Help Line

fourteen

Emily pulled on the belt tightly, wincing as she did so. In the mirror, her reflection did the same, her features twisting into a grimace.

She stood alone in her small dorm room, her roommate having been absent since the past hour. Phoebe would be here any minute, and Emily had just figured out what she would wear to the dinner after trying on many clothes: a modest long-sleeve shirt paired with jeans that ended above her ankles.

A knock sounded at the door, and Emily looked over herself in the mirror once more before hurrying to open the door. As she expected, Phoebe stood on the other side, her usually wild mass of brown curls just barely tamed in a fishtail braid.

"Do you think this is okay to wear to dinner?" Emily asked Phoebe, gesturing to herself.

Phoebe shrugged. "It's not bad." Emily frowned a bit at her words, though she tried not to show it as she glanced down at herself. Maybe she should change into something else.

Before she could do so, Phoebe grabbed her arm and dragged her out. Emily barely had time to shut the door behind her as she was pulled along by Phoebe.

"Thanks again for coming with me to this dinner," Phoebe told her as they rushed down the stairs towards the entrance of the building.

Emily scoffed. "Even if I didn't agree to go, I'm sure you would've still forced me to go," she stated in a playful tone.

Phoebe smiled back at her. "You're right, I would have."

They walked out of the dorm building, and Emily shivered as the cold night air washed over her, leaving goosebumps in their wake. A car sat parked close by, its brake lights shining brightly in the dark. Phoebe pointed at the car.

"There's Michael and his friend," she informed Emily as they neared the car.

"Who is this friend anyways?" Emily asked, curious.

Phoebe shrugged. "I don't really know him. All I know is he's a junior and lives in the same hall as Michael."

Emily didn't think much more on this as they reached the car. Phoebe pulled open the door and slid inside, and Emily mimicked her actions. She waved and smiled at Michael in the driver's seat, who returned her greeting.

"Happy birthday, Michael," Emily told him as she shut the door, trapping the cold air outside. She noticed now the young man sitting in the passenger seat who was staring back at her with a surprised expression, though Emily didn't know why.

"Thanks, Em," Michael said. "By the way, this is my good friend, Levi. I don't think you two have met." Michael gestured towards the blond male whom Emily had just noticed.

She felt a smile pull at her lips at his name, thinking immediately of the boy she has been talking to for the past few weeks. "It's nice to meet you."

Emily expected a quick response or acknowledgement, but Levi instead sat staring at her for a couple more seconds before blinking rapidly. He cleared his throat.

"It's nice to meet you too."

This time, it was Emily's turn to stare at him. His voice...

As if seeing her connect the dots, Levi finally grinned warmly at her. "What are the odds, huh, love?"

Emily was frozen in shock, her mouth agape. Phoebe and Michael were looking between the two of them, sharing confused looks. However, she paid the siblings no mind as she continued to stare at Levi.

He was here. In front of her. And she was talking to him in person.

"Holy shit."

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Finally updated! Sorry for the long wait everyone. I recently just finished with school (thank goodness omfg) and now it's officially summer for me! I'm so excited to have a break, and this means more writing time/graphic time! So hopefully I'll be updating more often :)