Link Up ✔️

Chapter 4

Maybe partying so hard the day before I have an early morning class is not the business.

My phone alarm going crazy waking me up at an ungodly hour that I set made me grab it and toss it aside. I needed five more minutes.

Five snoozes later, I forced myself up out of bed. The only thing that could kick me out of the morning blues was my favorite thing in the world. Starbucks.

Starbucks was a little magic in a cup. Mocha frappuccino, caramel macchiato, iced blonde
vanilla Latte, pink drink, green tea, literally there was not a drink there I did not like. I was a coffee girl, but sometimes tea would do.

This morning I needed something strong.

I showered, dressed fresh for the day in black leggings to cover my knarly new scar, and a long white shirt and a green vest over. Yes, I know I overdo the green, but listen, I have to coordinate, and my bag is green so I wear green.

I put on a little makeup, and I was good to go.

Leaving my two roomies, my new homies still sleeping in slumberland, I walked out of my room. Making my way to the elevator, who happened to walk out of their room? Mr. Perfect himself.

"Morning bird like me?" He gave me what I call, the perfection smirk. Like one of those hot guys in a young adult romance novel. Yes, that's it. "You know we catch the worm, right?"

"I am so far from a morning person. Somehow my schedule was screwed up and I have Sociology at eight a.m. I need a caffeine run so I can wake up and try and pretend to be awake. Normally I am not me till at least ten and one to two cups of coffee later."

"I think we have the same class, that's my class as well."

As humongous as Mizzou was, the irony that we shared a class and he was a sophomore was not lost on me. I call this fate. We were fated to be together, and that was that.

"Starbucks is a few blocks in the opposite direction of our class."

"I don't care! I need it. Do you understand what will happen if I don't get my drink? I might turn into a werewolf or something."

"Cute wolfie."

I blushed. I had to deal with him in a whole class now. I was doomed. I was not that cute, cool girl that knew how to flirt back. If I opened my mouth to say something back, I'm sure I would make a complete fool of myself. I needed to know how to be cool in these situations.

Now here I am in the elevator with my RA Hottie, Mr. Perfect, with nothing to say back to him. Awkward silence for sure. Should I whistle or something so it's not so freaking quiet?

No? Okay, well, just standing there. Good thing we were only on the fifth floor, the building had eight floors. Finally, the doors opened and he let me out first.

"Aye, you want me to walk with you?"

"Oh, no, you don't have to-"

"Come on, you're one of my residents, I have to take care of you, little freshman."

"I may be a freshman, but I know my way around this campus," I went on as we left the residence hall and headed down the street. Angel was a Mizzou Alum, as well as her bestie Jared. I spent summers working at Angel's store since I was sixteen and they would go on and on about how awesome the school was and how they had so much fun and partied.

Not that I wanted to come here for the party atmosphere, it was a top school. Also, diverse, though in the last few years there was a lot of racial tension. I was ready for that challenge.

"We better walk extremely fast. We have twenty minutes before class and it's a ten-minute walk either way."

"So, we're going to be late to class because of you?"