The day went by like a blur.
After hours of boring, interesting, and painfully tedious classes, Melanie was more than glad when school was finally over. She was so exhausted she ached for her bed, for silence, for anything that didn't involve people.
She walked to her dorm room and pushed the door open, only to find the same girl she had greeted that morning, the one who had snubbed her, sitting on her bed with a book in her hands.
The girl didn't look up. Melanie didn't bother greeting her either. She wasn't about to relive that awkward moment. Once bitten, twice shy.
Melanie crossed the room, tossed her bag onto her bed, and sat down heavily. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Noah's number. But, he didn't answer.
She tried again. It rang, then went to voicemail.
"Noah… please pick up. I just want to talk to you," she murmured softly before ending the call.
She sighed, shoulders slumping. She was about to drop her phone on the bedside stool when the door suddenly flew open.
Melanie flinched and turned instinctively, her eyes narrowing.
Standing in the doorway was none other than the nail drama queen, the girl whose nail she had accidentally broken earlier and who had acted like the world had ended.
Yes. That girl.
Chloe strutted inside, then stopped short the second she spotted Melanie. Her brows snapped together instantly.
She spun toward the girl reading and snapped, "What is she doing here?!" She pointed at Melanie, her tone rude enough to make Melanie's blood boil.
"She's our new roommate, dummy," the girl replied dryly, not even looking up from her book.
"Oh. My. Gosh," Chloe shrieked. "This cannot be happening. I'm going to make a complaint right now. I cannot tolerate this!"
She glared at Melanie. "She broke my nail! My nail! Who knows what she'll break next?" Her gaze dragged over Melanie slowly, cruel and judging. "Probably because she can't even control her fucking weight."
Heat rushed to Melanie's face. "Hey!" she snapped.
"Don't hey me!" Chloe groaned dramatically. "I'm going straight to the vice chancellor's office. I cannot take this!"
And with that, she spun on her heel and slammed the door shut.
Melanie sat there, stunned. Of all the people in this entire school… her?
She had hoped—no, prayed—she'd never see Chloe again after that incident . But clearly, fate had a twisted sense of humor.
This was exhausting already, and it was only going to get worse as the days went by.
"Hey, don't mind Chloe," the girl said casually, finally looking at Melanie. "She can be stupid and dramatic sometimes."
Melanie turned quickly and blinked. She looked to her right. No one. To her left. Still no one.
"I'm talking to you, silly," the girl said with a smirk, clearly amused by Melanie's confusion.
Melanie's mouth formed a small "ohh," embarrassment creeping in.
"I'm Ariana," the girl said, stretching out her hand.
Melanie smiled faintly and shook it. "I'm Melanie."
They pulled their hands back, and Ariana smiled."Nice to meet you. Haven't seen you around before. You new here?"
"Yeah," Melanie nodded.
Silence followed, awkward and heavy, the kind that begged to be filled. Instead, Ariana simply stood up and walked out, leaving Melanie alone in the room.
Melanie sighed and stood up too. She had to meet Tiffany about the party. She really, really didn't want to go, but Tiffany… Tiffany never took no for an answer.
Groaning, she dragged her feet out of the room, despite how badly she just wanted to collapse onto her bed.
* * * * *
The room blasted with all kinds of songs, the bass shaking the walls. The party buzzed with energy, colorful decorations everywhere, soft lights casting warm glows over laughing faces.
There were so many students. Too many, and Melanie didn't like it.
Her head began to feel woozy. Anxiety crawled up her spine. The world felt like it was spinning in slow circles. The mix of perfumes, colognes, sweat, and sugary drinks hit her all at once, thick and overwhelming. The air was too heavy for her lungs.
Her fingers trembled, and her throat tightened. She hated this, the noise, the crowd, the closeness of so many bodies pressing in.
Tiffany could sense the tension in Melanie, so she held her hand comfortingly.
"You good?" she asked, eyes warm.
Melanie forced a small smile. "Yeah."
Tiffany led her through the crowd to the bar, where her friends were seated at the counter.
Melanie slid onto a stool beside them, waving at Susan. Susan waved back with a grin.
"Hey, Melanie," Eve smiled.
"Hey," Melanie replied, voice small.
"Want a drink?" Susan asked.
"Nah," Melanie shook her head. "Water's fine."
Susan raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
Melanie nodded firmly. "Yeah. Water's fine."
Susan shrugged and called out, "Victor!"
A cute guy suddenly appeared the moment his name was called.
"Yo, Susan! You good? Party's wild, huh? Need me to grab you something?"
Susan sipped her drink and pointed at Melanie. "Victor, please get a glass of water for this young lady here." She turned to Tiffany with an arched brow. "And you?"
"Shot of vodka," Tiffany replied.
