Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You nodded your head along to the sound coming out of your stereo.

Man eater's lyrics bounced off the walls of your room as you sang your heart out. Your roommate wasn't here to tell you to be quiet so, who could stop you?
You rolled over, on your bed, now laying on your stomach as you grabbed your diary and flipped through the pages.
You clicked your pen and started to write down your thoughts about your day, but holy shit was that boring.
 So you switched topics, deciding to make a list of songs for your next playlist instead.

You had a few friends on campus, but one in particular came to mind at the moment: Tommy, who, like you, was a BIG nerd.
 But while you spent your time collecting figurines and trading cards, he spent his working with computers and being a HUGE nerd(lmao loser).
You had a few classes together tomorrow; you would ask him if he could get you the songs on CD, then try to convince him by buying him a donut, from the coffee shop right next to your building.
The song ended and a new one started playing, the vibes were completely different as "My love" by Justin Timberlake came on; and you couldn't help but let out a giggle as the lyrics brought someone specific to mind.
You buried your face in the open diary, kicking your feet like a lovesick teenager in a movie.
 

If I wrote you a symphony

Just to say how much you mean to me

What would you do?
 If I told you, you were beautiful

Would you date me on the regular? 
Tell me would you?

You sat back up on your legs, pushing hair out of you face; you grabbed the diary and started to scribble with your pen.

Well, baby, I've been around the world

But I ain't seen myself another girl

Like you

This ring here represents my heart

But there's just one thing I need from you

What were you doing? You didn't even know where your pen was taking you, but now the black marks on the paper were starting to make more sense, merging together as you kept drawing.

Because

I can see us holdin' hands

Walkin' on the beach, our toes in the sand

I can see us on the country side

Sittin' on the grass, layin' side by side

Your girlfriend's face emerged from the lines, a little bit wonky, but her nonetheless. Your giggles filled the room as you kicked your feet against the soft mattress.

You can be my baby
 Let me make you my lady, girl, you amaze me

Something hit your window, you squealed and jumped back; staring at it in shock for a good second.
Just as you were about to get up and check, a second pebble it the glass again.
Who the fuck was up throwing pebbles at 11 P.M. ON A THURSDAY.
You groaned and made your way to the window, opening it up and sticking your head out to look.
The air was cold compared to the cozy warmth of your room, you shivered.

Now, to be fair, it's not like your dorm was a six stories building, it had two floors and you were on the first one, so it's not like this stranger's pebble-throwing abilities were that impressive- oh.

Oh, would you look at that.

Right under your window, in the grass, stood none other than your girlfriend, pebbles in hand.
 A big smile made its way to her face as she saw you, her eyes lighting up as she let the small rocks fall down to wave up at you.
-"hey, babee" she whispered-yell, having, at least, the decency to be some what quieter at such a time.
You sighed, but truly, you could do nothing to stop the smile quickly spreading on your lips.
 You leaned against your window, looking down at her with a soft gaze.

-"Hey, Ang" you shot back, tilting your head to the side to get a good look at her.

-"what're you hanging around all pretty for?" You asked, deciding to put aside the whole rocks thing.
Inside your room, the music continued to play.
 

Ain't gotta do nothin' crazy
See, all I want you to do is be my love

-"Nothing much" she shrugged, shoving her hands into her pockets, trying and failing to look nonchalant.

-"just walking around, hoping to catch a cute girl staring out a window. Oh wait, I think I found that"
She winked at you. You knew it was meant to be a sexy kinda wink, but it was just really dorky looking and honestly? That was definitely hot by itself.

-"soo" you tapped your finger against the window a few times.

-"would you like to come up? Or are you just gonna stare through my window like a creep"
-"talk about impatience" she shook her head, raising her hands in mock surrender: -"I'm coming up, I'm coming up"

You scoffed and closed your window, walking back to your bed to pick up your diary and pen.
 You opened the first drawer at hand and just chucked them in, closing it shut and sighing as your thoughts were brought back to the sweet girl coming up to your dorm room.

Your roommate, Courtney, was out with her boyfriend right now, so there was no risk of you two getting caught. And once Angela was in your room, you could just throw a tie on the doorknob and (hopefully) your friend would get the message.
You were shook out of your thoughts as a soft knock came from your window again.

Ugh, what was she still throwing rocks for?
You turned your gaze towards the window and jumped back when you noticed the figure holding onto the wall's crevices and looking at you.
 You rushed to open the window, failing to stop a giggle from leaving your mouth.
-"what the hell are you doing?" You tried to sound serious, maybe even mad, you really did.

But holy shit was that impressive and man did she look good and now you were all giggly again.

-"you know I got stairs, right?" You reminded, helping her crawl into your dorm room.
-"but what if I got caught?" Her defence was weak, but you restrained from saying it out loud, instead you shut the window behind her and smoothed out the wrinkles on your pajamas top.

-"still" you watched as she dropped on your bed, leaning on her elbows and looking up at you as you spoke.

-"you had no need to crawl your way in other than wanting to show off"
 You pointed out, mirroring her movements and laying down on your side, right next to her.

-"yeah, but" she sat up a little straighter, then leaned closer to you, her eyes darting down to your lips for a split second, before holding your gaze again.

 -"If I took the stairs, I couldn't have been your sexy spider-Man" her nose brushed against your and you found yourself humming in response.
-"there's nothing sexy about a man, Ang"
 You squinted your eyes a little bit, allowing for a cocky smile to make its way onto your face.
She hummed back, before mirroring your expression, her eyes softer.

-"okay then, I can be your hot Spider-woman then, how about that? I'll be the Gwen to your MJ"
You scrunched your nose a little, the cheesy flirt attempt reminding you just how big of a nerd you were dating.

-"Will you take me swinging?" You asked, tilting your head to the side. 
You watched her lean closer to you, so close you could feel her breath against your skin.
-"I'd swing anywhere with you"
 You giggled again, pulling back just a little bit.
 No matter how dorky or awkward she was, she always managed to get you flustered.
 You looked back at her; she was still staring at you, with the same love-sick expression she always had when it was only the two of you.

Your breath hitched when she inched closer and pressed her lips against yours. You kissed her back, closing your eyes with a soft sigh as her hand snaked around your waist, pulling on you.
You sat up straighter, letting her tug you towards her as you held onto her shoulders. Her teeth nipped on your lower lip as you tilted your head back to deepen the kiss; you parted your lips and grabbed onto the collar of her shirt.
She pulled back, you tried to follow her but her hand on your waist pushed you back.
 You looked at each other as you both caught your breath.

