Starting Off Wrong [𝐠𝐱𝐠]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖: 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

TW: Mention of homophobic language and bullying.

My head is throbbing in pain, like a giant is stomping on my mind. My eyelids feel heavy and my mind is foggy with faded memories, but my ears are wide awake. I don't open my eyes, but I stay listen, listing quietly. I hear something quiet and gentle.

It's soft sobbing. I'm sure it is.

I can't tell what direction it's from, it could be in the bathroom, the hallway or even directly next to me. My sense of perception is all messed up. Scratch that, my sense of everything is.

I struggle to open my eyes, and the curiosity wins when I open them. The lights are out. It must be midnight by now. I carefully turn my head towards Aurelia's bed, the biggest candidate for the noise.

Her comforter and sheets lie in a jumbled mess. I can't see if she's actually snuggled in her bed and she possibly could me, looking at how big the pile is.

I force myself to rise up, groaning as I do. I can't believe I got drunk last night. I am such an idiot. I have never got drunk before and of course the first time I do, it's in a foreign country with new people that I don't even know I can trust yet.

I could have slipped to everyone that I'm not actually Odette. I really am an idiot.

I let my legs hang off my bed as I stare at the crescent moon through the window. I love astronomy. I miss my telescope. I'd scope out locations a few weeks before and prepare a day where I could hike to a mountain with a fantastic view of the sky and admire the universe.

Actually, I miss my family. A lump forms in my throat. Why haven't my parents called yet? Even Odette, though I know she's not the type of person. They must not miss me as much as I miss them.

Distressed with my own thoughts, I go back to finding the origin of the noise. My feet touch the hard wooden floor. I'm glad I have socks on. I can't already feel the cold floor stealing my warmth.

I quietly walk to Aurelia's bed, thankful that the floor doesn't squeak. I peak over the pile to discover no body on the other side. I carefully pull the covers a bit more, but there's only more sheets tucked under the blanket.

I'm glad she wasn't in bed or I'm sure I was have woken her up. That, or scared her half to death. At least, that's what I would do if my roommate was looking at me in the middle of the night.

Where is Aurelia?

Hesitantly, I walk over to the bathroom. The lights are off, so I can't possibly think of a reason why she would be in standing in the dark bathroom in the middle of the night, but it seems like the only logical explanation.