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✰
“How do I look?” Emma twirls in her outfit, showing it fully.
She’s wearing a sparkly fringe silver dress with knee-high white boots; she’s just finished her makeup with silver glitter eyeliner and some star-shaped rhinestone stickers. Both her wrists are covered in beaded bracelets and a ‘13’ is painted on one of her hands with nail polish.
Marie beams. “Absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you! I’m sweating so much already though and I need a drink to ditch these nerves.” She reaches for the deodorant that’s on top of her drawer. “Hey, are you sure you don’t want to come? I can tell Sam it’s a girls’ night out.”
She shakes her head. “No… I wouldn’t have the heart to take away his chance of listening and singing You Belong with Me live.”
“I swear to God, that’s the only song he knows.”
“And he loves it.”
“I think he secretly listens to Speak Now when I’m not watching but that’s a conspiracy theory I’ll confirm tonight.” Emma applies some hairspray to keep her short hair in place. “But, seriously, are you okay with staying alone tonight?”
“Emma I’m not five, I can stay one night without your… questionable… supervision.”
“That’s what I’m talking about! Without me here, you’ll probably stay in the room by yourself and binge-watch Criminal Minds… again.”
Marie stammers. “That’s not true… I’m currently watching Law and Order; it has more seasons.”
“My point exactly.” She turns around to face her roommate. “Look, I’m not saying you can’t do that but… midterms are around the corner and our chances of going out, and enjoying our college life will decrease when we have to go full study lockdown.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep myself entertained. Maybe I can… text Cate or Andre, and check what they’re up to.”
“That’s the spirit! Have fun, do drugs, commit crimes… you know, your usual college stuff.”
“I did that the first night and almost got myself expelled.”
“But up to that moment, you had a great time, didn’t you?”
Before Marie can protest, there’s a knock on their door.
“That’s Sam, I gotta go.” She presses a kiss on Marie’s forehead and then rubs the lipstick with her thumb. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
“That’s not very… limiting.”
“Exactly. Okay, bye! I love you!”
“Love you too…”
Emma opens the door.
“We need to go now or we won’t make it to Sabrina’s set.” Sam’s wearing the Junior Jewels t-shirt Emma personalized for him. Marie admires his commitment to the cause.
“Not on my watch,” Emma says, too seriously. “Sabrina Carpenter is the only blonde below 5ft. that understands me. I’m not missing her show.”
“Hi Marie, bye Marie!” He greets.
She can only wave before Emma abandons the room and both of them head to the concert.
Marie sighs.
It feels like one of those nights.
✰
What’s wrong with watching an airing show that has over twenty-something seasons to catch up with? Nothing. In fact, it should count for her Crime Fighting courses as extra credit. Besides, she has just started SUV, and Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson is indisputably great.
Now, she can understand where Emma’s coming from. She should ‘make use of her youth’ on a Saturday night or whatever that means, shouldn’t she?
Marie’s debating whether or not she should text Cate while checking the options on the soda machine. The Fanta Pineapple looks good but she’s a Cherry Coke girl.
Right after pressing the button, a familiar voice calls her name.
“Moreau.”
Marie lifts her gaze to meet Jordan’s eyes.
They are in female form, wearing their sports clothing and carrying their gym bag. Jordan looks in a good mood which is usually a positive indicator to start a conversation with them.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” She grabs her can of Coke, it’s cold against her hands.
“Collecting a bet.” They proudly show a bottle of tequila, an expensive one. “Playing poker with Maverick is like stealing candy from kids.”
“Nice.”
“What about you? Where’s your sidekick?”
Marie rolls her eyes. “Emma is not my sidekick. You’re just pissed because she beat your ass on Mario Kart.”
“No… she cheated…cheats actively, and I’ll prove it one of these days.”
“Sure… well, not tonight. She’s at the Taylor Swift’s concert with Sam.”
“You didn’t go with her?”
“No, but I helped her make friendship bracelets for the past couple of months.” Marie shows the few she kept for herself on her wrist. “This one with red beads says ‘Bad Blood’, Emma thought it was clever.”
“I can see why.”
“Anyway, funny meeting you here, I was about to text Cate, to check if she has plans for tonight.”
“Oh, she’ll be out of campus. Well, actually she, Luke, and Andre are going downtown or something.”
“You’re not going with them?”
“Nah, it’s like a date or something and I don’t want to… fourth-wheel them?”
“Ah, I see…” Marie wouldn’t like to meddle either.
Well, there it goes her Saturday night.
“I guess I’ll just go back to my dorm then…” It sounds more awkward an antisocial than intended.
Jordan shrugs. “Alright, see you around.”
They both cross paths to head in the opposite direction. Marie stops after two steps, she turns around.
“Unless…”
Jordan looks over their shoulder.
“What?”
“Do you got something to do tonight?”
Shit. The words came out of her mouth before she could tone them down.
They turn around to face her again.
“You wanna hang out… with me? Just… us?” They raise an eyebrow, cautiously.
“I… Never mind.” Marie’s mumbling already. “It was just a thought and-”
“Okay.”
“Wait, for real?” Marie is even more surprised.
They nod.
“Don’t you have better things to do?”
“Depends, what do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know… anything that implies getting out of my dorm before I start growing roots there.” Marie stops mid-thought. “Shit, that doesn’t sound like fun at all…”
“Fine. I’m in.”
“What?”
“Look, Emma is not the only one who can show you a good time around campus and I’m older and wiser so why not share that valuable knowledge with everyone’s favorite freshman.”
“You’re making it sound like you’re doing me a favor.”
“Oh, one hundred percent.”
Marie’s about to protest but Jordan’s already walking away with a smug smile on their face.
“I’ll go shower and pick you up in twenty minutes.”
“To do what?”
“We’ll come up with something, there’s always something to do here, trust me.”
“Okay…” She then resumes her walking with a confused expression.
Could it be they sounded… excited?
✰
It must be Marie’s imagination.
Is Jordan Li willingly hanging out with her on a Saturday night?
Here’s the thing, Marie never knows where she’s standing with Jordan. For the longest time, half through her first week at Godolkin, she thought they hated her guts after being rejected (by them) for Professor Brink’s class. After meeting Andre and joining the group for a night out in the city, she saved everyone’s asses (especially Andre’s) by helping that woman in the club. During that complicated period, it looked like Jordan was impressed with Marie’s abilities, although it was never admitted out loud. However, when she got into the advanced classes, Jordan discovered the joys of taunting her for no reason whatsoever and the two of them ended up immersed in some of the most stupidly serious (or seriously stupid) arguments ever.
Nonetheless, as time went by, and because the ties got tighter with Emma and Sam sort of dating, Marie and Jordan were forced to spend time together outside of class hours… for their chagrins. They ended up sharing meals, outs, movie nights, game nights… etc. Therefore, to say they’re only acquaintances might be incorrect but assuring they are friends isn’t quite right either… There’s a whole limbo between one term and the other.
