Muse

Chapter Two

I could not look away from his arms. They were covered in tattoos. One arm had more than the other. They were dotted with mostly small pictures, larger doodles inked here and there.

He clears his throat and my eyes shoot up to meet his, he rolls his eyes as he notices my watchful gaze. My cheeks start to heat up quickly so I look down at my feet, kicking a rock away. The pebble roughly bounces and meets the tip of his boot. Everyone else seemed to be talking, Sage still glued to his side.

I quickly glance up at his face to see if he noticed the rock. He did. My mouth went to open, to apologize or something and before I got a word out, he rolls his eyes at me again and shoves Sage off of him. She let out a puff of air but shook it off and kept talking to the other girls.

We all stood in a clump, still feeling completely left out. The girls huddled closer in a circle and the boys were moved to the right talking about something, their hands shoved into their pockets.

"Hey Tarrah, were going to get in the car, Ty is about to collapse." She nods at Harry and he starts walking towards the car, wherever it was. The accent that fell from his lips was deep and raspy.

I watch the boys as they walk away from us, their backs facing me. Harry brings his hand up to his hair and runs his fingers through it, the outline of his back muscles flexing through the thin material of his shirt and then relaxing as he drops his arm, digging his hand back into his pocket.

"Hey Addy, you okay?" Giggles slip from the girls lips as they notice my eyes glued to the back of the handsome boy.

"Don't get any ideas about Styles, he's not into girls like you." Lei laughs a little nudging Sage's side. What the hell does that mean? Girls like me? Normal girls? Whats wrong with that?

Tarrah shakes her head and shoves Lei, noticing how uncomfortable that made me, offering me an apologetic smile.

We start to talk about how its my first year here and what I'm going to study. Tarrah seems to be really excited she'll be seeing us around campus, she transferred here just this year, the others already students and on their second year.

She then tells us about the party that they're going to tomorrow night to start the school year off. I start to tell her that I'm not interested but Liz pips up before me letting them all know they would definitely see us there, my smile was forced as I wasn't very excited to attend some huge college party.

"Well we better get going before Ty pukes in the car. That bastard has been sick all day, yet he still came." Lei reaches down for Sage's hand starting to pull her the other way.

They get halfway across the parking lot and Tarrah comes running back, out of breath, "Do you guys want to get dinner before the party? We'll probably just end up at some little burger joint."

"We'll be there. Just text me when you guys go and we'll meet up!" Liz sounds so excited. I try to be happy as well. They both hug one more time, Tarrah smiling brightly at me and she runs off to catch up with everyone else.

The car ride back to campus is obnoxious. I am exhausted but Liz insists on playing her music, blaring it through the speakers, practically bursting my ear drums. The side of my head is pressed up against the window, my breath fogging up the glass, a light sprinkle of rain started to tap the window, chilling my face.

I reach down on the floor mat for my bag and pull out my camera. I bring up the lens and focus it on the window. The rain dropping down the glass softly and the lights of the city blurry in the background. A little grin creeps onto my mouth as the frame held such a cheesy yet stunning moment.

Liz drums her fingers against the steering wheel, her left foot tucked under her right thigh. Her face is glowing with joy, comfort radiating off of her as she carelessly belts out every lyric.

I turn my camera to face her, the silhouette of her body prominent. She notices the camera on her and laughs shaking her head, ignoring the film, not feeling nervous or pressured in the slightest.

Over the past month of knowing and rooming with Liz, I've slowly started to find myself. To find where I'm supposed to be. I know school hasn't started yet but I'm already beginning to feel like I'm home, like I belong. Her carefree spirit and obnoxious attitude has kept me from shutting out many insane possibilities. She has kept me on my toes, getting me into unending trouble but offering me countless memories.

In the short time we've lived together in campus she has managed to drag me to parties, hook me up with boys and drink my first beer. I have slowly started to warm up to the idea of being reckless, but personal conversations still weren't my thing.

Someday I hope to be as carefree as Liz and her old but new friends. I want to film videos that are real, exhilarating. Videos won't be viewed if the content lacks originality, forcing me outside of my homey little comfort zone, getting ready for a change.

Liz reaches for the volume on the radio, turning it down to talk, "So what'd you think of Tarrah and her friends? I think they seem like a fun group, I'm excited to hang out with them. That boy Ty seemed cute, even though he was sick." She laughs a little, remembering his ill appearance.

"They do seem fun. Maybe a little too fun for me.." My awkward laugh echoes through the car, Liz hums back in response not bothering to argue with me about my social stance.

We pull into the parking lot for the dorms and climb out of the car. I reach back in grabbing my bag and throwing it over my shoulder, the fabric of my baggy gray tank top riding up on the side. I tug the material down, readjusting its position. The walk up the stairs is short and the elevator ride even shorter. Liz pulls out her key and jingles it in the lock, the lock clicks and she pushes the door open.

A breeze of air comes rushing out the door, one of us obviously leaving the AC on. I quickly run to the thermostat changing the settings. Our small dorm was fitting for us. Two bedrooms and one bath. We never had problems sharing the bathroom, always just taking turns. I felt grateful I was able to live with just one other person and not have to room with four and we were lucky to not have to share rooms.

This is Liz's second year, I was nervous when I first moved in, she was outgoing, I wasn't. She had this fire, spark even and I didn't. But having an experienced person to accompany me on this chapter in my life seemed ideal.

"Hey Addy, I'm gonna go shower real quick and when I get out can you braid my hair again?" My head simply nods as I walk towards my room, Liz yelling a thank you and closing herself into the bathroom.

My bag fell gently off my shoulder and onto the floor. I slam my body on my bed, the mattress decompressing air as I sink into it. My laptop is shut on my nightstand, so I reach over for it, opening it up. New Girl is paused on the screen and I press play. My eyes slowly close, the sound of my laptop faint in my ears and I fall asleep.

"Hey babe do you want to shower?" My shoulder was being shook and my eyes flutter open. Liz stood above me, her hair slightly dripping from her shower, she must have just got out.

"Hm yea I'll go after I braid your hair." I sit up, dangling my legs of the side of the bed, she sits in between them with her back against the bed and I part her hair. I tightly french braid her thick brown hair down her back to the very end, she hands me a rubber band and I tie it off. She stands up, pulls me off the bed, mumbling a thank you and lightly shoving me in the direction of my door. She goes into her room, the door clicking shut. My feet carry me into the bathroom and I remove all my clothes. I turn on the water and step inside.

The towel is wrapped tightly around my body, my hair wild and wet, dripping onto the floor. I dig through my dresser looking for something to wear to bed. I slip on some underwear and a baggy t shirt over my head. My brush runs through my hair, untangling the knots and smoothing it out. The inside of my bed is warm, soft sheets rubbing against my bare legs. The tiredness in my eyes begins to take over. I turn onto my side, closing my eyes to go to sleep.