"I cannot believe this is happening. This is just" Rebecca huffs, "not even fair." She throws herself on the beat-up sofa that stood for two years as the only place to sit in their small apartment. Riza sighs.
"Well, you did fail a lot of classes. They just want what's best for you." Rebecca snorts at this, resting her forehead against the arm of the couch.
"Please. They just can't handle me being out of their clutches. They've been waiting for an opportunity like this to make me come back ever since I said I wanted to live on campus." Her voice was muffled against the sofa, but the punctuated huff at the end of her response made Riza smile. "Besides, partying is part of the college experience! Everyone has failed a class or two in their life. Except you."
Riza walked around the couch and sat down on the edge near Rebecca's feet.
"This is hard on me, too. How am I going to find a roommate this late in the year?" She sighed again. She found herself sighing a lot at her friend.
Rebecca had been her closest friend for years, since the cafeteria in middle school brought them together. Riza had been sitting alone at the far end of a table one day when Rebecca had walked up to her and asked point blank why she was sitting alone. After that, she had sat down, and despite their differences had stuck together until now, always inseparable.
But, now Riza was stuck.
With Rebecca being forced to move back home after failing a record number of classes, Riza was out a roommate. In October. In her third year of college. Affording housing alone this close to campus was out of the question – she was already stretched tight as it was. And so now she had to find someone willing to move in with her. Fuck.
"Let me tell you Roy, she is the most amazing girl I've ever dated. I mean, I've never felt a connection with someone as strong as this is! And isn't she just the most beautiful girl you've ever seen? I wouldn't expect you to understand, but she completes me." Maes Hughes scrolled down her account on his phone, pausing occasionally to show Roy a picture of them she had posted.
"That's great for you, Maes, but who the hell am I going to live with? It's October." Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly. "It's going to be impossible to find anybody at all, let alone anyone I could survive living with."
Maes was too preoccupied with his phone to respond. "Oh – she's calling me, hang on!" He swiped right on his phone before putting it to his ear and running off to his room. Roy could hear a faint "Hey schnookums!" before his voice faded out.
Roy shook his head. Maes and Gracia had dated for a year before they made the decision to move in together. It couldn't come at a more inconvenient time, of course. Why would they not decide this over the summer? Why wait until after all the students had already found their lodging for the year? It was just like his friend, jumping into something with little forethought. Still, he was happy for him. Maybe he could hit up one of his buddies to see if they had an extra room or something.
Riza walked purposefully to the library, the flyers she had typed up flapping in her hand. She pushed open the glass door, the push bar giving way with a 'shick'. The community bulletin board was just to the right, the restrooms directly across on the other wall. She grabbed a stray push pin from the corner of the board and reached up to pin it when a bright red paper caught her eye. She paused, lowering her arms, her eyes scanning quickly.
Junior looking 4 roommate. Must be clean. Non smokers.
Riza looked around, as if expecting to see who had posted it. There was a phone number at the bottom of the page, with text only written underneath.
The flyer sounded promising enough. Riza reached up again to post a copy of her inquiry, push-pinning it to the upper right corner of the board. She left the library, walking through the crisp air back to the parking lot. She buckled her seat belt and pulled her phone out. Well, let's see if they respond…
Riza Hawkeye, 8:48am Hello, I was inquiring about your notice for a roommate? Are you still looking for one?
Lights danced behind Roy's eyelids, the base of his skull aching. He rolls over on his side, trying to find a comfortable spot to make the pain a little duller. He manages to drift back to sleep for minutes, before his bladder protests too much and he finds himself awake again.
"Fuck," he groans, sitting up. He props himself up on his forearms, looking at the girl next to him. She's a pretty thing – strawberry blonde hair, petite figure. What was her name? Kitty? Karen? Karina? He slides out of bed with little protest from the boxspring and pads to the bathroom.
Roy finishes and climbs back in bed, glancing at his phone that his miraculously found its' way to his bedside table. An unknown number had texted him, probably the girl laying next to him, hoping for more than the night.
The girl stirs – Katrina? – and fixes him with watery blue eyes.
"Hey," she says sleepily, tucking her bangs behind her ears. Inside, Roy cringes. This is not his strong spot.
"Hey… you should probably leave. I have class pretty soon." The Girl – Katie? Jesus Roy, this is something you ought to k-
"Okay, sure. I had fun, thanks." She smiles at him and scoots out of bed, and he follows suit, waiting for her to collect her things. He walks her to the door and scratches the back of his head as she slips past him with a muttered 'see you'.
He shuts the door and lets out the breath he'd been holding. Walking through the small apartment, he notices Maes is nowhere to be found. Probably off with Gracia or something he mused, grabbing his phone off his nightstand. Still only one text.
Unknown, 8:48am: Hello, I was inquiring about your notice for a roommate? Are you still looking for one?
Roy typed out a reply quickly, grabbing a shirt off the ground.
Roy Mustang, 10:53am: hry, yeah, I am. do you wanna come over and check the place out later?
Unknown, 10:55am: Sure. What's the address?
He sent off the address, grateful someone had responded to him. It was getting closer and closer to the date Maes had given him he was moving out and he hadn't gotten anywhere with finding a roommate. He had heard from people, sure, but the first person to reply to him was some sort of hype beast that was more preoccupied with his phone than discussing how much rent was, and the few others that had showed up weren't much better. Time was running out.