RISK✵ lrh

7 | Reconnaissance

The Cellar was a popular college bar exclusive to students at the university; many people flock there for the cheap drinks, while others flock there to avoid students at the neighbouring institution up the hill – but you didn't hear that from Mia. Still, the underground was nothing special with its arched cemented stone ceilings, couches, a rundown jukebox no one ever used, and a pool table – it was simply a bar.

A bar was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night despite the looming deadlines marking the end of the mid-term. It was relatively filled with students looking for a reprieve from (said) deadlines or celebrating their completion and submission. Luckily, there were open tables, and the bar wasn't wholly crowded like Mia would expect from Wetherspoons.

The girl sat at a table, an empty glass with melting ice in front of her, as she continuously glanced at the entrance, hoping to catch the blond and his red-haired friend walking in. They were late—quarter to ten—and had yet to show up despite everyone important already sitting around her. Mia was restless, acting as if she'd been stood up.

She thought that given Michael and Luke's pure insanity and persistence to join Aeternum, they'd bother showing up on time. Moreover, Mia texted Luke and Michael to ask when they would arrive. Still, she was left with no response, resulting in her intense feelings of offence and agitation, shown by the restless bounce of her foot underneath the table.

Mia was barely paying attention to the group discussion, what Amaya was saying to the girl beside her or what Calum was rambling about to his friends. No, the girl was more focused on her inner thoughts and the slow movement of time as she repeatedly checked her phone for messages that never came.

Why was she so fixated on this? Mia didn't want to help Luke and Michael until the blond brought up the paid internship. Why was she bothering to waste her depleting energy and time on them? So what if they were late? It wasn't the end of the world, but it wasn't readily accepted either – Luke had gone to Mia's place of work to ask if anything was going on, and suddenly that motivation and drive had disappeared.

The boys can make a criminally insane and ridiculous 'mystery board' and chase leads around town, but they couldn't even show up to a stupid college bar on time?

No, Mia didn't know if or why she was overreacting. There was the possibility that something came up, a missed deadline that had to be done, or maybe nerves. Perhaps the boys didn't believe they could actually get a chance to achieve their ridiculous goal of joining Aeternum and got cold feet at the opportunity.

Still, Luke or Michael could have responded to her texts. Mia was supposed to ignore them, not the other way around. Their audacity frustrated her the most, and knowing Luke, he was probably doing it on purpose to prove a point and irritate her.

Mia brought her empty glass to her lips, catching ice between her teeth and biting down. She needed to do something that wasn't looking at the entrance; she needed to escape her thoughts and be present. She told Amaya and Helen she wanted to go out tonight; she needed to act like she wanted to be there.

Mia tuned into the conversations around her and instantly wanted to tune back out. She did not care to listen to rants about the readings for classes she doesn't take or whatever the hell Calum and his friends were droning on about – they rarely talked much of anything, especially Alfie, who unfortunately gotten himself into a long rant of meaningless sentences and words.

No, Mia was being mean. She was digging herself into a pit of negativity she did not want to live in, but it was hard not to focus on it. Mia was bored and hadn't had enough drinks to entertain either conversation. And considering the girl spent most of her time sitting in a painful silence amidst a loud table, she was to blame for her pessimism.