Chapter Text
Boring. That’s all life has been for Katie B recently.
No drama, no juicy gossip, no life-changing events.
How boring.
You’d think with all of the characters at QUniversity, there must have been something interesting in her life. Somehow, any drama had been completely avoided, at least for her, the entirety of last semester. It was nice, in a way, for things to be quiet. Her life was usually intense. There was always some scandal, or petty fight that she would be forced into. It was frustrating, but in all honesty, she enjoyed the turbulence of it all.
Katie wasn't one to enjoy keeping still.
Much to her annoyance, her fall semester of sophomore year was exactly that. Still. Absolutely nothing worth journaling happened to her. No unprovoked attacks from her ex-”situationship”, if you could even call it that, no week-long-crushes, no fall-outs to watch, and most importantly, nothing INTERESTING.
She was determined to change that this semester.
Katie got herself settled, unpacking her bags from winter vacation. Somehow, she always ended up bringing back more stuff than she left with. It was a hassle, but she had finished putting everything away and dropped herself harshly onto her bed.
She held her plushie close to her chest, exhaling, face tight with a sense of unbridled determination. The plushie, a small egg, was an award she had won last semester. There were two of them, someone else had received the other one, but she couldn’t care to remember who. She squeezed the plushie in her arms, taking a deep breath in. This semester will be different. She was going to enjoy herself. She was going to make her life interesting.
She sat in bed, looking through her schedule, trying to get herself acquainted with the route she would have to take to get to her classes. Katie wasn’t taking any particularly “fun” courses this spring.
Social psychology, research methods, child and adolescent development, and some boring writing intensive class that she was required to take.
Some of these classes might be fun, but she wasn’t confident that it would be anything entertaining enough to fulfil her wishes. That was fine, there were other places to look.
“How’s your schedule looking?” called a voice from the other side of the room. She turned to face her roommate, his pink hair as bright as ever. He sat lounging on his bed, draped in a minecraft creeper shirt three sizes too large, paired with some checkered boxers. He wasn’t afraid to stay comfortable, that's for sure, but she was the same. It was the reason they had gotten along so well. Katie had met Mike last year. They went through some shit together, and ended up forming a close bond, deciding to room together this year. They matched each other well, Katie’s side filled with bright pink decor, various “motivational” posters, if you could even call them that, and her belongings placed haphazardly around the room. Mike’s side, on the other hand, was a bit darker, notably from the many emo band posters plastered onto his wall. His TV was playing some YouTube video, and he was clearly ready to relax after the long day they had spent unpacking, his green, patterned comforter resting over him. She should probably do the same, but she couldn’t get herself to calm down.
“It’s fine, I guess. Pretty boring, honestly.” She sighed, scrolling on her laptop, tapping her other hand nervously, as if looking around the webpage would suddenly make something change.
“Eh, mine too.” Mike laughed, “I guess it's just one of those semesters.” He returned his attention to the TV, unbothered by the thought.
“No, Mike. It will not be one of those semesters!” She exclaimed, loudly, clearly startling him at the intensity of her tone. “I am not going to have another semester where I sit around, doing nothing. I’m so bored! Seriously, I could die!” She fell against the headboard, clawing at her face dramatically. Mike stared at her, trying to hold in a giggle.
“What’s so bad about boring? Last year was rough for you. You know, everything with Ewron, and the project…” He trailed off, not wanting to reopen wounds. “It’s good to take a break from all of that. Just enjoy yourself, I think you deserve it.” There was something about his words that always seemed to ground Katie. Somehow, he sounded really reasonable. If she wasn’t so determined, she would probably stop, and agree with him. He did have a point. There was something comforting about a break from all of the chaos. But chaos was something she was used to, something she thrived on. She would rather die than live a life of consistency.
“I just need something interesting to happen. I don’t want every week to be ‘super chill’ and ‘low cortisol’. Maybe I want it to be ‘super awesome’ and ‘high cortisol’. Or maybe even, ‘medium cortisol.’ Just something…” She held out her sentence until she ran out of breath. She was deep in the dramatics now, finding joy in moments like these.
“Okay, Okay.” Mike laughed, “You can have a medium cortisol spring. I support it. Just don’t get too carried away, okay?” He continued, clearly entertained by the thought. She scoffed in reply,
“Me? Carried away? Don’t make me laugh.” She crossed her arms, facing away. “I’m gonna make this medium cortisol spring my bitch. It’s gonna be awesome.” A smug look grew on her face. She was serious, things were going to be different. She would make it happen if it’s the last thing she did.
Katie let out a loud, exasperated sigh as she walked to her class. It was her second class of the day, and she was already fed up. She barely knew anyone in her first class, so she was hoping that she could have someone to rely on for this one. It was a stupid course, a writing intensive. Just something that was required to graduate. The only difference was that this course wasn’t restricted by major. In her other classes, she rarely saw people outside of the psychology major, but in a general class like this, it was much more likely that she would find someone she recognized. That fact gave her hope as she placed her hand on the door, inhaling that familiar, musty smell of a lecture hall.
