Playing With Fire

2 ➳ International Beanie Day

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Cooling numbness is all I could feel at the moment. A sensation brought by the icy cold water gingerly sliding down my bare back. Goosebumps rise on my forearms as I lean my forehead on the cool surface of the tiled wall. I sigh in bliss,  breathing in freshness.

Macy was still knee deep in slumbler, she had arrived late last night,  atleast an hour or two after our 12 o'clock curfew. She hadn't moved an inch from her twisted position ever since.

Once neatly combed strawberry curls falling over her pinkish face, once or twice a mumble of incoherent words stumble past her lips in sloppy gibberish. Left leg draped clumsily over the second pillow that was kept beside the bedside table ever since her forehead connected with the edge of it.

Carefully,  I washed the shampoo out of my hair and watched as the dirty soap water floated down into the drain.

One single wrinkled hand reached out and twisted the shower knob.

I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and began to dry myself off when a knock suddenly came from the door.

"Rebecca...?" Macy slurred in a groggy voice " you in there?"

It didn't matter how much I reminded Macy to call me Bex, she still refused to call me by my nickname. Typical Macy.

With a small laugh I replied, " Yeah. I'm in here Mace."

Macy huffed and removed herself from the door." Hurry up then. I need to pee." She grumbled half heartedly.

I barked out a laugh.

A long silence passed afterwards. No doubt Macy had gone back to bed and forgot about her need to pee.

Finally, I tore my gaze away from the mirror and moved to open the door. My accusation was correct, Macy had gone back to bed, face dug into the pillow she held close to her face.

Slowly, I slipped on my beanie and grabbed my side bag,  casting one glance over my shoulder to look at Macy. Another alarm was already set for her, and hopefully she'll get up once she heard it.

Alot of people were usually up by now, casually strolling around the campus catching up with friends or enjoying the fresh morning breeze.

A bright smile lit up my face excitement spreading through my body as I caught sight of a familiar person.

Eli.

I rolled my eyes playfully.  Eli struck Andrew harshly on his clothed back. Said boy arched his back in pain and turned around slowly, fists clenched tightly. I winced slightly at the sight.  Andrew gave a weak wave. Glaring at Eli who chukled mercilessly. Barely anyone was around to see them act like this which surprised me a bit, normally by now people would be walking around.

Guess that's not the case this year.

I tucked my hands into the pockets of my dark blue hoodie. Leisurely advancimg towards the strange duo. Eli eyed me suspiciously, the twinkle of warmth in his eyes long gone. Replaced by his usual seriousness.

Calmly, I shrugged my shoulders, having already known what question was forming on the tip of his tongue. I hadn't seen Wren all morning nor did I hear from her the entire summer.

Wren's absence always disturbed me, especially after what happened last year. Last year Wren had confessed to us all of committing self harm after almost bleeding out on the bathroom floor. Her roomate was the one that found her and took her to the school nurse. Eli was the first person to be informed.

From time to time we feared she would relapse back into her depression.

Once I was close enough, Andrew's hands clamped down on my shoulders as he brought me into a bone-crushing hug. My yelp was muffled by the fabric of his shirt, my attempts of escape turned out to be futile. Instead I wrapped both of my arms around his torso and let out a shallow breath.

Andrew's hugs were always warm. That much I could say. Andrew loosened his hold on me, allowing me to gently pull back and look him in the face as he spoke.

"Where have you been all summer Donnahue?" He teased playfully,  a friendly grin spreading across his face.

I smiled lightly. Shrugging again I responded. "Here and there. You know, just the usual. "

"You hear anything from Wren?" Eli interrupted, his deep voice laced with concern.

I held his gaze for a qhile before shaking my head. Wren hadn't made an effort to grab a hold of me all summer, and although I always had a busy schedule at home, she knows that I'd make time for her. Yet she shut me out completely.  All I could do was hope that she was okay.

Eli gave a stiff nod of understanding. He was worried about her. Even I was. Wren is like a sister to me I don't know what I would do without her. Probably loose my mind she liked to say.

"Today's the first day of orientation." I mused quietly,  leaning back on the heels of my feet in a child like manner.

Orientation was a time at WinterHaven when the upperclass men had to hide their gifts from the freshmen until they found out. Many people liked to describe the orientation as a weird transition time, I didn't exactly mind. Orientation was a time for tellies like Andrew to get off their lazy bum and get something when they wanted it.

Andrew tilted his head back and groaned childishly. Eli snickered and nudged him roughly.

"Lazy ass." He murmured teasingly.

Andrew puffed out his chest and turned his face in another direction."Am not." He scoffed in mock anger.

The lesson droned on endlessly. Everyone listed keenly and took down notes, out of curiosity, I glanced over at Macy who had arrived late to class and is currently pulling a Macy. Pulling a Macy is usually when Macy herself pulls her hair over her face and nestles her head into her arms, using the professor's monotonous voice as a lullaby to fall asleep quickly.

Professor Lopez sat down. He took off his reading glasses and began to lecture us about the importance of the orientation. Everyone took that as a sign that class was dismissed and began to pack their things, not even pausing to listen to him.

I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt for the old man,  but I was hungry. And hunger quickly overpowered the thoughts of guilt.

I pulled the leather strap of my bag over my shoulder and stood up quickly. Making my way towards sleeping Macy. Quietly I tapped her shoulder, earning a small grunt in return. Already annoyed, I shook her shoulders. Quickly gaining a reaction from her.

"Class is over." I whispered lowly.

Macy hummed still disoriented from being woken up and bent down to clumsily gather her discarded stuff. I was already out the door by the time she stood up. We still had a senior meeting to get through and Eli promised to save me a seat.

As I stepped into the auditorium,  I noticed one peculiar thing that hadn't struck me as odd until now.

Almost everyone was wearing a beanie.

'Maybe it's international beanie day'

I laughed mentally at my weirdness and shook the thought away as my eyes caught sight of Eli who waved me over. Beaide him was Andrew busily stuffing his face with a burger. A smile came to my face as I spotted Wren happily plucking fries out of Andrew's stash of food and popping them into her mouth.

The strange thought of having an international beanie day had long ago left my mind as I cautiously slipped into the empty seat beside my best friends. Ready to get this meeting over with.

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