Roommates

Coffee Break

Tris

Late September

"Morning, Tris!" Marlene chirps, a bit too cheerily for my taste, as I slide into my usual seat next to her and behind Four in our English Lit classroom.

"Morning," I mumble as I rummage through my backpack for my books and a pen. When I look up, Four is completely turned around in his seat, his eyebrows raised at me. "What?" I ask, defensively.

He furrows his brow. "You okay?" he asks, and I see Marlene eyeing me with concern. "You just... you seemed happy this morning, and now you don't." I press my lips together in a straight line and shrug. He lowers his voice. "Eric?" He can read my answer in my eyes as soon as our gazes meet, and he frowns. I don't miss the look that passes between Four and Marlene.

Eric has always run hot and cold, but it's been worse than usual the last few weeks. He is drinking more often, and that's always when he is meanest. The rest of the time, though... well, he isn't the sweetest or most romantic guy I've met, but he has his moments, often enough, where he shows me that he cares for me. These past few weeks, Eric has put more effort into the romantic gestures; he has given me flowers twice, taken me out to dinner a couple of times, and accepted my music and movie choices without complaint on several occasions. He's usually quite stubborn about things like that, and I don't push back hard enough to get my way. It's just not worth creating conflict over something silly like that.

But as I said... he is coming home from work more drunk than he used to, and drinking more on his nights off. He often wakes me up when he stumbles in at three in the morning and makes it impossible for me to fall back to sleep until he finally passes out himself; the effects of interrupted sleep are catching up with me more and more, my thoughts feel jumbled all the time. He has never dealt well with any sort of perceived criticism, and lately, I can't seem to anticipate what he will take issue with. Most of the time, it's a simple misinterpretation, but his moods flip quickly and once he's upset, there's not much I can do but wait it out.

Most of the time, the mornings are fine. This morning, though, he had to get up early to deal with something at the DMV which he had put off too long to do at a more convenient time, now. So he was tired and irritable, and a teasing comment about his bedhead-- which I meant to be playful and even flirty-- led to glares and snarky comments from him. It's not so much that it was a terrible argument-- it wasn't. It's just... it all builds and builds and it becomes exhausting.

"It's fine, it's nothing," I say, finding a small smile to give them. "I'm just tired."

I'm not sure they believe me, but they let it go. Marlene and I chat for a few minutes until the instructor comes in to start class. She and I, and often Shauna, have been hanging out more lately. We take photos together a couple of times a week, had an at-home spa night at their dorm room, and Marlene and I decided on a whim to get piercings together last night. Christina usually seems to be busy or uninterested, though; it's too bad, I had hoped that she and I would get along well, with our boyfriends being roommates and all, but we really haven't connected-- I'm not sure she likes me at all.

Talking with Marlene improves my mood, and helps me forget about this morning's conflict with Eric by the time the lecture begins.

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I glance around to make sure Tori isn't watching me and pull my phone out of my back pocket. I smile when I see a text from Four.  Do you have a break coming up? Thought I'd come in for that coffee you promised me.

Four is pretty quiet and reserved, and neither of us talk about anything too serious with each other, but somehow, we just... know each other. We understand each other, even if he doesn't know how I became who I am, and vice versa. After only a month, he's one of the best friends I have ever had. I doubt he appreciates me as much as I appreciate him. I'm nothing special.