The Metamorphosis Diaries

Chapter 20 - This Is NOT What You Came For

CHAPTER 20

College party. At 5pm. On a Tuesday.

Same.

In the dorms of the arts campus, students were in a constant free-for-all. Nikki had been invited to the shin-dig by some guy in her home room who had a nipple piercing and a hamster living illegally in his closet. Apparently these things were almost daily, and were considered more of a raving-kumbaya than a party.

"Hello, chikas. Nikita! You came!" said a cheesy-t-shirt-wearing guy with a moustache.

"Yeah, I did. This is Virvanna and Arden, some friends of mine. Have you seen Shaun?" Nikki seemed eager to get away from the pit-stain-wearing red-head.

"His dorm, 24! Come stop by 28, though! I'd love for you to star in my sophomore short film!"

"Yeah, sure, I'll stop by," she said, as she was already half way down the hall.

We followed her through to room 24. The door was open, and inside was a circle of students resting themselves on different flat surfaces. They passed around a bong.

"Isn't your dorm adviser going to flip?" Nikki began.

A guy with blond hair and a lip piercing Emo Lucky Blue Smith motioned towards a girl face-deep in bong. "Oh. Hey, Tami," Nikki said. Tami looked up and waved quickly before finishing her rip. "And hey, Shaun." They both shared an Italian-style greeting.

"I don't know these people. Who this?" Shaun said, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"I'm Virvanna, this is Arden. We're friends of Nikki's."

"Friends? You made friends?" Shaun began to laugh sarcastically. "Congrats, little one. You've finally interacted with real humans, not just paintings of them."

"Same," Arden whispered in my ear. We giggled at the true fact that Arden did have trouble interacting with other living beings.

"Well it's nice to meet you both," he nodded at Arden. Then he looked at me and said, "Very nice."

Eep.

"Did you want to take a hit? Got to start off the night on a good note right?"

"I think we're good. But if you got a beer for me?" I suggested.

"Two beers. I'm on it, cutie."

As he left the room, Arden and Nikki both looked at me with their jaws to the floor.

"He's into you." Nikki stated, crossing her arms and nodding as if she just solved JonBonnet's murder.

I immediately felt bad. Did I look at him the wrong way? Did I say something to piss off Nikki? It seemed like they were together, and I didn't want to cause any trouble. He was cute, VERY cute... But sadly, my heart was still stuck on one guy.

"Nikki, no way! I swear he probably isn't. He's yours!" I rushed to say.

"Me and Shaun? HA. Not exactly... My type... Or uh... Gender?"

My immediate thought was Arden. "That makes a lot of sense..." I looked back at her and winked. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you're not like... homophobic are you?" She seemed more concerned with my comfort than her own.

"No, definitely not. You do you, boo." I winked. "You don't happen to have an art-geek girlfriend at this party, do you?" I whispered.

"I barely talk to people. Remember?" she answered, chuckling at my 'absurd' question.