TIFFIN

5

Hey guys!! I picked I found you by The Fray for this chapter. Thought it was fitting (:
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This was all too much. I'd had a simple plan for the day: to settle into my new dorm without any distractions.

Unfortunately, I had listened to Josephine and decided to join the festivities, going against everything I had written down in my planner. This is what I got in return, some snobby, tattooed idiot making jokes about me. It didn't help that the entire Whitney Hall were laughing along with him. 

What more could I expect? My family always believed in scheduling ahead of time and following procedure, no matter what. My father would be tapping his foot in disapproval by now. This was the world's way of giving me karma. From now on, I was going to keep my head down and resist temptation. 

Soon enough Josephine caught up to me, mumbling apologies. I accepted it, knowing it wasn't her fault. She couldn't have anticipated any of this. What I didn't expect was Annie rushing towards us, her fruit punch lapping over the sides of her cup. 

"Hey," She began, "I'm sorry about that. That was Hero. He's a bit rough around the edges. He's from the frat. They're all like that."

I glowered remembering the look on his face. I didn't have much to say. 

"Stay awhile." She begged. "I want you here. You guys are fun."

I rolled my eyes, knowing that she was lying. 

"We can't. We have a long day tomorrow."

Annie sighed, giving in. "I understand that, but I really want to make it up to you. He's nothing but a jerk and he ruined your experience."

I felt better knowing that this sorority girl had the same views I did regarding Hero. I was willing to accept whatever she had in mind. 

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"The sorority is having a get-together. It'll be nothing crazy."

I knew the smart thing to do was to back away and decline her offer. But clearly, I wasn't in the mindset to make decisions. My parents had taught me to put my feelings ahead of others- especially where important life decisions were concerned. Yet, here I was, counting her offer as a consideration. 

"Please," She continued to beg, "Let me make it up to you..."

"I'll think about it," I replied, grabbing Josephine's hand and leading us back towards the dorms. 

The next morning, Josephine and I woke up at seven. Seeing we didn't have class for another day or two, we got ready at six to head over to the campus cafeteria. I'd decided on a long brown plaited dress that reached my feet to match my sandals. My hair was normally a haystack wet so I opted to pin it back, creating elegant beach waves. I didn't want to look like I'd just rolled out of bed like so many others. 

Josephine didn't look too bad herself, dressing a bit simpler, with her long, chestnut hair pulled into a low ponytail. 

I was glad to see that the cafeteria offered sausage on a stick and waffles. It was my favorite thing to eat in the morning, along with some orange juice.

It reminded me of home and how carefully orchestrated everything was. Waking up early, getting my hair styled, waiting for the housekeepers to make food... Things were definitely different. My parents would have- Oh, my parents! 

Without much thought, I pulled my phone out of my purse face-timing my parents. Immediately, they both appeared on the small screen, looking disappointed. I tried to smile my way out of it, but my father wasn't going to allow such things. 

"Kristina Mae Addison," He scolded, "You decided to call us and haven't bothered to look decent? Your hair looks like you rolled around in it."

I frowned. I didn't think I looked that bad. My hair always had a natural curl after a shower. 

"But that's the least of our worries," He went on, "what about keeping in touch? You had all those hours last night to call us and you didn't."

"I was worried sick!" My mother screamed frantically. "You weren't wandering around, were you? You weren't lured-"

Sudden panic rushed through me. "No, mom! Everything's fine. I was practically up in my dorm all night studying."

"Practically?" My father demanded, eyeing me inquisitively. 

"Yes!" I exclaimed, worried that they were all able to see through my lies. "you can ask my roommate. She was there with me!"

After a moment of silence, my father huffed. "Okay. Fine. Just remember to call us tonight. We have to go. Important conference."

Before I could tell them I loved them, my screen went black. I sighed. They were busy. I didn't blame them. On top of everything else, they were probably upset at me for not calling. I had to be more careful.

"That was your dad, wasn't it?" Josephine asked warily, biting into an apple. 

I nodded. "Yeah. He's just worried about me. I can't go to any more parties though. He'll know."

"Wow, he sounds just as lame as you."

I recognized that voice. With irritation in my features, I swung around coming face to face with none other than Hero. Who did he think was, popping in on my private conversations like this? It was creepy. To add on to my irritation, the girl that had been cuddling with him at the bonfire was present smirking at me.

I now noticed she had raven-black hair and wore outfits that were more revealing than I thought. 

"Can we help you?" I asked. 

"No. Just enjoying listening to your uptight attitude." Hero grinned. 

"Well, can you enjoy it somewhere else?" I asked. "We have things to do."

"Yeah, let's not do this today, please," Josephine begged. 

For some reason, this seemed to have set Hero off. He glared at Josephine like she was a piece of dirt on the bottom of his shoe. It was at this moment, I realized he had a pair of glinting snake bites in his lip and a few other piercings.

"You can shut your damn mouth," He ordered, turning to face me again, "Hey, princess, tell your friend to get a better wardrobe. We're not at a retirement home. Not that she'll learn anything from you."

"Hey back off! She's my friend. I don't know why you're being so rude!" I shouted. 

"Come on," The girl hanging on Hero's arm said, "They're not worth it."

As they turned around and headed out the doors, I tried to make sense of what just happened.

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