I didn't expect a princess to party with the bumpkins.
Blood Red
I got to be a bumpkin!!
Hero's livid. It's amazing!
I wasn't brave enough to try that yellow stuff, though.
I gagged a little, remembering the combination of lemon and mushrooms. I couldn’t remember how I got the drink now, though. Most of the night was flashes of happiness and singing.
Moss Green
Aye, probably for the better. Strip ya bones that. My fav.
Blood Red
And how'd we end up with it?
Spill.
Moss Green
Big and tongue-tied, did his research. We're get'in lunch, like I'm a proper lady.
Blood Red
You are a proper lady!
You have to let me do your hair!!
Quinn, what placements do you have today?
Do you want to help me get Brit ready for her date?
I blinked in confusion. Oh, this was a group chat, or whatever it was called. I was reading it on my cube, which meant someone included me. I giggled involuntarily with excitement. Unlike a phone, there was no time stamp on the messages, so I kept reading.
Moss Green
I don't think she knows how to use her TB.
Blood Red
We'll just have to shower her!
Little butterflies filled my stomach. I’d read countless funny group chats online and enjoyed the occasional thread of people arguing about who was an asshole. But I was usually on the outside. Between the drugs and my mental issues, my moments of social time wereinconsistent at best. No one had ever added me to a group chat and been disappointed when I didn’t respond.
I bounced with excitement. I didn’t know how to respond yet, but I would figure this out. Matt gave me a perplexed look as I handed him my TB back and skipped out the door. Cold night air immediately brought down my high. I pulled on two more layers and bolted back to my dorm. The door to my room slightly jammed as I swung it open. A pile of men’s footwear that definitely hadn’t been there this morning scattered about the small landing.
“What is this?” A heavy tenor voice asked. “Tiny, stretchy, ugh, it smells.”
I crept up my stairs. The man spun the moment my head rose above the last step, and I forced myself to keep walking. He scowled down at me and rested his built arms on his very trim waist.
“I’m assuming you’re my roommate?” His severe mouth twisted unhappily.
I looked down at myself, still dressed in my oil-stained work-study clothing. Cayden healed the bruising on my cheek, but I’d been unable to remove the worst of the oil on my forehead, and I doubted my last hour of soapy water had done anything for my hair or complexion. I hid my pruney fingers behind my back.
Opposite me, my new roommate seemed almost as finicky as Cayden. He wore a tunic with a low V-neck, the rich orange fabric adorned with gold and silver accents, belted over silky pants I couldn’t quite place. A neatly trimmed beard and goatee in bright coral matched his glowing eyes, and thick, well-kept hair curled above his ears. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but the garish colors, paired with his long frame and surprisingly muscular arms, gave him a unique, almost striking appearance.
