Steph frantically ran around her apartment, trying to get everything in order before heading off to work. Why hadn't she taken a closer look at her schedule before signing up for the graveyard shift right in the middle of the week? Thursday through Friday was the worst. She had been at work at 7 that morning, then classes until 7 that evening. Now she had just a couple hours at home to eat, do homework, and get ready for her graveyard shift. She had to be prepared for Friday, too, since she wouldn't get home until 6 the next evening.
Of course, today she had to fall asleep while doing her homework. If she didn't hurry, she was going to be late. Steph dashed into the bathroom to quickly fix her hair before heading out and was met with the glares of Sasha and Jessica. Normally, Steph loved the layout of the huge bathroom because you never had to wait for anyone to finish up. But she really could have done without the extra stress of running into her roommates.
"We should just move her stuff out while she's at work," Sasha stage whispered to Jessica with a sneer.
"I bet we could get it done in five minutes," Jessica replied.
Steph tensed up. The two had been threatening to just move her stuff for weeks now, but this was the first time they had said anything about a specific time. She knew they were just trying to get under her skin, and, man, was it working. Her mind went to her precious instruments, her plentiful art supplies, her beloved sewing machine. Why were all her hobbies so expensive?
What if they just throw things around?
The unwelcome thought latched itself into Steph's thoughts like a diseased tick. No matter how hard Steph tried to shake it, tried to tell herself that she knew nothing would happen, tried to reason with herself, the thought wouldn't leave. Steph felt her heart rate rising and her breath spiraling out of control.
Deciding to just forget about brushing her teeth, Steph walked out of the apartment. She may be on the verge of a breakdown, but there was no way she was going to let those two know how badly their comments had affected her.
Steph closed the door and ran down the stairs and across the parking lot to Neil's apartment. Her roommate and good friend, Lesley, was there watching a movie.
Steph knocked on Neil's door as she opened it.
"Hey, Lesley. Can I talk to you out here?" Steph asked, as she peeked into the apartment.
"Sure!" Lesley jumped up from the giant bean bag she was lounging in. Closing the door, Lesley asked, "What's up?"
Steph told Lesley what Sasha and Jessica had said and broke down in tears. Lesley pulled Steph into a hug and rocked back and forth.
"I know. They're awful. We've all been struggling, though I wish they would lay off of you. You haven't done anything wrong," Lesley quietly said.
"I don't...know what to...do. I have...to be at...work in...30 minutes," Steph sobbed out. She couldn't calm down. She was sure she was getting mascara on Lesley's shirt.
"I'll go back to our apartment. I'm sure they won't actually do anything, but I'll be there just to make sure," Lesley decided. She poked her head back into Neil's apartment. "Hey, Neil, Steph needs cuddles. I'm heading out."
Lesley gently pushed Steph into the apartment before quickly shutting the door and heading back to their apartment. Neil looked up, startled by Steph's tear streaked face. Steph was suddenly aware that the apartment had gone silent.
Looking around the corner and into the kitchen, she saw Neil's five roommates and about seven more of their friends tightly gathered around the small kitchen table. A game of Settlers of Catan had just come to an abrupt halt.
This is just great, Steph thought to herself. Not only had she walked into an apartment stuffed full of men, she knew every single one of them. Steph choked back a sob, ready to run right back out the door.
Neil, as if sensing Steph's desire to run, jumped off the couch and pulled Steph into a hug. Unable to keep the tears back anymore, Steph wrapped her arms as far as she could around Neil's large frame and sobbed. Soon, she felt more arms around her.
Glancing up, Steph saw that everyone in the apartment had gathered around her in a large group hug. A sad smile graced her lips as she realized that this mass of people took up all the space in the small living room. How did they all manage to fit in that kitchen? Megan wondered.
"We love you, Stephanie."
"You're going to be okay."
"We're here for you."
"Just tell us what you need."
Steph only sobbed harder, but this time from relief. The voices of encouragement ringing out from the massive hug pierced her shell of anxiety, slowly breaking it down. After several more minutes, Steph gained some composure.
"Thank you, everyone," Steph muttered as she raised her head from Neil's now drenched shirt. "I'd just like to talk to Neil for a bit, if that's okay."
Steph received a pat or arm squeeze from everyone as they filtered back into the kitchen. Neil kept an arm around Steph as he led her to the couch. He tightened his hold on her when he realized she was still shaking.
"What happened," Neil asked.
With a shaky breath, Steph told Neil what happened. When she finished, Neil laid his head on Steph's head. Steph snuggled into Neil's soft side. She had to admit, it was kind of comforting that Neil felt like a giant body pillow.
"Call into work and see if someone can cover for you while you calm down," Neil suggested. "I'll drive you there when you're ready."
Realizing she hadn't been paying attention to the time, Steph hastily took out her phone and sighed with relief when she saw she still had 20 minutes before her shift started.
I guess it's a good thing I had planned to walk today, Steph thought to herself, trying to find a silver lining as she dialed work.
"University Police, this is Dawn."
Steph was glad that she was relieving Dawn today. Dawn was like a sweet grandma and always willing to help. After shakily telling Dawn that she was having a panic attack, Dawn agreed to stay late as long as Steph stayed late in the morning for her.
Steph hung up the phone and leaned back into Neil as she tried to steady her breath. Neil snaked an arm around her waist before grabbing her hand. Steph hadn't realized how tightly she had been holding onto herself. The feel of her hand in someone else's, anyone else's, like this was immensely comforting.
A twinge of guilt poked at Steph's brain, but she quickly tried to pushed it away. Will wasn't here to hold her hand and this is what she needed. She was thankful that she had friends who could recognize what she needed. Will should be thankful that there were people looking out for her, too. Especially since she couldn't write to Will about what was going on.
She knew that Will would actually be very jealous and feel betrayed if he saw her like this. Especially if he knew that, just a couple months earlier, Neil had been trying to date Steph.
Stop, Steph thought to herself. Right now, you just need to calm down enough to get to work. You can think about Will later.
Neil quietly held Steph for an hour and a half. Finally, Steph looked up at Neil's friendly, round face.
"I'm ready to go to work now," Steph said. It was time to get this day over with.