The Fifth Element

Chapter 4

"EEP!" I squeak in surprise as I feel my way-too-sensitive tummy being poked. I squint at a pleased-looking Lex, who is currently sitting on my legs. She bursts out laughing and I push her off with my right leg. She shrieks as she tumbles off of the bed. I chortle. Revenge!

"C'mon, Sky!" Lex whines, rubbing her sore backside. "Poking you was the only way to wake you up! Seriously, you sleep like a freaking boulder!" She waves her hands in the air and gives me a pointed look. "I mean, I could bring in a bunch of heavy-metal,  electric-guitar playing elephants and you would still be off in dream world the whole time! Plus-"

"Lex!" I cut her off as I giggle. "Those visual images! The will haunt me during all of my boring classes!"

Lex sighs. "You and your randomness..."

"Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?" I throw her a skeptical glance. "You're the one who came up with the weird example."

Lex pretends not to hear me. "We better get ready for class," she reminds me as she saunters toward the bathroom, closing the door behind her...and locking it. Dang it! Ever heard that old cliche that girls take forever in the bathroom? Lex must have been the inspiration for that saying. The girl takes two hours in there! Ah, well, time to find some other fellow student who would be willing to share their bathroom with me out of the kindness of their heart. As I gather some toiletries, I glance down at my fuzzy socks and yesterday's encounter with Nathan floods back into my memory. I smile to myself, thinking about how close we were, how he had actually tried to get to know me. I must have been really zoning out because I bumped into the ice Elemental from yesterday.

"Oof!" She grunted, falling flat on her butt.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I apologize, holding out an arm to help her up.

She shrugs, blinking her gray eyes, her short red hair bobbing as she shakes herself off. "You're Skylar, right? Wind elemental? One of us?"

I tugged on my sweatshirt. "M-hm. I go by Sky though. Aren't you Peri?"

She nods and gives me a sudden, friendly smile as she sees my bag of soap and shampoo. "Shower-hog roommate?"

I laugh. "Something like that."

"C'mon," she offers, waiting for me to follow her. I don't have a roommate...well I did, but she asked to move because apparently she's not the biggest fan of the cold. Point is," she summarizes. "Feel free to use our shower."

"Thanks," I respond gratefully as we reach her room. She unlocks the door and I notice that her tattoo, which is an ice crystal, is on the back of her neck. I duck into the room and she directs me to the shower. I happily hop into the...freezing cold water...

"Eek!" I yip, shifting the knob that changes the water to warmish-hot. Did she really bathe in this freezing water that only polar bears could possibly stand? I quickly rinse off and blow dry my hair. I replace my pajamas and thank Peri before heading back to my dorm room. Lex, of course, is still taking her sweet time in the shower. I slip on a fitted T-shirt and a thin jacket, along with a jean skirt and...you guessed it...Chuck Taylors. Once I'm dressed and ready to go, Lex bursts out of the bathroom, still wearing a towel.

"This sucks!" she pouts. She turns around and lets her towel fall down to where her spine ends. I all but stifle a laugh. Her tattoo is a tramp stamp. "Couldn't it have been on a normal place, like, I don't know, my ankle, or my arm?!"

"At least it's not on your face," I point out. Lex grimaces and stomps back into the bathroom to get dressed. "Ten minutes 'til class starts!" I warn her.

The two of us take our seats in calculus and Nathan turns around and flashes me a grin. "Long time no see."

I beam. "Did you get back before curfew?"