Sure, Marie’s the only one who always catches their snarky and/or unhinged comments and laughs wholeheartedly, and Jordan is the one who helps her with her assignments and lectures that she doesn’t understand… and well, there’s also this minuscule, insignificant detail… that she might or might not consider them hot but… it’s not a big deal, really… right?
Right?
“Fuck.”
She does consider them hot, male or female… and that’s a problem.
For instance, it would be much easier to come up with an outfit if she wasn’t so concerned about looking cool, effortlessly cool, chill but at the same time chic and attractive. It’s a very delicate balance and the one person who could help her right now must be singing the chorus of feather at the top of her lungs.
So yeah, you’re on your own, kid.
Dammit, it’s so easy to insert Taylor Swift lyrics everywhere. Emma’s fault.
If anything, she does have permission to go through Emma’s closet whenever she needs to, so her friend is helping her in the distance. She also has all the things Vought sent her when she broke into the rankings, it’s a matter of combining them correctly and also, time. Because she has somehow less than fifteen minutes to get ready and knowing how fastidious Jordan is, they will be outside her door right on time.
In addition to that, the goddamn windows can’t be opened from the dorm so there’s no way to check if it’s cold or hot outside so she has to trust the weather report on her phone.
Should she wear pants? Jeans? Biker shorts? A dress? She tries on a couple of combinations before reducing the options to three outfits. Before anything else, she does her makeup and checks that her hair looks good. Now it’s time to make a choice.
She’s not usually this indecisive when it comes to clothes, she tends to wear whatever she feels like but not tonight. Tonight, she’s hanging out with Jordan who will most definitely have a comment ready the second she opens the door. She won’t let them get away with that.
But she has less than three minutes to do it so she has to do it fast.
She picks up a white dress with short sleeves and a turtle neck along with a pair of Converse Highs that seem ready for whatever it is they are going to do. She borrows one of Emma’s oversized leather jackets that matches the hem of the dress perfectly right above her knees. Marie takes a look in the mirror, this jacket might be Sam’s, it’d look big on Emma… although…
There’s a knock on her door.
They’re here, sharply on time, as usual.
“Just a second…” She unplugs her phone, grabs a pair of hoop earrings, splashes some perfume, and she’s ready to go.
Marie opens the door.
“Hey, Moreau we-”
Jordan is speechless the second they lay eyes on her, as they spend a good portion of time just admiring her legs before looking at her eyes.
“Hey.” Marie smiles. “What do you think? Is it appropriated for the Marie-Jordan night out?” She shows off her outfit a little.
Jordan clears their throat. “You look… good.”
Just good?
“Thanks?”
Jordan, now in male form, is wearing a black and white split denim jacket over a simple black tee, black loose pants, and white Air Jordan (are they aware they use sneakers with their name on it? Yeah, for sure). Their half-pearl half metal links necklace fits perfectly with the jacket and it was probably the vibe they were trying to achieve, comfortable for both forms but also, Marie can’t help to think they are matching in all black and white.
“We’re kinda-”
Jordan gulps. “Let’s go, we have things to do.” They grab Marie’s wrist and drag her out of the dorm.
“Do we?” She frowns. “I thought the plan was no plan.”
“Well, according to my sources…” They scroll through their messages. “Tonight, there’s a frat party at the Beta Delta Zeta house, the acapella group ‘Supez’ with a ‘z’ are having a riff-off, the juniors of the performing arts program are staging a play they call an ‘immersive experience’… whatever that means… there’s a poetry slam outdoors with a bonfire, and the skaters are gathering somewhere campus security doesn’t get them. So yeah. What do you wanna do?”
“Oh… there are many options I…” Marie takes a look at Jordan’s big expectant eyes. If she wants to be a cool college girl, she should act like one. “All of them.” She exclaims.
“What?”
“We should go to all of them… not simultaneously but like… show up, drop by?”
“You wanna go to all the things I’ve just mentioned?”
She nods enthusiastically.
“Alright, freshman… whatever you say.”
Jordan leads the way and Marie follows with a proud smile printed on her face.
✰
“That was…” Marie is trying to find the right words. “…an experience.”
Jordan tilts their head. “That’s… a way to put it.”
They exchange a look before bursting into laughter.
“Okay, no… I know it was bad but at least it was original.” She says, trying to see the silver lining.
“You’re being too nice, it was bad… period.” They add, still chuckling. “And it wasn’t even original, I must’ve read that same Shakespeare-esque plot in at least one literature class in eighth grade.”
Marie presses her lips together but the second she lays eyes on them there’s another round of explosive laughter. They make a great effort to continue walking through the hallways of the performing arts building, aiming for the nearest exit.
Both of them had to sneak out of the auditorium like a couple of teenagers who decided to skip the third period to hang out in the parking lot. There were still another fifty minutes left for the play to end but neither of them could stand not a minute more in there.
“God, I wish I was as high as those juniors when they decided to green-light this play.” Jordan wipes a tear.
“Maybe it was like an allegory of something…”
“Nope. It was pretentious and if you come up with some thought behind it, they’re going to steal it and say it was their intention all along or that you got it all wrong. One of two.”
Marie squints and crosses her arms on her chest. “You knew what we were getting into, didn’t you?”
“Please, it’s on the name… what did you expect when you heard ‘immersive experience’?”
“Not someone blowing bubbles to our faces like we were in a 4-D cinema or something?”
“Yeah, well, where’s your metaphor for that?”
“There was a bath on the stage at that point… I’d say it was more literal than figurative…”
Jordan can’t keep a straight face. They finally cross the door with the exit sign above it.
“I’m just glad we arrived late because if we had to be at the front when that laser thing happened…”
“What was with the laser eyes? That was probably the worst set of special effects I’ve ever seen…”
“Someone’s failing… that’s for sure. But you know?” Jordan frowns for a second. “The girl that played one of the fairy-mermaid-vampire people actually has laser eyes. Audrey something, I’ve seen it.”
“No way… they did that on purpose?” Marie gapes.
“Why wouldn’t they let her play the role?”
“I mean, she could’ve set the stage on fire…”
“Would’ve been better than their third act…”
They continue discussing the ridiculous details of the play as they roam around the campus. Once their stomachs are hurting from laughing too much, Jordan stops to check what’s next on the list.
“What do you want to do next? The poetry slam starts in two hours but the good news is that are arriving fashionably late to the party…”
“So I’m guessing we’ll do that.”
“There’s that and…”
“You’re not considering the acapella thing right after this, are you?”
“Oh, thank you… I’m not into musicals.” Jordan lets out a sigh of relief.
“I could’ve never guessed that…”
They click their tongue.
“I respect the classics that’s all I’m going to say on the matter… and that Pitch Perfect had the worst impact in college culture. I’m surprised they didn’t try to get you into their group. It’s like a cult… scratch it, it’s a cult.”
