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I WALKED INTO CLASS TEN MINUTES LATE AND WITH A LARGE ICED COFFEE CLASPED IN MY HANDS.
There's something about learning from your friend's living room that releases every formality of a classroom ever created. I was late, and distracted, but all Arya did was tut disapprovingly and gesture for me to sit down. It was after "lunch," the hour-long break Arya usually stuck in at the middle of her lessons. I had abandoned the girls in favor of getting some coffee and "lost track of time."
There was a map clinging to her whiteboard with a magnet the shape of a strawberry, something about migration and cultural diffusion scribbled under messily drawn lines connecting bullet points spread throughout.
All three of them looked at me, confused, concerned, maybe a bit relieved, as I moved my arm in a carry on sort of way and grinned maniacally. Bianca was first to break the silence as she usually was and let a smirk play on her face as she looked me up and down.
"Just because you're in the middle of a mental breakdown," she said, eerily calm, yet still somehow smug, "doesn't mean you need to dress like it, Dom."
I grinned and snorted, passing Iris my coffee when her hands reached for it. The vest jacket thing hung around my shoulders was pretty hideous, especially because I made no effort whatsoever to wear it with something that actually matched. There was also something in the fur lining the hood that made me want to sneeze (it was an impulse purchase, I'm not allowed to be held accountable).
"I'm making a statement," I retorted easily. "Especially in the face of people like, you, B," I pointed with an easy grin, "always so quick to pass judgement on other people's methods of expression." I took a deep breath, adding on, "And, I'm not having a mental breakdown!"
Iris shook her head and cringed slightly at how sweet I had ordered my drink. "Dom," she said softly. "Are you seeing a therapist?" She paused in her movements for a second, holding one finger up to tell me to pause. "Also, is there alcohol in this?"
"I don't need a therapist," I grumbled, crossing my arms, "I'm fine."
Arya rose to her feet and grabbed the coffee from Iris' hands, sniffing it suspiciously. "Dominic, is there actually alcohol in this?"
Another impulse I couldn't help but go through with. I cringed. "In my defense," I mumbled, cringing again when all three of them yelled my name in admonishment. "In my defense," I said a little bit louder, "I didn't even have to pay him for it! All I did was ask the guy and he just fished out a flask without question."
Arya sighed, bowing her head and twisting her fingers together. "Okay, getting rid of the booze coffee," she muttered, setting it down on Iris' counter and walking back towards me. She hesitated for a second before crouching down until she was face to face with me from where I was splayed out on the couch. She reached nimble fingers and gingerly clasped his shoulder. "Get a therapist."
