Requested by AWMBH.
* * *
"Don't those zero-calorie sodas give you cancer or something?"
Morgan swallowed and nervously fiddled with the bottle cap. "They haven't actually found any link between artificial sweeteners and cancer. The study about aspartame got discredited, and none of the other commonly-used sweeteners have been proven to be carcinogens."
Chloe chuckled. "Huh. You just knew that off the back of your hand?"
"I mean, it's going in my body, isn't it? I feel like I should know about what I eat and drink."
"Fair enough." Chloe leaned back in her chair and stretched. She looked around the library and noticed a few people giving her funny looks. One of the girls staring at her was someone she recognized - Bethany. She and Chloe had an org-chem class together.
Chloe smiled. Bethany wasn't just another student. She was on the cheerleading team. Which meant Chloe would be seeing a
lot
more of her later that night. Chloe made a peace sign and held it up to her mouth, sticking her tongue out and winking. Bethany gasped and turned her head back towards her book, blushing furiously.
"Are you just gonna goof off," Morgan said, "or are you gonna help me track down all these names?"
"Sorry!" Chloe squeaked. She turned back to her laptop and typed another name into the student directory. "Okay, looks like... Summer Harris here is a sophomore, lives in Phoenix Hall, is a... ugh,
philosophy
major."
"What do you have against philosophy majors?"
"They only exist to teach other philosophy majors."
Morgan took another swig of soda. "...I'm a philosophy major," she said quietly.
Chloe paused. "I, uh... I mean..." She scratched the back of her head and looked away. "I didn't mean it in, like, a
bad
way!"
"Jennifer Barrett," Morgan said, trying to avoid looking stung. "Junior, Blossom Hall, majoring in astronomy."
"Ooh, astronomy!" Chloe grinned. "What if we caught her at the observatory? She'd
really
be seeing stars after we're done with her!"
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Why would she see stars? We're not gonna punch her or anything, are we?"
"N-No, I..." Chloe sighed. "You really are too pure for this world, Morgan."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're just, like... innocent. Like you're way younger than you actually are."
Morgan shrugged. "Well, I didn't really get to experience all those fun things everyone always talks about in high school. Sometimes it feels like I'm four years behind everyone else when it comes to social stuff."
Even though her roommate's expression was placid, Chloe could notice the sadness in Morgan's eyes.
Poor thing,
she thought to herself.
Stuck in her house all the time, never getting to go out and have fun. No wonder she hadn't had her first kiss yet.
She looked down at the black book that sat between them and noticed something. "Wait a sec... I know this one."
"You do?" Morgan's ears almost literally perked up.
"Yeah, we have pre-calc together." She looked around the room and smiled. "And there she is right now."
"She's here? How can you tell?"
Chloe turned back to Morgan. "She's kinda hard to miss."
* * *
Willow popped another gummy bear in her mouth and chewed. Working the tech support desk wasn't the most glamorous job in the world, but it beat sitting around in her dorm room all day. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a pair of girls approaching her. One of them looked familiar. "Oh, hey... Chloe, right?"
Chloe smiled. "Yup! And you're Willow."
"Wow..." Morgan gasped, her eyes wide with awe. "Your hair..."
"I know of it," Willow giggled. Her hair always drew looks wherever she went. She could never stick with a color for very long, but whenever she dyed it, she always went for the boldest, loudest color she could. Today it was a bright green, almost neon with its intensity, styled into an undercut.
Morgan couldn't stop gawking at it. Where she grew up, no one was ever bold enough to dye their hair that type of color. Combined with Willow's prominent eyebrow piercing, it gave off an edge that was somewhat at odds with the girl's friendly demeanor.
"So, Willow," Chloe spoke up, "are you busy right now?"
"Well, I'm technically working, but..." Willow looked around and leaned in. "This job is so
boring
!" she whispered. "I swear, if one more gross frat boy asks me to hook his Xbox up to the campus wi-fi, I'm gonna knock his teeth out."
Chloe grinned. "Sounds like you could use a break, then! Morgan, care to do the honors?"
"Huh? Oh, r-right."
I almost forgot what we came here for...
Morgan pulled out the black book and flipped to the page with Willow's name on it. "'Allantoid orpine!'"
Willow gasped, and then lidded her eyes and smiled. "I am hypnotized," she purred, "I must obey."
"Yeah, you do!" Chloe giggled.
Morgan rolled her eyes.
She's taking this
way