-"you ok?" She asked, her voice airy as she tilted her head to the side.

-"huh? Yeah, yeah, please don't stop"
 You breathed out, tugging on her shirt to get her back to you.
She let herself be pulled, her fingers running over your skin as she kissed you again.
 You helped shrug her flannel jacket off of her shoulders, while she grabbed the side of your neck, tilting your head back as you parted your lips to let her in.
 She slipped her tongue in, your hand found its way to her hair, nails gently scraping against her scalp. A content hum left her mouth, the sound vibrating in her throat as her lips moved against yours.

You felt her hand move under your shirt, gentle fingers trailing up your stomach and resting on your hip. Your other hand found hers, resting on top of it and guiding it up to your chest.
 She smiled against your lips and followed your lead.
You broke the kiss, catching your breath for a moment before you felt her mouth on your skin again. She placed a kiss on the corner of your mouth, then slowly moved down to your neck.
 Your grip on her hair tightened, you felt your face grow hot, you closed your eyes and tilted your head back.

She rested her hand on your chest, her lips on your neck closing around various spots as she gently sucked on your skin.
 You sighed, running your nails through her hair. Once she was satisfied with the, now forming, multiple hickeys on your neck, she grazed her teeth against your skin, her hand moving down to play with the waistband of your shorts.
You let your head fall down against her shoulder.
-"you shouldn't..." You felt your voice crack as her tongue ran over the red mark on your neck.

-"shouldn't leave hickeys"
You bit down on your bottom lip, she murmured something into your ear as her fingers slipped under your shorts.

The sound of keys rattling from outside the door shook both of you out of the moment as you quickly got off of each other, scrambling on opposite sides of the bed.
The doorknob turned and your roommate walked in without a care in the world.

Had you forgotten to hang the tie out?
 Fuuuuck.

She seemed surprised to see another person in the room, but a smile quickly overwrote that expression as she recognized her.
 -"Oh, Angela hii" she waved at the girl sitting on your bed, who was now putting her jacket back on.
Angela greeted her back, not looking directly at her as she tried to hide her flustered expression.
She muttered some excuse as to why she had to go.
And then she left.
Just like that.
And lo and behold:she used the stairs.

You dropped back down on your bed, a soft sigh escaping you as you threw your arm over your eyes.

Your roommate had already changed from her date outfit, and was now getting ready to shut the lights.

-"soo" she started, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, unsure on how to continue.
-"were you guys having fun?"
That snapped you out of your thoughts.
-"huh? Oh, uhh, sure"

You sat up, leaning back on your arms.
It's not like you hadn't considered telling Courtney, you had.
But what would she think of you if she knew what you were?
Would she find your relationship disgusting? Weird? Wrong?
Would she never speak to you again? Ask to change dorm? Tell everyone?

Courtney was kind and sweet, but you never really asked her thoughts on homosexuality, there had never been a chance to even mention the topic.
She seemed comfortable around Tommy, sure, but would she do that with you as well? Would she be scared of you?
-"yeah, we hung out for a while, it was fun" you muttered finally, shutting off the lights and curling in on yourself.

Chapter Text

You swung your bag over your shoulder, closing your dormroom’s door behind you.
Walking out of the building, you spotted your taller friend leaning against the wall, reading a book.
-“hey Tommy” you greeted him, raising your hand.

-“we took our sweet time this morning, mh?” He pointed out, getting off the wall and walking towards you classroom alongside you. -“ugh, I couldn’t sleep tonight, I literally feel dead” you groaned, letting your shoulders slump down. You heard him agree with you as you strolled through the park.

-“what’s on your mind?” He asked.
-“wanna talk about it?”
You considered sharing your failed sneak-in attempt with him.
Tommy was the only one to know you were gay, except Angela, of course. And Tommy knew because he was like you.

You hummed in response, scanning your surroundings for a moment.
-“just thinking about telling Courtney” you mumbled, your voice low and careful.
He seemed taken aback by your statement.

-“oh. Really? Why now?”
You just shrugged and shoved your hands into your pockets, unsure of your own reasons.
-“…Does it have anything to do with the hickey on your neck?” He inquired and you could basically hear the smirk on his face.

Your hand flew up to the side of you neck; did you forget to cover it? Fuuuck.
-“I’m gonna take that as a yes” his voice was chipper and he sounded real proud of himself for figuring that out.

-“shit” you ran your fingers over your skin, unable to tell where the mark was.
-“is it that noticeable?” You asked nervously, looking at him.
-“it’s barely visible”

He must have caught your relieved sigh, because the smirk found its way back to his face.
-“so, are you gonna tell me who it is or do I have to guess? Cause I have a few pretty good guesses in mind”
You scrunched your nose. You weren’t fond of the idea of letting him know; not because you didn’t trust him, but because Angela hadn’t told him anything yet and you were NOT about to out her like that.

-“look” you rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly.
"I'd love to tell you, Tommy" you saw his smile drop a little as the words left your mouth.

-"but you can't, right?" He tilted his head to the side, his voice softer.

You sighed.

-"I'm sorry" you felt your shoulders slump again as you looked down.
You wanted to tell him, god you wanted to.

-"No, it's okay. Don't apologize, really" he bumped his shoulder against yours.
You pushed the door open and entered the building, walking towards your classroom.

You woke up to an elbow digging into your side, you hissed and moved away.
 Tommy was already packing up his stuff and talking about something; you blinked at him, your head felt fuzzy.

When did you fall asleep?

You followed him out of the class and into the cafeteria, stirring lightly and yawning.
He sat down, still talking to you, you caught a few words, about a party? 
He then stopped, looking you up and down for a second

-"where's your bag?" He asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down.


Shit fuck okay.

-"forgot it" you mumbled, internally cursing yourself as you turned around and walked back to class. 
You slipped into the room with gritted teeth. You looked around for a moment, spotting your bag and your notebook, still open on your desk.

You dragged yourself up to your desk, grabbing your notebook and shoving it into your bag.


Turning around, you found you had been cornered by someone, standing in front of you and blocking your way, you let out a yell and the other person did too.

-"shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" Angela apologized and raised her hands up, visibly flustered.

