23. Penny for your thoughts

                                    

                                          
(The song put me in the mood to write this chapter. It gives really fuzzy and warm vibes~)
(Personally, I find it extremely difficult to listen to music and concentrate on reading at the same time, so if you can multitask, kudos to you. If not, just listen first and get into the vibe of things~)
(This is another chapter dedicated to my homie because... juice boxes)(her idea)

Mae
"So, how much is your electricity bill?" Marissa asks, daintily sipping some water. Her eye shadow glitters under the fluorescent light above our dining room table.
Vicky's eyes move to me with confusion, a few questions lingering on her lips. Why is your sister so weird? Is she always this loud? How do I answer this? Is it a trick question? Why does she keep staring at Will? 
I shrug in response. It's my sister. What am I gonna do?
"Well, I'm not sure, but I don't think it's too expensive," Vicky answers, cautioned with the shift of conversation.
"That sounds right," Marissa says. "Seeing as how you have two hotti-" 
My foot finds Marissa's shin for the third time since dinner started. Sitting across from her, I make eye contact, smiling sweetly on the outside, sending daggers on the inside. 
She responds with a sweet smile of her own, quickly recovering from her bruised shin. "-two more roommates to split the costs."
Our silverware clinks on the plates as I push around my rice. To say that I'm not having a fun time is an understatement. First, I have to sit next to Jake. The embarrassment of last night piles up between us. If that isn't enough, Marissa's loose mouth reveals great taste in my roommates and how the decor is a couple months outdated. Just excellent.
Not that Marissa is a bad person, but if I had a couple more hours of sleep and a prepared mind, things would have been a lot better.
Conversation resumes again when Marissa asks how Vicky cooks her chicken. Half listening, half daydreaming, I turn to see Jake staring at me. 
His cocoa eyes tilt upward like he's trying to solve a puzzle. 
Movements glitched, my face begins to feel like puzzle pieces, trying to arrange themselves for him. He must be so confused. A strange desire to tell him everything plays at my attention. Gripping my fork, I drag the handle around on the table. I want to just spill everything out right now. I don't want to hold anything back.
A corner of Jake's mouth pulls up. I zoom back into reality to see a giant smirk on his face.
Quickly, I shift my vision back to my plate, trying to ward off the oncoming blush. I'm not sure if it's from embarrassment or something else, but I don't like it. Can I just hide in my bedroom?
How much longer?

Jake
When Marissa realizes there's no dessert, she begins to make her way out. Giving her farewells and some sort of secret code nod at me, she takes her leave. Mae sees her to the door and they step out together.
Dishes clink in the sudsy water and I hand Will another plate. 
"How was your date with Nancy?" I ask him. He was unusually quiet at dinner. Whether it was the presence of Mae's flirty sister or something else, he seemed... off. I decide to lay off the whole spice joke, considering his mood probably isn't the best platform for holding my relentless quip.