"Those" people

Chapter 2: Things were okay

Our first year of university was spent getting used to our newfound pleasurable life and appreciating it in the best way we could.

Our typical day back then went something like this. I usually woke up first, to read a book at sunrise with Artemis (my beautiful whippet's name). Toby was usually still awake by that time, so had to do a power nap to be able to function. I made myself a bitter coffee in one of my victorian cups and drank it while pouring over a new book while looking out the window. Eve joined me soon after and we had our early bird breakfast together, chatting about life, stories and video games, cats lounging lazily on our laps, dogs bouncing excited to start the day. Thankfully our two universities were only two minutes away from each other, and ten minutes from our house by bus. Imperial's classes started earlier, usually around nine, whereas the art school started at 10:30. This was good since Delilah and Arina woke up the latest. Arina woke up so late that us going to Imperial didn't see her in the mornings. We usually caught a glimpse of Delilah crawling out of her room (usually with a hangover), Zeus the grey cat in her hands.

Toby Eve and I were usually all sleepy on the bus to school, but still blasted music on our earphones that we shared with each other. When we got there, we split up for our first few periods, studying completely different subjects. but we spent any free time together, pacing through the halls and scaring away other people because of how loud and weird we acted. According to what I know from Delilah and Arina, they were usually late, both applying their makeup for far too long and running out the door. They had most classes together and did well in most of them.  Arina was the manager at a local cafe called The Hideout. It was covered in hanging plants that Arina sprayed with water everyday. The homemade muffins they served were carefully placed on china hand painted with blue flowers. The door had a bell that let out a sweet dingle every time someone entered. The door to the kitchen was held open with a small stuffed sheep that was always fluffy. We went home to fetch the dogs first so they didn't get frustrated alone at home then all had lunch together every day, sipping coffee and eating cafe food with Arina leaning carelessly over the counter.

After the afternoon classes ended, I spent a few hours after school at the library near our house with Artemis' head on my lap after having tired her out at the park along with Arina and Mania the golden retriever, Eve played video games, Arina worked at her cafe, Delilah played in her band with her boyfriend and Toby took his dog Gamzee with him to the closest hill to climb over. During the week we all met back up at our apartment and drank and chatted and watched shows until we slowly crawled into our rooms.

But Fridays were different. On Fridays we went back to The Hideout after class. She closed up the shop around seven, a few minutes earlier than she should have. She took us down to the basement where was stored the extra coffee. We had thrifted an old sofa and two chairs that were all completely mismatched. We settled into our usual seats, worn down from the weeks of late nights there. We picked up some drinks on our way and clinked them together.

'To us!'

Another thing to note were our fleeting relationships with other people. At the beginning of the school year, Delilah had gone to a protest, chanting about anarchism and ACAB. She had worn her usual slightly over the top punk clothing and hair, which scared off older generations. But, that is what made her stand out to Elliott. Elliott was a year older than us, and was over on an art scholarship from Italy. However he still had his perfect english since he was american, and had locked eyes with Delilah at the protest. He was wearing lace up doc martens, a pair of ripped crust pants and a shirt covered with rebellious pins saying all sorts of profanities against the government. He was also sporting chains and a ruffled head of dark hair with just a trace of blonde from previous dye attempts. He had a sharp, slightly feminine structure and was tall and thin. Long story short, they went to a few bars after, and discovered that they both loved music. Elliott was the lead singer in a rock band, and they were looking for a new guitarist after their old one had graduated and moved away. It seemed like destiny as Delilah excitedly told him that she played electric guitar. Their relationship was so perfect, even when they stumbled in loudly and slightly drunk at 2 AM waking everyone up, you couldn't help but smile slightly hearing them giggle.

Eve on the other hand, had a long string of boys that followed her around like lost puppies. She was the ideal girlfriend, with curves and the cutest smile. She was the ultimate girl next door, and to top it all off, she was obsessed with video games. No one judged her for her slight lack of commitment. If we had that opportunity, we all would have jumped at the opportunity. She brought back the boy, and we would all try to get to know him. She would then take him to her room and... Play videos till morning! That's all they seemed to do, at least according to Delilah.

Arina had the most adorable girlfriend, who shined almost as bright as Arina herself. She was called Luna. She had splashes of freckles on her nose and cheeks, and had the softest orange hair that curled at her shoulders. She was shorter that Arina and always wore primary colours. They had actually met at Arina's cafe. Luna had ordered Arina's favourite drink, so as a test Arina had thrown in her favourite muffin. As expected, Luna came to the counter to thank her and explain that it was her favourite. They later discovered that they both loved dogs, and when Arina mentioned her golden retriever, Luna went insane and insisted on meeting the dog. This of course led to more and more dated, where Arina painted while Luna cuddled with the dog, chatting away with Arina the entire time.

I was the least excited about a university romance, but I ended up falling for Asher, the boy I tutored for some extra cash during the weekends. We met up in my favourite place, the library, in a dusty corner where I helped him with his ancient literature, latin and greek studies. He had fluffy hair and constantly had headphones around his neck. He always wore a pair of ripped jeans along with a denim jacket. He had a soft face structure and I had trouble staying concentrated on Othello as I day dreamt about just hugging him. He ended up kissing me when I didn't expect it. He admitted that he didn't take any literature classes, and had used it as a means to get closer to me. I found it strangely intriguing, and made it my mission to teach him my passions. We spent hours curled up on my bed reading the oldest books we could find. He didn't buy me drinks in bars, he bought me books at bookstores. We had museum dates almost every week.

Toby had many issues regarding self image, and never noticed the long trail of girls completely enamoured with him. We tried to explain him, but he could never wrap his head around it and insisted no one liked him. That's why Maria came to us. She explained that she was in love with Toby and that they shared many classes, and also a passion for the outdoors. We decided to set them up alone in The Hangout's basement. It must have worked, because a few hours later they came home together. They had long dated in the hills, tracking and hiking together. They got together during the second year of university, and stayed together until stronger forces drove them apart