𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑴𝑶𝑵 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑺𝑬, cmb ✓

- 𝟐 -

L R C

"Nice to meet ya, what's your name?"
Niall Horan - Nice to Meet Ya

"Yeah Mom I'm on my way right now...Yes I swear, I'm walking to the bus stop right now...No, I don't know where Jordan is...I haven't seen him...Okay, I'll text him...Yeah, okay...I'll see you later...I love you too." I put my phone back in my pocket, turning my full attention back to Mia. "Sorry that was my mom, what were you saying?"

"Oh nothing, I was just talking about Brayden's party tonight." she says as we walk down the steps to the student parking lot. "Brayden's throwing a party tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah, him and some of the guys from his fraternity are throwing it. It starts at 10, but I figured I'd come a little later. Wouldn't wanna be those people." I look at her with a blank expression. "Oh no, were you not invited?" she asks. Nope. I was not. What else is new?

"Oh, um, I was...I'm just not in the mood to go." I tell her. I know that if I told her I was never invited in the first place, she'd feel bad and not go. As much as I'd love to have Mia to myself for the night, the girl loves her parties, she's my best friend, I can't hold her back. "Oh, okay...Well then I'll tell Brayden you're not feeling well."

"No, no need. I...already told him. Just go, have fun." I say, trying not to drag the lie any more than it already is. "If Jordan is there, tell him to call me."

"Okay Lar, sure thing." We get to her car and are about to go our separate ways. "Are you sure you don't want a ride home?" I look at her, reconsidering her offer.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's almost 10 and the drive to Brayden's is almost half an hour. You should go." She looks at me with sympathetic eyes. "Aww okay. Text me when you get home okay?" she says, pulling me into a hug before going into her car. "Yeah for sure, facetime after the party?"

"I'll try." she says, looking up at me from the driver's seat. "I'll talk to you later, love ya!" she calls out as she backs up from her spot, driving off out of the parking lot. "Love you too." I say, walking back up the steps to the main ground.

I get to the main grounds of the school, where groups of students congregate on the lawn. I walk past them, seeing them all dressed up in their best outfits. My guess is they're going to Brayden's party too. I don't see why meatheads like Brayden decide to throw parties the weekend before exams. Can't they wait just one week to party all night to get high and drunk?

I pass by the lawn, walking down the steps to the sidewalk where the bus stop is just a couple feet away. There was already a group of people waiting, taking up the bench. So I just stayed back, putting in my headphones and turning on my Spotify. Luckily, it didn't take too long for the bus to come and pick us all up. The group went in first, taking their seats in the back. I ended up being the last one on the bus, forced to sit in the front. Not that there's anything wrong with the front, if I'm being honest, I really don't care where I sit. The first thing I notice when I take my seat is the boy in the seat across from me. He wears a black button down shirt that's unbuttoned at the top with a dark grey suit jacket over. He's got black shoes and black pants on with a belt with a brand design on, but I can't tell which one. I've never seen him before, but campus is pretty big, so he's probably an upperclassman. He's also probably going to the party tonight.

The bus takes off, going to different stops, people coming on and off. After one stop, the driver takes a sharp turn at a corner, causing everything to shift to the right. With my luck, my backpack slides off the seat, pouring out all my stuff onto the center aisle. Great, just great. I pause my music, reaching over to retrieve my belongings. I managed to sweep everything back inside, everything except one thing. That's when I saw his face. He picked up my book that was by his feet, skimming through the pages. Is he really gonna read it now? I watch him, waiting for him to give my book back. I consider asking him for it back, but the introvert in me didn't allow it. He finally hands me back the book in my hand, and says, "So...Mice and Men?"