“I told them I’m in the Crime-Fighting program before they could ask. It happened. Day one, in between you rejecting me from Brink’s class.”
Jordan plays dumb as if they didn’t hear the last part. “Well done…”
“Not that I’m not a good singer… I don’t mean to brag but I learned every lyric to Super Bass when I was younger.”
Jordan doesn’t seem impressed. “Uh, you and every kid that was in school around 2010. Not a big deal, Moreau.”
Marie raises an eyebrow. “Really? Well, what’s your go-to karaoke song, and don’t say Burn to Run because I won’t buy it.”
“Easy. Boombastic, amazing song to sing while being drunk or high, repeats the chorus a lot and it has so much swag.”
“I don’t think I’ve heard someone say the word swag since 2010.”
“Oh, c’mon, you were the one who didn’t have a phone until two months ago.”
“And even without a phone, it seems I’m more caught up with the trends than the great Jordan Li.”
“You know what-” Jordan stops midsentence.
“What is it? Giving up already?”
“No,” They roll their eyes. “I’m trying to find the way to the party. The Delta Beta Zeta has no address so you gotta go hoping you bump into their nonsense. Or, check on Maps like I’m doing but the reception kinda sucks out of campus.”
“Whatever you say…” Marie murmurs.
“This isn’t over, Moreau.” They declare. “Now, tell me, in what direction do you hear the blasting music coming from?”
Marie listens carefully, there’s a distinctive sound of rumbling music in a near distance. She also can sense a lot of crammed bodies and their respective heartbeats in the same place.
“I’d say over there.” She points to the East.
“So off we go.” They make an exaggerated reverence. “After you, milady.”
“Yes, you’re right. After me.” She starts running away.
“Hey! But don’t leave me behind.”
Marie giggles.
This is gonna be fun.
✰
This is gonna be… fun. She repeats to herself.
It’s not like Emma hasn’t dragged her to college parties before, but this one feels different. For starters, she doesn’t have her best friend who happens to be an expert in wild parties, she has Jordan but she can’t act like a freshman in front of Jordan who is way more experienced than her in this field.
“I didn’t know there was a fraternity in Godolkin.” She whispers as they start seeing the party lights in a remote part of the campus, near some woods that partially muffle the sound.
“The trustee committee shut them down ages ago because they only got in trouble and apparently burnt down a non-supe university due to a sports rivalry. But they re-opened it a couple of years ago with the promise of keeping it low-key.” They help Marie walk past the unsteady ground. “I’m not gonna lie and brace yourself, it’s full of jerks; they throw amazing parties but it’s full of jerks. The Deep used to be a member, imagine.”
“It makes sense.” Marie looks at the colorful lights with sparkling eyes.
In the middle of nowhere, it raises a large house with white walls covered in intrinsic graffiti drawings and the symbols of the fraternity «βδζ» on top where everyone can see them as if it was a modern Greek agora. Inside, the music blasts some broken lyrics distorted by the bass of the stereo, and the strobe lights create a setting she’s only seen in media before.
Marie recognizes the faces of some of her classmates, one guy from Intro who’s flying around the house, trying to break a record of how many laps he can do before throwing up. Penny, a girl from her Branding class who can multiplicate herself is arguing with her boyfriend in the garden… the three of them are arguing with her boyfriend (poor guy, but he probably deserves it). Even Emma’s obnoxious classmate, the girl who lives in the same building -Justine-, and her friend Harper are shooting a tour video of the house.
“It seems like everyone’s here.” Marie points out as they walk toward the entrance. A girl almost pushes them on her way out.
“I know some people but no one that’s a member-”
“Jordan! What’s up?” A tall guy with dark wavy hair greets them.
Marie knows him from the top ten rankings, Tyler something.
Jordan looks like they are regretting walking into the party in female form. They tense up as if the guy was some kind of ghost… or an ex.
“Hey…” They clench their jaw. “Tyler…”
“I didn’t know you were coming but hit me up if you want to do something later.” He taps Jordan’s shoulder and then looks at Marie. “Your friend can come too, I don’t mind.”
“Uh… yeah…” Jordan removes their hand by pinching the sleeve of his jacket like a mechanical claw. “I’ll let you know.”
Marie winces when he takes a glance at her. “Not gonna happen, champ.”
Jordan grabs Marie’s wrist and heads to the furthest, opposite direction.
“That guy is tripping…” She says once they arrive at the drinks table.
“Tell me about it.”
“No, like, literally. He has an explosive combination running through his blood.”
“Oh, well… that’s not a surprise either.” Jordan takes a look at the bottles spread across the large table, some are full, and some are already half empty. “What’s your poison, Moreau?” They are quick to find something to do with their hands, the last interaction left them a little agitated.
Now, this is her chance to impress them. She doesn’t like whiskey, too strong… she could do vodka and something but the mere mention of the name makes her remember her first hangover a couple of weeks ago and her stomach still trembles whenever she thinks of it. She’s also never drinking a Jager Bomb again thanks to Emma. Maybe something sweet like a daiquiri, is it too soft? Too girly?
Jordan catches her hesitance while she’s debating what to do.
“If you don’t want to drink it’s okay though…” They say. “Don’t feel pressure.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s just…” She doesn’t know what her ‘poison’ is.
“What if I make you something?” They offer.
She nods. “Sure…”
“Are you doubting my mixology abilities?” They raise an eyebrow.
The comment cracks a smile on Marie’s face. “No… I would never.”
Jordan smirks before grabbing a bottle making sure is a closed one. They put a bunch of ice in one red cup and add liquor and Coke to the mixture. They find a lemon slice and a pink metal straw somewhere and then hand it to Marie.
She takes a sip of the drink. It’s very good, better than other drinks she has tried. “What is it?”
“Rum and cola. Don’t drink it too fast because it’s sweet.” They warn her before mixing a variety of alcoholic beverages into one cup. “And this Long Island tea is for me… there’s no tea on it so don’t let the name fool you.”
“Noted.” Marie is gonna stick to her drink, besides Jordan made it for her. She plays with the straw with a little smile on her face.
“Is it good?” They go to a quieter corner and sit on one of the sofas, Marie copies them.
“Yeah, perfect. Thank you.” She smiles.
Music keeps playing, it’s loud but there it’s a bit better for conversation. Some couples are making out next to them and a group is playing UNO with a set of rules Marie’s never heard before. It’s not going to end up well for that friendship.
“So… you and that guy…” Marie inquires after they’re settled.
“Oh, fuck… I knew this was coming to bite me in the ass one day.” Jordan takes a long sip of their drink. “We fucked a couple of times but nothing serious…” They can’t manage to look Marie in the eye.
“Is it not current?”
“No, it ended up right before he gave a couple of sophomores chlamydia. He had to call me too, imagine how that went…”
Marie chuckles. “Alright…”
“Why? You’re not considering his offer…?”
