“Aoi!” a bright and bubbly voice calls out.
I turn around to face Sally who jumps into my arms, strangling me in a hug. “Ouch, ouch, ouch, Sally you’re gonna kill me.”
Chuckling she lets go and slaps my back instead. “You look like shit. What happened?”
“You’re always a delight, you know?” I say, rolling my eyes and flicking her shoulder playfully. “Nothing happened.”
She fake gags and locks her arm with mine, guiding us to class. “Bro I gotta tell you something crazy.”
“You gathered new gossip? How can you care so much about other people’s lives?”
“Shut up, goody two shoes. This is important.” She grins. “I think Elena likes Amira.”
“Are you sure?” An image of both women pops into my mind, and I have to smile. “They’d look good together.”
“Right?” She jumps, all giddy. “But I thought Amira was straight?”
“Really?” I ask, perplexed.
Amira didn’t strike me as straight. From the day I met her, she scanned women more than men, so I assumed she was into them, but I might’ve been wrong.
“Yeah! She kind of gave me those vibes, I dunno. My gaydar is off to be honest,” she snickers, pulling me through the hallway.
Her brown locks bounce as she walks. “Did you sleep last night?”
“Kinda.”
She frowns and yanks me to a stop. “You can’t keep doing shit like that. You have literal eye-bags from lack of sleep. Get some rest, damn it. What if you get a heart attack from stress and sleep deprivation?”
I know she means well, but it’s not as though I have power over this. I’ve never been able to sleep well, even though I’m always exhausted. It’s usually related to stress and for once also to the barrel of booze I drowned myself in.
“I know, stop hitting me.” I laugh, acting hurt. “I got myself into a shitty situation and might’ve drunk a bit.”
She gasps. “A bit being how many bottles?”
“Like two tequila bottles in seven hours.”
“You got wasted without me?! How could you? I thought we were friends?” She wipes a fake tear and clutches her chest dramatically.
“Jesus, you alcoholic queen.” I roll my eyes and laugh. “That was Tuesday, by the way. My liver hates me and refuses to let me recover.”
“You’re like an old man.” She croaks and pulls me back into walking beside her. The instant she catches a glimpse of our friends she squeals and rushes over. “Elena! Amira!”
She almost bumps into five people while running toward them. I wince at the barely avoided pile up and shake my head as I follow her.
Amira pulls me into a tight embrace, sliding her arms around my neck and patting my back gently. “You ended up not texting me back.”
“I’m sorry I forgot.”
She shoots me a disapproving look but soon smiles gently at me and squeezes my arm. “Call me before you run away next time.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
She parts her lips to question me, but Sally interrupts her. “He got drunk without us!”
Elena gives me a knowing smile. “We’ll survive this treason.”
So, she must’ve been the woman I heard while being on the phone with Amira.
