End Up Here

they would yell, they would scream, they were fighting it out

Calum walks me back to my dorm after getting an umbrella from his room. I think it's so ironic that we're in a city that never rains, and the only times we've seen each other, it's raining. It's around 9:30 and it's dark, so we both have our phone flashlights on. A short while later, we make it to my building and he holds the door open for me. We're standing awkwardly in the lobby until he says, "I know this night didn't really go as planned, but I definitely had a great night."

"I'm sorry for-"

"Stop, Nova. All I want is for you to be comfortable." He squeezes my hand and I am filled with warmth. 

Instinctively, I reach out and give him a hug. "Thank you, I appreciate it." We pull apart and stand awkwardly again until he says goodbye and I say it back. 

I make my way to the elevator thinking about the night I just had. I can't help but feel like I messed it up somehow, even though he says I didn't. I can't wait to hear what Lia has to say about all this!

I get to my door, realizing I don't have my key, and knock. A moment later, Lia opens the door, looking annoyed. I walk in, unsure why she seems mad. 

"Hey, guess what just happened!" I say, hoping she snaps out of it.

"Where have you been? It's 9:30!" she exclaims.

"What do you mean, where have I been? I don't need to tell you my whereabouts all the time."

"Just tell me where you've been, Nova," Lia says, looking like she's about to cry.

"Um, I was...just... kissing Calum. By the dumpster."

Instantly, Lia's face becomes even more hurt. "You know, you haven't even said a single thank you to me. None of that would've happened if I didn't take you to their show. And now you missed girls night!"

My heart sank. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry Lia! I lost track of time and-"

"Just forget it Nova, I'm going to bed."

"Already? Look, just hear me out!"

"Stop Nova. I said I'm not talking about this. Leave me alone."

At this point, I'm on the verge of tears, just wishing Lia would hear me out. Instead, she puts in her AirPods and blasts some loud punk music.

"What the hell?" I say. "You don't even listen to punk music!" 

"Shut the fuck up Nova." Right away, she changes it to Ariana Grande and jumps into her bed, burrowing under the covers. I can still hear "No Tears Left to Cry" though. I decide to get in bed and listen to music myself. Taunting her, I begin to play 5 Seconds of Summer. "18" is the first song that comes on my "On Repeat" playlist on Spotify. That whole playlist is basically just 5SOS at this point. It was perfect because it was loud and would definitely be heard through my AirPods. I can tell that Lia's song ends, because she immediately whips her head in my direction, obviously hearing that 5SOS is playing. She shoots me a nasty look and sits up. "I'm done with you. I'm sleeping in the fucking bathtub. Thanks a lot." 

I gulp. I still haven't peed yet. She grabs her blanket, pillows, and phone. I get up to try and go to the bathroom before Lia goes to bed, but she run in before me and locks me out. Great. Can't wait to use the nasty ass communal bathrooms that get cleaned once in a blue moon. I put my head in my hands and sigh. I didn't need her to end up like this, but she had been so aggressive. I wish she had just given me the chance to explain myself. And technically it wasn't THAT late. We totally could've watched a movie for girls night. Whatever.

I decide to leave the room and get a snack in the dining hall. I grab my phone and wallet and make my way downstairs. Thankfully it stopped raining and it was only a short walk away. There were maybe 10 other people there, and Maisy was one of them. I immediately go to her. As usual, she's wearing a flannel, but her brown hair is in a ponytail. She waves hi to me and motions for me to sit next to her. I take a seat at the table and she asks, "Hey, what are you doing here this late?"

I laugh, "Well, it's a long story." I explain everything to Maisy, starting when Calum asked me to dinner, all the way up to Lia sleeping in the bathtub. 

"Wow," she says. "That's... unfortunate." I sigh.

"I know, so I'm trying to escape it. How have you been though?" 

"Eh. I've been better." 

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really right now. Maybe some other time though." 

I nod, "It was nice seeing you! I'm gonna go grab a brownie. I'll see you around!"

"Good night, Nova."

I grab my food then head back to my dorm, wondering what Maisy had been sad about. Probably nothing major. I go to take my keys out of my pocket and realize I had forgotten them yet again. There's no way Lia would open the door for me now. Fuck. I put my plate on the ground. I consider calling Calum but realize that it would be too weird for me to sleep in his dorm this soon. The next best option is of course, Maisy. And at least she would understand my situation. I send her a text and she says that I can come to their dorm, but they Evie had a guest of her own. I was alright with that but wondered who it was. She gives me the dorm number and I start walking. Once I arrive, I text Maisy and within a minute she opens the door for me. Immediately I spot bright red hair and realize it could only be one person... Michael. 

"Oh hey, Nova!" he calls out. "Feels like I just saw you storm out of our dorm!" 

I laugh nervously. "Well, you did. But hi to you too. Hey Evie." She waves to me.

"Don't worry Nova, I'm leaving here in a minute," Michael says.

We all sit around talking for the next five minutes until Michael leaves. After that we get ready for bed. They have a couch in their room, so I decide to crash on that. It doesn't take long for me to drift asleep, memories of the night replaying in my head.