-"Jesus, Ang" you placed a hand on your chest, you felt like your heart was gonna pop out of it as you caught your breath.
 You leaned back against your desk, looking up at her.

-"did you need something?" You tilted your head
.
Her gaze found yours again, she stepped forward, resting her hands on the surface behind you and leaning into your space.


-"Just wanted to check on you" her eyes darted down to your lips.

Did she think she was being slick?

-"oh, yeah, sure you did" you crossed your arms on your chest, taking note of just how close you were standing.

If someone walked in now, there would be no straight explanation, no "just girlies being friends", nothing.

-"we shouldn't do this, not now" the words came out on their own; you uncrossed your arms, placing your hand on her forearm.

-"No one will see us, they're all in the cafeteria. don't worry about it" you could see the pleading look in her eyes
.

-"C'mon, I barely got to kiss you yesterday" she leaned closer, brushing her lips against yours, waiting for you to pull away.

You didn't, instead closing the space between you and pulling her closer by her bicep.

She kissed you back, her hand leaving the desk to rest on your hip; she moved closer and pressed you against it.

You hummed as she pushed you up and sat you on it; she stepped between your legs, grabbing a hold of your thighs.

Yeah there was no way this could be interpreted as platonic.


You pulled away, sucking in a breath; she was about to lean back in but you stopped her, putting your hand on her mouth. 
-"Tommy saw the hickey" you whispered, your voice quiet even though you were alone.
She seemed to pause for a second, processing what you said; you took your hand off and she pulled back, looking away from you as she cursed under her breath.


-"what did you tell him? Did you tell him about us? About me?" She asked, her voice sounded panicked and also...angry?
She looked back at you, running a hand through her hair.
You raised your hands up, quickly shaking your head no.
-"No, Jesus, Angie relax, I didn't tell him anything" you rushed your words, trying to reassure her.

She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes for a moment.

-"you can't tell him about us"
 She stated, her voice serious.


-"but why not?" You started, you knew better than to push but you needed a reason.

-"Tommy's gay, he knows about me already and it's not like he's gonna freak out if you tell him" you gestured to yourself, then to her, making your point.
She looked down, biting down on her lips and clenching her first around the hem of her shirt.

She went to speak, but she stopped, like she wanted to say something, but was restraining herself from doing so.


-"what" you asked bluntly, not fully expecting the sudden coldness in your voice; you already had an idea where this could be going. -"what is it? Fear? Disgust?" You looked away from her:-"because if I'm disgusting then you are too, we're doing the same thing here"
 She was quick to stop you.

-"No, it's not- it's not that" Her eyes searched for yours, but you wouldn't meet her gaze.
-"i don't think this is disgusting."
She paused for a moment.

-"I don't think we're disgusting"


You kept your eyes on the desks next to you.
Anywhere but on her face.

She stepped closer, hesitatingly taking your hand in hers.
-"I'm not-" she paused again, looking for the words to continue:
-"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that" She took a deep breath, her voice was shaky when she spoke.

-"but it's kinda scary, you know?" She chuckled, an empty and fake sound.


-"I know Tommy won't care" she admitted.
-"and I guess it would be pretty cool for someone to know we're a thing, even if it's just him. But what if someone else found out? What if someone overheard it? What if he accidentally told someone?"

You finally looked at her, her eyes were focused on your hand, as she gently ran her fingers over your knuckles; she looked tense, you could tell the possibility really worried her.


-"Angela?" You tried, your voice softer now.

She hummed, looking up at you as she intertwined your fingers with hers.
-"yeah?"
 You raised your free hand, cradling her face; she closed her eyes, leaning into it as you gently stroked her cheek with your thumb.

-"you don't *have* to tell Tommy" you assured her.


-"I just thought it would be cool to not be a complete secret anymore, you know? I'm not saying we should kiss in public, or stuff like that. 
Just, like, I dunno, have someone else acknowledge it"
You pushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

-"but at the end of the day, take your time. I don't wanna rush you into telling anyone"

She placed her hand on top of yours, showing you a small smile, before leaning in and kissing you again, gentler this time.


You grabbed the side of her neck and kissed her back, matching her pace.

The kiss turned heated once she you parted your lips, giving her the chance to slip her tongue.
 She bit down on your lower lip and you hissed, sucking in a breath. 
She pulled away, subtly licking her lips.
-"you should come to my room, Amanda's out with her boyfriend till tonight, so we'd have it all to ourselves for a while" You could feel her breath on your lips.


-"please, I've been dying to-" wait wait, wasn't Tommy waiting for you in the cafeteria? 
Holy shit he was.

To be honest you totally forgot about him, but to be FAIR for a second, you had been cornered by a pretty girl who wanted to kiss you. Tommy would understand.
Tommy would, however, not understand if you just left him there to go play hooky with Angela and skip the afternoon class.

You groaned, reluctantly getting off the desk.


-"Tommy's waiting for me, we were gonna have lunch together, shit I totally forgot about that, sorry Angie"
 She pouted, obviously bummed out by your response.
-"you can hang around if you want though"

Yeah, that did it. Her eyes lit up and she agreed happily.

You walked into the cafeteria, heading to the table Tommy was sitting at, laptop out, working on an assignment.
When he noticed you approaching, he pushed it to the side.

-"god, finally- hi Angela- what took you so long?" You quickly mumbled out an excuse, something about not finding your favorite pen, all while pulling out a chair for you and the girl.

You talked a little bit, chatting about the lecture, new rumors about a teacher-student affair and then about the CD, when you basically begged Tommy to make it for you.


After a little while, someone came up to your table.

Your friend Chanse, the captain of the football team himself.
-"hey y'all" he greeted you cheerfully. Chanse would never say it out loud, but he was actually gay.
-"You coming to the party tonight?" He asked, placing a hand on your shoulder and leaning down to be at eye level with you.

You tilted your head to the side:
-"huh? Oh, nah. I didn't even know about it, till now" you shrugged.

-"what?" Tommy asked in a chuckle: -"I've been talking about it all day"


-"oh come on, you totally have to come, it won't be fun without you there, please"
 he shot Angela a pleading look. 
-"you're literally her best friend: she'll come if you do. PLEASE Angela, It's been forever since we all hung out" he brought his hands together in a praying stance.

Angela shot you a look.
You pryed your eyes off of her and looked back at Chanse.

