Chapter Text
“Why is your room always so frickin’ cold?” A girl — around sixteen — grumbled, cuddling closer to a boy only a year older.
“I’m a hot guy,” The boy answered, happily allowing the girl to cling to him.
“Damn right, you are.”
“Wait— no— I didn’t mean it like that—” The boy flushed and the girl snickered. He batted her on the head lightly and huffed — “Meanie.” — the girl only snickered more.
Their voices were quiet— mixing in with the pitter-patter of the rain outside and the occasional soft rumble of thunder.
The room was caked in a soft, orange hue, the only light source coming from a single lamb by the boy’s bedside. Meanwhile, the teens lay together in bed, the boy on his back — slightly elevated by pillows — and the girl nuzzled up to his side, using his chest as her own personalized pillow. Together, they watched YouTube on the boy’s phone, a funny dog and cat compilation playing.
The girl huffed, “We’ve already seen all these.”
“Wanna try hamsters instead?”
“No. Their ‘fails’ will probably be them dying after sniffing butter.”
The boy gasped rather dramatically, “Uzi!! Don't say that!!”
The girl — Uzi — snorted and hit the boy’s chest, “Oh, shut the hell up.”
The boy giggled before idly scrolling through the recommendation section, trying to find something different to watch. As he did that, Uzi remembered the bandage on her elbow and started picking at it. The boy stopped her.
“Don’t,” He hummed, his eyes glued to the screen as he grabbed her hand.
“But the urges. The voices, ” Uzi mumbled, making grabby hands towards her elbow and trying to escape the boy’s hold.
“That’s your last bandage. You’re gonna regret wasting it.”
“Says who?”
“Says you! ” The boy huffed with a smile, setting his phone down, “You told me, and I quote, ‘N, if I try to peel this off later, stop me. It’s my last one.’”
Uzi rolled her eyes, “Uh-huh, sure, likely story. I don’t remember that.”
“You do, you little liar!” N laughed.
Uzi groaned, throwing her head back dramatically, “Alright, alright, fine. ”
N narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her before nodding in approval and releasing her hand.
“…SIKE!!” Uzi cackled manically before going to rip the bandage off.
“Damnit— I knew you were lying!!” N cried before abruptly shooting up, flipping the two around so he was on top and Uzi was caged beneath him, her hands pinned to the sides of her head. She looked unamused.
“You suck,” Uzi deadpanned and this time it was N’s turn to snicker.
“And you’re silly,” He mused, a look of pure love and admiration on his face. Uzi flushed and yanked one of her hands free, shoving his face away from her.
“Don’t make such a stupid face,” She grumbled.
“All I did was smile at you!”
“Shut up!! You smell!!”
“Huh!?”
“Both of you shut the hell up, it’s two in the morning!!” A third, foreign voice scolded loudly from down the hall, causing the pair to freeze and make matching, guilty faces.
“…Look what you did. You got us in trouble,” Uzi accused.
“Excuse me? You started yelling first,” N argued, his voice barely above a whisper now.
“No proof.”
“Oh, whatever, ” N said with a roll of his eyes while Uzi giggled mischievously.
The room became comfortably quiet after that; the rain, thunder, and N’s window unit created the perfect mix of white noise.
N stared down at Uzi with that same soft look while she glared up at him with reddened cheeks, though her glare held no real malice.
“I love you,” N admitted suddenly, “You know that?”
Uzi snorted lightly, “You tell me every day.”
“Good. I’m gonna keep doing that.”
“You’re weird,” Uzi huffed, the red on her cheek growing darker, “…I love you too.”
N’s small smile widened just a bit and he leaned down—
Uzi jolted awake to the sound of her alarm— her heart pounding in her chest from the scare.
She quickly came to her senses and glared at her phone, dismissing the alarm.
I really need to change that. She told herself after being jumped scared by her alarm for the umpteenth time. She never did.
Trying not to linger on her dream, Uzi sat up and sketched, idly taking note of her cold room and the sound of rain outside.
