Chapter 3

Zea's POV

There was a knock on the door. Thinking that it could only be Rider, I stood up in exasperation and tried to open the door for him, but Shanice jumped up with her shoelaces still untied, pushed me back, and tore the door open.

Shanice's body covered the visitor's body, but it couldn't be Rider. He was taller and stockier than Shanice.

"What do you want here? Go away!" my roommate hissed so quietly that I couldn't hear her. But my hearing had adapted over the years and now worked a lot better than normal hearing.

"Shanice I-" I heard a squeaky, frightened girl's voice behind her.

Curious, I stretched my neck to look over Shanice, but in vain. God didn't bless me with an impressive height.

My mind wandered briefly and I missed the answer Shanice gave, but I feared that she wasn't particularly friendly either. By now she had slammed the door shut and thrown her black hair over her shoulder, groaning.

Sometimes when I met new people, I wondered how they became the people they were.

What stories must have shaped and changed the people, what experiences and memories they honed into what made them special?

Shanice wasn't a special case. Her story was probably the same as that of thousands of teenagers her age: a devastating heartbreak at the hands of a boy whose name they wouldn't even know in ten years, or an inability to fit into categories at such a young age seemed to dominate life.

Who would be a hot football player if he wasn't popular?

What would a "nerd" be if people didn't make fun of him in the hallway and his thick horn-rimmed glasses and braces?

What would the stereotypical school mattress be if she didn't come to school every day in a miniskirt and no underwear?

People. They were people with different views, with different goals, and with different styles.

But I've seen again and again that young people in college and high school weren't aware of this, which somehow made me sad.

Shouldn't we focus on something other than appearances?

I jumped slightly when Shanice flicked her hand in front of my face and for a brief moment, I feared she was going to gouge out one of my eyes with her black claws.

“Are you little globetrotter listening to me?” she then asked dismissively and stood back up to her full height.

"Globe traveler?" I then asked confused, but she just put her arms on her hips. "Well, what else am I supposed to call you little bitch when you're up here-" she tapped my temple a few times with her plastic nails "Permanently in your dreams, huh?" She lifted my chin slightly and looked into my eyes as if I were a less-than-smart toddler.

Then she shook her head slightly, released my chin, and turned to the mirror, her back to me.

"So, globetrotter, which do you think suits me better? The black necklace or the wine-red necklace?" she then suddenly changed the subject and held the two necklaces in front of her cleavage as a test. They both looked terrible, but to be honest, I had little desire to deal with Shanice. If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that you should get into as few unnecessary arguments with unimportant people as possible.

Shanice, who was currently smugly looking at her slim body in the mirror, was such an unimportant person, which is why she was welcome to tease and tear me down as much as she wanted because it didn't seriously affect me.

"I'm talking to you!" The girl turned to me with a flourish and glared at me angrily through her amber-colored eyes. "I don't know, just ask your boyfriend," I replied dryly and got up from the bed. If Rider didn't slowly pick me up and this pubescent lunatic, I'd pick a party myself. It was very likely that this was even better than the lame student party that Rider tried to drag me to.

“Rider has as much fashion sense as a pea. The only things he wears are dark jeans and plain T-shirts. "You, on the other hand, look like you stepped straight off a high-fashion runway in New York," Shanice murmured as she placed the red necklace around her neck. I couldn't believe my ears. I seriously just fancied this girl paid a compliment.

Shanice seemed to notice my incredulous look through the mirror. “Just don’t imagine anything about it now. "Your style of clothing doesn't seem to be the worst, but your hair is a complete disaster," she then huffed and wrinkled her nose. I laughed quietly because I had already attracted as many envious looks for my hair as Shanice had ever even dreamed of.

There was a knock on the door, this time a little louder, and shortly afterward I heard a loud, masculine laugh, which was immediately answered by a second voice. Great, Rider had also brought his friends with him, the day couldn't have gotten any better.

"Shanice," the boy trilled happily as he hugged his girlfriend and then placed a quick kiss on her forehead. At the sight of it, my breakfast made itself felt in my throat and I had difficulty suppressing the gag. It just looked wrong. This dominant girl wrapped all over in black fabric and this robust, muscled, always cheerful guy. They went together like Jacob with Bella in the Twilight Saga or pink hair with a green dress. Not a bit.

It shouldn't bother me, as long as I survive this evening without giving myself the golden shot.

After briefly greeting his girlfriend, Rider came up to me with a big smile on his face and hugged me. A little taken aback and helpless, I let it go and waited a few seconds until he pulled away again.

He didn't seem to have noticed that I hadn't returned the hug but instead waved over to two strange boys who were standing around in the room looking a little lost and looking at the room with feigned interest.

"So dear Zea, these are Sean and TJ, two boys who happen to have the same circle of friends as me." Rider first pointed to the blonde, tall boy, whose muscles just jumped out at you.