Slightly Chaotic Movie Day

Cordelia

Charlotte and I have been going out for a few weeks now— we're not exactly official yet, but we've kissed once or twice (although there was no action and it was super boring) and I have high hopes for our relationship.

We're watching a movie at my apartment with Whizzer, who's happy I finally introduced them. Well, I'm watching. Whizzer and Charlotte are catching up like they're old friends.

"You're dating Marvin, right? I've met him before," Charlotte says.

Whizzer makes a face. "Yeah, I know."

I reach across Charlotte to hit him on the arm. "Oh, be quiet. You met her eventually, didn't you? It's not a competition." I roll my eyes. "Right, I forgot. Everything with you and Marvin is a competition."

"That sounds like an interesting relationship dynamic," Charlotte remarks. "Do you two fight a lot?"

He just shrugs. "Maybe a little."

I laugh loudly at this. Whizzer shoots me a glare, but I pretend I don't see him. Charlotte just smiles and focuses back on the movie, which we're almost halfway through.

That's when Marvin comes in. I think Whizzer gave him a key, or else the lock on our door just doesn't work, because he barges in without knocking all the time. I frown at him for interrupting our movie/conversation, but Whizzer gets up to give him a kiss.

"Hey, Marvin," Charlotte greets, glancing over the back of the couch. Marvin gives her a nod and a wave. I sigh and stand up from where I'm sitting, having given up on watching the movie.

"Hey, guys. Just wanted to see if anything was new around here."

Whizzer rests his arm on Marvin's shoulder and shakes his head simply. "Nothing's ever new around here. Oh, except Charlotte and Cordelia have been going out a lot more. And they made out in Cordelia's car last night."

Charlotte's face goes red, and so does mine. "We didn't make out, it was one quick kiss," I inform him. "Also, shut up."

Marvin just laughs. "All right. I got it."

"What about you, Mr. Haven't-seen-you-in-like-a-week-and-am-so-deprived-of-human-contact-that-that-one-scene-in-The-Lion-King-seems-kind-of-hot?" Whizzer asks, glancing at his boyfriend.

I stare at him. "Too specific."

"Uh, I'm okay," Marvin answers, raising his eyebrows. "What movie were you guys watching?"

"The... Lion King," Charlotte tells him, reaching for the remote and turning the TV off. I suppose that's the end of our movie day.

Marvin goes to sit next to her on the couch— she's the only one still there, since Whizzer and I have both gotten up. I look Whizzer up and down curiously and he glares at me again. "By the way," Marvin's saying, "have any of you met Mendel yet?"

"Who's Mendel?" Whizzer asks.

"I told you about him. The guy who thinks he's a psychiatrist because he's a first-year psychology major and assumes he already knows everything."

"He sounds interesting," Charlotte puts in.

"Trust me, he's not."

I make my way over to where Marvin's sitting and put my hands on the back of the couch. "Hey, how's Trina?" I want to know.

"No, who's Trina?" says Charlotte, who hasn't heard of her before today.

Whizzer comes over to stand next to me. "No, why's Trina?"

"I don't know," Marvin responds, waving me off. "Charlotte, she's my ex-girlfriend from high school. Before I figured out I don't like girls," he adds.

"Wait, does she go here for something?"

"Yes," I answer her before Marvin can. "Which makes things super awkward between them."

"I bet," replies Whizzer, pinching Marvin's cheek across the back of the couch. Marvin slaps his hand away, unamused.

I turn away and walk toward the kitchen (which, again, is only a few feet away. Cramped, but convenient). "Does anyone want something to eat?"

"No," calls Marvin.

"Thanks, Marvin. That was helpful."

"I'll grab something," Charlotte responds, standing up and coming into the kitchen with me. Like I said before— it's cramped. Which means we're pretty close together while she's in here. I try not to get too flustered.

"How about chips?" I suggest quickly, handing her a bag. She smiles gratefully and takes the bag back into the living room. Whizzer reaches for it, but she holds out her hand to stop him.

"Excuse me. Guests get the chips first. Also, I don't trust you after your admission earlier."

He gives her a weird look. Marvin laughs a little, and Whizzer turns back to face him. "Oh, you think that's funny? I'll show you funny." He climbs over the back of the couch and tackles Marvin, who's out of breath with laughter now.

"You guys!" I cry, storming out of the kitchen. "I'm trying to cater to our guest. Please be civil to one another."

"It's fine, I already have my chips," Charlotte assures me, holding up the bag (which Whizzer has evidently forgotten about).

Marvin's on the floor now, trying to catch his breath. "Stop! Is this really the human contact you want?" he gasps.

Whizzer gets off of him, frowning. "Jesus, can you stop talking about that?" he demands. Marvin picks himself back up, still laughing.

Charlotte watches all of this from the side of the living room, shaking her head and eating her chips. "Man, this household is weird."

"You said it," agrees Whizzer, sitting down and running his hands through his dark hair. "I'm tired. How long has Marvin been here already?"

Marvin checks his watch. "About twelve minutes," he answers.

"And I'm already worn out? That's not a good sign."

"Maybe you're worn out because you tackled me to the floor for no reason?" Marvin demands.

Whizzer examines his nails nonchalantly. "Yeah, maybe."

"Do you guys want to turn the movie back on?" Charlotte asks, setting the bag of chips aside and joining them on the couch.

"No," says Whizzer.

"Hey, you never told us how Trina's doing," I remind Marvin, hooking my arms over his shoulder from the back. He turns and raises an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. From what I've heard she's not doing too well, actually."

"I wonder why," his boyfriend mutters sarcastically.

Marvin escapes my grasp. "Oh, so now you wanna fight?" he exclaims. "That's fine. Let's fight, Whizzer. Get back on the floor."

I grab the back of his shirt. "Stop. This is physically painful. Look, if you guys can't go one minute without arguing I'm going to have to kick you out."

"Can I stay?" Charlotte speaks up.

"Yes, you can stay."

"All right, fine," Marvin huffs, pulling away from me. "We'll play nice. What do you guys want to do while I'm here?"

"Die," says Whizzer.

I glare at him. "Out into the hallway. Now."

"But this is my apartment!" he protests.

"Out."

"Fine."