Pressure [hs au]

32 - Noxious

(a/n:) I apologize for not updating in forever, I suck recently. Not that it's any excuse, but I am now a full-time college student and working on getting a new job and I just sort of fell out of love with writing for a while, but I've been watching Archer on Netflix lmao and got really excited and am drafting a new story, but I saw that this hit 6k reads which I'm so fuck1ng thankful for, and am working on multiple update rn so that I can try and get back into a regular updating schedule. Thanks for everything!!!

-Emily

Word count: 3116

The rest of the week went by as a normal school week usually does. That is until I got an invitation to a party Saturday night. Not that I was ever really a party goer in high school, or ever really, but I was somewhat surprised this was the first one I'd so much as hear about this far into the school year. Wasn't that part of the stereotypical college experience? Parties every weekend? 

Barry Michaels, a guy I met in one of my classes, texted me an invite just now. I wonder if Harry was invited? I sat in the corner of Xander's corner cafe, rushing to finish an essay for an online English course I signed up for. I kind of forgot I even signed up for the gen ed class, hence the rushing. 

"You look stressed." Without looking up from my laptop, I respond to the stranger, "You have no idea." I can't help the short laugh escaping my lips as I finally come to an end of a paragraph, anxiously checking the word count. 

Shoot, still 300 words short. 

I glance up from the screen finally, taking a sip from my tea as I glance over the stranger before me. I don't think I'd met him before, much less ever seen him. 

"Hi, sorry, do I know you? It's been a really busy past few days, I'm kind of scatter-brained." I say, trying to come off as polite through the layers of sleep deprivation and paranoia. 

"Oh yeah, sorry I don't think we've formally met. I'm in your Studio Art class, I sit like two rows behind you." I nod in agreement, still not recognizing him from anywhere. 

"I'm Cole. I just saw you sitting here alone and figured someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be so stressed, I figured I could offer my help." I wish I could control the blush on my face, but trust me when I say it was from embarrassment and being so uncomfortable, not from being flattered. I never liked being hit on, especially from strangers. Don't even get me started on all the cat-calling just on the walk to my classes each week. 

"Well thank you, but I'm actually almost done with the assignment." I take another sip from my tea, looking back to my essay, the blinking cursor at the end of the sentence captivating my attention. I hope he can take a hint and just leave me alone. He seems nice, I guess, this whole conversation though is making me feel rather uneasy. 

I feel my stomach drop when he pulls out the chair across from me, sitting down as if I invited him too. Without moving around too much, I pulled my phone off my lap and hid it behind the screen, watching him out of my peripheral. I could tell he was just watching me, blue eyes barrelling right into my face. I use one hand to tap on random keys, pretending as if his presence didn't bother me and I was working still and use my other hand to text Xander quick. I saw him walk into the kitchen a few minutes ago and guessed he was still back there. 

The second the kitchen doors swing open I feel my body start to relax, not as tense and anxious anymore. 

"Hello guys, is everything good so far?" I don't say anything, allowing Cole, I think he said his name was, to respond. 

"Um yeah, great coffee."

"Alright, alright, good. Well, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I wanted to jump out of my seat right then and there and hug Xander.