HARD TIMES ━ lip gallagher²

01 | the panama canal

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"NO, NO!" AMARA SHOUTED, starting up the yelling again just after they had dialed down, almost completely forgetting that they'd just gotten a warning to stay quiet. It was nearly one in the morning, but it slipped her mind as she watched a green draw four card get put in front of her. "I said red. Red! Can you not hear? Are you listening? No- We aren't stacking!"

"You're fucking lame!" Her roommate accused, snatching her card back up. "Stacking is what makes the game fun."

"Why did I just get a text from George asking if I shave my asshole?"

"Literally nobody likes stacking!" Amara retorted, completely speaking over the other, and most relaxed girl in the room, who was currently on her phone, trying to ignore their mindless bickering for the third time that hour because of Uno.

"Everybody likes stacking!"

"Logan, you do not count as everybody!"

"No, I count as sexy and you count as annoying. Let me stack!"

"Oh, actually, he asked if I shaved my butt crack," she interjected again. "You know, somehow that's just way more personal than asshole."

"We are not stacking."

"Are too!"

"I will literally shove my knee into your eye socket."

"Good luck reaching me, short ass."

"You know what—"

"How do I even answer a text like this? I mean, do I lie and say yes? How do you shave your ass? Does anyone shave their ass? And like the crack part of it, is that important to my reply too? Is it even possible to get your razor up through there? I mean, my ass is like the Panama Canal."

"Take out the C and it's just anal!" Amara threw over her shoulder, wrestling Logan for her deck of cards back.

"Payton!" Logan whined, looking to her friend. "Tell her we're stacking so I can hurry up and win this thing."

"Oh," Payton smiled sweetly at the both of them, and Amara felt her brows raise when the brunette gestured to her area, and she quickly realized that the girl had no cards left. "I've already won."

"You're joking," Logan dropped Amara's arms to stare at Payton with a mixture of disbelief and pride, though to be fair, she always looked at Payton like that. As if she was somehow just seeing her for the first time, but Amara would never say anything to her about it.

"I am not," Payton responded, grinning, and she stood up. "I was going to see how long it took you two to notice, but you lot were too busy arguing. You know, that was the most intense game of Uno I've ever seen before."

Amara huffed and grabbed all of the cards to put them back into the box as Logan stood up as well. Her roommate went and collapsed onto her own bed, while Payton moved to grab her bag.

It had only been about a week since Amara had arrived at New York. Luckily, she had ended up with a good roommate. One of her biggest concerns was that she'd be stuck with some spoiled bitch who would flaunt their money around in front of her.

Logan was alright. She was better than alright—she'd been the only one willing to help a lost Amara on her first day—and they had just ended up as roommates. Maybe fate wasn't so bad, after all. Logan was funny, she matched Amara's wit easily, and never complained when Amara asked to borrow her laptop.

Amara watched as she pulled up her curly hair into a tight bun, and flopped onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Logan was extremely pretty—which only added to her charm. Her dark skin was always so smooth and clear, and she definitely had the best wardrobe at campus. Both Logan's parents worked as professors for the college, and that meant well for Amara, because she loved the free t-shirts Logan tossed her way since she already had so many.

Payton, on the other hand, was an English exchange student with a heavy British accent. Amara had no idea how her and Logan had met, but she was grateful the three of them had become friends. College wasn't so scary if you had other people just as terrified of growing up as you were.

Logan propped herself up on her elbows once Payton straightened, her bag strapped across her back. "Leaving already?"

"Boooo," Amara poked out her tongue. "You never stay."

"Yeah, join us for a sleepover."

Payton glanced between the two of them with a teasing smirk. "As if I'd get to sleep with the two of you arguing the whole time."

"It's just playful banter," Amara stuck out her foot and gently kicked Payton in the side. "We don't mean it."

"Speak for yourself," Logan grinned, and chucked a pillow at her from across the room. Amara flipped her middle finger up as Payton stepped towards the door. "Aw, come on, you're really leaving?

"Yeah," Payton offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Besides, Need to call my brother. Check in make sure he's okay. It's nearly five at home, he should be getting up for school soon and I don't want to bother you guys."

"Not a bother," Amara shook her head, and Logan fully sat up, legs dangling over the edge of her bed.

"Yeah, we don't mind. I have to listen to Amara dirty talk to her boy toy on her phone at two am all the time so I'm pretty much used to it."

Amara threw the pillow back at her. "I do not dirty talk."

"Do too."

"I don't," she rolled her eyes. "At least with you in the room."

Payton shook her head. "Yup, now I'm officially out."

"You scared her away!" Logan glared as Payton laughed.

"See you guys tomorrow."

Amara waited until the door was fully shut before she turned to look at Logan, who had fallen onto her back again. "Do I really dirty talk with you in the room?"

She could see Logan's lips turn up into a smirk. "No, but I can practically feel the horniness roll off you every time he texts or calls."

Amara face palmed, feeling her face flame. "You did not just say that."

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a/n

a bit short but i wanted to get u guys introduced to the new setting for amara