I used to be a morning person. Getting to bed at a decent hour was easy when I lived at home. Now that I was in college I had no routine. Not a healthy one at least. I would repeat the same absurd pattern every night. Stay up later than I should only to be tired the next day. It hadn't been so bad while I had a roommate but Victoria had turned out to be an unstable bitch who was kicked out midway through our first semester of freshman year. Since then I had managed to live on my own and thus nurture my night owl tendencies.
I rubbed my eyes as the alarm still blared. I cursed myself for once again leaving my paper to the last minute. I had done all the research ahead of time but couldn't get myself to sit down and write the damn thing. I spent the entire day in the library and finally came back to my room after dinner. I had been up until three in the morning editing and making sure the paper met all of the requirements. I finally slammed my hand over my alarm clock before getting up out of bed.
My cellphone served as my usual alarm but when I had important things coming up I preferred to rely on a traditional alarm clock as backup.
I had given myself enough time to shower and grab breakfast before my class. My professor thought it would be a good idea to have our term paper and final exam on the same day. If I hurried I would be able to review my notes.
When I went into the bathroom that I shared with the suite next door I heard the shower running.
"Will you be long in there, Jess?"
"I'm almost done, Bella. Good morning."
"Morning. I'll be back in five. I hope you're done by then."
As I finished speaking I heard the shower stop and curtain rustle. Jessica emerged wrapped in a towel with her shower caddy in her hand.
"All yours," she said, waiving as she went back into her room.
Jessica had been my suitemate for the past year. She was what I would consider a little slutty but she wasn't doing anything that men hadn't been doing for eons. She would occasionally get loud enough for me to complain. She and I weren't friends by any stretch of the imagination but we were friendly. We'd share goodies from our parents and occasionally order food together. Her friend Lauren Mallory was another story but thankfully she wasn't around often.
After my shower I dressed in jeans and a shirt. My black Repetto ballet flats seemed the best choice of shoe. I didn't feel like wearing socks. I wasn't very fashion savvy, brands and designers were not things I concerned myself with very often. Longchamp and Repetto were two exceptions.
I grabbed a granola bar from my stash in my desk drawer as I left my room. Half way to the stairwell I realized I hadn't grabbed my paper. I muttered a choice curse word as I made my way back.
Once I made it to the lobby I slipped my headphones on and pulled out my notes. I tried to multi task but in reality it was almost impossible for me to read, listen to music, and make my way to class. Navigating the swarms of bodies required my full attention most of the time.
I was rounding a corner when I felt somebody tug at my bag.
"I know it's you, Edward. Quit being annoying."
"Good morning to you, too."
"I'm in no mood for your crap this morning. Leave me alone."
"Four years and you're still as catty as ever."
"You've been a douche since the moment I met you. Why we're friends is beyond me."
"You like me. You want to be more than friends. Admit it."
"Don't flatter yourself."
The gods were smiling down on me because he was accosted by crazy Tanya and forced to stay behind. I was free of him for the time being.
Edward and I had a complicated friendship. He had enrolled in my high school during our junior year. He insulted me on his first day telling me he had never seen somebody so tiny. He may have called me a midget. I called him an asshole.
From that moment he was in my life. He would seek me out at lunch, steal bites of my food, shake me down for money so he could go to the vending machine. He even doodled in my notebooks while I pretended to ignore him as I site beside him. He was a cocky and arrogant bastard, and still was.
I also found him rather handsome which pissed me off to no end. He got away with a lot because deep down I had a soft spot for him.
By our senior year we orbited in the same circle of friends and often went out together. We talked on the phone often and texted almost everyday. Even though I thought he was hot and he told me he admired my ass our relationship was platonic.
His being an asshole helped.
a/n:
Not sure that anybody is reading this but should there be a lurker out there... I plan to post short chaplets at least once a week.
My freshman year of college I lived in a dorm that had one bathroom between two suites. Much better than having to walk down the hall to the communal bathrooms. Those got nasty quickly, especially over the weekends. Yuck.
See you next time!
