Just Stay With Me Awhile

When Lili got up to her room, and slammed the door shut, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. There were two new texts, and three missed calls. She opened her phone, and saw that two of the missed calls were from Jesse, and that the texts and other call were from Zacky. They were within the last five minutes. She groaned and kicked the door angrily with her foot, before realizing that the last time she’d done that, she’d gotten hurt, She walked over to the bed, pulling her shoes off along with her pants, before hearing a knocking sound coming from her door. She knew who it was; none of her uncles would bother her at this hour of the morning, and her father was probably either sleeping or talking to her mother on the phone.

“Go away, Zack!’ She called to him, hellbent on not answering the door. She walked over to her suitcase, which was in the corner of the room, and pulled out a chemise and pair of lounge pants.

“Can we just talk, Lili? Please?” He asked her. “Jesus Christ, I just…We need to at least get along with each other, okay?”

“We weren’t getting along before, and we managed perfectly fine.” She called back, before her phone went off. This text was from Jimmy.

I’m here with him. Let us in; promise he won’t be an ass. He’s drunk and insists on talking to you. He won’t shut up and let us go to bed. Plz? He had texted her. She sighed, before storming over to the door, opening it and glaring at Zack before smiling sweetly at Jimmy.

“You,” She turned back to Zack, jabbing her finger at his chest, “Have five minutes. Five minutes, to explain to me what happened. And then you have to leave the rest of them alone and go to fucking bed.”

“Thank you!” Jimmy said, hugging her, before glaring at Zack. “And remember, behave. Or you’re sleeping on the bus.”

Zack just walked into the room, sulking, and sat on the couch.

“Make yourself at home,” Lili muttered, shutting the door once Jimmy had gotten inside. “Start talking, Zack. You don’t have all night.”

“Iwassittingonthe—“ He started, jumbling it all together. Jimmy sighed, and thumped him over the head.

“The English version, Zacky,” He told Zack, who glared at him before looking at Lili and sighing.

“I was sitting on the bunk, waiting for you to show up. You’d texted me, if you…Wait, no…I texted you and asked you to come into the bunks, ‘member?”

“Four and a half minutes,” Lili said, looking at her cell phone’s timer. She was serious. She didn’t want to hear anything Zacky had to say. She was only doing this for Jimmy.

“Then Gena walked into the room, and she was only wearing a fuckin’ robe thingy, ‘nd she told me that she wanted me back ‘nd that she was gonna make m’ see what I was missing or somethin’ like that.” Zacky slurred. “She took the robe thingy off, ‘nd jumped on me on the bed. ‘Nd then you walked in, ‘nd thought we’d been tryin’ to have sex or somethin’ so—“

“Or something?” Lili asked, gritting her teeth. “How am I supposed to believe you when you’re drunk?”

“For all the bullshit, Lili, I think he’s telling the truth,” Jimmy said quietly, holding his hands up in defeat when she glared at him. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that you should get back together with this asshole. But he was always complaining about Gena, even before you showed up.”

“—So we’re good, right?” Zacky asked her, looking up hopefully. Lili groaned when she saw him giving her that famous pout of his; that pout that no human female could resist if she tried.

“Maybe,” She said, pushing a hand through her hair. “I’m not going to say yes or no tonight. It’s been five minutes, okay? Go to bed. Leave Jimmy and the guys alone.”

“Can I sleep in—“ Zacky started, before Jimmy grabbed him by the shirt and began pulling him towards the door.

“No,” He answered his friend. “It’s just you and your hand tonight, buddy. Lili told you not tonight, so listen to her.”

“But—“

“Jimmy, leave him.” Lili sighed. Jimmy turned and gave her a bemused look.

“You’re not going to castrate him once he passes out, are you?” He asked her cautiously. She laughed, and then shook her head.

“No, I’m not.” She told him. “But he won’t let you guys sleep, and you have to get at least some sleep. He can crash in here, and expect to pay for getting drunk tomorrow morning, bright and early.”

Jimmy chuckled, and then let Zacky go. He immediately crawled towards the couch.

“You’re evil, Lili Neil,” He told her as he started walking towards the door.

“I try, Jimmy,” She told him. “I try.”