Knock, knock!
Uzi glanced at her bedroom door and saw Lizzy peeking in.
“You up?” She asked, her tone flat.
“No, I’m sound asleep and having the most wonderful dream,” Uzi deadpanned.
“Well, get up,” Lizzy said before walking off. Uzi stuck her tongue out at the girl— even if she couldn’t see it by then.
Without further hesitation, Uzi forced herself out of bed and immediately went to turn off her window unit, shivering. She could barely feel her fingers due to them being so cold and she pressed them against her face, trying to warm them up a bit.
Uzi lived in a small but spacious apartment with two childhood friends— Lizzy and Thad (who also just so happened to be twins). The apartment had a small kitchen and living room that were connected and then three bedrooms and one bathroom down a narrow hallway. It fit the three of them perfectly— which was a frickin’ miracle, because Uzi rooming with them for college was a very last-minute decision.
“Bathroom’s open!” She heard Thad announce from the hall as she picked out what to wear— cold made her less motivated than usual and she settled for a T-shirt, hoodie, and some nice-looking sweats.
“Yo, can you make me some coffee?” Uzi asked when she exited her room, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes.
Thad gave her double finger guns and grinned, “You got it!” How he had so much energy this early in the morning was a mystery to her.
Although, I guess they do get up like, an hour earlier than me. Uzi realized after shutting herself in the bathroom.
Lizzy got up nearly an hour and thirty minutes before Uzi so she had time to do her hair and makeup, and Thad got up around the same time because he was a heavy sleeper and risked being late every day if he woke up when Uzi did.
Meanwhile, Uzi didn’t wear makeup on a daily basis, didn’t care to style her hair, and didn’t spend more than three minutes picking out an outfit. Why waste so much energy on appearance when she can get an extra hour of sleep?
Once she was dressed and finished brushing her teeth and hair, Uzi met Lizzy and Thad in the kitchen, the smell of coffee strong in the air.
“You know, you could look like, so hot if you actually tried,” Lizzy said when she saw Uzi. Most people would take her comment as some sort of mean jab, but that’s just how Lizzy spoke. Uzi knew her well enough by now to know her intent wasn’t malicious.
“I appreciate the compliment—”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“—but I don’t care,” Uzi huffed.
“Your coffee, madame,” Thad greeted in an odd accent that had Uzi staring at him judgmentally.
“ Why? ” Was all she said as she took her coffee.
“He’s been freeloading off some girls in the library and watching ‘A Bridgerton Story’ with them,” Lizzy informed.
“It’s not freeloading, ” Thad corrected, “And it’s ’ Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.’”
“It is freeloading when you don’t have Netflix and only watch it with them because you’re bored.”
Thad raised his hands in defense, “Hey, I admit, it might’ve started as that! But things have changed! It’s like, our thing now,” He argued, sounding oddly passionate.
“Have many girls?” Uzi asked.
“Three!” Thad answered.
“Foursome.”
“ WHAT!? ” Thad cried while Uzi took a calm sip of her coffee.
“Nah, nah,” Lizzy waved her hand dismissively, “That joke is too nice— it’s implying that Thad can even get laid in the first place.”
“ You two are so mean!! ” Thad continued to sob. The girl merely snickered and shared a fist bump.
Lizzy glanced at her phone, “Oh shit, we better go before we’re late. Again, ” She emphasized, narrowing her eyes at Uzi.
Uzi shrugged, “It was a Monday.”
Uzi went back to her room briefly to grab the rest of her stuff — bag, phone, earbuds, and signature beanie and choker — before meeting Lizzy at the door.
“Here,” Lizzy said as she handed Uzi her umbrella, “Thad, make sure to take out the trash before your first class!”
“But I took out the trash last time! And the time before that! And the time before that! ” Thad shouted, “Why can’t you do it!?”
Lizzy made a fake, baby face and flopped her hand away lightly, “I have dainty hands…”
Thad gave Lizzy a look of amusement before turning to Uzi, “You?”
