Page 35 of Against All Odds

“And then you’re off into the real adult world. I think it sucks even more.” I tried to say more, but a big yawn that I couldn’t hold back cut me off. The constant fatigue was apparently another withdrawal effect of quitting Ritalin. Maybe it wasn’t so innocent after all.

“Probably.” He laughed, then turned serious. “Hey, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from my drawing. Judging by his change in tone, this was important to him. “What’s up?”

“Alright, so, remember this girl I was talking to?” Kyle went to fiddle with the threads of his sweater, suddenly looking adorably nervous. “The one from my student union?”

“Yes! The one from the student union.” I smiled, then yawned again, hoping he wouldn’t notice I remembered only vaguely. “What was her name again? Something like…”

“Marya, yes.” He took a deep breath. “So, we’ve been hanging out a couple times, but I wasn’t sure if that was as friends or something more. Well, yesterday I went over to her house to play video games again. And… I finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a real date.” He blushed, then a broad smile broke across his face. “She said yes.”

“Kyle!” I squealed, unable to contain my excitement. Ignoring the irritated hushes around us, I nudged his shoulder. “That’s amazing. I’m happy for you.”

His blush deepened. The guy couldn’t stop smiling. “Yeah? I mean, it’s not official yet, but I really like her. And she’s like me – she doesn’t date much unless it’s serious.” He turned to look at me, his eyes sparkling. “She’s so sweet, Raya. We like many of the same things. You would like her.” He paused, briefly hesitating. “I want you to meet her. She’s coming to my birthday next weekend, with some of her friends.”

My smile briefly faltered. I wasn’t worried about whether I would like her – I already did, because she made my friend happy for the first time since his toxic ex broke his heart last year. The question was whether she would like me, and whether her friends would. I didn’t typically do well with groups of girls.

“Will, ehm, our old friends be there?” I asked.

“Parker? No.” He frowned. “After I told him I didn’t feel like hanging out with him and the girls anymore, he kinda ghosted me. I asked him to come with me to kickboxing a few times, or watch a movie, but he hasn’t really responded. Kinda feel like he only liked me as a drinking buddy more than an actual friend.”

I lowered my eyes, feeling a brief pang of guilt. After all, I’d asked him not to see my old roommates anymore. But then again, was Parker even a real friend if he couldn’t bother to see Kyle outside of the bars? “I’m sorry. But also, fuck Parker then.”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “It’s whatever. So, are you coming?” He hesitated. “There will be alcohol, though. You told me you quit. Are you gonna be okay with that?”

“Yeah, of course. I can just drink tea.” I forced a smile, though the idea of being the only sober person in a room full of new people twisted my stomach. I’d been too occupied with my own shit to be a good friend to Kyle over the past few weeks. For unknown reasons, he had chosen me over my old roommates, even though he’d met all of us through Parker. His birthday was my chance to make it right, to show him that I really did value him as a friend – all I had to do was get over myself. I could do that.

“Awesome.” His grin broke through. I tried to hide my yawn by covering my mouth with my sleeve, but when his brow furrowed, I realized he’d noticed. “Hey, are you getting any sleep at all lately?”

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled at him with quivering lips. “Had a few too many cups of coffee.” My hand trembled when I lifted my empty cup.

Kyle nodded, and for a moment, I was afraid he might push the issue. Thankfully, he didn’t.

“Hey, you wanna grab a drink to celebrate our exams being over?” He gestured to the tall windows, weak winter sunbeams hesitantly peeking through. “Sun is finally out. Feels like it’s been gray forever.”

I hesitated. “I, ehm, I’m actually trying to stay away from places where they serve—”

“Oh, right. We can hit the juice bar instead?” he suggested. “We’ll both get a smoothie.”

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. “Kyle, you don’t have to do that for me.”

“Nah, it’s nothing. I actually don’t mind a little alcohol detox.” He got up, playfully nudging me. “Alright, I’m off to my last exam. I’ll text you when I’m done, okay?”

I nodded, happiness swelling in my chest when he walked off to his exams, his steps bouncing slightly. Kyle was such an angel. If anyone deserved happiness, it was him.

With a frown, I turned back to my drawing. My current piece captured Seren most accurately so far, from her smugly pressed-together lips to the slightly quirked eyebrow.

Another shiver ran through me. I rubbed my chilly arms through my sweater, wondering how much longer the withdrawal would last.

For some reason, I couldn’t get Kyle’s words out of my head. I swear I’ve seen her somewhere before… on television or something.

I spent the next hour loading the drawing into my tablet, perfecting the shades, and adding color. When I leaned back in my chair to study the result, it was almost as if she was staring back at me.

My heart beating in my chest, I saved the image and loaded it into Google’s reverse image search program.

I wasn’t sure what I expected to find. Celebrity pictures, or maybe some TV personality I didn’t care for?

Instead, the first result made me gasp so loud, my hands flew to clasp my mouth.