SOUL DORM

39

Love shack...

***

CHAPTER 39:

PLOT TWIST

My week, which had started on a precarious note, unfolded in a surprisingly normal and enjoyable way. The Book Club class quickly became a favorite, even outshining Living Essentials before noon. We spent the whole day picnicking, reading, and discussing excerpts from various fairy tales. The group was wonderful—everyone was friendly, and the atmosphere was delightful.

Though Mars mostly chose to remain silent, his occasional comments greatly amused our angelic instructor, giving the girls in the class multiple near-heart attacks. His flirtatious smile and playful winks were classic Mars, but surprisingly, he wasn't as irritating as usual. I found myself nodding along to some of his points, genuinely intrigued by his insights.

When class ended, I was glad I didn't spend the day alone in my room. The session spent outdoors, among tales and conversations, had helped me somewhat forget the painful memories of the previous day. Everyone dispersed when it ended, and Mars vanished in the blink of an eye. I continued chatting with a new friend I made during the class as we walked back to the Dorm.

That night, my friends were still unsure how to act around me. But as they noticed that Pam hadn't launched any attacks, no accidents had occurred, and I was carrying on as normal, their tension eased. I spent my days engaged in classes and my evenings nurturing my flowers in the greenhouse. Fortunately, the Dorm spared me further trials that week, granting me days filled with enjoyable, mostly seated, classes. The task angle Ria had given me for the flowers had a healing power. Designing and creating kept me from getting lost in negative thoughts and helped me cling to life again.

By the weekend, life was back to normal. We had returned to our usual breakfast routine. Naturally, the topic was Ursa and her seemingly unattainable love for Kyle. Lark's cards were spread out before us. Diego contributed with romantic poems, Helene with statistics. Our pets were by our sides. The food was delicious. There was no class to worry about. I felt a renewed peace inside. Ready to reinforce this tranquility, I stood up to head to my garden.

"No way!" all my friends shouted at once. Diego and Ursa even stood up.

"Ursa really needs you today," Diego said.

"I really need you," Ursa confirmed.

"One should never leave a friend in need," Helene admonished.

Of course, Lark's cards had also indicated that I should stay with Ursa.

"Alright," I said. "Ursa can come with me. We'll prepare the flowers together..."

"No," they said again in unison.

"Why don't you understand, Olive?" Ursa said with a tearful voice. "I'm telling you Kyle is going to ask that girl out tonight. We need to find a solution. I need to get ready. I need to confront him. I need to figure out what to say. You have to help me!"

I had no idea how I could be of any help with the things she listed, but when Ursa suddenly burst into tears, there was no room left for questioning.

"Okay," I said, embracing her tightly. "Okay, I'll stay with you. Please don't cry. I'll do whatever you want. We all will. Right, guys?"

"Absolutely," Lark said cheerfully.

"Spending the whole day together is the right thing to do," Helene suggested.

"We'll go to the lake together in the evening," Diego added, putting his arm around Ursa's shoulder. "You won't be alone for a second."

And just like that, my dream of returning to the greenhouse to finish my flower designs evaporated. With a wry smile, I meekly followed the others. What followed was an entire day spent in Ursa's atelier. Every time I thought we had resolved the issue, and I could leave, Ursa would burst into another crying fit. We spent the morning helping her find an outfit—and criticizing her rival—, brainstorming things to say to Kyle over lunch, and rehearsing the encounter and possible scenarios in the afternoon.