-"okay, okay yeah we're coming" you turned towards Tommy:
-"what about you? Are you down for it?"

He smirked:-"why do you think I told you about it? I'm surprised though, I kind of assumed you'd be busy with something else, you know?"

Next to you, Angela choked on her drink, and you were quick to bring the attention back to you.

-"yeah we'll be there" you announced, taking note of how Chanse seemed to completely ignore Angela's reaction.

-"oh, sick, see you tonight then" he waved goodbye and walked back to his table, where his teammates were loudly talking about their next game.


A party could be fun.

Chapter Text

You stared at yourself in the mirror, doing your smoky eye, while, next to you, Courtney fixed her makeup.
Once done, you angled your face towards her and she nodded in approval.
In thirty minutes, you’d have to be ready to head out and meet up with Shayne and Angela to go to the party together. All things considered, you were a pretty big group so it was rare for you to all hang out together. You were pretty excited.

You walked out of the bathroom, fixing your belt and putting on your rings, Courtney followed right behind you.
-“can you help me put my necklace on?” She asked, handing you the small pendant.
-“sure” you grabbed it, walking behind her and pushing the hair up.
-“it’s very pretty” you mumbled.
-“did your boyfriend get it for you?” You asked, letting her hair down as you stepped away.
-“yeah, he gave it to me yesterday” she chirped happily, fidgeting with it.
-“do you like it?”
-“huh-uh, yeah it’s pretty”

You stared at her for a second, she was smiling at you.
-“hey…” you started, looking down at the floor: -“can I…can I ask you something?”
She tilted her head to the side quirking up her eyebrow.
-“of course you can! you’re doing okay, right?”
-“no, yeah, I’m okay. It’s just- umh” you bit down on your lip, trying to muster up the courage to continue.
-“look, I know it’s kind of a weird question but, like.” You took a deep breath.

-“what do you- what do you think of- of gay people” you mumbled it out quickly, stumbling over your words and stuttering. You eyes were trained on the floor as you waited for an answer.
-“what do I think?” She sounded confused for a moment.
-“I think they’re okay? I guess. I mean, they’re people and they should be able to do what they want and, you know, because I’m-“ she stopped, cursing herself and looking at you with a panicked expression.

You looked back up at her with a hopeful look in your eyes.
-“you’re…you’re also…”

Your gazes met and, for a second, you just stared at each other.
Then you laughed, feeling tears well up in your eyes as she did too.
-“holy shit” you managed, placing your hand on her shoulder and shaking her lightly.
-“I was so scared, I thought you were gonna hate me Court”

She laughed, pulling you into a hug and swaying with you.
-“I think I’m not fully a girl” she mumbled into your neck, accompanied by a sound, between a sob and a chuckle.
You squeezed her tighter.
-“that’s fine, that’s okay, it’s fine”
You felt them relax into the embrace.

-“I like girls” god, it felt so good to say it out loud like that.
-“I had a feeling you did” She let out another laugh, pulling away and wiping away her tears.
You chuckled, rubbing your eyes and gesturing at their face.

-“your makeup’s all dripping”
-“yours too,, we should probably fix it”
You nodded, unable to hide the smile spreading on your face.
It was okay.

You held the door open as Courtney walked out.

You felt awesome.

It was as if someone lifted a literal boulder off of your shoulder; your friend knew and didn't give a shit. Even better, she was just like you, making it feel okay, almost normal.

Outside the building stood three people, waiting for you and chatting.
Holy shit, Amanda was there too! She said she didn’t know if she would make it but she did! It really would be the whole group.

Shayne saw you first, waving at you and gesturing towards you with his head.

Amanda smiled as she saw you, calling out for you to come to them.

Angela looked at you, and a smirk came to her face, her eyes raked over your form and you could feel your face heat up. You went up to them, greeting them with a hug, before you started walking together, towards the building the party was being held at.

You met up with Tommy on the way there, then Damien. Trevor and Chanse were hosting the party and Arasha was already there, having helped them set up the place.

Angela's arm bumbed into yours as you walked, you tentatively brushed your pinky against her hand.
Best friends hold hands all the time, right?

She stuck out her finger, intertwining it with yours, you felt yourself smile, looking away.

You started hearing the loud music even before you stepped into the building.

Chanse opened the door, greeting you with a big hug and giving you directions on where the drinks were, before calling over Trevor and Arasha.

You walked around, Angela close behind you, looking for the designated drinks table. You grabbed your cup and leaned against the wall; someone stood right next to you, arms crossed over their chest, shoulder leaning on the wall.

-"so" she started, taking a sip of her drink.

-"you come here often, pretty girl?" She asked, gesturing at you with her cup.

You chuckled, drinking from your own plastic cup.

-"me? Oh, no no. I'm not really for the party scene" you pushed a strand of hair behind your ear, playing into your character, feeling amused by her behavior.

-"ah, well, I guess I could show you around then, give you a tour maybe."

She stood in front of you now.

-"the bathroom just to the right in the hallway, the Janitor's closet"

She leaned in to whisper in your ear:-"the stairs no one ever takes"

you shivered, feeling a smile forming on your lips.

-"wow, are you usually this bold or am I special?"

-"definitely the second one"

You both laughed, joining your friends in their conversation.

Damien was in the middle of trying to rope Shayne into playing DnD with him and his roommate, Spencer.
-"he's a bit awkward, but he's an awesome guy and he's super funny I promise"

Once he saw you approach, he turned to you.

-"dude, you're still up for the games, right? You wouldn't bail on your friends like that, would you?" He asked, putting his arm around Shayne.

-"yeah, of course I'm still up, D. I told you already"

You crossed your arms over your chest, feeling Angela bump her shoulder against yours as she settled next to you.

-"see?" Damien pointed to you, turning to Shayne.

-"she's gonna be there as well- come on dude, you have to try to know if it's your thing"

He brought his hands together, begging him to give it a chance.

He agreed, much to Damien's surprise and glee, who enveloped him into a hug and shook him back and forth.

Amanda called you over, from the couch she was sitting on, along with Arasha, Tommy and Courtney.
You sat on the arm rest next to him and he put a hand on your back, signaling for you to lean down. You did and he whispered his question.

-"does she know yet?"

You smiled proudly, shaking your head with intent. He patted your back, quietly congratulating you.

As you discussed the teacher-student affair rumors with your friends, the party hosts, Chanse and Trevor came up to you, still in their jerseys.

