'm the one for you?" William questioned, moving closer to where Iris sat. He even dared to lean in just a little closer, leaving only a couple of inches between the two of them.

                             Iris meets his gaze for a moment before grabbing the collar of his shirt, pressing her lips against his for a passionate kiss. Now was Iris probably going to regret this after it was over. But her self-destructive ways and her (not-so hidden) addiction to sex had driven her to this very point. 

                             And for now, all Iris cared about was getting William out of his clothes and on top of her as soon as possible.

( 🍇🖤🔪 )

                                  Gwen was worried. No, scratch that, she was terrified.

                                  It was an hour past the time she and Iris were supposed to meet to hang out. And Iris hadn't sent her a text or even called her to let her know that she was going to be late. Gwen couldn't help but feel like something was up and so she did the only thing that made sense. She was going to Iris's dorm to see if there was something wrong with her. 

                                 Maybe Iris had suddenly fallen under the weather or maybe she had gotten her period early. Maybe she had gotten hurt or something and she needed Gwen's help. Gwen's mind was running wild with all of the possibilities. So as she approached Iris's door, she felt her heart race and her anxiety shoot through the roof. Gwen wasn't exactly sure what she'd find the moment that she walked inside of Iris's dorm room.

                               "Iris?" Gwen questioned, followed by timid knocks on the door. "Iris, it's me. I just want to see if you're alright."

                                Gwen grabbed the doorknob, shocked when she was able to twist it open. Iris was usually more careful in keeping it locked. Gwen rushes inside but she's even more shocked (and definitely) horrified to see that Iris wasn't in any peril whatsoever. She was having sex with William and the both of them were totally clueless to the fact that Gwen had burst into the room.

                                "Oh shit!" Gwen exclaims, quickly looking away before she could be traumatized anymore than necessary.

                                "Jesus!" William shouts as he climbs off of Iris, leaving the blonde no other choice but to cover her nude body with a blanket.

                                "I'm sorry. I was looking for Iris and I thought -," Gwen began to ramble.

                                "Get out, will you?" William orders.

                                Gwen didn't need to be told twice. Although she could hear Gwen scolding William for being such a prick, Gwen didn't bother to linger behind. She ran away as fast as she could, her vision blurring with tears. She didn't even know why she was crying. It wasn't as though Iris had been cheating on her. They weren't even dating. But Gwen still felt betrayed.

                                Iris had blown off their plans to basically sleep with William. Gwen had gone from feeling special to ultimately feeling like second best in a matter of mere seconds. It made her wonder just how special she really could've been to Iris if she could abandon her just like that. She was finally beginning to realize and understand just how terrible Iris's friends had felt when she ditched them to hang out with her.

                                And it absolutely fucking sucked.

                               Gwen runs all the way to the library, grateful that there weren't many people inside this time. She manages to find a secluded corner to hide away in, wiping away her tears and trying to calm herself down. She hated that she was emotional and crying like this. Iris certainly wouldn't. Oh, how Gwen wished she could be as strong as Iris was. What would Iris do in a situation like this? She'd hold her head up high and continue on like everything was just peachy.

                              And yet the thought of Iris kissing and having sex with a douchebag like William fucking Booth makes Gwen both angry. And when Gwen was angry, that was when the tears came back again - big, hot, and angry as they rolled down her pale cheeks. Sniffling, Gwen covers her head with her hands and waits for the tears to stop.

                             But just then, Gwen hears someone sit next to her and she immediately looks up with red and puffy eyes. It was a pretty girl with long, dark brown hair and big blue eyes. She reminded Gwen of the beautiful nymphs Iris read about in her favorite Greek myths. And here Gwen was, looking like an absolute mess.

                            "I know this is gonna sound like the dumbest question in the world but... are you alright?" the girl asks with genuine concern written all over her face.

                            "Am I alright? Not really. Fuck, this is so embarrassing. I'm sorry," Gwen apologizes while continuing to wipe her face so she could try to hide the fact that she had been crying. It's a fail, of course.

                            "Are you apologizing to me... for crying?" she asks in disbelief.

                            "Yeah, I guess," Gwen sniffles.

                            "Who's the boy that made you cry?" she questioned, leaning forward a little.

                            Gwen actually laughs. "It's not a boy."

                            "Ah, so it was a girl then. Who's the dumb girl that made you cry?" she revised her questioned.

                            "It's a really long story and I'd rather not talk about it," Gwen says with a shake of her head, wiping away her tears. 

                           "That's fine. Um, I'm Zoey. Zoey Clermont, I think I've seen you around campus before," she introduces herself with a small smile.

                           "Probably. I'm Gwen Hollow," Gwen responds.

                           "Yep, I definitely know you. You're best friends with Iris Catton. She seems to really like you a lot," Zoey's eyes light up in recognition.

                          "What makes you say that?" Gwen questioned.

                          "Because she's a total bitch. But she has a soft spot for you," Zoey states, looking at Gwen as though the answer should've been obvious.

                          Gwen sniffles, wondering how true that was. Was Iris growing bored of her? Where had Gwen gone wrong for Iris to devote her attention to someone else?

                          "Hey, I was planning on eating this but... you can have it," Zoey offers the chocolate bar she had been carrying around in her purse to Gwen.

                          "Are you sure?" Gwen looks over at Zoey before back down at the chocolate bar.

                          "Yeah. I think you need this a lot more than I do," Zoey nods.

                          "Thanks," Gwen responds, gingerly taking the candy bar from Zoey with a small smile. "I don't think I'll be able to eat all of it though. We could break it in half and share it that way."

                         "I was secretly hoping you'd suggest that actually," Zoey admits.

                         Gwen chuckles as she unwraps the chocolate bar, breaking it in half for both her and the brunette beside her.

                         "Ha, I got a laugh out of you," Zoey smiles in victory.

                         Gwen looks away from her with a smile of her own. "Your friends won't be looking for you?"

                         "Mm, not really. I'm not too lucky in the friend department. I mean, I have one but she's busy herself so... I'm pretty much on my own most of the time," Zoey admitted.

                         "I only have one friend too," Gwen chuckles.

                         "Well, that's because Iris Catton has never been too keen on the idea of sharing. But maybe that can end today," Zoey offered.

                         Gwen nods. If Iris could focus on other people, why shouldn't Gwen? Maybe once Iris saw that Gwen wasn't so emotional over her, she'd leave William alone and drop him for good. "Maybe it can."

                          As the two girls smile at each other, both of them were unaware that someone was watching them a distance away. That someone happening to be a very pissed off Iris Catton.

( 🍇🖤🔪 )

word count: 2206
notes: i love how gwen really thought iris was in danger but iris was just in the process of getting her back blown out lmao. also zoey is a new character i added solely because i need more gay ass drama in my life and iris needed a little competition