“No!” She lowers her gaze avoiding Jordan’s eyes too. “I was just… curious. I’ve seen you around with some people but it’s never something ‘serious’.”
Jordan gets caught off guard. “Not really… I guess I haven’t found a person that I like that way or that likes me back this way.” Every word comes out slowly, they fidget with their fingers.
“With ‘this way’ do you mean…?”
“Both ways? Male and female equally?”
“What?” Marie shakes her head. She’s about to say something that’s gonna give her away. “Are you telling me people would go out with you and ask you not to switch?”
“Yeah. Take Tyler for example, a bit ‘bicurious’ but not enough to be seen with me looking like one of his friends.” They shift at that moment. “While most girls want me like this but not the other way around… unless they want the full ‘let’s experiment’ college moment.”
“It’s ridiculous.”
Who wouldn’t want Jordan?
Wait, does she want Jordan?
“Marie?”
“Uh?” She shakes her head. “Excuse me what?”
“Oh, you are lightweight.”
“No… that’s not… what did you say?”
“I asked about you…”
Marie panics. Are they asking if she’s into both? She is but that’s a blunt thing to say.
“Are you seeing anyone?”
She relaxes instantly. So that was… wait.
What is she supposed to say?
“Are you seriously asking me that?” Jordan stares blankly at her. “With all the homework that Brink sends us? It’s almost weekly assignments. I don’t have the time.”
Color returns to their face. “Right… I thought… I don’t know, maybe you met someone in the library.” They shrug.
Marie snorts. “Yeah, sure.”
“I didn’t think someone like you would find it difficult.”
“Someone like me?” She frowns. What is that supposed to mean?
“Uh, pretty.” She can sense the way their blood is rushing to their cheeks.
“Yeah, the chick with the gruesome blood powers.”
Hold on.
Did Jordan call her pretty?
And she missed that?
Is she really a lightweight?
“I think your powers are cool…”
“Thank you.” She beams, her cheeks are burning. “Answering your previous question, I haven’t had the chance to be with someone like that… but if there was someone, I wouldn’t mind, male or female…”
“Oh.” Jordan seems surprised in a good way. “I just assumed-”
But right before he can finish the sentence, one fellow junior spots them.
“Jordan! I knew it was you!” He says before exchanging a fist bump. “Hey, the guys and I are unloading some beer kegs from Aaron’s truck, can you give us a hand?”
Jordan obviously doesn’t want to leave right now but the expectant eyes of their classmate push him to do it. They sigh and stand up but before leaving they touch Marie’s knee for a quick second that keeps their fingers burning against her skin.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t do stranger powders.” They come warning her yet again.
“What…? Oh, right. I won’t.” She nods.
With half a smile she watches them leave.
Fuck.
She thought Jordan hated her but they’ve been nice to her so far. Does she like them or is it just because they are being good to her?
“Marie?”
Marie lifts her gaze to spot one of the girls from her Criminology class, Raleigh written like ‘Leigh’ and not like Riley, ginger with freckles.
“Hi.” She waves at her.
“Oh my God, good to see you out of class.” She greets Marie with a tipsy smile.
“Same thing.”
“What are you drinking?”
“Uh, rum cola?”
Raleigh extends her hand to grab her cup and using her powers, she freezes the bottom of it.
“There you go.”
“Thank you.”
“Didn’t see you before.”
“I just arrived.”
“Oh well, my girlfriend and some friends are here tonight; we were dancing but I needed a break to smoke. Don’t you wanna come join us?”
“Ah…” She tries to find Jordan in the crowd but there’s no sight of them around. She could use the distraction; her mind is a mess. “Sure. Why not?”
“Awesome!” Raleigh shouts before yanking Marie out of the couch. Oh, she’s drunk drunk.
Marie follows the girl among dancing drunk bodies, hands in the air, heads bobbing to current club music she doesn’t recognize. She catches some stares and heads turning around when she passes by and it feels nice. It’s more than nice, it’s like one of those high school party scenes where everyone lives in a montage that showcases the best moment of their lives, only here everybody is heavier on drugs and alcohol consumption… and on the superpower use.
“Marie, this is my girlfriend, Dani.” She introduces a shorter girl with a wolf cut.
“Love your jacket.” Dani compliments her.
“Thanks,” Marie says shyly.
“And these are Mina, Whitney, and Josie. We’re in the same dorms.” Raleigh keeps yelling, the music is louder here, and the speakers make the floor rumble.
She waves with a smile. There’s no way she’s going to remember all of their names but she recalls seeing some of them on the hallways. Godolkin might look like a giant university but you get to know most residents after a while.
“Holy shit, you’re on the top ten.” Mina or Josie points out. “That’s so cool.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Do you know Golden Boy in person? He’s so hot… literally.” She drags her words.
“Leave her alone.” Raleigh’s girlfriend shushes her.
“Okay, but can you introduce me to Andre? At least he’s single.”
Uh…
“I see what I can do.” If she knew where Andre is…
They dance to the rhythm of the song until ends, then a Ciara song plays and Marie actually knows this one so she sings along while bringing her hands to the sky. The little alcohol in her rum cola makes hits exactly how it’s supposed to. She’s not even tipsy but she’s joyful. She’s having fun, and she’s careless.
She’s free.
“Did you come with Emma?” Whitney asks. “We share some classes and you guys always are together, joined by the hip.”
“Oh, no, she was out of campus tonight. I came with-”
“Jordan! Jordan! Jordan!” The crowd starts cheering when they spot Jordan coming through the door carrying a set of kegs as they were pillows.
Marie’s heart skips a beat. This is better than a movie sequence moment, the way the light falls upon their face and bathes them with a cascade of colors, the way the music stops and the world seems to spin a little slower when she sees their bright smile.
That’s until one girl grabs their arm as soon as they place the last keg and it’s like someone punched Marie on the throat. There’s no need to be a genius to read her body language, she’s interested. She’s sexy, there’s no reason for Jordan not to like her. This is fine… it’s fine… it’s something that could happen. Jordan is attractive and she’s seen them leaving with people before. Why is it affecting her so much right now? Why is she feeling like crying?
She adverts her gaze but she’s not feeling like dancing anymore.
“Where’s the bathroom?” She asks one of the girls.
“Upstairs, do you want me to go with you?”
Marie shakes her head. “Have fun, I’m going to retouch my lip gloss.” She lies with a perfect smile.
“Alright.”
Marie makes her way out of the crowd, dodging hands that try to grab her wrist and she even gets to numb a guy that’s about to grope another girl. Well deserved… he’s lucky because she’s not in a good mood and it could’ve been much worse than that. She notices other details, the way her shoes stick to the floor due to the spilled drinks and other substances, the cloying smell of cotton candy vape fumes, someone about to puke in one corner, and a couple making out as if they were filming a home video.
Fuck this party.
She hates Zeta Delta Beta.