-"oh my god guys, I haven't seen you in forever"

Trevor rushed to you, hugging you one by one and asking how you were.

-"I noticed the party's unusually still tonight" Chanse noted, putting his hands in his jacket's pockets.

-"wanna play a game?"

You sat down in a circle, Amanda on your left, Shayne on your right, your girlfriend right in front of you.
Chance came back after a minute, holding an empty glass bottle in his hand.

-"okay y'all" he placed the glass down at the center.
-"we all know how spin the bottle works, yes?"

Everyone nodded, you looked around, most of your friends were participating, together with a lotta people you didn't know, you recognized a few as your classmates, others as football players.

-"we're making a small change" Chanse announced, getting everyone to be quiet, so he could speak.

-"we spin the bottle and then we decide what they will have to do, is everything clear? I hope so because this party’s been lame as fuck"

He sat down next to Angela.

-"aight, who wants to go first?" he asked, looking around.
-“I- you know what, I’ll go first” Shayne announced, reaching forward to spin the bottle.
It landed on Courtney, earning a collective ‘ooohhh’ from everyone as they gathered.

-"Shayne" Damien announced: -" the people- no, the circle has decided for your sentence to be...a kiss, in classic spin the bottle spirit"

He chuckled, a bit awkwardly, crawling across the floor and leaning in to place a kiss on Courtney’s lips. A few people clapped as they pulled away and Shayne sat next to them.

A few rounds pass, and there came your turn.

You took a deep breath and spun the bottle.
It spun for a while, only fueling your anxieties.
It slowed down, then it stopped. It stopped on the pretty girl that you so much adored.

The circle congregated again, talking about your sentence as you and Angela looked at each other, both nervous for what was about to come.

-"Girls, the circle has decided" Damien pointed to you both.

-"and the circle has chosen for your sentence to be- drum roll please- the classic party game: seven minutes in heaven"

A few people cheered, but you stayed silent. You felt your throat run dry as you looked over to Angela.
-"you can’t pass up on it, it’s against the rules" A guy you didn't know piped in.
-"yeah, and you guys are, like, best friends, so it's like, really not a big deal" another girl added.

You looked at her, she looked at you.

-"yeah, of course" she pushed herself up, you did too.

-"of course I can do it. I mean, it's not like I'm a fag"
You froze as the word left her mouth, accompanied by a chuckle.

The room seemed to agree, a few football players letting out noises of approval and most of the cheerleaders following right behind them.

You advanced towards the established closet, looking back to your friends, in hopes to find comfort.
If the other students had found Angela's comment funny or relatable, your friends didn't.

Tommy kept looking between you and Chanse, who looked just as hurt as him but was clearly trying not to show it.

Shayne placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder, gently pulling them against his side as she looked down and away from you.

Amanda looked heartbroken, whispering something to Arasha as Trevor and Damien shared a confused look.

You shot Tommy an apologetic look.

Angela was further ahead, she opened the closet door for you and you hesitated for a moment, looking back one last time, before slipping in.

You sat down, leaning you back against the closet wall, she stepped in after you, closing the door behind her.

-"guess you really wanted that tour, huh?" she crouched down, looking at you suggestively

-"what the fuck was that Angela?" You let your anger erupt, the look on her face infuriating to see.
She seemed confused by your demeanor, sitting down and tilting her head.

-"what do you mean-"

-"’I'm not a fag’? Really? Really Angela?"

She caught on quickly.

-"well yeah, they were on us, what was I supposed to say?" She threw her hands up, her tone defensive.

-"oh, I'm sorry, was 'yeah we're friends' too vanilla for you?"
You shot back, feeling the anger build up as she spoke.

-"oh come on, you can't really be mad at me, I was trying to defend us"
There was no way she thought you would buy that.

-"fuck. No. You don't get to pull that shit on me. You didn't do it to protect me, you did it to protect yourself"

You spit out, you could feel the sharpness in your voice grow.

-"God, Angela, do you think about literally anyone apart from yourself?? It's always about your stupid fucking image and your reputation. Well fuck that!”
Your hands curled into fists.

-“You know Tommy's gay, you know Chanse is as well, for god's sake you're gay too, you're a fucking faggot too"

-"I'm not" she spat back, her voice getting louder.

The air was tense, the kind of tension that feels heavy.

-"excuse me?" You asked in disbelief, your voice not losing its edge.

-"last time I checked you were" you continued, a chuckle in your throat.

-"I'm not a faggot. I'm not like you" she doubled down.

-"I'm not “gay-gay”, I like men too, I'm not a fag like you are"
Her voice was shaky, it cracked as she spoke, but you didn’t care.

-"oh yeah? Well then if you're not a fag, then what is this?"

You gestured between you,

-"what are we? What am I to you? An experiment? An adventure? A girl you hook-up with in a not-faggot way? Because for me, that's not an option”
She seemed to realize where you were going with this.

-"no, wait bab-"

-"NO” you exploded, feeling your eyes get watery.
-“FUCK YOU, YOU DON'T GET TO FUCKING CALL ME THAT AFTER THE BULLSHIT STUNT YOU JUST PULLED" your throat burned, your eyes burned, your skin burned.

You had to get out.

You pushed yourself up.

-"Get your head out of your ass Angela. We're over. This...thing"

You gestured between the two of you once more.

-"maybe you were right about it, maybe it is disgusting"

You quickly breathed in, pushing the closet door open and running out, tears welled up in your eyes as you pushed past a very concerned Courtney and made your way to the exit.

You felt the cold hair hit you, you shivered and for a moment, you considered going back in, but once you heard her voice, calling out your name, you knew you had to go.

You had to leave.

You started running.

You ran through the park, never stopping, never slowing down.

You ran until your lungs burned, you ran until you reached your dorm building.

You ran up the stairs, ran into your room.

You fumbled with the keys, the tears in your eyes making it difficult to distinguish the right one.

You pushed the door open and closed it shut behind you.

Once in the safety of your room, you fell apart.

You let the hot tears building up in your eyes gently roll down your cheeks, you let your legs give out under you, slumping down against the door.

You allowed your eyes to close, as a broken sob escaped you.

Chapter Text

Your phone buzzed multiple times, you glanced at it, taking note of the various text.

