The Double-Tap Accident

Chapter Six: It's Practically Eating Itself.

dedicated to the lovely Fiza Fizaxbieber for the cover at the top <3. 

Chapter Six: "It's Practically Eating Itself."

ON TUESDAY NIGHT, I sat in the small auditorium in the middle of the left section of the Roger Hall lecture room. My feet were perched up against the back of one chair, knees bent, and my head leaned back as I stared down at my laptop screen.

When I gave my eyes a break from technology for five seconds, I spotted Cori at a distance. I waved. She waved back, turning back to a conversation with a group of people as I worked on my notes on my laptop.

Tonight was a gathering of the Black Student Association club. Usually, they picked a topic and the executive team of the club gave the floor to general members. Sometimes the conversations got heated or were super entertaining enough that Yasmeen and Mariam sometimes popped by whenever they weren't busy.

As I was sipping on brown sugar milk tea I had bought before arriving here, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Taking it out, the notification on the screen had my eyebrows go up as I read the message over way too many times.

aven montaque: are you at the BSA reflection?

We haven't spoken since our last Instagram conversation and a part of me didn't think we would speak ever again. Another part of me was a still little unnerved at the thought of him looking through my music selection.

Me: yeah, I'm already here. 

Why?

Suddenly, a body sat down next to my empty seat and I jumped, holding onto my laptop tightly. Aven had a hood over his head, glancing over at my surprised expression. A sheepish smile came to his face. "Sorry?"

"Really?" I said, unclenching my hands from the sides of my laptop and relaxing my shoulders.

My tense state only amused him. "Hello, Jaime."

"We're back to the hello thing?"

"Hi, Jaime," He corrected.

"Hi," I said back, my heart rate slowing down to a normal pace. He looked comfortable, wearing black sweats and a sweater. His duffle bag occupied the other side of him, and his backpack was in front of his feet.

"Your hat isn't neon today," He commented quiet enough that it was almost a whisper, but I could hear the tiredness in his voice. "Also, seriously? You're doing work right now?"

"I change up my hats now and then and I have a quiz to do," I explained. On top of my head today was a black hat. "I've never seen you at one of these before."

"I rarely come to them, but my roommates wanted to because one of them has a thing for a girl on the exec team and I wanted a ride back home." He pointed over to near the front of the room where a group of boys were speaking to other people near the front of the room. 

"Why aren't you going to sit with them?" I asked, seeing the boys making their way with a few people over to the right side of the room as more and more people filed in. The lecture hall was lively as people greeted each other as they found seats, waiting for the meeting to start. 

"I saw you and figured you could use some company." He put over his mouth for a moment, covering the audible yawn that left his mouth. "But since you're doing schoolwork, do you want me to leave you alone?" 

"No," I said. Too quickly. You're a dumbass. You're a dumbass. You're a dumbass. I straightened in my seat, shifting as if I was trying to find a comfortable position, but I was on the verge of making it weird. "I mean, no, it's okay. You can stay. Did you have practice?" I gestured to the duffle bag at his feet.