Victor grinned and hustled off, dodging a couple of students dancing way too close to the bar. On the way back, he passed a group laughing about a failed math test and muttered, "Man, we are so doomed tomorrow," before handing out the drinks.
He plopped a glass of water in front of Melanie with a playful bow. "Your hydration, madam."
Melanie couldn't help but smile. This guy seemed nice and funny.
"And you," he nudged Tiffany with his elbow, "don't get drunk. Remember what Mr Joe said in class about alcohol. It is bad for our health."
Tiffany smiled and rolled her eyes. "Fuck that man!"
Victor laughed, about to respond, when someone called out, "Heather?"
Heather's cold expression instantly softened into a wide smile as she turned to the person.
"Donald?!" she squealed as she stood up and rushed over to the guy and hugged him.
The guy lifted her and twirled her around, inciting a round of high-pitched giggles from her.
He set her down and he kissed her cheek. Eve rolled her eyes, unimpressed.
The guy draped an arm over Heather's shoulder.
"Hey D! What's up?" Victor greeted him, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"I'm good, man."
"Hey," Tiffany waved.
"Hey Donald," Susan grinned. Then she turned to Melanie. "Melanie, this is Donald. Heather's boyfriend."
Melanie smiled politely and took a sip of her water. "Nice to meet you, Donald. I'm Melanie."
"Nice to meet you too, Melanie," he replied with a grin.
Melanie caught the hot, deathly glare Heather shot her. Seriously?! She wasn't even into him!
Donald sat beside Heather and placed his order, which Victor quickly went to fetch. Soon, he returned with shots of whiskey and Coke.
Leaning to Victor, Donald whispered, "Yo man, did you get that hot chick in class?"
Victor smirked. "Not yet, but soon. The hot chick is playing hard to get, man."
The two erupted into laughter.
"Donald, why are you here?" Eve cut in flatly.
"Meaning? I'm not allowed?" he chuckled.
Eve rolled her eyes and said, "Definitely not. Do you see your friends here?"
"But my girlfriend is here," he said, winking at Heather, who blushed.
Melanie blinked. Did Heather just… blush?
Seriously?! Melanie always thought Heather was stone-cold to everyone, mainly her. And now? With her boyfriend all cozy and soft, she looked like a completely different person. The icy queen from minutes ago had vanished into… warm-and-fluffy Heather.
As the group chatted, Melanie didn't join in. She stayed tucked on her stool, quietly observing, her ears practically straining to catch every word despite the party chaos.
"Um, guys, I'm going to the restroom," she said, suddenly standing.
"Okie," Susan said cheerfully.
Eve nodded, and Tiffany added, "No problem."
Heather? Didn't even seem to notice her.
Melanie navigated through the crowd, trying to avoid anyone brushing against her. The chaos was overwhelming, students drinking, smoking, making out everywhere. A couple even bumped into her.
"Hey!" she snapped, but they didn't even notice. They were wrapped up in a serious, passionate moment, tongues tangled.
Melanie felt like she might puke. It was disgusting. Her eyes darted across the room, desperate for an escape route, and then she spotted a brown-haired guy. Even from the side, she recognized him. Her one and only.
Noah!
Her heart skipped a beat. She was shocked. Without thinking, she rushed over, arms flying around his neck.
"Noah!!"
He blinked, startled.
"Melanie?"
She buried her face in his neck, muffling her voice. "I've missed you so much! You had me worried. I thought you were cheating on me, or planning to break up because you weren't answering my calls or voicemails!"
Noah hugged her back tightly. "Come on, babe. I would never do such a thing to ya. I love ya so much."
Melanie pulled back slightly, smiling but frowning. "I love you too. But, why didn't you answer my calls or messages, Noah? You just ghosted me."
"Uhhh, babe… I can explain…" he tried to fumble for words, but nothing came out.
Her playful smile faded. "Noah?" Her eyes narrowed, her voice demanding an answer.
Noah couldn't think of anything to say… so he kissed her, softly and gently.
Melanie couldn't resist. Heck! When it came to Noah's kisses, she lost all sense of sanity. She responded slowly, letting the world tip over: the party, the music, the chaos, all fading away. There was only the kiss. The most beautiful, heart-flipping kiss ever.
Then… someone rudely interrupted the moment with a cough.
"Ugh! P-please, spare me this. It bores me," the voice drawled.
Noah pulled back quickly. Melanie groaned in annoyance. The one moment she had with him, and it got ruined. Great.
She finally turned. Her eyes quickly narrowed into slits as they locked on the person—the bane of her existence.
Draven, no, no… Damian. Ugh! What's guy's name again? Was it Donald?
She had totally forgotten the guy's name. This was the guy she saw in the dining hall. The guy she argued with in admin office…
The asshole!