“I just don’t want to,” Uzi replied flatly.
“Thanks, lil bro~!” Lizzy sang as she and Uzi walked out the door.
“Forty seconds!! Forty seconds apart!! ” Thad cried, his voice becoming muffled when Uzi shut the door.
“You’re gonna give him an aneurism one day,” She mused and Lizzy merely shrugged.
“I doubt he has enough brain cells to even be at risk of having one.”
“That’s not how that… Never mind,” Uzi sighed, following Lizzy down the stairs.
———
“You look like a well-kept homeless person,” Doll said to Uzi in place of a greeting, her accent heavy.
“Fuck you to you too,” Uzi grumbled.
“That must’ve had some sort of poetic theme to it because what? ” Lizzy exasperated after Uzi’s response.
“I hate poems but I hate you even more— so much so, in fact, that I’d write a poem on my hatred for you,” Uzi told Doll.
Doll seemed unfazed, “You sound like you got your insults from a website for middle schoolers.”
“I hope a cockroach crawls into your hair tonight and lays eggs.”
“I hope a spider crawls into your ears and mouth while you sleep tonight.”
Uzi physically shuttered in disgust, “You bitch. ”
Doll smirked, “Checkmate.”
“Are you two done with your daily rap battle?” Lizzy sighed.
“Thanks for the idea, Liz. We should make our own parody version of those old ‘epic rap battles of history’ videos. We can even have Thad do the announcer's voice,” Uzi mused.
“Oh my God, do not. I'd never be able to show my face here again if your terrible rap battle was made public,” Lizzy groaned.
“Your part would be what’d make it terrible,” Doll told Uzi and the girl flipped her off in response.
“You need to reevaluate your choice of girlfriends,” Uzi grumbled as the trio entered the classroom.
“Doll is hot, a badass, and great at taking care of me. I’m good,” Lizzy missed.
The room — like basically every classroom except for labs — was in the form of a lecture hall, filled with rows and rows of seats that went up a step the further you went into the classroom. It was the type of room Uzi always dreamed about in her college fantasies back in high school, but after three years, you get used to it and the hype dies down.
The three girls made their way up one of the columns of steps and settled in the third row where they sat every day— Lizzy in the middle and Doll and Uzi on either side of her.
“We have a project this month,” Doll informed as they settled down.
Uzi peered at her passed Lizzy, “How do you know that?”
Doll gestured to her binder, “There’s a schedule in the syllabus.”
“Wait— are you serious??” Uzi blinked, immediately digging through her papers to try and find where she’d put the syllabus about a month ago.
Lizzy snickered, “You didn’t know that??”
Uzi glared at her, “Oh please, like you bothered to read the syllabus.”
“I didn’t, but I have an amazing girlfriend who read it for me~”
Uzi gagged, “Disgusting. I hate you two. If I didn’t have any other friends, I’d avoid you like the plague.”
“I feel so flattered to know we’re your last and only option,” Lizzy hummed.
“Die.”
“But then you’d be friendless,” Lizzy cooed.
“I'm starting to think that’s the more preferred option.”
It wasn’t long before their professor made his way into the room— the same board, tired expression on his face as per usual. Uzi honestly wondered who was more tired; the students he worked to death or himself.
“Alright, I’m sure many of you know, as it was stated in the syllabus—”
Lizzy glanced at Uzi with a smug expression and Uzi promptly avoided eye contact.
“—you have a group project this month,” The professor finished in his flat, monotone voice, “You will work in groups of two. No bigger, no smaller. You can argue with me as much as you’d like, I promise you I won’t care.”
“Oh, you bitch,” Uzi hissed under her breath.
“What was that, Miss Doorman?”
“Uh—” Uzi blinked like a deer in headlights while Lizzy had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter, “N-nothing, sir!!”
“Mhm,” The professor hummed, clearly unconvinced but not arguing any further.
“ Dumbass, ” Lizzy whispered to Uzi, still trying to control her laughter.
