6

Ping!

I pick my phone up, checking it and smiling. I quickly text her back. Just as quickly, I set my phone back down on my comforter and continue the conversation with Echo and Lucien.

Ping! ... Ping!

I check again, giggling at her messages this time. As I type, lots of soft taps echo through the room and break the spouts of sarcasm flowing from my friends' mouths. Their eyes flick over to me for a moment before continuing to bicker.

...

...

Ping!

"Jesus, gimme that!" Echo sighs, ripping my phone from my hand. "You've been on your phone all day!"

"She just started messaging me!" I argue, climbing over the dhampir to try and get my phone back with little success.

"Yeah, when we got here. Three hours ago!" Echo licks my ear and I screech, retracting.

"She, you say?" Lucien raises his eyebrows, snatching my phone from Echo's hand with ease. I try to fight my way over to the texts they're so obviously reading as Echo pushes me back, gawking at the screen in Lucien's hand.

"Give it back!" I grunt.

"No! We're supposed to be hanging out and you're texting someone named.. 'pretty bitch?'" Echo chuckles, scrolling through my conversations with Kina. "You guys are so flirting!"

"No we're not! We're just... talking." I back down, crossing my arms. My face feels hot for some reason.

"You're flirting!" Lucien cackles wildly. "You're too down bad." He shakes his head, snorting as his laughter dies out.

"Invite her over to study!" Echo gasps, shaking me until each part of my brain is reorganized into a different spot.

"I'm not doing that." I push her away from me, shaking my head. "That's stupid."

"It's not stupid, she is so into you!"

"And you're bad at flirting with her." Lucien butts in, making faces as he reads my texts. "We can get you a life coach for this, you know."

"Give." Echo yanks my phone back, pressing the green phone icon in the top right corner of the screen and shoving it toward me.

"No, why would you ever--!"

Bwoop! Kina answers the phone after the first ring.

"Hey, Kina." I force a smile into my voice, drawing out nearly every vowel of my words as I scowl at Echo.

"Hey, you." Her voice floats through the phone - the most beautiful noise I have ever heard. Echo and Lucien begin snickering softly, silently urging me to continue.

"So-- I was, um, wondering if you-- oh god-- if you wanted to come over and help me study." I stutter out, making Lucien fake being stabbed in the chest before falling back on my bed with a soft thump.

"Yeah! Does today work?" Laughter trickles through her voice and my eyes widen.

"Today-- Like-- Right now?" Gay panic seizes me and Echo has to punch my arm to bring me back. I look over at my friends for confirmation that she can come over; they nod.

"Yeah." She verifies my terrible stuttering.

"That's good. Yeah. When are you available?" Even I cringe at how formal I sound.

"I can come over right now. If that's cool, of course."

"Yes!" I clear my throat. "Yeah. That works."

"Cool. Where do you live?" She asks, a bit of ruffling coming through the line before the click of a pen is heard.

"I'll text it to you. See you soon."

"Bye--" Her long, drawn-out closure is cut off by me hanging up.

Immediately, my friends tackle me, sarcasm and screaming becoming so lost in each other that it's hard to understand anything. Echo is shaking me violently again, shouting at me about... something. It's definitely about Kina but I can't make out the emotion or really what their words are. Lucien is laying next to me, kicking me with socked feet and talking about that flirting life coach again. "Guys!" I shriek, silencing the room after what feels like an eternity.

Echo lets go of my shoulders in shock. I fall back onto the mattress, my upper body making a soft thunk; the only sound in the room beside the ringing in my ears. "Huh?" Echo asks softly, almost as if they feel like they're the only person who heard me nearly scream at the top of my lungs.

"Stop." I shake my head, sitting up and turning to stare at my friends. "Kina is coming over because of you." I point at both of them, still holding my phone in my left hand with four fingers.

"And?" Lucien asks, his voice quivering softly. He's afraid of me. Good.

"And I look horrible. My hair is a mess because someone was shaking me," I glare at Echo. "And I'm literally in my pajamas because it was just going to be us today. Now, it's your problem to fix me."

"Simp." Lucien bellows, laughing as he crosses to my closet. "I got you." He says, pulling out a full outfit and setting it on my bed.

"Already?" I gasp, looking at the glorious array that I had never even thought of before.

"Lusc is a genius when it comes to this stuff. He has a gift 'cause he used to--"

"Yo." He crosses his arms, raising his eyebrows at Echo. Then, he turns to me, "I'm trans." He tells me quietly. "Apparently I'm still really good at being a girl." He chuckles awkwardly.

I straighten on my bed, dropping the garments. It never would have donned on me if he wouldn't have told me. And I guess he feels like he owes the information to me. I stand on my knees, waddling over as close as I can get to him. I pull him by his arm closer to me, crashing his body into mine in a very awkward hug. He stiffens, his arms shaking at my sides before he finally relaxes, wrapping his arms loosely around me. "You didn't have to tell me that," I whisper to him.

"Echo almost said it anyway." He scoffs like his voice isn't quivering. I know it was a big step to take, especially with almost a complete stranger.

"It's not like she cares." Echo groans. They wait for a beat, looking over at us with soft eyes. "Still, not cool of me to out you."

"Okay, Kina's coming over soon." I pull away from Lucien, picking up the outfit he put together for me. "Thank you for this bomb outfit." I admire the black crop top and black distressed jeans, loving the contrast my sparkly, sheer purple shirt gives.

"It should make up for your atrocious flirting." Lucien cackles.

"C'mon." Echo stands, pulling Lucien over to my door. "Her girlfriend will be here soon. We gotta go."

"She's not my girlfriend!" I argue as they open the door, ushering themselves out.

"Not yet!" Lucien calls back, closing my door so I can get ready. Oh boy.

~

"What is the Krebs Cycle?" Kina asks, flipping to a new flash card.

"Uh..." I pan out, playing around with the plant on my nightstand. I've been trying my hardest this entire study session to pay attention but somehow, I always come back to this plant. "The cycle of Krebs?"

"C'mon." She giggles, nudging me with her shoulder. "The test is at the end of the week, you need to know this stuff."

"I can't believe Mr. X is making me take this test. All of the other teachers are exempting me!"

"He's an ass." She sighs, shaking her head. "The year just started, this shouldn't be that hard to learn."

"It started over a month ago! I got here last week. This is not what October is supposed to be about." I cross my arms over my chest as I turn away from the plant, pouting.

"What's it supposed to be about, then?" She asks, cocking her head and setting the flash cards down.

"Ghosts and Halloween and spooky season! At least one person should die." I state, starting quite a bit of laughter from the both of us.

"Well, I don't think anyone's gonna die." She shakes her head, her laughter dying out. "But we do throw some sick parties. You should come to one." She smiles, settling her hand on my knee and shaking it lightly.

"They sound fun." I chuckle lightly. When my warm breath hits my lips again, I realize just how close our faces have gotten.

"They'll be more fun with you there." She tells me, closing the small gap between us in a perfect kiss.