Fat Cats Come Back

            Sophomore year started tomorrow. And Sonia was crazy for fidgeting over every detail. Papers from last year fell from the edge of her desk, kryptonite scrawl across the page faded from so much use of notes, along with a tipped over stack of dry cups, colors of the rainbows. Her recycling bin was filled with the papers she’d begun cleaning up, new binders spread across the chair. Finally she’d given up, and gone to sit in the window. The city of Detroit was littered with color-bearing men and women, the street whores who walked along the sidewalk in platforms up to Sonia’s knees and tank tops that looked like they’d fit in a Victoria Secret magazine. Martin sat in the window, stomach fluffed out beside him, tabby hair catching the minimal light of the darkened street.

            Sonia was no looker, and if she was, she was oblivious to it. Blonde hair fell to her collarbone, most commonly swept back with a black band at the nape of her neck. Two piercings were in the lobes of her hanging ears, and her eyes were porcelain blue when catching the sunlight right. She was never good at athletics – sure, the basics were easy to her, but she preferred to get the homework done. Soon she’d be out of college and on her way to fix her life.

            Running her fingertips over a purring Martin’s colored fur, Sonia’s eyelids drooped over exhausted eyes. Barely any sleep approached her over the summer also, as commonly found during the school year. What was this from? Working, this summer. Sure, Sonia had to pay for her own things sometimes, right? She’d stayed up and fretted, as usual. Darby had been no help.

            Darby was a gorgeous thing – long hair falling halfway down her back, a butterscotch blonde with pale, pale highlights lacing through the strands, glistening grey eyes, and a figure to match. Flaunted herself, but not in the way of the people on the street. Hers was more of a preppy flaunt herself. She absolutely hated Romey, who was the exact opposite and also Sonia’s role model.

            Commonly Romey’s hair color changed, be it a week or a month. The most recent color was a rich purple with black edging, cut short against her head and most commonly spiked in a boyish do. A silver wire was common in her nose, sometimes pointed like a devil’s tail, whereas bars lined the many piercings in her ears.

            Picking up a protesting Martin from the windowsill, Sonia sat on her bed, and then turned onto her side, resting the cat on his tummy. The fabric of my comforter was cool and inviting under Sonia’s cheek, and she cuddled the purring cat closer against her ribcage, knees pulling up to her body and eyes shutting in an utter state of rarely-seen comfort.

            Maybe two hours, had it been? That’s when the phone on her desk rang, Sonia was clutching an empty spot beneath her arm, and a soft crunch of fish-scented food alerted her that her cat had ditched her whilst she slept. Reaching to grab the phone off of the nightstand, she hit the answer button, and then stuck it to her ear.

            “So-ni-a!” Cheered Darby’s high voice, causing Sonia to wince and sigh.

            “What do you want, Darb?”

            “Which class do you have tomorrow morning at say…” Pause. “Seven-thirty precisely?”

            Pausing herself, Sonia heard her friend tapping nails that would be utterly long dramatically against the receiver. “Hurst. Go to bed.”

            Seven. Crap! Perfect way to start out her sophomore year at college. Rolling from the bed until her knees hit the floor, Sonia dug in a contemplating way through her dresser, until she pulled a black tee-shirt and a pair of jeans from the mix, slipping into them before brushing her hair back into a ponytail. No time to brush her teeth. Pulling a cap over her head and slipping a piece of gum into her mouth, Sonia grabbed her book bag and dashed out the door, slamming it behind her and sprinting down the hallway. Out the front door she went, into a warm, still-summer-ish air that warmed the burn on her pink cheeks. Half-tied shoes scuffed at the pavement; the university wasn’t far away, close to the town, near her apartment. The owners of the apartment lowered their prices for college students to stay near campus, Sonia had learned. Good price, crappy place.