“I didn't think he’d be able to hear me!!” Uzi whisper-shouted back in distress.
The man cleared his throat and continued, “I’ll give you class time today and tomorrow to pair up and start planning. After that, you will have to work on the project outside of class. I already emailed all of you the details and deadline for the assignment.”
He sat down in his desk chair, laid back, and placed the — ridiculous-looking — cowboy hat he wore every day over his face, “Now, no one speak to me for the rest of class.”
“Sometimes, I feel so petty I want to report him to the school board and get him fired,” Uzi grumbled.
“Yeah, but would you rather an asshole, chill-ish teacher or a really strict and uptight one?” Lizzy asked and Uzi sighed, the answer already obvious.
As students mingled around the room, finding someone to pair up with, Uzi looked at Lizzy and Doll with pleading eyes.
“No,” Doll declined immediately.
“Oh, come on!!” Uzi groaned, “You two are social and have like, a shit ton of friends! We literally had an entire conversation earlier about how I don’t have that!!”
“And that’s not our problem,” Doll mused and Uzi glared at her.
“You know, sometimes I feel like your assholey nature is just a comedic façade, but now I’m starting to think you’re actually just an asshole.”
Doll raised an eyebrow, “Took you this long to figure it out?”
“You’re going in my suicide note.”
“Uz, you’ll be fine, ” Lizzy cut in, “You need to try and talk to new people anyway— expand your horizons, if you will.”
“Thad’s ass is big enough to cover my entire horizon.”
“You are so freaking dramatic…” Lizzy sighed.
“Well, you might be in luck, Doorman,” Doll said, “This class has an uneven attendance number.”
Lizzy hummed, “Oh, yeah, that’s right. I completely forgot about that.”
Uzi perked up, “Wait— so that means I could potentially be in a group of three with you guys!”
“Or you could work alone,” Doll countered.
“Usually I’d prefer it, but just because it pisses you off, no,” Uzi purred as she stood up and she shimmed her way out of the row and down the steps, making her way to the teacher’s desk, “Excuse me?”
The professor lifted his hat just enough to glance at Uzi, a grumpy expression on his face, “What did I say about not talking to me…”
Uz narrowed her eyes and bit back some sort of snarky reply, “The attendance number is uneven and I don’t have a partner, could I just pair up with another group?”
“No,” The man declined immediately, and before Uzi could protest, he said, “A new student is joining the class tomorrow. You can pair up with them.”
What is this, some cliché high school movie!? Uzi complained internally.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” The professor mumbled before setting his hat back on his face. Uzi opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off, “If you bother me anymore, you’re getting a zero on the assignment.”
Uzi growled and turned around, stomping her way back to her seat. Lizzy looked at her in amusement.
“I’m assuming that didn’t exactly go your way?”
“Eat shit and die,” Uzi hissed, slumping in her seat and crossing her arms.
“You’re pouting like a toddler,” Doll said.
“What’d he say?” Lizzy asked.
“He said some new guy is joining the class tomorrow and I can pair up with them,” Uzi grumbled.
“Hey, that’s not so bad!!” Thad’s voice chimed in and Uzi looked around in confusion. Lizzy held up her phone to show she was on FaceTime with him.
Uzi made a face, “Aren’t you supposed to be in class right now??”
“Professor didn’t show up,” Thad shrugged, “But that’s beside the point. If this person is new, you’ll be the first person they interact with, yeah? This could be a good opportunity for you to make a friend!!”
“Eugh. Stop, you’re starting to sound like my dad,” Uzi cringed.
“He has a point, dummy,” Lizzy added.
“Why is this starting to feel like an intervention?”
“Because it is. Your life is sad and you need more friends,” Doll deadpanned and Uzi threw a pen at her. She caught it, her expression remaining neutral.
“Hey,” Lizzy mused, “Who knows? Maybe they’ll be hot.”
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”
“Who said it had to be a boy?”
