The Divine Demon - Book 3: Your Hero

5. Welcoming Party (Part 1)

At nine o'clock exactly, Riarshi opened the front door to his dorm with his hands in his pockets and a somber expression on his face. 

Being the last door on the left, he had the entire length of the hallway before him as he stepped out of his apartment. With the dress code for the party an unknown factor, he played it safe and fixed himself up in his only button-up shirt and a pair of denim jeans. He didn't take the time to change out of his slippers, though. He was already running late.

He looked down into the distance. At the far end of the hall were the girl's dorms, marked by a single pink sign hanging from the ceiling. On Riarshi's end of the hall were the boy's, also marked by a similar sign, but in blue. These together made the A-wing of the HQ's Internship dormitories.

In total, there were twelve apartments on this wing - five girls and seven boys. If Riarshi did the math right, that meant there would be three new male faces at this party. Thankfully, he already knew most of his neighbors.

Pacing down the long, narrow hallway, he passed by doors that read "Tabito Clarke", "Leon Craft", "Adachi Rivera", and...

"Felix Watson."

He stopped in his tracks. Gods, dammit. Riarshi cursed in his mind's voice.

Riarshi's stomach curled as he grit his teeth. He already didn't want to go to this stupid party, but now he'd rather take whatever punishment they threw at him for skipping. Sighing, he knew he couldn't, though. That decision would inevitably fall back on Tabito and Hara, too. They were a squad now, and he'd be damned if his own issues placed a heavier burden on them than they already did.

Riarshi continued walking down the hallway with his eyes at the floor. The carpet had a fancy artistic design in it that drew his attention. His eyes then drifted to the tall, bright white walls, the brilliantly lit ceiling, and even the edging of the wall that failed to contain even a speck of dust.

Even with a strict cleaning schedule, Riarshi's old apartment was never this tidy.

At the center of the hall between the separated halves, a wide archway rose above the rug which led into the A-wing common room. He could hear the mumbling of chatter and the sound of music coming from the other side of the wall. 

Once he turned the corner, there'd be no going back. He'd have to face what stood infront of him. Riarshi took in a deep breath, said a silent prayer, then walked under the archway.

As he expected, this room was as massive and beautiful as anything he'd seen before. To his left was a spacious kitchen, fitted with multiple stainless-steel stoves, microwaves, and sinks for the residents to use at their convenience. To the right was a sunken lounge area, equipped with a large screen TV, multiple couches, and a few tables set off to the side. In the back sat a pool table, dart board, and pinball machine, all set up on a raised platform for leisurely gaming. 

Once again, Riarshi felt extremely out of place. So many offerings in such a large area. This new life of luxury felt so foreign.

Maybe he was being dramatic. Even so, he couldn't deny his true feelings.

He stood in the archway and looked around the room, examining the combination of faces new and old. The first face he recognized was Felix's, who was in the middle of a cheerful conversation with a slim, taller blonde he hadn't seen before. 

The boys briefly made eye contact, and Felix's smile faded. He sent Riarshi a nasty, narrowing glare, and Riarshi sent one right back.

The blonde, noticing that Felix's attention had drifted somewhere over her shoulder, turned around. Her eyes widened when she spotted Riarshi in the distance. Surprisingly, she offered a small smile.