Chances

Chapter 41

The first thing Carina notices when she wakes up the following morning is the searing pain throughout the entire lower half of her body. Moving her legs even a fraction of an inch made her muscles cry out in protest and she suddenly regrets the strenuous workout she put herself through yesterday.

On top of that, she was still feeling rather shitty about her conversation with Naomi in her room last night.

When Carina came back to her dorm afterwards, Lily noticed that her eyes were red and teary, but the older girl didn't say anything. She instead just looked at her sadly and Carina gave her a small, half-hearted smile, telling her not to worry. Then after that, she just put her headphones in, pulled the covers over her head, and eventually drifted off to sleep. Her mind and body practically cried in appreciation for finally allowing it to rest.

It's Saturday today, so Carina didn't have to worry about anything. Thank god. If she did have some responsibilities, she most likely would have just neglected it.

However, a substantial part of her doesn't just want to waste the day away in her room. Talking to Naomi last night showed her that she does have people here who care about her deeply and she feels horrible for ignoring them. She's done nothing but sulk so she unceremoniously disregarded them. And now she feels obligated to apologize and make up for that in some way. It may be a good idea to talk to them individually and see if and when their schedules are free to hang out. She does miss them too.

It's still rather early so even if she did want to speak with Naomi, Daniel, Amanda, and Desi, they probably wouldn't even be awake. Especially not Naomi and Desi. Those two can sleep for weeks if they wanted.

Glancing over, Lily is still sleeping as well. Her face is turned towards the wall, but the steady rise and fall of her shoulders is telling enough.

So because she doesn't want to accidentally wake her up, Carina tiptoes around the room to grab her clothes before she heads into the bathroom where she proceeds with her daily morning routine. She steps out about 15 minutes later and Lily is left in the same position as before. Unsurprisingly.

Carina then grabs her purse and car keys before slipping out of the room, delicately closing the door behind her. Might as well go grab something to eat and drink to pass some time.

Because Starbucks is one of the closer establishments, she decides to make her way over there. The weather is in the midst of fall now and the leaves lay in scattered piles on the ground of various colors. Some trees were completely barren while others were still clinging on to the few leaves they had remaining. The wind is chilling and crisp, making Carina shiver as she walks to and from her car. But as soon as she stepped into the building, it was toasty warm and the aroma of coffee and baked goods filled her nose.

The line was rather long due to the early morning rush before work, but she didn't mind. When it was her turn, the cashier greeted her kindly and asked her what she wanted. Carina initially asked for peppermint mocha along with a chocolate muffin, but at the last second, she asked for an additional muffin and a cup of hot chocolate. She knows Lily well enough to know that girl is starving as soon as she wakes up.

After paying for and receiving her items, she thanks the kind man who opens the door for her. Then she gets back inside her car and drives back to campus, alternating her hands in front of the heater to defrost them.

The campus is a bit more alive than it was earlier right before she left and by the time she is back inside of her dorm, Lily is up and awake.

"Oh, hey," Lily smiles softly, turning around when she hears the door open. Then her eyes shift down to the treats in Carina's hands. "What do you have there?"