———
“Oh, my god, Uz, you should totally try putting your hair in a low ponytail,” Lizzy suggested, watching Uzi fix her uniform in the mirror.
“I look like a founding father whenever I put my hair up. No thanks,” Uzi huffed, straightening out her collar.
Tonight was Uzi’s first, unsupervised shift at her new part-time job as a bartender. For the past month, she’d been forced to wear a different type of uniform to show she was a trainee— now, she was trying on her official uniform for the first time.
Honestly, she had to admit that she felt good in it, and it wasn’t often she found clothes she thought she looked good in.
The uniform was simple and basic— consisting of a nice, white button-up, a black vest, and black pants. Uzi wasn’t a very curvy person and she was pretty flat-chested, but the uniform was tight enough that it highlighted the slight curves she did have. Not that she was trying to impress anyone, she just felt nice for once.
For a brief moment, Uzi thought back to someone who always loved her body, even if it wasn’t what was most desired in society. She forced the thought away just as quickly as it came, though.
Lizzy rolled her eyes, “That’s because you pull back your bangs too like a freaking psychopath. Here, let me.”
Uzi huffed but didn’t fight, merely crossing her arms as she let Lizzy work.
Thad passed by the bathroom and peeked inside, “Yo—! Oh, hey! Lookin’ good, Uz!”
“Thanks,” Uzi replied genuinely.
“What do you want, parasite?” Lizzy asked, styling Uzi’s bangs.
“Chad and I were planning to go out tonight, you guys wanna come?”
“Do you think I’m dressing up for fun?” Uzi sassed, “I have work, idiot.”
“Oh, right, I forgot,” Thad blinked.
“No way, really?” Uzi deadpanned as Lizzy grabbed a bottle of hairspray.
“Close your eyes,” She instructed and Uzi obeyed, closing her eyes so Lizzy could seal her bang’s shape or whatever it was the spray did— Uzi didn’t really know or care.
Lizzy set the bottle down and put a finger to her chin, giving Uzi one last look over before nodding in approval, “You look like a bop.”
“Never say that again,” Uzi cringed before looking at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, Lizzy did a pretty good job, “Huh, I like it.”
“As you should,” Lizzy mused.
“You work at a bar, right?” Thad asked Uzi.
“No, I work at Target.”
“Cool, so you work at the bar. What if we all hung out there? That way you wouldn’t feel left out!”
“Knowing you, you’ll get me fired somehow, so no,” Uzi turned down immediately.
“Liz,” Thad glanced at his twin, “Are you and Doll coming?”
“Yep,” Lizzy replied, sitting on the toilet lip on her phone.
Thad turned back to Uzi, “Liz and Doll will be there, they won’t let that happen!”
“No, Doll will straight up ask them to fire me.”
“Nah, she’d find it funnier if you got yourself fired over something stupid,” Lizzy corrected— unhelpfully.
“Every day I have to fight a war because you assholes suck,” Uzi grumbled.
“Let’s be real here,” Lizzy mused, “Would you rather spend your first official shift surrounded by drunk men you don’t know or surrounded by drunk friends you do know?”
“Drunk men. At least then I can call the police on them.”
“Party at Uz’s work~!” Thad cheered, walking off to go get ready.
“I did not consent to this!!” Uzi hissed.
Lizzy patted her head teasingly, “Think of it as payment for your hair.”
Uzi smacked Lizzy’s hand away, “Why do I need to pay when you’re the one who wanted to do it!?”
“Capitalism, sweetheart.”
“I hope you and your girlfriend fail your assignment,” Uzi glared.
“Lashing out when things don’t go your way… how sad…” Lizzy wept.
“I literally hate you so much and I’m putting Nair in your shampoo.”
“Jokes on you, I’d look fabulous bald.”
“You’re not fooling me. I can see you sweating.”
Lizzy flipped her hair, “That’s not sweat, that’s my natural glow.”
“Uh-huh,” Uzi deadpanned.
“You girls ready?” Thad smiled, returning to the bathroom door.