Mandy: love, are you okay?
Chanse: what the fuck's wrong with Angela??? Are u good?
Cc roomie: honey you know she didn't mean it
Angie: [deleted message]
Tommyboy: where r u??
Shayne (Courtney's bf): she's an idiot, I'm sorry
Trevor: Idk why she would say that, you ok? Do you need anything?
D: please tell me you made it to the dorms safe
Arasha: are you okay? We didn't wanna crowd you but please be safe

You didn't answer any of them.
A soft knock at the door was heard as it slowly got pushed open.
Your roommate poked her head in, her eyes falling on you.
-"Hey honey" she started, her voice sweet but tentative. She stepped in the room, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it.
-"How are you doing?"

You sat up, brushing the tears off your cheek with your sleeve.
-"Fine" you lied, looking down to the floor.
Yeah, no way she would buy that.
Courtney pushed themselves off of the door, taking slow strides towards you, stopping right before your bed.
You scooted over, almost instinctively making space for her as she dropped down next to you.

After a few seconds of silence, they spoke up again.
-"What a fun party that was" she bumped her shoulder against yours, turning her head towards you but you didn't look at her, keeping your eyes trained on the floor.
-"...you know she didn't really mean it" She tried, her voice soft.

You cringed at her words, shaking your head slightly.
-"I don't, actually" the words came out more bitter than you had expected, and you felt tears prickle in the corner of your eyes again.
You rubbed your eyes, hoping Courtney wouldn't notice.
But of course they did.

Having the grace to not point it out, they hummed quietly, tilting their head down to get a better look at your face.
-"You know Angela, I know Angela, she's not a hateful person" her hand rested on your back in quiet support.
-"No, she's not" you agreed.
-"But I think she's made her beliefs very clear tonight"

-"She was probably just joking, a really bad joke, but still one"<
Her shoulder bumped against yours again.
-"Does she..." She started, briefly looking away from you.
-"Does she know? About you, I mean"

You sighed, pressing your palms against your eyes and leaning down so that your elbows rested on your knees.
-"Courtney" you voice came out shakier than you'd expect, rawer than you'd expect.<\p>

-"Yeah?" She asked.

You raised your head a bit, meeting her gaze as tears bubbled in your eyes again, you bit down on your lower lip, trying your best to ignore how tight your throat felt.
She looked at you for a few moments, her brows furrowing in confusion, before her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly.

-"Oh...oh"
-"Yeah" you let your head fall down again, squeezing your eyes shut and sniffling as subtly as you could.
-"Oh, honey"
She enveloped you in a hug, pulling you into her arms as a sob escaped you.

You buried your face in the crook of her neck, you felt hot tears run down your cheeks, probably ruining your make-up and Courtney's dress.
-"Shit, sorry your dress-" you tried to pull away, but she didn't let you get far, taking your head between her hands as her thumb brushed against your cheek tenderly.

Your hands came up to rest on top of hers.
-"I'm sorry" you whispered again.
-"Don't be"
She pulled you back in, her hand tracing gentle shapes on your back in a reassuring manner.

You cried into her shoulder.
Feeling vulnerable.
Feeling dumb.

Dumb for crying for a girl who thought of you as nothing but a faggot.
Even dumber for trying to convince yourself that's all you ever were to here.

Slowly, you felt the sobs die in your throat, you patted Courtney's back and pulled away again, brushing away the tears with your sleeve.
Their hands rested on your knees, somewhat grounding you in such a vulnerable state.

-"I'm sorry I left without telling you" you muttered, keeping your eyes down.
-"You better be sorry for that" she remarked in a soft teasing tone.
-"You had us all worried"
She hesitated.

-"Angela too"

You tensed up.
-"She tried to come after you, but Shayne stopped her"
They squeezed your knee gently.
-"said she needed to let you breathe."
She sighed, crossing her legs.
-"Then he tried to confront her about what she said. Not in an aggressive way, just trying to understand but-"

She bit down on her lip.
-"but she bolted. Left without saying anything else."
-"Amanda followed her"

You stayed quiet, taking it all in.
-"...okay" you ran a hand through your hair.
-"Guess we both had the same reaction"
A dry chuckle left your throat as your hand fell down again.

A soft knocking caught your attention once again.
Courtney looked at you, and you took that as your clue to decide whether you were in the mood for more interactions or you just wanted to go to sleep.
Would you even be able to?

-"Yeah, come in"
The door was pushed open and Tommy took a tentative step in.
-"Hey" his tone was soft, gentle as if he was trying not to scare a wild animal.
-"Hey" you answered back, making space on the bed for him as well.

He closed the door and dropped down next to you, his hand resting on your back as he took a look at you.
-"Jow are you doing?" He asked, the normal teasing edge in his voice was gone, replaced by gentle, tired concern.
-"I feel like shit" your reply was honest, laced with exhaustion.
-"Yeah, figures" he nodded slightly.
-"she must be deep in denial huh?"
You paused, slowly turning your head towards him.
-"What?"

-"I mean, you know, you two had your whole thing going on, right?" He gestured towards you.
-"How can you date a woman and not realize you're a lesbian?" His tone sounded sincerely confused.
-"No, she's not a lesbian- wait."
The realization dawned on you all at once.

-"You knew??"

No because how the FUCK did he even clock it like that.
He let out a laugh, Courtney gently patted your back.
-"I'm sorry but you were always pretty obvious around me"
An indignant chuckle left your mouth
-"Was I?"
-" Yes, incredibly" both of his hands rested on your shoulders now.
-"tonight just confirmed my theory"

-"Well shit, gotta tell Angie she wasn't as slick as she thought she was"
You laughed, and even though it wasn't a heartfelt one, it wasn't empty either.
-"Son't worry, I had no idea you were a thing"
Courtney reassured you solemnly.
-"Thanks, Court"

You sank into a more comfortable silence.
-"Thank you"
You were the first to break it.
-"for coming after me and...and for this"
You gestured vaguely to the three of you, sitting on your bed.

-"That's what roommates are for!"
-"Yeah, you can see us as your gay counselors"
-"Yeah, sure. I'm still not over the fact you knew about each other and didn't think to tell me, by the way"

That night you couldn't sleep.
Your head hurt like hell, you could feel the blood pulsing under your skin.
if it wasn't for sweet, sweet Courtney coaxing you to get up, you probably would've stayed in bed all day.