She opens a couple of doors by mistake and she was definitely not supposed to see those things. Traumatized runs short. At least the line for the bathroom is not long. There are only two more people in front of her. One of the girls offers LSD but she politely declines it. She can’t do drugs right now; only God knows how it would make her act.
It’s her turn and Marie closes the bathroom door behind her back and lets a sigh out of her chest. Her eyes are watery but she’s not going to cry for Jordan Li. There’s no way. Maybe a tear or two fall when she splashes some water on her face, but that’s between her and this poorly lit bathroom.
“Marie? Are you there?”
She hates that her heart starts beating fast again when she recognizes their voice on the other side of the door.
“Yeah, just a second.” She fans her face with her hand before opening the door.
Before she can get out, Jordan gets in. They shifted to female form since the last time Marie saw them.
“Sorry.” They take a deep breath. “I had to hide, that girl Christie is a nightmare.”
That makes Marie feel a little better.
“I thought you… liked her?”
“God, no.” They make a disgusted expression. “Remember what I told you earlier? This time I shifted just to spite her because she’s one of those super Christian homophobes but she loves people on the top rank.”
What a bitch.
“Sorry, I left you.” Jordan rests against the wall next to the faucet. “I didn’t mean to but the guys…”
“It’s okay… I was dancing with some girls I knew from class. Came here to… retouch my lip gloss.”
She continues with her alibi as she pulls out a little lip gloss bottle Cate gave her. It’s cherry flavored. Marie proceeds to apply a little on her lips while looking in the mirror, in the corner of her eye, she can see Jordan staring. Their gaze is fixated on the way her lips are getting coated. She suddenly is very aware of every move she makes and how heavy the air feels.
“Do you want some?” Marie raises the lip gloss bottle in the air.
“What? N-No… I’m good.” They gulp and blush violently.
Marie walks in their direction. “Look at me.”
Their eyes meet, and none of them are breathing.
She applies the lip gloss on them. “There you go.”
Jordan cracks a smile. “You’re so silly.”
“And now you look pretty too.” She drags them in front of the mirror. “See?”
It’s adorable to see Jordan being coy, it’s very unlike them.
Jordan shakes their head and licks their lips. “Cherry?”
“The only flavor ever.”
Maybe it’s Marie’s imagination, maybe it’s the aftermath of the rum cola but she swears Jordan keeps stealing glances of her lips.
She shakes the thought out of her mind because… this is Jordan.
“Let’s go dance.” Marie grabs their wrist and drags them out of the bathroom before they can complain and before she can deal with her thoughts and feelings.
They arrive on the dancefloor while the latest trending song is playing and everyone is singing the chorus at the top of their lungs. This song has been on blast through the hallways of Godolkin for the past couple of weeks so Marie knows every lyric, this is part of the soundtrack of her freshmen year. She turns around and starts jumping, dancing to the rhythm and making Jordan join her. Their fingers intertwine and there’s not a single part of the song that requires them to do it but the warmness of their skin feels nice.
Until the tone changes and the music transforms into a dirty bit that demands less space between them. The cramped bodies push them closer, the lights go down, and the laser lights offer a show of colors in the darkness. Marie moves her hands above her head and Jordan’s arms slide smoothly until they’re around her waist. She’s dangerously aware of the interaction, the burning yet ticklish sensation from early returns and spreads through her body like wildfire.
Jordan’s eyes travel from her eyes to her lips as heartbeats per second can be counted.
If another minute passes by…
But right before Marie can anticipate or do something, a group of frat guys walk in with a giant cake full of candles singing Happy Birthday to some guy named Jeff. They turn on the lights and more than one guest is caught in headlights doing something they rather keep in the dark mode. Including Marie and Jordan who are suddenly flashed by the proximity they share.
“Happy Birthday, man!” One of the guys yells. “Delta Zeta Beta for life!”
They have no choice but to start singing a very out-of-tune birthday song before fleeing to the garden. The cool air hits both their faces.
“You didn’t tell me it was a birthday party.” Marie crosses her arms on her chest.
“Would you have brought a gift?”
“Yeah, ribbon and everything.”
Jordan shakes their head.
There are a couple of guys pouring beer from one of the kegs and Marie spots an opportunity of doing something she’s always wanted.
“I’ve always wanted to try that…”
“Drinking beer?”
She elbows them. “No, I mean, the drinking thing…” She gestures toward the people. “Upside down?”
“Oh, you mean a keg stand?”
“I didn’t know it had a name.”
“Doesn’t matter, let’s go. You’re getting that keg stand… although, are you sure you’ve got the right outfit?” They eye the length of her dress.
“Biker shorts,” Marie explains as she shows the undergarment. “Always forehanded.”
Jordan stares for a long second and then snaps out of it.
“Right, let’s get you your keg stand…”
Marie displays a giant grin, content.
Jordan greets some of the guys who are pouring a cup of beer for a girl with butterfly wings.
“«I know some people but no one that’s a member» my ass…” Marie murmurs to herself.
“What are you babbling about, Moreau? Are you going to do this or not?”
“I’m ready.” She rubs her hands together in anticipation.
Marie doesn’t personally know any of these people there but she recognizes the guy who got his arms ripped off when he fought Luke on her first day at Godlkin, was it Steve?
The Incredible Steve. Oh, she recalls now.
That’s why when he offers Marie to hold her, she’s already looking for a way out.
“Uh…”
“I’ll help her.” Jordan shifted before she could say something else. “Just let me know when it’s enough.”
She prepares herself as Jordan lifts her by the legs as if she weighs nothing. Steve hands her the beer tube and she presses it until the beer starts pumping. She’s doing it. She’s really doing it and it’s gross but she should hold on a little longer… until she can’t take it anymore. Just waving, Marie let Jordan know it’s been enough. They gently turn her back on her feet and place her on the ground.
“So… how was it?”
Marie coughs. “That tastes horrible… the beer is hot.” She glares at Jordan who’s already smirking. “Don’t you fucking dare, if you laugh at me right now…”
“Hey, it’s not my fault, this was your idea…”
Disgust is painted all over her face. Jordan takes pity and grabs one of the flavored waters from a cooler.
“Cherry, the only flavor ever.” They hand it still half-smiling.
“Okay, it was funny.” She says after taking a sip.
“It really was.”
At that moment, all of a sudden, a great explosion makes the house tremble.
“Maybe we should go…” Marie observes. “Before the campus police or the actual police arrive.”
“Yep.” Jordan agrees.
And with this being said, they are gone.
Frat party: checked.
✰
Don’t look at them.
Marie is on the verge of tears, about to shed one at any given moment and if she looks at Jordan it’d only be worse.
“Twinkling stars wear sunglasses at night, tickling the moon in a cosmic delight…”
Think about something boring, her latest Hero History assignment…
“Out of sight, out of mind… the irrevocable taste of light.”
It’s not working, think of something sad… that Sarah McLachlan commercial…
“If it wasn’t for your pride, we’d spend the night.”
