It goes without saying all characters are above 18.
Just wanna make it clear I do not condone use of Alcohol or drugs as coping mechanisms.
Shout out to MaximusTheMad and y86 for grammar wrangling and helping me make this presentable
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She squirmed further into the bed, face in pillow.
Earlier....
A shadow passed by the lace curtains, Mallory barely glanced at it, caught up in her work. That'd be Guy her roommate, intelligent but surly, he decided years ago to forgo the 'pantomime of higher education', as he called it. Instead settled into a high paid tech job immediately after leaving St. Bart's, the school he and her had attended together.
From her room, she heard the front door slam. Sighing inwardly, she reached for her headphones, remembering too late that they were still charging; as she lifted her hand, she instead reached for the gold black box beside them. Later the sound of the microwave could be heard in the living room - thin ass walls.
He'd had a bad day at work, or a great one. Always hard to say with this guy. By the sound of it, he'd thrown his bag down and settled into a match.
"Football, how boring," she thought.
She adjusted her seat in the chair, unclenching her fist from a fag. It was harder than it looked, this lark, and with the new term starting in less than a week she would have to bring her A game so to speak. She followed a speck of dust floating on a mini thermal created by the radiator, took a second drag, threshing the ether for cues.
The neatness of the room perturbed him. Other than the furniture, a sweet leather suite lain L shape around the wall mounted flat screen; you'd be hard pressed to think any normal humans lived here. Even the few scattered houseplants looked too green and healthy, as if some real estate agent had discreetly snuck them in moments before a showing. He shook his head, draining the silver cylinder in hand. Sure Guy (Al to his mates) was a friend of his. He shouldn't begrudge him his good fortune. He'd chose to walk down with him hadn't he? Having met him at the bus stop on his own way home from work. After all, better to watch the match here than that pub down the street - full of raring alchos as it was. He turned his gaze towards the blonde head currently rooting in the fridge.
"So where is Mallory?"
Guy paused his search to regard his 'friend' on the couch, Tommy. They'd met back in 1st year and despite having fuck all in common besides football team, hung out ever since. These once weekly meet ups were more out of habit than anything else at this stage. Still, he wasn't the worst of sorts.
"Well?" Tommy repeated, "Where is she?"
Guy merely grunted and passed him another can out of the fridge and plopped down beside him. It will be the first of many but for now both were sober, sweat stained from the rat race, eyes glued to the screen.
Mallory put her pen down and unfolded from her chair, time for a shower.
In the living room, analysis of the match dragged on. Tommy and Guy caught up in conversation paused briefly as they heard the shower go on. Guy lit a cigarette, inwardly rolling his eyes in anticipation of what came next.
"Heard she's a bit of a slut, your one," Tommy spoke casually into his beer can.
"Every fucking time with this guy," Al thought. "Would it kill him to just ask her out?"
But, knowing what was expected, he feigned choking on his fag and with all the false interest he could muster, blurted out, "What?"
"Yeah I heard she's mad for it, fucking gagging for it like..."
And on the story went, Tommy getting increasingly excited as he described in lurid detail, all the disgusting lewd acts Al knew his quiet, near prudish roommate would never do. Usually he let Tommy carry on, uh huhhing and ahhing at the appropriate parts but today he was in no mood. Thankfully the loud click of the shower being turned off across the hall cut today's salaciousness short. Relieved, Al sucked air through his teeth and regarded his friend cynically.
"Brave man you."
If Als cold comment cut, Tommy pretended not to notice, choosing instead to remain quiet and regard the droning sportscaster's face with a very fixed seriousness.
Al laughed.
Mal wrapped her gold brown body in green, her favourite colour, the towel soft. She stepped out into the smoke-filled, dim hallway. Guy was laughing at something Tommy had said. She frowned. She didn't like that Tommy. Something about his twice surly demeanour and how he was ever looking down on things. Then again - his height wasn't his fault. Shit! She'd forgotten her detangler in the bathroom, she padded back down the hall. Quickly. Frizz was no one's friend.
Meanwhile, Tommy shifted off the couch.
"Back in a second, need to piss."
Al merely grunted and lit another fag.