“Let me go grab my purse,” Lizzy said before shimming her way past Uzi and Thad and out of the bathroom. Uzi patted her pockets to make sure her phone, wallet, and keys were accounted for.
Thad put his hands on her shoulders and shook her excitedly, “Man, your first shift as a real bartender!! Our little girl is growing up!” He wiped away a fake tear.
“Number one, never call me that again. Number two, I’m older than you. And number three, never call me that again, ” Uzi hissed, “Also, stop shaking me before I kill you.”
“You wouldn’t do that. You’d miss me too much!” Thad grinned, letting her go.
“No, I wouldn’t. I’d play Party Rock Anthem and throw a party at your funeral.”
“Holy shit— I haven’t heard that song in so long, we are so listening to it on the way to the bar.”
“Nice going, hot shot,” Lizzy said as she walked past the bathroom, “Now we have to listen to cringe music from the 2000s.”
“I actually really like 2000s music…” Uzi mumbled, exiting the bathroom with Thad.
“And that’s why you only have three friends,” Lizzy replied.
“Thad, I'm going to kill your sister.”
———
Uzi shook a cocktail shaker vigorously, watching Thad and Chad down shot after shot— challenging themselves to see who could stay sober the longest. Uzi could tell both of them were already wasted and they hadn’t called off the challenge yet, so she wondered how long it was until one of them blacked out.
“Yo, Uz, can I have a drink?” Lizzy asked as Uzi poured the thoroughly shaken drink into a glass.
“After I finish this,” Uzi said, topping off the drink with a lime before sliding it down to a man two seats from Lizzy and Doll, “How are we getting home, by the way? Thad is drunk as shit and I can’t drive.”
“I’m not drinking,” Doll said, taking a sip of the water she’d ordered, “I’d rather not deal with a hangover on a school night.”
“Smart,” Uzi mused, leaning on the counter, “What do you want, Liz? By the way, you have to pay.”
“ Lame, ” Lizzy huffed but pulled out her wallet nonetheless, “Can I have a Mimosa?”
“Fruity drink for a fruity woman, coming up,” Uzi mused, standing straight and grabbing the needed ingredients for the drink.
Lizzy placed a bundle of money on the counter while Thad — and the group of men surrounding them — cheered as Chad passed out, “The extra is to pay for some water for those idiots.”
“I assumed,” Uzi said, pulling out three glasses— she made Lizzy’s drink in one and filled the other two with water, “Yo! Thad! No more alcohol for you and your buddy!!” She scolded, sliding the two glasses toward Thad and Chad.
“Awh man!” Thad whined but didn’t argue, immediately grabbing the water and chugging it.
With no more orders coming in for the time being, Uzi let out a small sigh and leaned on the counter once more, “You know, it’s surprisingly busy for a Wednesday night.”
“It’s college, what do you expect?” Lizzy hummed, stirring her drink with a thin, coffee straw.
“I thought the partying phase was in high school,” Uzi said.
“It gets worse in college because we don’t have parental rules to follow,” Lizzy shrugged, “Though, I guess that doesn’t really matter to you. Even in high school, you never went to parties. You’d always rather hang out with—” Uzi gave Lizzy a stern look, “—never mind.”
Uzi huffed and crossed her arms, staring down at the counter and the dark, reflective material, “Parties just aren’t my thing.”
“We figured,” Lizzy said, her gaze lingering on Uzi…
“This job suits you,” Doll cut in, diffusing any awkwardness in the air.
Uzi perked up, “Really? You think so?”
Doll nodded, taking another sip of her water before continuing, “You look good in the uniform and have the assertiveness to deal with drunk assholes.”
“That is the nicest thing you have and probably will ever say to me,” Uzi hummed, “Thank you.”
“Mhm,” Doll hummed back.
“Uz? Could I have some more water, please?” Thad asked politely, his words slurred as he slid the glasses back to Uzi. Both were empty and Chad was still out cold.
“Sure thing,” Uzi said, taking the glasses and refilling them.
