Honey and Milk

7: Voices.

Dream

I fell back in my chair with a groan, my fingers getting forced into the mess that was my unkempt hair. It was late at night, during a time when Nick and I were both in our dorm at the same time, quite a rare occasion.

"Will you shut up? I'm trying to watch Criminal Minds!" Nick growled, turning over and forcing his blanket over his head.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the project at hand. I stared at the line I was working on, a mess of functions and commands. I'd had something in mind, and it had been my main focus for almost 2 weeks, but I was stumped. Completely stumped. "Sap, this is actual torture."

"You're the one who wanted to do it, dumbass." He sighed, pulling out his earbuds and shifting over to the end of his bed, pulling out a guitar. Even if Nick didn't show affection, he always knew the small things to help calm me down, even if I never verbally stated I wanted help.

The strum of the guitar was soft, his voice sounding sweet with the melodies. It was an immediate feeling of calm as the tunes caught on my mind. I could feel the ideas beginning to swirl, so with a quick crack to my knuckles, the typing continued.

"So, after the big meet, there's that campus Halloween activity, right?" Nick paused, still faintly strumming the guitar. I hummed in response, only half listening. "Well, who's the lucky lady you're gonna take? I hope it isn't gonna be some bitch like Quinn last year." I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

The Halloween Bash, a big outdoor event where there was music, movies, and fun. Even under the watchful gaze of staff, plenty of alcohol and other narcotics were distributed to enhance the experience. As a freshman the previous year, it wasn't the most enjoyable as I was more focused on acting cool around the more knowledgeable students. And, being the blind ass I was, invited the first girl who I'd come across.

Quinn Fran, a gorgeous brunette who would make anyone melt. She had a charm and sass to her step, but levelled it with a pure kindness I hadn't seen before. Of course, that was her opening before she tried to stuff herself down all your friends' pants. Thank god I had decent companions who didn't fall under her spell as easily, but Techno knew what he was doing. I'd never really forgiven him after finding him behind a porta-potty, face mashing with my date's. But, with team bonding, the feud between us had grown thinner. Still, it doesn't take a genius to see the constant competition between us.

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. I've been more focused on training and stuff. I'd like to try and get my skills out there early before the big 10." I dismissed the idea. Frankly, I couldn't really find a connection with any girls I knew after Quinn. Nothing sat right, maybe it was just my trust being shattered.

"Don't worry, there are plenty of cuties in my calc class. There's this dove named Poppy who I think you would fit well with." I knew Nick was only trying to help, but I really couldn't find the time and energy to focus on relationships.

"Maybe another time, just wait until after the meet. Please." I added at the end, knowing that he would get my message and back off.

Oh how love can be so time consuming.

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I leaned against the counter, idly tapping messages on my phone. It turns out Nick was more persistent that I thought and had managed to slip Poppy's contact into my phone while I was asleep. I guess she also got the push on her end, as the first text I'd received held as much timid emotion as bland words could muster.

Poppy: Um, is this Clay?

I won't lie, I'd decided to wait a couple hours before shooting back a simple response. Just a 'yes, who is this?' to satisfy her. Since then, we'd had some dry conversations, but I'd written her up as a sweet girl. No decisions yet though, I wouldn't fall down that pit again.