Obscure

five

SOPHIE LEANED AGAINST the door wearily, and let out an exasperated sigh. The chaos had finally died down a bit.

Tabatha plopped down on the bed and rolled over onto her back, one arm strewn across her eyes. "Okay," she said. She sounded as worn as Sophie felt. "I know rumors travel fast, but that was just ridiculous."

The second Sophie had stepped foot in the common room of their dorm, she'd been bombarded by a hoard of crazed females and fiery questions. The interrogation was so intense, Sophie's head still ached and she couldn't escape the suffocating feeling that had wrapped around her like a shroud of death.

"I don't see the big deal," Sophie remarked as she pushed herself away from the door. The guy had just come over to talk to her --to introduce himself to her, really. It wasn't anything special. 

She walked over to her bed, where she'd left her suitcase zipped neatly on top. Tabatha simply shrugged at her and rolled over in her bed, back facing Sophie. "It's just very rare that one of the Night Class-men cross over the border between their tables and ours."

Sophie harrumphed in response, and unzipped her bag. She still didn't see why it was such a huge ordeal. Yeah, the Night Class was almost inhumanly gorgeous. But they were still high-school aged students with crazy hormones. They were all the same. "It's kind of stupid how they separate us, though," she muttered under her breath. "It's so superficial." 

"Why do you think that?"

"Well the Night Class is exclusive, isn't it?" Sophie pulled out pile after pile of clothing, and marched it over to the dresser. She stuffed the clothes into her drawer and tried her best to keep it organized. She glanced at Tabatha from the corners of her eyes, and when she noticed the girl's confused expression, continued. "It's like they're saying we're not attractive enough to join them. They're all perfect, so they get to be part of a special class. It's discrimination!"

Tabatha stared at her for several long moments. Then her expression underwent a metamorphosis --it twisted from confusion into a constipated-looking expression of deep thought, and then finally brightened with understanding, and contorted with laughter. She snorted and slapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles. 

Sophie stared at her, eyebrows knitted together. "What?"

"Sophie," Tabatha gasped through her laughter. "You know why we're separated, right?" 

Shaking her head, Sophie twisted around and sat on the edge of her bed. She eyed Tabatha precariously and waited for her roommate to stop laughing long enough to speak. It took a few moments, before Tabatha calmed down long enough to breathe properly. When she did, she climbed up off her bed and walked toward the vanity, snatching a slender white laptop off its smooth surface. "Come look at this," she said as she gingerly sat back down on the edge of the bed. She turned the laptop on and waved Sophie over.

Sophie walked over, and sat down on the bed beside her, glancing at the bright screen from over her shoulder. Tabatha muttered, "You obviously didn't do any kind of research before coming here, did you?"