Alex? I didn’t like that at all.
It threw me a bit off kilter to have someone call me Alex, as that seemed like a nickname only a friend or family member would use—and I certainly had none of those. I was only ever referred to as Alexandra, my full name.
As I jumped off the bed, a piece of hair got caught in my mouth, and I tried to push it out with my tongue as I scurried to shove the notebook into my bin, awkwardly spitting the strand out as I went.
Shoving the bin to the safety of the shadows beneath my bed, I glanced down at myself to see if I was presentable for guests before shrugging and deciding I didn’t care. They’d get what they’d get, and if they threw a fit, too fucking bad.
Flinging the door open to see the girl who had given me the RumChata, my eyes ran the length of her as I asked suspiciously, "Yes?"
Not to be rude, but she looked like a fucking mess. Her mascara had run down her tanned cheeks, and her usually shining auburn hair was sticking up randomly like she kept grabbing it with her hands and pulling. Not to mention her bloodshot hazel eyes that were pooling with fresh tears.
She all but fell into my arms, a mass of her hair getting caught in my mouth in the process, making me repeat the process of what I had just done with my own.
I awkwardly circled my arms around her, confused at what was going on right now. I didn't do girl talk, and I most definitely didn't do affection with said girls.
Her body trembled as she broke down in tears, making my eyes go wide in fear. Oh no, this could not be happening right now. Fucking hell.
I wished that I could have written an alternate version of myself to take her while I slipped away back to my notebook. It would have been different if we had a friendship, but someone who was barely an acquaintance coming to my door and needing consoling? This was going to be a disaster.
Sighing in defeat, knowing I was stuck with her, I patted her back and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Maybe I could play therapist for a few minutes and she’d leave me alone, and then we could both forget this awkward exchange ever happened.
She let out a feral growl that had me pulling away from her, but her grip on me was tight. “Brandon cheated on me!” she screamed.
Blinking rapidly, I tried to recall if I knew who that was. My silence must have been an obvious indicator of my ignorance, because she groaned and pulled away from me. Leveling me with an ‘Are you serious?’ look, her eyebrows rose as she expanded, “My boyfriend of two years.”
I still didn’t know who he was, but I played along, dramatically responding as I slapped my hand lightly to my forehead. “Ooooooooh, Brandon. Yes, of course!”
She pursed her lips and wiped away her tears, smudging her mascara further. Sniffling, she continued now that she thought I was caught up. “That fucking bitch Chloe Blufount. Why can’t she just be happy with what she has?”
Now that was a name I knew.
Leaning against my door frame, I listened as she rambled on. “I mean seriously, she has everything she could ever want! Why does she have to destroy everyone’s lives around her? No one even likes her, we’re all just scared of her.”
A light laugh slipped from my lips, but apparently that was not the proper reaction. The girl scowled at me and admonished, “This isn’t a laughing matter! I thought you, of all people, would understand.”
To be fair, I laughed because I agreed, and also because I had the one thing Chloe couldn’t have with the top spot in class. But I could see how it could have come off as laughter at her predicament.
Slapping a hand to my face and rubbing, I let out a deep sigh as I tried to recover. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you.”
Then a lightbulb went off in my head. Dropping my hand, I pinned her with a quizzical look. “What did you mean, I of all people would understand?”
The feud between Chloe and me was a silent one, to my knowledge. I never spoke of her or the subtle ways she tried to sabotage me.
With an exaggerated eye roll and a groan, she countered, “Are you seriously this oblivious? I’m Chloe’s best friend—or I was. I know everything about her life, including how she wants to ruin you. My name is Hannah. We have like three classes together.”
Well, this was getting more awkward by the second.
Running a hand through my hair, I laughed. “I know your name! I just try to avoid all things in relation to Chloe. I don’t know her social circle or anything.”
I totally had not known her name, but I’d look like a mega-asshole if I admitted that, and she looked like she’d already had a rough enough night. To me, she had always just been the girl that lived in the dorm across from me. I’d seen her in passing, sure, but that was where my observation and knowledge of her ended.
Inhaling deeply, Hannah shook her head and asked, “Anyways, do you want to come over to my dorm and have a glass of wine? I really don’t want to be alone right now, and all of my friends would just run back to Chloe and tell her everything I said.”
Before I could stop myself, I muttered, “Those don’t really sound like your friends then.”
At first her face flashed with anger as her brows pinched and her eyes narrowed, but thankfully they quickly smoothed out, and instead her eyes flicked to the ground. Dejection radiated from her as she answered, “I guess you’re right.”