SOUL DORM

17

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire

***

CHAPTER 17:

ROCK STAR

They say the world is small. Well, apparently, so are other realms! Mars, Blue, Tarben, and yours truly... How on earth did these four mismatched souls end up crossing paths, and more importantly, why? Who gave the green light to this cosmic crossover, and why didn't they send out a memo?

"Olive," Blue exclaimed cheerfully. "Sorry, didn't spot you there at first. What's up?"

Turning to me, Tarben warned, "Don't talk to her. She's using you to cut in line." He shot Blue a sideways glance without taking his hands out of his pockets.

Blue recoiled dramatically and said, "Me? Never! I'm just here 'cause I miss my soulmate so much."

"Your soulmate ain't buying that act, sweetheart. Come on, back of the line."

Tarben gestured with his eyes to the end of the queue, where already dozens of people had gathered. But I couldn't tear my gaze away from them. Did they say soulmate? Nah, of course they didn't. That possibility was even more ridiculous than the two of them being a couple. The sweetest, beautiful girl in front of me couldn't be the ruthless soul who left Tarben hanging in class. I was sure of it. I was...

"A soul should share everything with their mate," Blue objected with a know-it-all attitude.

Tarben shrugged. "Your soulmate refuses to share his burger with you today." Despite his serious look, there was a playful tone in his voice. And Blue didn't seem like she was going anywhere anyway. She linked her arm with Tarben's and looked up at him like a puppy.

"How about I dedicate the first song to you tonight?"

"That was last week's bribe. You need something more creative."

Blue pondered. "I'll help you make up with Teri."

Tarben shook his head. "If I wanted to make up with Teri, I'd do it myself."

"Fair point," Blue conceded, scrunching up her face. "We left her behind. Then... I'll find you another girlfriend. A great girlfriend... so great that..."

"Thanks hon, but I can find my own girlfriend."

Blue kept making more suggestions, all of which Tarben rejected. Meanwhile, we moved up three spots in line. I wasn't really listening to their conversation; my mind was stuck in a loop of denial over what I had just heard.

"So, you guys are really soulmates?" I blurted out suddenly. Tarben and Blue, who were busy arguing, stopped abruptly and turned to me. Feeling uncomfortable, I fumbled for an explanation. "I... uh... didn't know you two were, um, soulmates."

Blue put her hands on her hips, striking a pose and grinned. "Come on, Olive, take another look! How many souls here at the Dorm have style like ours?"

Tarben rolled his eyes. "Please, just ignore her. If you leave her alone long enough, she eventually finds her way back to reality." To prove his point, he turned his back on Blue and focused on the hamburgers. Unbothered, Blue linked her arm through mine.

"Tar is my fifth soulmate at the Dorm," she explained. "Definitely the most stubborn, but also the one I love the most." She blew a kiss at Tarben, who gave her a sideways glare, then turned back to me. "How do you two know each other?"

I should've said we met because our troublesome, ignorant, selfish soulmates ditched us for a lesson. Instead, I just muttered, "We met in class..."