G.U.A.R.D. Book #3: Recusant

-5-

    So this was my "you'll see" roommate.

"Jackie, stop clicking your tongue. You're going to drive me mental!" Leslie exclaimed after taking out the pencil.

The other girl, whom I assumed was Jackie, let out a dramatic sigh. Her American accent answered with, "And what else am I supposed to do? I'm dying with boredom here."

"You're reading!"

"A boring book."

"Then go swim or something."

Jackie sighed dramatically again and threw the book down on the ground. Her bright blue eyes lit up when she saw me. I have to say, she looked pretty comical upside-down. Her black hair fell off her head like a waterfall, and, as usual, she wore her red headband over it. Her face was nearly as dark a hue as it, due to all the blood flowing up—err—down to it. It made her freckles near impossible to see. The girl wore a large, white shirt that had the words "WHERE'S MY FRIDAY?" on it.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face. She kicked her feet over her head and the next moment, she stood in front of her chair. Then she turned to me. "Yay! You're out of the infirmary! I'm so glad you're finally moving in."

"Jackie, not to be rude, but could you take this somewhere else? I'm on the verge of something!" Leslie complained.

Jackie looked to her, then me, and she motioned towards Leslie. "See what I have to deal with? She gets so worked up about her stupid homework."

"It's not homework. It's just some research Dr. Eve wants me to work on."

"Even when she doesn't know who she's being rude to," Jackie muttered, smirking my way.

I grimaced in answer.

"Uh, yeah. It's homework, Leslie," Jackie said, crossing her arms at her roommate.

"Uh..." I said awkwardly, not sure how to proceed in this delicate situation. Was Leslie always in a bad mood like this? I mean, sure, I knew she was mad when interrupted in one of her "sessions," as seen by Daniel and me, as well as the countless stories Jackie told me, but was it just her second nature to be like this? How would she react when she knew I was her roommate?

"So," Jackie said. "Now that you're free-"

"I can still hear you," Leslie interrupted in frustration.

Jackie pursed her lips and walked up to the other G.U.A.R.D. agent, put her hands on her hips, leaned down until her lips were right next to Leslie's ear, and yelled, "Can you hear me now?"

"AH!" Leslie exclaimed, turning away from Jackie and caressing her ear. "What was that for? Have you gone mad?"

"You're the one being rude!"

"Well, excuse me for actually doing what I'm supposed to!" She turned her chair, luckily not noticing me, and gazing at Jackie with a glare. Jackie returned the look.

"We have a new roommate!" The younger one motioned towards me.

Leslie followed where she pointed, and her eyes alighted on me. They widened in half surprise and half alarm. She recognized me.

"You." Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly stood. Her gaze snapped to Jackie. The two were almost a head apart in height. "She's the one you've been meeting with in the infirmary?"

"Yes," Jackie answered indignantly, walking over to me and swinging an arm over my shoulders casually. "And don't get mad at me, either of you. Commander Barnes ordered me not to tell you guys."