Colorblind [h.s]

3

*Six Days Later*

"Care, I really need to study," I say, answering her call and whispering into my phone so as not to disturb the five other students in the library with me. I look around, hoping that I haven't disturbed them, but none of them seem to notice.

"I have my Business Analytics final in a week and my financial report paper to finish by Wednesday, I don't have time to go out." I sigh, running my fingers through my hair.

I wish I was anywhere but here.

"Vi, don't be a buzzkill, it's Friday!" she screams through the receiver.

Based on the loud music bumping in the background, my guess is she's at Monte Carlo, our go-to club just outside of Palo Alto.

"Oh my God, shut up. You know I'd be there with you if I didn't have shit to do."

"Blow it off! You went on a week-long bender once and aced your economics exam during the worst hangover of your life. Just study tomorrow and Sunday and come out with meeeeeee!" Caroline is surprisingly lucid for this time of the night.

"Okay, it was my Stats midterm, and I didn't ace it!" I argue.

"Bitch, you got a B! That's acing it in my book!"

"Care-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Violet Ivy Greene, pack up your shit, go home, put on that sexy little black dress that you love so much, and get your hot ass to M C A S A P." She sings into the receiver. "You haven't been with anyone since you and Coop broke up in fucking May, you need to get back out there and tonight is a perfect night to do just that."

She's right and she knows it – I do need to get back out there. It's been seven months since Cooper graduated and we decided to end things.

I want to be out with her and to flirt with hot guys, but my Mom would kill me if she found out I was doing that instead of studying. And she always finds out.

I had my ass handed to me over that Stats exam that I "aced". I still remember what she said to me when she confronted me about the grade.

"Lazy" and "Sloppy" come to mind.

But most importantly, "Your Dad would be disappointed in you".

That's not exactly something I want to hear again.

"I can't, I'm sorry. I'll be here all night and probably for the rest of the weekend too, but I wanna hear all about your night when I come home."

"Ugh, fine." she huffs, "But if you don't get 100% on both your paper and exam I'm dragging your ass out with me next time you pull this shit."

"I'd expect nothing less," I laugh, "Have fun and be safe."

"I will, love you!"

"Love you too," I hang up the phone and turn my focus back to my practice exam.

When I check my phone again, it's 4 am and I've drunk my way through three red bulls, taken 2 practice exams, and have 5 pages left of my paper to write.

Two of the students that were here earlier left a few hours ago, but three of them are still studying away right alongside me. It's nice to know I'm not the only one stuck at the library on a Friday night.

I'm burnt out and my butt hurts from sitting down for so long, so I decide to take a walk around the library for a quick break and look for something to eat in one of the vending machines.

The Law Library has a creepy vibe this late at night; the lights are motion-sensors and the hallways are dark, indicating the lack of people here with me. It's nothing I'm not used to, though. I've spent a lot of late nights here to do homework and study for exams.