In Or Out

S1E1.

❝In: The Beginning❞
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❝All that glitters isn't gold; that's why diamonds shine.❞

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Gassie Street, Rosenwald Apartments

Slamming the front door of her apartment shut, Celeste dragged out a long sigh and rolled her eyes as a sudden silence fell in the living room, her roommates' previous chatter ceasing and their expressions becoming stony. It was obvious the two girls were bad-mouthing her—the quietness when she came in was a dead giveaway—Celeste just found it a bit strange that they were trying to be discreet with their shit-talking. She had been staying with Bina and Oria for three months now, and from the very moment she moved in the apartment, it had been a tacit rift between the two close friends and herself.

Celeste just dismissed it for jealousy; that was the main reason why she removed herself from the dormitory on her school's campus and started looking for an apartment close by. She didn't have time to deal with every girl and their insecurities—that was personal and had nothing to do with her. Being confronted in the dorms everyday about some boy she went on a date with two weeks ago or maybe even slept with was draining, so having some distance from all of that sounded like a good idea.

Now it seemed like she was dealing with the same bullshit again.

A derisive smile stretched across Celeste's lips, all of her teeth on display as she greeted them with a simple "hi". Striding past the two with a haughtiness in her step, Celeste headed to her bedroom with her purse swinging past her slender hips as she ignored Bina curl her lip back in anger and rise up from her spot on the couch in the living room.

"We need to talk. All of us."

Celeste paused and glanced over her shoulder. "About what?"

"About how you think you're hot shit and can do whatever the hell you please around here," Oria retorted as appeared behind her friend with the same vexed scowl on her face.

Turning on the heels of her Louis Vuitton platform and wedge sneakers, Celeste let out a sarcastic laugh, "You can do that when you pay rent and bills," she quipped, shifting her weight to her left leg and pushing a loose, wavy curl from her top-knot bun behind her ear, "and I don't think I'm hot shit—I know I am—we shouldn't have to have a conversation about that."

Oria shook her head in disbelief, wondering if Celeste was really serious or if she had lost her mind before she chuckled, "You know what, Celeste? You are absolutely right. You do pay bills and rent," Oria brushed past Bina and sauntered towards her pretentious roommate, who raised an eyebrow in feign interest when Oria stood toe-to-toe with her, "but we pay bills and rent up in this bitch too."

"And neither one of us was trippin' when you first got here. It was agreed amongst all of us that as long as we had our own space, and you could respect the fact that you don't live by your goddamn self, shit could be 'Kumbaya' around here. You would think because you're in school, you would have a little compassion and fucking understand, but no, Celeste. If the shit doesn't involve you or your interests, it's not even thought about—"

The half Colombian raised her hand up to stop the soon-to-be rant, completely lost on where the conversation had turned. "What are you talking about?"

"I've got classes, Celeste; early ones, and people have got to get some sleep around here to make it to them on time! And I can't do that, when you come strolling your skinny ass up in here, two and three o'clock in the morning, slamming damn doors and bringing random ass niggas up in here, as if me or Bina don't sleep a door down from you!"