“Well,” Grace clears her throat. “Just remember, we love you for who you are, okay? But remember back in our first year, when Owen asked to borrow your notes because he was sick for a week and didn’t attend class? Yeah, you went off on him. The poor guy looked like he was about to cry.”
“Wait — who?”
“And that’s precisely what we’re talking about, Soph,” Avalon winces. “You’re terrible with people unless it’s your people.”
“Am I that terrible of a person?”
“Yes,” Grace says.
“No,” Avalon whacks the back of Grace’s head, but she remains unfazed.
“Really? I’m that terrible?”
“You just don’t understand the concept of the world not revolving around you sometimes.”
“My world revolves around me,” I shrug. “I don’t care about anyone else’s, though.”
“She’s a lost cause,” Grace mutters, and Avalon smacks her again.
“Look, you just need to work on your people skills. And you need to get some anger management, because you’re a ticking time bomb.”
“Okay, I feel like you’re just attacking me right now.”
Grace groans, then stands up. She stretches, lifting her arms above her head, and yawning a little. “Alright, I’m off to take a nap, then get ready. What time should we meet, and where?”
“The stairs, nine-thirty sharp?” Avalon offers.
“Alright, we’ll be ready. See you there, and dress slutty!”
???
The party’s in full swing by the time the four of us successfully sneak past the dorm supervisor and leave the girls’ dormitory undetected. All juniors and seniors are scattered throughout the massive library; drinking, eating, and chatting with one another. The music isn’t blasting as loudly as one would think for a party, simply because we don’t want anyone to notice.
I’m sitting on the floor, with a small cushion under my ass tokeep me from getting cold. I’m careful how I position my legs, because I was stupid enough to wear a tight mini-skirt, meaning, one wrong move, and I’ll flash everyone here. Currently, it’s a circle of ten people.
Grace, a handful of juniors whose names I don’t care to know, Kenzo, Damien — another one of the people in our year, myself, and Lila. We’re playing poker, and instead of betting money, we’re doing dares. The person who wins dares the losers to do anything, and they have to do it without a second thought.
Poker’s always been my strongest game, simply because I can bluff extremely well, and this is the only game I allow myself to cheat at. It’s not difficult once you figure out how good or bad your opponents are, and my biggest concern at the moment would be Kenzo.
If he were in the same major as Soren and me, he’d definitely be at the top of the class. Luckily for me, I don’t have to fight for the first spot with this one, too. Soren and I are taking economics, with a minor in business management, whereas Kenzo is in IT.
It pains my ego to admit it, but he’s really intelligent. He’s the quiet, reserved type, and likes to do art in his spare time. From what I’ve gathered from Grace — her arch nemesis, for whatever reason — he’s currently doing portraits, and looking for a nude model.
If I weren’t as self-conscious about my body as I am, I’d get naked in front of that man in a heartbeat. It pains me to even think this, but all of Soren’s friends are very good-looking. Kenzo, with his nerdy, quiet personality and bright blue eyes that resemble the sky, and Aiden, with his sarcastic remarks and the ability to knock a person out with a single punch. He’s been doing MMA as a hobby, and I’d rather not test how good he’s gotten.
Grace peeks over to my cards, lifting a brow. I roll my eyes,shoving her to the side playfully.
“You think you’ll win against Kenzo?” She whispers.
“I better,” I whisper back. “Otherwise, who knows what kind of shit he might make me do?”
Grace chuckles. “Hey, have you seen Avalon?”
I sigh, shaking my head. “She came with us, took two shots of tequila, and vanished — again.”
“She’s been doing it a lot recently,” Grace chews on her bottom lip. “I’m getting worried. Do you think she’s doing drugs?”
“Avalon? Definitely not. Let’s just give her time, yeah? If she’s having any issues, she’ll come to us sooner or later.”