“You ready to meet your partner tomorrow?” Lizzy asked once Uzi had given Thad his drinks.
“Absolutely not,” Uzi grumbled, “And I don’t honestly rather put off thinking about it till tomorrow.”
“Avoidance isn’t healthyyy,” Lizzy sang, already slightly tipsy after just a few drinks.
“I think it’ll be good for you,” Doll added.
Uzi narrowed her eyes at the girl, “You’re not mocking me, are you?”
“No,” Doll denied sincerely and Uzi blinked in slight shock from how earnest she was being tonight.
Unable to think of a proper response, Uzi huffed and avoided eye contact, muttering a quiet, “Whatever…”
———
Despite Chad passing out not an hour after they arrived, the rest of the night went by rather smoothly.
Lizzy and Doll stayed by the bar with Uzi the majority of the time, but once Lizzy was pretty drunk she dragged her girlfriend out onto the dance floor, leaving Uzi alone to watch.
She didn’t mind, honestly. It had already been settled that she wasn’t much of a partier. Still…
Thad had Chad— and even when his friend passed out, he got along so easily with all the strangers around him. It was as if he was old pals with every single one of them.
Lizzy and Doll were both pretty sociable, even if Doll was more on the quiet side— but that didn’t matter. No matter the situation they always had each other. They were inseparable and all their friends — Uzi included — saw them as the ultimate duo.
And Uzi was just… Uzi.
Sure, she was close with her three friends, and they never once made her feel excluded, but she still felt like the odd one out.
She didn’t have her person. She didn’t have her other half. She didn’t click with every stranger she came across. Hell, she could hardly look new people in the eyes.
Uzi feels like this wouldn’t bother her as much if she didn’t have something to miss… but during times like this, all she could think about was him.
It’s rare that she thinks about him nowadays, honestly— Uzi believes the only reason she’s lingering on her mind tonight is because of the dream she had last night.
Uzi finished wiping down a cup and looked at her hardly noticeable reflection in the glass, a looming sense of loneliness washing over her.
Lizzy and Doll were the ultimate duo because Uzi and him failed.
Even four years later, it still hurts.
———
Uzi sneezed and Lizzy groaned.
“Shut up, my head hurts…” The girl grumbled and Uzi rolled her eyes.
“ Bless me, I guess,” She huffed, “It’s not my fault you drink more than you should’ve last night.”
“Yes, it is. If you were a good friend, you would’ve cut me off.”
“I tried.”
“I have some Advil in my car,” Doll offered, her voice soft when addressing Lizzy. The tenderness from her was sweet but foreign to Uzi for obvious reasons.
“That sounds great right now,” Lizzy mumbled.
Uzi waved her hand to them, “I’ll meet you two in class, then.”
Doll nodded to her, “Have fun meeting your new partner.”
“Oh, I won’t,” Uzi sighed, parting ways with the couple.
Last night… if Uzi had to describe it she would say it went pretty well. She had no problems on the job and her friends didn’t cause too many issues at the bar… she also got a considerable amount of tips, so that was nice.
Her only complaint was how tired she felt this morning. Not only did her shift end late but getting home was rather difficult with three blackout drunk friends. It was probably one of the few scenarios in which Doll and Uzi worked together without complaint.
Nonetheless, Uzi guessed it could be worse— she could have a major hangover like the twins.
Stifling a yawn behind her hand, Uzi stepped into their first-period lecture hall and scanned the room with tired eyes—
The young woman felt like she’d run straight first into a brick wall and got hit by three semi-trucks.
In the row right above where Uzi, Lizzy, and Doll sat was the infamous new student their professor mentioned yesterday, and Uzi felt as if all the air in the room had suddenly vanished.
Between his coffee-brown skin, creamy-blonde hair, and chocolate-colored eyes that always looked golden at dusk, Uzi recognized him immediately.
And when N— no,
Nathan
looked at her, Uzi swears she felt the world crumble beneath her feet.