You walked out together, headed to the cafe you usually went to to grab breakfast before starting the day.
The hammering pain inside your skull had stopped, turning into an acid feeling crawling up your throat.
You felt nauseous at the thought of eating anything, so you just kept them company as they ordered.

It was in moments like this you regretted wanting to minor in law, as if a major in chemistry wasn't hard enough on its own.
You didn't really have friends in the classes you had to take, meaning you'd have to face the acid feeling in your stomach and the burning feeling in your head all alone.

You barely followed your lectures, feeling your eyes close multiple times as sleep tried to claim you back.
If only you could get back to your bed, god how you missed it.
Your head felt cloudy, you were too tired to think straight.

Stepping out of the classroom, you spotted Chanse walking with a few other students, when he saw you her quickly waves goodbye, promising to catch them later at lunch.
He raised his hand in greeting.

-"Hey Chanse, sorry for your party yesterday" you greeted him back, slipping your hands into your pockets as you walked side by side.
-"No, no, you've got nothing to apologize for"
He patted your shoulder, gesturing to let it go with his other hand.

-"It's Angela that I don't understand"
You hummed, nodding you head in acknowledgement.
-"Are you mad at her?" You asked.
He sighed
-"No, not really. I mean, I am pissed off and I am expecting a pretty convincing explanation to justify that shit"

You nodded again.
-"but I'm not mad, just... confused, and I bet you are to"
You ran a hand through your hair.
-"Yeah, It really caught me off guard to be honest"
He shoved his hands in his pockets.
-"I've known Angela for a while and she never said anything like that, I didn't-"

He stopped, looking around for a moment, before turning back to you and talking in a whisper.
-"I didn't think those would be her thoughts on gay people...we never talked about but I never expected it"
You placed your hand on his shoulder.
-"Me neither, Chanse. But what's done is done"

-"Did she tell you anything? While you were in the closet"
You opened your mouth, but you quickly reconsidered. Nothing of what was said in that closet could be repeated out in the open. Not in front of Chanse, not in front of anyone you knew.
-"...no, not anything relevant anyway"

-"Mh, okay, do you have any idea where she could be?"
You rubbed the back of your neck
-"I dunno, maybe her dorm room? You should probably ask Amanda"
-"Yeah okay, I'll ask her later, thanks"
He waved bye at you and went to sit with his team.

You sat at the table, letting your bag fall at your side as you leaned on the table, resting your head on your hands. Tommy sat down next to you, patting your back.
You groaned letting your head fall down against the table. -"Please tell me you've got ibuprofen with you or something"

Tommy chuckled, then he let out a sigh.
-"Nop, sorry, you could always just get off early you know?" He offered.
-"But...my attendance"You protested weakly.
Man, did you want to go back to sleep.
-"Oh come on, your attendance's good, don't worry about it"
-"You're such a bad influence"
-"No, you're just easy to convince"

You walked side by side through the park, you kept your eyes down, Tommy looked around, having promised you to keep an eye out for Angela.
It's not like you were dying to see her to be honest, you just...wanted to check on her, yeah that was it.

You stopped in front of the building.
-"Thanks for walking me home, Tommy"
-"Just making up for yesterday"
You chuckled.
-"Worst party ever."

-"You know what? I feel like we should make up for that too"

-"Huh?"

Chapter Text

When did you even agree to this?
No idea, but there you were, dressed up and ready to go.
Courtney and Tommy had dragged you out of your room, talking about 'making up for the shitty night'.
Now to be fair, you did let them drag you out without resisting, so you couldn't really complain.

You walked into the bar, taking in the smell of alcohol and cheap perfume. Courtney looked back at you as Tommy pushed you further into the place.
-"Come on, don't chicken out now," He started

-"remember: you're here to have fun." He patted your shoulders, sitting you down at the counter.
-"yes, and you're not allowed to think about anything sad, okay? Just harmless fun with your friends" Courtney added, sitting next to you as she ordered three .

You crossed your arms, leaning on the counter.
-"yeah, fuck it. I need to have fun"
You took the glass shot, downing it in one go.

You sat back at the counter, your shoulders slumped; you grabbed another shot and downed it.
You set the glass back down, looking around you for your friends, you spotted them, dancing together a little further away from you.

You went to get up, but you felt eyes on you so you looked around once more.
And there, a few seats away from you, was a girl.

A pretty girl.
A pretty brunette girl, with deep brown eyes and a dumb little smile on her face.

She got up and walked over to you, leaning against the counter and tilting her head to look down at you.
-"Hey pretty girl, here all alone?" Her voice felt smooth, wrapping around you like silk sheets.

-"Nah, I'm here with friends"
You gestured over to Tommy and Courtney, moving together on the dancefloor.
-"How about you? You dressed up all cute for someone, I'm guessing?" You asked, turning your body towards her.

She let out a tired, exasperated sigh, letting her shoulders slump down slightly.
-"Yeah, no, I'm here all by myself"
-"Such a shame" You mumbled, letting your eyes drop to her lips.
-"You sound pretty let down, like you were supposed to meet up with someone, but what do I know"
You tilted your head to the side, watching as she bit down on her lower lip, then looked back up at you.

-"Am I that easy to read?" She asked in a chuckle.
-"Your face's real expressive, yk?"
She pushed herself off of the counter, offering you her hand.
-"wanna dance with me?"

You weren't sure when it happened.
One moment you were together on the dance floor, dancing, laughing, definitely tipsy. Then she moved closer, you could feel her hands on your body as you danced.

The next, you were in the bar's bathroom, pushing her against the sink as your lips crashed together. Your hands roamed over her body, you grabbed her thighs, she sighed against your lips as you picked her up and sat her on the sink, stepping in between her legs.

Her arms wrapped around your neck as she kissed you, her hand ran through your hair, fingers tangling in the curls; she gave a short tug, tilting your head back and forcing a groan out of you.

She deepened the kiss, pulling you closer against her, your hand left her thigh, running up her back, searching for the dress' zipper.
She parted her lips, letting you push your tongue into her mouth, your other hand traveled up her side, to her shoulder as you gently grabbed the side of her neck.

You felt her teeth sink into your lip and you let out a sharp hiss, the grip of her neck tightening.
You both pulled away from the kiss, your face was red as you caught your breath, your eyes raked over her face, her eyes looked hazy, she was breathing heavily too, her hands rested on the sink, keeping her stable.

Under the bathroom light, you couldn't help but notice how pretty the girl was.
Pretty, very pretty.
But not her.

