His friends had scored a ticket to my shit list, but the sick part of me wanted to thank them. There was no more avoiding Alex.
Chapter Six
RIVER
Lola’s dorm was more beautifully decorated than any one I’d ever been in.
The running pattern was white and light green. The furniture, bedding, carpets, and even all the appliances were some shade of green, complemented with white. Her dorm was so neat and perfect that when Lola offered me a glass of fruit punch, I turned it down because I was too afraid I’d spill it.
“You can have a seat, you know.” Lola pulled out her desk chair for me.
I stood in the middle of the room, like a child whose mother had told them off for touching things in the store. Having been a curious kid myself, I got that talk often, so I knew how to keep my hands by my sides.
But she was insisting, so I sat on the edge. “You can’t get mad if I get your white chair dirty.”
“Seat covers can be washed, River. It’s no big deal,” she assured me. “I need you to be comfortable so you’ll pull your weight in the project.”
Slightly offended by her implications, I scoffed. “What makes you think I won’t pull my weight?”
Lola’s answer was simple. “You’re an athlete.”
“And? That doesn’t mean I won’t put in my fair share.”
“That’s what they all say.”
I was planning to pull my weight… kind of. Alright—somewhat, but I was certainly going totryto add helpful input. I needed a decent grade in the class to stay on the basketball team. However, I wouldn’t be upset if Alex and Lola deemed my contribution unnecessary and did all the hard work.
My phone buzzed in my pocket at the same time Lola’s dinged. It was the group chat she created yesterday with me, her, and Alex, and he had just sent a message letting us know he was downstairs.
Lola left me in her dorm while she went to get him. In the meantime, I admired her roommate’s side of the room. Where Lola’s side was neat and bright, her roommate’s was unorganized and dark. Clothes lay scattered on her bed, and she didn’t have many decorations, but the few she had didn’t bring out any light. Considering what I learned about Lola in the couple of weeks I knew her, I was sure it ticked her off to have such an opposing roommate.
I was eyeing a photo of who I assumed was her roommate when the door swung open, and in came my partners, with a child trotting behind them.
The last time I saw Alex’s niece, she was only a year old. I remembered holding her one day, and she was smaller than anyone I’d ever held before. She had cute, chubby cheeks and pretty gray eyes that looked like an illusion. The chubby cheeks were gone, and her eye color had changed, but in a way, she was still the same baby I met once.
“Hi.” I stooped to her level and smiled. “Millie, right?”
“Don’t wear it out,” she sassed, her grin cheeky.
I stifled a laugh. “I’m River.”
“You’re the one who beat up the vending machine!” Millie gasped.
“Glad to see I’m memorable for something.”
“Millie, you can sit on my bed.” Lola pointed at her green duvet. “It’s like lying on a cloud.”
Alex nudged the girl to climb onto the lofted twin bed. She climbed on it with ease, rolled onto her stomach, and played her iPad quietly while the rest of us got to work.
“So, River has no clue about what we’re supposed to be doing,” Lola gave me a disapproving glare as she took a seat on the carpet. “Alex, please tell me you didn’t stare at the wall the whole class and actually listened.”
“I listened.” Alex began unpacking his things. “We need to pick a topic.”
“A topic?” I flipped my chair around to face the two of them. “That’s easy. We can choose climate change. Professors always love it when we ramble about climate change.”
Alex took a seat next to Lola, shaking his head dismissively. “We could, but that’s what everyone picks. Do you feel like trying to make our project stand out against everyone else's? I sure don’t. Plus, that’s a bit of a boring topic.”
Lola nodded sharply. “I agree. What if we talk about something more relatable?”
