Bet ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 5: Snow's Jewels

The clock flashed 3:32 a.m., another minute disappearing from view...and I was still awake. Still awake and dreading each second that ticked by. Still awake though my eyes begged me to close them. Still awake and not a damn thing I could do to change that. I was awake, and my thoughts were racing rampant through my mind. And those early morning hours were leaving a bitter taste in the air.

I breathed in a haggard breath and rolled from my side to my back, my gaze lifting to the ceiling above me. That same white surface I had seen the morning before bathed in golden hues was now drenched by the pitch-black shadows of the night, only a few faint artificial gleams gently brushing over the ceiling. The night hours had allowed the inky blanket to cover all the surfaces in my dorm room, masking each piece of furniture and item with a tint of gray. To be honest, it was all somewhat eerie to me.

The nighttime was suddenly mocking me, reminding me of how I had four short hours until I had to get up and start my day. Normally I would have been sound asleep, my mind starting to stir at a later hour, say anywhere from 6:30 to 8:15, but it seemed that day would be different as I hadn't even drifted off to sleep. I had been laying in my bed, tossing and tuning with my thoughts swirling. Sleep seemed hopeless.

"Son of a bitch," I growled, pulling my comforter back.

I climbed to my feet, my soles scuffing the lush carpet beneath me with each step I took. The warmth of the air wrapped around me, but it couldn't keep me from wondering to my hamper. I dug into it and fished out the clothes I had worn the day before. I'd be changing for classes later after taking a shower, but at that moment I didn't care. I just had to get dressed -I just had to get out of that room.

I shimmied into my jeans and quickly pulled my sweater over my head after sliding my bra on. I jumped into my combat boots and shrugged on my leather MRU coat. At that, I gathered my keycard and ID and left, slowly and quietly closing the door behind me. Technically speaking, since I still lived on campus itself, I was breaking curfew. Students were expected to be in the dormitory by eleven and in their rooms no later than a quarter till midnight (11:45) and granted permission to leave their rooms 6:30 during week days. Student apartments, however, allowed students to come and go whenever they chose. To be honest, I wished I could afford one of the units, but a singles dorm room it was...which was a hell of a lot better than the doubles.

So, there I was at 3:30 in the morning tiptoeing down the corridor, making sure not to make a peep. I skimmed around me, assuring myself that no one was lurking, which there wasn't. Unlike myself, everyone was most likely sound asleep. Actually, there was no guessing it. They were asleep. I was the only weirdo who was up at that Godforsaken hour.

Finally, I reached the elevator and pressed the button, the doors automatically sliding open. I hurried into the lift and pressed the button for the main floor, signaling to the doors to once more slide shut. The elevator hummed to life, the buzzing of the light overhead humming quietly, its fluorescent brilliance almost too bright for my eyes. At the same time, I appreciated the gleams. At least it didn't mock me as the shadows did.

After a few moments of listening to the quiet buzzing of the light, the elevator came to a stop, the doors sliding open to reveal an almost completely dark lobby, only a handful of floodlights casting their dull hues through the main area. It was almost creepy in a way, but nothing too uncanny. It just all made me think of a zombie horror movie. Okay...maybe it was a little eerie.

But, creepiness aside, I pressed on. I took my leave from the elevator and began to walk, still moving slowly as I pushed through the doors. Thankfully they had no alarms on them as I would have been busted at that moment, but I had my ID just in case. If worse came to worse, I could have cried wolf and claimed there was a family emergency that called for my attention at that horrible hour. However, I didn't see anyone patrolling the area -at least, not at that moment which gave me the optimal time to get the hell out of there.