Delicate ― Kevin Day

02. nuclear blast from the past

[trigger warnings: homophobia & use of homophobic slurs; sexism; references to arson/pyromania & past drug use]

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HADLEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE of her roommates. She knew of them, of course—Violet had internet-stalked Dan and Allison Reynolds and spent days complaining about Renee Walker's lack of a social media presence, and everything she found she relayed to Hadley (who only partially listened).

She knew Allison was a modern-day princess with uber-rich parents and celebrity connections Hadley's father would be jealous of; she knew Dan was a force of nature both on and off the court, with biting remarks to rival the subtly sexist questions posed by interviewers and commentators.

But knowing of them was quite different from actually getting to know them.

The first thing Hadley noticed about Renee Walker was her hair, the ends of which were dyed pastel rainbow colors that Hadley knew Violet would fawn over. The second was her smile, one Hadley could actually see herself believing was sincere. She couldn't decide if that made Renee a threat or a liability.

The first thing she noticed about Allison Reynolds was her attitude—or, more accurately, the almost-sneer on her face as she looked Hadley up and down, neither condescendingly nor appraisingly. The second was her hair and makeup, curled and done-up to perfection as if this was a Victoria's Secret fashion show rather than a college move-in day.

The girls were two years above Hadley, juniors compared to her freshman status. According to Dan, she and Wymack had been pestering the school board into approving another girl for the team, and it was Hadley who'd finally won them over. Hadley figured it was more a testament to Dan and Wymack wearing the board down as opposed to Hadley's stellar statistics.

She wasn't bad by any means—she was more than good enough to play for a Class I team, after all—but she wasn't an all-star, either. Her stats were good, the ratio between shots on goal and points scored the best of the striker subs Wymack had looked at. But she favored collision over evasion when it came to getting past backliners, and she never shied away from a fight, fouls be damned.

"So," Allison said, cutting off the last bit of Dan's warning about the upperclassmen's attitude problems, which earned her a scowl from the captain, "you're from California, yeah?"

Hadley just nodded, blank-faced.

"Senator's kid," Allison said. "What makes you Fox material?"

"What makes you?" Hadley returned.

Allison raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Already deflecting? That was fast."

"Allison, quit," Dan said, her tone biting.

"What?" Allison asked, feigning offense. "I'm trying to get to know the girl we're going to be sharing a dorm with." She shrugged. "I just wanna know if we should invest in an extra fire extinguisher."

"Allison," Renee admonished softly, which told Hadley all she needed to know.

She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the counter behind her. "Leave me alone and there won't be a need for any extinguishers."

Allison hummed. "And if I do get on your bad side? Should I start hiding the matches now?"

"Go ahead," Hadley said. "I won't need a match if I really want to start a fire."

"That a threat, Dyer?"

"Take it how you like."

Dan looked between them like they were two opposing street-cats with their hackles raised and claws extended. Renee's expression was only a touch less worried, though the straight spine and careful look in her eyes told Hadley she was ready to step in if things got violent.