-"I'm sorry" You mumbled, running your hand over your face and leaning on the sink.
-"I can't do this, I'm sorry, it's not- it's not right"
She seemed to snap out of her haze.
-"Not...not right? What do you mean?" She placed her hand on your shoulder

-"I'm sure you're a lovely person, but... you're not my person, I can't use you like that"
You felt ashamed to admit something like that.
You felt horrible for using a person, with feelings, as a replacement for someone who you dumped.

The girl stopped, letting out a sigh and leaning back against the wall.
-"That's okay"
Her thumb traced circles on your shoulder, providing comfort.
-"I'm doing the same to you" She confessed, her voice quieter, like she was as ashamed as you.

You let your hand fall down from your face, looking at her as you tilted your head.
-"What?"
-"Remember how I was supposed to meet up with someone? Yeah, well, she didn't show up. Couldn't be seen at a bar with someone like me"

You felt a sad smile tug on your lips.
-"Sounds familiar"
-"Yeah?"
-"Yeah. For mine, apparently dating and fucking a woman is not considered gay now, how strange"
-"Wait- wait what?" You could feel the suppressed chuckle in her voice, her tone a mix of incredulity and shock.

-"I'm being serious" You felt your voice get lighter, your smile turning more genuine.
-"She straight up said she wasn't gay. Acting like liking men balances it off or something"
And now you were both laughing in a dirty club bathroom.

-"Genuinely, no way." She looked down at you
-"mine has been going out with a quarterback for a while" She whispered, her tone slightly sadder now.
-"said it's to keep us safe, our secret" her fingers played with the hair on the back of your neck.
-"but I don't think that's the reason, it's all for her image, for her stupid reputation" her grip on your shoulder tightening, your hand instinctively came up to rest over hers.

She smiled weakly at you.
-"I know she likes me, I do, really. But... It's hard, you know?" She looked up, trying to fight the tears bubbling up in her eyes.
-"I know," you gently squeezed her hand, your thumb running over her knuckles.
-"Trust me I do"

-"And to make it even worse? A few days ago we were at a party together, okay?" She started, you nodded along.
-"And- and we wanted to play spin the bottle, and we all sat in a circle and this girl- this girl got picked to play seven minutes with this other girl, okay?"

You nodded again, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
-"A few people were pressuring them to play and she... reassured them? I don't know- by saying she wasn't a faggot and- and- Cassie laughed" She sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut as tears ran down her cheeks.
-"She laughed, and said it was not that deep, that I was overacting, that we're not like that but- but it hurt me, it hurt me a lot".

You let her lean against your shoulder, crying into your shirt, your hand gently ran through her hair.
-"it's okay, it's okay I understand, I promise I do"
-"...wanna know something funny? Guess who's ex-girlfriend that was"

She pulled away from your shoulder, looking at you with a crooked brow.
-"What? What do you-" Her eyes widened, her head flying up to cover her mouth.
-"No way."

You nodded solemnly.
-"Yep"
-"Oh my god" she let out a chuckle
-"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, it's not funny"
She apologized in between laughs, definitely not helping the apology sound convincing.

-"No, no it's okay" You laughed along with her
-"I promise it's fine, it's pretty funny to think about"

That face: under the bathroom's lights, you could see how different her and Angela were. Still, the similarities were too hard to ignore.
-"You look a lot like her, you know?"

She tilted her head to the side.
-"Yeah? You look a lot like Cassie too."
-"Same broad smile that doesn't match your personality, same voice, same hair...god I wish we didn't fight"
She let her head fall against you in defeat.

-"I'm Grace, by the way"
-"I usually introduce myself to people before making out with them, I promise"
You introduced yourself as well.

-"Wait, Grace? Do you, by any chance, follow Miss Stan's Class?"

She crooked her brow.
-"Yeah? Why do you ask? Wait, oh my god, I remember you!"
-"You take the same course, don't you?"

-"Yeah! It's me, oh my god, this is crazy, have you done the last assignment yet? I've been procrastinating like hell"
-"noo, I'm scared to" she covered her face with her hands.
-"It's like super hard"

-"I can give you a hand, if you need it" You offered.
-"Are you serious? Oh my god, I'd forever be in doubt"
-"That's really not necessary" You pulled out your phone from your back pocket
-"What's your number? We could get coffee and figure it out together"

You stopped for a second, realizing the possible indications
-"I promise I'm not trying to take you on a date"
She laughed, taking your phone and writing her number in and saving her contact with a little smiley face next to it.
-"Don't worry, I know you're not. I'm sure you're an amazing person but like..."

-"Yeah I agree with you, I really just wanna chill and think about what I can do next"
-"We can totally hang out this thursday, if you're not busy, 11:30 in front of the cafe around the corner?" She handed you your phone back and you slid it into your pocket
-"Yeah, for sure. See you then, Grace"
You helped her off of the sink and walked out of the bathroom with her.

As soon as you stepped out, Tommy ran up to you.
-"Oh shit, there you are, you disappear for like 30 minutes, we thought you might've left again, you okay?"
-"Yeah sorry, I'm fine, ready to head back"

He nodded.
-"Courtney's waiting for us outside" He paused, looking between you and the bathroom's door.
-"who's the cute girl who walked out with you?"

-"Huh? Oh, I think her name's Grace? We're taking the same course" You turned your head to see the inquisitive look on his face.
-"Don't look at me like that, it's really not what you think"

Nauseous.
That was what she felt watching you dance with that bitch.

She stood next to the door, gritting her teeth as her first clenched at her sides.

That bitch.

That brunette bitch pressing herself against you and grabbing you by the hips.

So shameless.

So free.

She stumbled back, leaning against the wall for support.
This was a mistake.
Coming here was a mistake, listening to Chanse was a mistake, everything was a mistake.
And now she was taking your hand and leading you in the bathroom.

That was supposed to be her.
That would've been her, if she hadn't been so stubborn.
That could've been here if she got there sooner.

But it wasn't her.
It wasn't.

She pushed the bar's door open and walked out, running a hand through her hair and taking a deep breath.
The air smelled like smoke, a stark contrast to the alcoholic smell of the building.

Her phone buzzed and she took it out.
She read the message.

Dad: we'll talk more tomorrow.

It wasn't a question, it was a promise.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket and turned on her heels, walking back to her dorm.

What a shitty day.