Don’t look at Jordan, don’t look at Jordan… fuck.
The second their eyes meet she cannot hold her laughter any longer but she can’t laugh at this poet’s face. She has to bite her inner cheek and bury half of her face in her jacket.
“Thank you, Milo… that was incredible.” Someone assures.
“Marie here is so touched she might cry.” Jordan nods and Marie wants to step on one of their feet. “So moved.”
Marie has to hide behind their shoulder. “Shut up…” She whispers as a threat.
“Now, Lenny here is going to read us what he prepared for today.” The non-official organizer announces after they give Milo some feedback.
The flames of the bonfire extend and it’s the only reason they have stayed so long, it’s a warm contrast against how cool the night has become. The stars in the sky make it look like a campfire scene, they’re missing some tents and less bad poems.
“Yes, thank you, it’s a rewriting of the lyrics of ‘How Many Licks?’ by Lil’ Kim but told from the male perspective.”
“Okay, that’s it.” Marie stands up and is followed by Jordan as they abandon the bonfire.
She has to hold against a tree before breaking into laughter. “And I thought the play was bizarre.”
Jordan, in their female form, shakes their head and smiles. “Oh, you are an art enemy tonight…”
“Are you mad that you missed the Lil’ Kim reinterpretation?”
“Fuming.”
They start walking back to the campus side by side at a slow yet steady pace. The moon shines above their heads as some clouds pass by, a chilly breeze makes the leaves on the trees rustle and even time seems to go slower just for them.
“It must take courage to present something original or at least… partially original. I’ll give them that.”
“You’re being too nice… again.”
“In my defense, I’m not the biggest poetry connoisseur.”
“You don’t have to be one to appreciate good poetry.”
“I don’t understand poetry.”
“Because you’re not supposed to understand it… you feel it.”
“Okay, Jordan Li, are you a literature undercover student?”
They shrug. “Extra credits.”
“Of course…” She rolls her eyes.
“But, it was only one semester. I don’t remember much… just a poem.”
They clear their throat.
“Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.”
Marie stares, still walking but taking the time to absorb the words.
“Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.”
Jordan doesn’t stare back, but they keep stealing glances, cheeks tinted in pink hues.
“My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.”
The corners of Marie’s mouth curl into a subtly shy smile. If she didn’t know better, she’d think this is about her.
“My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.”
Her heart skips a beat at the mention of the word ‘love’ as if she was a teenager. The way the mellow words come up so easily off their mouth like hot honey.
“Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.”
Her heart is beating so fast and so loud it resounds in her ears. They are somehow still walking but it’s pure inertia, everything around them has stopped moving.
“Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.”
They finish reciting and it takes a moment for Marie to articulate a word. She licks her lips before talking.
“You’re so full of shit.” She declares.
Jordan flinches. “What do you mean?”
“You told me an hour ago your go-to song is Boombastic and now you’re reciting a poem you know by heart just because…?”
“I learned it for a class, it was my final assignment.” Jordan plays with their necklace, still unable to meet her eyes.
“Shut up…”
“For your information, I dragged Pablo Neruda for other things but I cannot deny that some of his poems are something memorable. Especially the ones that are not romantic.”
Marie wants to say something else, her heart is still pounding.
Jordan diverts their eyes and they spot something in the distance. “We’re near the stairs, skaters hang out here. What do you say, Moreau? Up for a challenge?”
It’s them changing the subject again… but this was an item on their list, wasn’t it?
Now, there’s a problem…
Marie has seen Jordan skating before. She has watched for an embarrassing amount of time at them while skating so she knows they are good at it. Jordan is setting her up. But also, she wants to be the ‘cool’ college girl so she can’t refuse.
They spot a group of people with their skateboards and longboards doing tricks. One of them makes the board spin in the air while floating -which is not fair because that’s their power-, another one does a backflip and a girl is doing a handstand while moving.
This is not the beginners’ class.
She gulps and Jordan notices just like they noticed her reluctance at the party.
“I can teach you.” They offer while shrugging. “If you want to…”
“Why are you being so nice to me? Do you know something I don’t? Am I going to fail Brink’s class and you want to prepare me for the hit?”
Jordan shakes their head to hide the blush on their cheeks. “No! It’s not that… not. I can… Are you going to accept the offer or not?”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
Jordan approaches them after shifting to male form. Apparently, they already know as they greet them with a high-five. Jordan points at Marie while they speak and she awkwardly waves back at them.
“Okay, come here Moreau. Noa here is lending us one of their skateboards.”
Marie waves again. “Hi, Noa. Thank you, Noa.”
“Hey! You’re the freshman that’s on the top ten, that’s dope.”
“I am… thank you.”
“Okay, thank you, Noa.” Jordan sends them away. “Two years on the top ten and never a mention…”
“Are you jealous?”
Jordan huffs and puffs. “No…”
Marie raises an eyebrow with a smug smile on her face. “Whatever you say…”
“Whatever, let’s see what you can do, freshman.”
“Shouldn’t I be wearing some sort of safety gear?”
“I’m not going to push you down the stairs or a ramp, Tony Hawk.”
“I’m sorry… The first time riding a bicycle trauma is hard to forget.”
“You’re not going to get hurt, I promise it.”
Marie reluctantly accepts. “What do I do first?”
Jordan picks up the skateboard, it’s black and it has some 90’s cartoons painted on the deck. They place it in front of Marie.
“First, stand on the skateboard with your feet parallel to the deck. You want your front foot to be just below or slightly angled towards the front bolts, and your back foot near the tail.”
“Alright…” She does as they say. The board moves a little when she’s on top of it. “I’m here, now what?”
“You’re not moving yet, find your balance, your knees should bend a bit.”
“Like this?” She bends as indicated.
“A bit more… yeah, that’s good. Remember that posture. Now…” They get behind her. “The moving part, you gotta push off the ground with your back foot while keeping your front foot on the skateboard. Once you gain speed, place your pushing foot back on the skateboard.”
“Left or right?”
“If you’re right-handed, right, if you’re left-handed, left.”
“Okay…”
“Marie, you’re not moving.”
“I’m aware.”
“You’re not gonna fall.”
“You’re a liar.”
They click their tongue. “Okay, can I help you?”
She nods and then Jordan proceeds to grab her waistline with their hands. Her cheeks warm up as their palms hold her tight, not too tight, but enough to make her aware of every move and brush occurring at the moment. Marie swallows hard and then inhales and exhales to calm her nerves.
“It’s not that bad, you’ll see. Don’t get nervous.”
That’s not the reason why she’s nervous.
Marie plucks up her courage and places one of her feet on the ground to start moving. She pushes lightly while Jordan keeps holding her, following her moves.
“You good, Moreau?” They ask when they advance. “Remember don’t look down, look up. To stop you gotta slow down by dragging your back foot on the ground.”
“See? My dad didn’t tell me how to stop before pushing me down the hill. He yelled at me midway.”
