Memoirs of a Science Scholar

Chapter Four

  My mind drifts off as I climb up the stairs to my dorm room, entertaining thoughts of fireflies and flowers in bloom. Even as I slowly turn the key, I am still in a daze. The afternoon sunlight bathes the world in a somewhat lazy atmosphere now, although maybe that was just me. Plain, old, tired me. I set my bag down beside my bed, not caring whether my things spilled on the floor or not. It was the end of other schoolday, and I felt drained. Too exhausted to care about these trivial things.

  I plop down on the bed, sporting a pair of comfy shorts. Curse those pants; they always made my legs feel trapped and uncomfortable. Sighing, I stare out the window, letting my mind wander off to the realms of human memory.

                                      *

  One night, when our minds were still void of any stress, my roommates and I decided to just make kwento, as Filipinos put it. It somehow ended up with us promposing to one another, even if prom was still two years away (or even farther away, considering how K12+ would affect our curriculum).

  "Chikara, will you go to the prom with me?", I asked. "Of course~ Mimi, will you go to the prom with me?" The small girl let out a squeal of delight. "Of course!" "Oh my god, we're going as a threesome to prom!~" Chikara interrupted. "Wait, what about Ella?" Ella just stuck her tongue out. "I have Ben." We booed at her and we all laughed.

  It was one of the many nice memories I had.

                                         *

  My train of thought is interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in.." I call out, too comfortable in my bed to get up. A few seconds later, the door opens and in steps Chikara, my skinny marshmallow-loving roomie. From her backpack dangles a keychain with the words "UNICORN BELIEVER" plastered on it. She eyes me as she sets her bag down on her desk. She's beautiful, but damn, her eyes are scary. Little pits of darkness, those things are.

  "Hey Mari, you okay?" I frowned. I wasn't very comfortable with that particular nickname. "It's Maye...", I mutter in reply. She grinned sheepishly. "Oops. Sorry."

  I sit up and try to adjust to not having a soft, fluffy pillow supporting my pounding head. "Urgh..." Chikara chuckled. "Sleepyhead." I glare daggers at her, knowing that she was fully aware of how late we'd been sleeping lately and how much that tired me out, considering I am near-anemic. Mimi comes in before I can think of a witty remark, bringing what appears to be part of her English project. Ella follows behind her, and they are laughing at some unknown joke.

  "Hey, what's funny?" Chikara asks while she's munching on marshmallows dipped in Nutella. "It's nothing...", Mimi replies. Ella nudges her shoulder, and they both erupt into fits of laughter. Chikara frowns, clearly not amused. "Okay, what is it, you two?" I just give up and settle back down in bed, watching them. They bicker playfully for a while, as my eyelids begin to grow heavy with sleep again. The last thing I see before I go under is the beautiful sunset outside the window, giving me a peaceful feeling inside.