(#1) Roommates by Day, Enemies by Night

Chapter 44

There are no heroes or villains. There's just what I want and how I'll get it.~ Magneto

Dedication: To BostonPond2016 for the wonderful comments. Thank you so much!

Siena

I hate school. And I hate having to deal with the crap that school dumps on me. Now, don't get me wrong. I love to learn. Learning is discovering a whole new side to yourself, exploring, wonder and joy. School is unnecessary stress, tests, too much homework and not enough sleep. I especially hate school when you have a pop quiz assigned to you.

I came out of the classroom feeling as if all the contents of my brain had been squeezed out, and now I was forced to go through the SATs and the ACTs all over again. Thankfully, English was my last class of the day, so I could head right home and take Charlotte out, for the puppy was missing me.

I sighed, and dug through my bag for my phone. It was chock filled with files, papers, and writing utensils. It wasn't as bad as I had feared, only very full. I was a messy person, but there was something about my workspace that bothered me if it wasn't clean. Too many distractions made it impossible to work and stay focused.

I finally dug my phone out from the depths of my bag and shot a text to Dylan, telling him that I was on my way home, and I was going to walk back. I slung my bag over my shoulder and buttoned up my coat, my leather boots softly hitting the concrete sidewalk.

I walked quickly down the bottleneck street, dodging pedestrians, bicycle messengers, and just plain crazy people. It was nearing the end of January, but the weather hadn't let up. If anything, it had only gotten worse, with the sting of the cold intensifying. I had always enjoyed the cold, but there was a point where I couldn't take it anymore, and I wanted to be in some tropical island, like Tahiti. No, not Tahiti. I've watched too much Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D to know that's a safe place.

I breathed and smoothed down the front of my coat, picking up the pace as I made my way towards my home. I walked quickly into the library, the heat hitting me like a wave of warmth. I walked up the flights of stairs and made my way to my apartment, unlocking the door and shutting it behind me almost instantly. I dropped my bag by the couch and brushed my hair out of my eyes, wiping my feet on the mat before walking further in the house. On the couch was Charlotte, her eyes wide open and alert, but sitting peacefully. I held up her leash, and she perked up immediately at the sight of it, jumping off the couch and into my arms.

I laughed and set her down on the floor, buckling the leash around her collar, which we had finally gotten engraved with her name and everything. Her first appointment had been a few days ago, and we had gotten her microchip inserted, so that if anyone brought her to the vet, and she had gotten lost, she would show up on the database as our dog. I tugged her gently towards the door, and at my slightest pull, she followed me, her little legs walking quickly to keep up with my increased stride.

I pulled out my phones and inserted my earbuds in, pressing play on the radio and tucking my phone back in my pocket. Once we got to Central, then I would play with her, but I couldn't exactly do that walking through the crowded streets. Charlotte was extremely excited to get outside, and she raced ahead, tugging me along with her. My arm jerked forward before I could get a hold of it, and I stumbled after the dog, trying to keep up. I chuckled to myself before gently pulling on the leash once again, a signal to Charlotte that she needed to slow down and wait for me.

We walked in silence next to each other, and it was almost therapeutic. Walking the dog helped me to empty my thoughts, stop thinking about things for once in my life, and let me just focus on just the music and the steady, predictable rhythm that came with dog-walking. The music filled my ears, and I was grateful.