“It’s a rite of passage.” They pick up some speed. “Okay, I’m going to let you go on your own, are you ready?”
“I’m ready.” She replies with determination.
Marie might be shaky at the beginning but she manages to keep the balance and, for the following minute and a half, she’s riding that skate by herself. She’s going in a straight line since she doesn’t know how to turn and -don’t even mention doing some sort of trick-, but she’s doing it.
“If you want to turn around, shift your weight to the side you want to go,” Jordan tells her from the other side.
You got this, Marie.
She has to go back; she has to turn. One little move to adjust her weight and it’s not the best since she’s using her sneaker to stop, it’s rough and she drags it against the ground as if it was a car that’s not working properly but she gets to turn around and face Jordan again.
Using the knowledge she just acquired, she moves forward again. This is good, the second time she gets to feel the breeze on her face and a little adrenaline running through her veins as she takes speed. Her arms still tremble and she can’t help but look up and down even when Jordan told her not to.
“You’re doing well, keep it going.” Jordan encourages.
Holy shit, she’s doing it. She’s skating.
Or that’s what she thinks until one unidentified pebble comes her way when she’s about to reach the starting point, where Jordan awaits. It hits one of the wheels, destabilizing the once smooth ride.
“Marie!”
She doesn’t even get the time to scream, instead, a weird-sounding gasp comes out of her mouth before Jordan catches her mid-fall, the skateboard keeps moving beyond them as they lock eyes in the middle of the chaos. Their faces end close to one another, too close. At this distance, Marie can appreciate how brown Jordan’s eyes are, how long their lashes are… how strong their arms are, gripping her body as if she was the most precious thing on earth.
“Are you… are you okay?” Jordan helps her to stand up, regaining her balance, their hands are still closed around her wrist and waist.
Marie nods, breathless for all the possible reasons.
Her eyes land on their parted lips which are also gasping for air. She’s always seen Jordan as a hero but seeing them as her hero has awakened a new range of emotions inside her.
But before she can put those emotions into action, a crash makes them both go back to reality. They look at the place of the commotion as one of the skaters seems to have had an accident in the meantime they were making eyes at each other.
“Jeez, Lenny, are you okay?” The girl who was doing the handstand earlier asks.
“Nothing is broken but fuck… it hurts.” He shows a visible bleeding wound on their leg that makes most of the crowd cringe in pain.
However, Marie knows what to do. “Can I take a look?” She kneels closer.
She extends her hands and in less than a minute, the wound is closing before everyone’s eyes as if it never was there to begin with. This healing part of her powers is something she’s really proud of, something that proves she’s not the crazy blood girl from the top ten.
The guy sighs, visibly better. “Yo, thank you so much.”
The crowd cheers and some moments later, everyone returns to their fun.
The rescued skater is especially grateful. “Marie, right? You’re on the top ten.”
She nods.
“Thank you, seriously. That hurt like a bitch.”
“No exposed bone, I can work with that.”
Jordan, behind her, keeps a serious face without saying a word.
“Listen, I don’t know how to thank you but… this is all I’ve got on.” He pulls out his wallet.
“No! No, you don’t owe me any money…”
“Then… take this?” He offers a perfectly rolled joint.
“Uh… thank you bu-”
“We’ll take it.” Jordan snatches the weed from his hands before Mare can politely reject it. “Consider yourself even.”
“Awesome. See you around guys.” He gets on his board and disappears a moment later.
Marie looks at them, arms akimbo. “Why are you accepting gifts in my good name?”
“Because… skaters have the best weed. You should know that. And we’re gonna smoke this unless you want to waste this guy’s present.” They smirk. “Since there’s no hill to push you down, this shall be your rite of passage, freshman.”
“Okay… let’s do it.” Marie can’t argue with that logic.
“There’s no manual but you should smoke weed at least once in the parking lot of the crime-fighting building to be considered an official member of the program.”
“You just made that up.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
According to Jordan, they go to a blind spot where the security cameras can’t catch them breaking the rules. Marie can only think that Emma would be so proud of her if she saw her, in her words, ‘having fun, doing drugs, committing crimes’. Talking about her roommate, Emma was pissed when she found out that Marie had done Molly without her so she introduced her to smoking weed in case she needed to be prepared next time.
Thanks, Emma.
Jordan lights up the joint and takes a puff first, testing the product. They seem satisfied with the quality as they pass it to Marie.
“It’s a bit strong but’s good.” They say with a raspy voice.
It’s Marie’s turn and, as she takes a puff, she has to agree with Jordan.
“Skaters do have the best weed.”
“It might be a stereotype but, in this case, I’m glad it’s true.” They pull out their phone.
Marie frowns. “What are you doing?”
“Ordering pizza, any request?”
“Why pizza…?”
“Oh, you’ll see. If this hits as I think it’ll hit, you’ll thank me later that we order the pizza before we enter the ‘chirpy’ state.”
“Chirpy…” For some reason, -quite obvious- this word gives Marie the giggles. “Chirpy.” She repeats.
“Oh, it has already started.”
“It’s a funny word, like ‘bubbles’. Have you ever said bubbles a lot? Bubble…”
“I’ll order the pizza, what do you like?”
“Extra cheese.”
✰
Somehow, they get back to the dorms, wobbly high after smoking the entire thing. After all, supes need a bit more to actually get high or so Marie discovered that night.
“I’m starving.” Marie declares.
“Yeah, a side effect of weed is to work up an appetite.” Jordan’s carrying the pizza box in one hand and trying hard to find their keys with the other.
Marie leans against the wall, closing her eyes for a second.
“Don’t fall asleep.”
“I won’t…” She smiles and when she opens her eyes, she catches Jordan staring. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
“I was hoping you’d have my keys but…” They finally locate them inside one of the inner pockets of their jacket. “There we go.”
They open the door and after turning on the lights, Marie walks in. Jordan takes off their shoes and she mimics the action, both leaving them next by the door. Realization hits her instantly as she takes off her jacket too.
“I have never been to your room.”
“Yes, you have.”
“No, I mean, we have come to pick up some stuff maybe once? Ask you for something? But we always hung up at Andre’s or Luke’s… And homework at the library or the common room…”
“Are you sure about that? I could swear… didn’t we watch that one movie? The one with the cocaine bear?”
“Famously known as ‘Cocaine Bear’.”
“Yeah, but didn’t we watch it here?”
“No, I’d remember that.”
“Well, you’re still high as a kite.”
“So are you…”
“True.”
They almost tumble into the room. Marie takes the pizza and sits on the floor against Jordan’s bed, inhaling the smell. She opens the box and her stomach growls. After grabbing some napkins, Jordan crawls over to the pizza, sprawled on the floor, and takes a slice.
She takes a bite of pizza and moans. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m high or what, but this is the best pizza I’ve ever had.”
“No, it’s the best pizza you’ll ever have. Took me two years and a half to find the best place, but Rocky’s is the best and if you reveal my secret, I’ll have to kill you with mozzarella sticks.”
