Breathe

Chapter Ten

Thankfully, the exam-filled week passed quickly and I was now free for a month before university began again after the holidays. I feel as though a weight has completely lifted from my shoulders as I hand my last paper to the supervisor and walk out of the examination hall, knowing I have accomplished something I never thought possible. Despite the grade, I knew I would be happy knowing I had come so far in these past months than my several years of living with anxiety.

I enter the dorms and make my way to my room, passing several people on their way out, nodding my head in acknowledgment as they go. As I make my way towards the room, loud music resonates down the hall and I quickly recognise it as Luce's, my thoughts confirmed when I push the door open to her bouncing on her bed, fists pumping in excitement.

When she notices me in the doorway she coaxes me to join her, and without any encouragement, I join her on her bed as we celebrate. "It's over, it's over," Luce repeats over and over again.

I pause my jumping for a second, "At least until next semester," I laugh, but there's no amusement there because who enjoys the stress of studying and sitting exams.

Luce glares at me in response and this time I do laugh, amusedly, before she states, "Let's have a 24-hour girls party of two."

"What in the world is that?" Confusion ebbing in the.

"Well, half of today is already gone, so it can't be a girl's day/girls night. We haven't spent time together just us in forever and I want to remedy that," she pauses. "So, what do you say? Let's order a pizza, watch some movies and then tomorrow we can go to the beach looking pregnant... no boys allowed."

I smile at the thought, she was right. For a long time, everything we did together was with the boys in tow and whilst there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with that, it would be good to do things just us occasionally.

So that's what we do. We order two large pizzas, one Margherita and the other a new veggie one we decided we should give a go. Luce and I also found an assortment of snacks and sweets that we could also eat while we watch our movies, settling on a Disney movie marathon because we're 5-year-olds.

We were now onto the movie Brave and I was in the middle of telling Luce the theory connecting this movie to Pixar's Monsters Inc. "So, basically, people believe that the witch is actually 'Boo' because she's obsessed with bears and in one of her wood carvings you actually see 'Scully'. There's a whole lot of other evidence, but it's too much explaining and I'm lazy." Luce and I laugh together as our phones ding simultaneously, messages from our boyfriends.

Hey, Doe. My exam just finished and I was thinking we could celebrate? Can I come over? I bought ice-cream ;)

The mention of ice cream with my one-track mind tempts me to ditch Luce and spend the night with him instead.

Congratulations! I'm so proud of you x What flavour did you say the ice cream was?

I didn't. But for your information, it's cookie dough.

I can sense his humour all the way from my dorm room. Fuck, that shit is good, but I promised Luce and I wasn't about to go back on it, even though ice cream was everything and he owed me.

I'm sorry, but I promised Luce we would spend tonight just us two.

Tomorrow? We can go to the waterpark?

Damn, why does he know just the right things to say to entice me. But I would remain a stone wall, strong and unmovable, just this once.

Rain check? Luce and I are hanging out tomorrow as well :)