“Even when that would be my death of choice, your secret is safe with me.”
“Cheers to that.”
They toast with their respective pizza slices and continue chewing in pleasant silence, smiling, just the right amount of high. Their shoulders brush against each other every time they move. Marie’s gaze travels all over the room, finding new details that make Jordan, Jordan.
Their pile of videogames stacked next to their PlayStation, a guitar -she didn’t know they played, to begin with-, the products they use for their hair, and even some makeup sitting on the drawers. There is some gym equipment next to their bags, although there are not many posters on the walls, instead there are some pictures she can’t distinguish from afar.
“You’ll have a single dorm one day.”
“I like sharing with Emma I keep her grounded and… she keeps me… the opposite of grounded. It’s a nice balance.”
“She’s cool… when she’s not cheating on Mario Kart.”
“Have you ever considered you’re not the best player in the world?”
“No, that’s impossible.” They reach for another slice of pizza. “I’m the best player I know.”
“Didn’t you lose when we were playing UNO two days ago?”
“That’s different, those are cards, I’m talking about video games.”
“Sure thing…”
Jordan stands up. “We have nothing to drink but I think we should toast for real… with something like this.” They go grab the expensive tequila bottle from their desk.
“Are you opening it now? What are we celebrating?”
“Mhm… A successful college night out? No wait, how did you call it? The Marie-Jordan night out… for a successful Marie-Jordan night out.”
Jordan pours two shots of tequila into tiny glasses and Marie’s not even surprised they have shot glasses in their dorm. They return next to her and they take the shot after making the glasses clink in the air. Then they poured some more and repeat the process. It burns her throat but it feels good.
She’s still high but not that much, the alcohol has somehow lowered her inhibitions even more.
“Can I ask you something?” She begins, waiting for Jordan to accept.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Why do you hate me?”
“I don’t hate you.” They say as if it’s the most ridiculous idea ever.
“You do though?”
“I don’t! I mean, I wasn’t fond of you when you first joined the group but I never hated you…”
“Then… why do you never want to do stuff with me? We had so much fun tonight. Why do we never hang out just the two of us?”
This is a question that’s been gnawing Marie from the inside since the night began and here there are no interruptions, there will be no explosions (hopefully), there won’t be birthday parties or skaters crashing on the asphalt, only them.
“I-I…” Jordan gulps.
Their heartbeats betray them.
Oh.
Oh.
Marie’s eyes spark as a grin blooms on her face.
“You like like me. That’s why.”
Jordan panics, and blood abandons their face. “That’s not… uh… I mean…”
“Your heart is racing.”
“Hey! It’s not fair, this is a privacy invasion.”
“You like me, don’t you?”
“Moreau, you’re the most annoying person on campus and I swear to-”
But Marie can’t wait anymore. She presses a hasty kiss against their lips midsentence as her heart flutters, ricochets, and backflips inside her chest.
“I’m sorry… I’m still a bit drunk and high and I just wanted to do that since…”
Jordan cups her face and kisses her again, deeper, hungrier this time. One of their hands remains on her cheek where they stroke it tenderly with their thumb while the other slides to her neck, pulling her even closer. It’s slow as if they wanted to reassure every feeling, every stolen glance of the night, every hand brush and moment they shared. As if they wanted to confirm to Marie that she wasn’t hallucinating, that it wasn’t all in her head, that Jordan Li likes her.
Jordan… Jordan who thinks she’s pretty and that her powers are cool, the Jordan that makes her rum colas when she doesn’t know what to drink and teaches her how to skate, the Jordan that dances with her and recites romantic poetry, and the one that laughs with her until their stomachs hurt while debating what’s the best karaoke song.
She likes Jordan too and if they could hear her heartbeats they’d know.
Or maybe they can figure out by the way Marie is looking at them when they break the kiss as a beaming smile grows even wider.
Jordan’s cheeks are red and it might be the alcohol but after the kiss, Marie knows there’s something else behind.
“So…”
“So…”
“Since when…?”
Jordan clears their throat. “The first week…”
“Of the semester?”
“Of the year…?”
“What? Excuse me… what?” Marie gapes. “You liked me since that awful first week?”
“Yes? I… I didn’t know if you would… until tonight… when we chatted… I still think you’re frustrating.” They cross their arms. “But also… I enjoy spending time with you and I didn’t want to hang out just the two of us because I thought it was going to be too obvious…”
“You’re incredible. You’ve heard me talking about my crush on Tessa Thompson for fifteen minutes the other night… you didn’t take a hint?”
“Take a hint?”
“I’ve been trying to impress you all night long because I like you too!”
Something inside Jordan disconnects.
“You do?”
“We just kissed?”
“But you like me?”
“Yes! I do!”
“Oh… that explains a lot…” They sigh. “Yeah, I’m an idiot.”
“You are.” Marie agrees.
“And so are you.”
“So I guess we like each other!”
“Then we should date! Or at least give it a try… if you… want to.” Their energy decreases as they finish the sentence.
Marie shakes her head giggling. “Of course, I want to.”
Jordan gets closer, aiming for Marie’s lips again when her phone rings.
Not to lose the habit…
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” They could throw a tantrum.
“It’s Emma, I gotta pick up.”
Her friend is video-calling her. The concert must be over by then, it’s past midnight.
“Emma?” The quality of the image takes a moment to pass from pixelated to visible.
“Marie! Marie!” She looks sweaty but the happiest she’s ever been. “Marie, Sam asked me to be his girlfriend!” She shows off the little heart-shaped paper ring on her hand.
Marie jumps out with excitement. “Oh my God! Congratulations!”
“This is the best fucking day of my life.” She starts sobbing.
“Oh, don’t cry!”
“Yes, you’re right, my makeup.” She wipes the tears. “So, anyway… I’ll be back in an hour or so, how was your night?”
Marie looks at Jordan and then back at Emma. “It was… a fucking amazing night.”
“Hooray! I’m gonna tell you everything and you'll have to do the same… But, I gotta go now, Sam is on the line for the merch and he won’t know what to buy. Love you.”
“Love you… bye.”
She hangs up. A smile is still tattooed on her face.
“So, that was Emma…”
“So I heard…”
“We still have an hour before she returns and I’ll have to go to fulfill my best friend’s duties…”
“I’m listening.”
“So, I was thinking…” Marie taps the screen of her phone. “We could kiss a little more but before that… you’ll have to earn it.”
“What are you saying?” Jordan squints, studying the possible outcomes of this conversation.
She presses play and the music starts.
“Mr. Boombastic”
“What you want is some Boombastic, romantic, fantastic lover…”
Jordan stands up.
“It’s on, Moreau…”
They’re not even one minute into the song and Marie starts laughing your head off her stomach hurts.
Jordan stares with adoration, her laughter echoes everywhere.
This might be their first night out but it won’t be the last.