She stepped inside, taking in her surroundings. She was sure she had a class in this room last semester, but they all looked the same, so she couldn’t remember. Nothing stood out to her in particular, the room was about half-full, and quiet conversations could be heard between students who seemed to recognize each other. After a scan of the entire room, her face lit up as she landed on one person. Graf. They weren’t super close, but they shared quite a few mutual friends, and he had always been kind to her. Not to mention, reliable. He watched her go through hell more times than she could count, so at this point, there was nothing she could do to scare him off. He sat near the back, seemingly lost in his laptop. She skipped over to him, making her presence known long before she reached his seat.
“Graaaaf! Graf! Hey, how’s it going!” She exclaimed, louder than needed. Graf jumped, searching for the source of the sound. His eyes quickly focused on Katie, who was now climbing over a chair, struggling to not fall over. A smile crept onto his face.
“Katarzyna, good to see you. It’s been a while.” He replied, endeared by her enthusiasm. Graf, alongside Ewron and a few others on campus, was from Poland. A while back, they had given her the nickname, the Polish version of “Katie”. Now, Ewron called her that when trying to sweet talk her, or beg for forgiveness. Graf, on the other hand, used it in a much more genuine way. Eventually, she made it next to him, huffing.
“That was more difficult,” she exhaled, trying to catch her breath, “than I thought.” Small chuckles escaped her in between gasps, as she glanced at the empty chair next to Graf. “Do you mind if I sit here?” She had already set her bag on the ground, knowing what his answer would be.
“Of course, that would be lovely. It’s good to have a familiar face here.” Graf looked around the room, before turning back to her. “I avoided this class for as long as I could. Now it looks like there's no one from my year here.” He sighed, obviously pleased to have found someone he knew.
“Oh, right, you’re a senior, aren’t you?” Katie asked, settling herself next to him. Her exhaustion from moments prior was gone. Nonetheless, she pulled out an energy drink from her bag, setting it onto the desk in front of them. “What are you doing in this class? A little late, right?” She raised an eyebrow, curious.
“Yeah, a little late. I put it off until now. In my defense, there were much more interesting courses to take.” He chuckled, returning his attention to his laptop, where he was writing something. Who knows what. Graf was intelligent, Katie knew that, which is why she was surprised to see him taking a basic course like this so late into his degree. He was a linguistics major, or something like that, she was pretty sure. Something fancy.
“Well, that makes my life better. I don’t know a single person here.” Her head fell back, as she wailed at the ceiling, “I didn’t know anyone in my last class either! It’s torture! I’m so lonely, Graf.” She brought her head back to face him, giving him puppy eyes. It was something she was good at.
“If it makes you feel better, neither did I.” He mumbled, watching Katie start to chug her energy drink. She slammed it against her desk, looking around the classroom again. She noticed someone walking through the door, and cocked her head to the side. A boy with a dark grey turtleneck and black jeans walked into the room, his head locked on the floor. He stood out, with a messy fringe, black, with neon green tips. His hands gripped the straps of his backpack, which was also black, and adjusted way too loose for him. She couldn’t help but feel a little endeared by the sight. He looked like a lost puppy dog, lifting his head up to search the room. He turned slowly, and for a split second, their eyes met. Katie jumped, immediately shifting her attention to the desk in front of her. She had hoped that he didn't notice her staring. How awkward.
Once she was sure he must’ve moved on, she lowered her body, as if to make herself smaller, and studied the lecture hall again. She spotted him getting into a seat a few rows ahead of her. There was no one around him, so he must’ve opted to sit alone. She racked her brain, trying to understand why he looked so familiar to her. She was certain that she had seen this guy before, but she couldn’t put her finger on where. Suddenly, a noise from behind her spooked her out of the trance she was in.
“Katie? Who are you staring at? You look like you’re spying on someone.” Piped Graf, who had been watching her. She twitched at the sudden sound, but remained hunched over, hands gripping onto the desk, as if she was ready to duck down and take cover from an attack. Her head turned slowly, almost comedically so, staring at Graf with wide eyes. She blinked a few times, before coughing, bringing herself back upright. She ran her hand across her hair, which was tied back into a loose bun.
“I was spying. Just don’t tell anyone, because it would ruin my spyness.” She replied, with a posh accent. Her face got hot, slightly embarrassed from being called out.
“Oh, of course.” Graf hummed. “May I ask who you’re spying on?” He questioned, calmly continuing to type. Katie rested her face onto her palm, leaning onto the desk. She turned to glance back at the boy, who had now taken out his laptop, looking lost in thought.
“I don’t know, that’s the issue.” She subtly pointed her finger out towards the mystery man, turning to Graf with a dejected face. “Do you recognize him? The green one? He looks so familiar, but I can't tell why.” She whispered, with an expression far too intense. Graf took his attention away from his laptop again, attempting to follow her finger. He landed on the boy she was referring to, his bright hair making him easy to spot. He uttered a quick sound of acknowledgement, replying casually.
“That’s Multi. Another Polish student. He’s in your year, I think. I believe you shared some award with him last year, right?” Graf attempted to begin typing again, but was quickly interrupted when Katie slammed her hands onto her desk, before sharply pointing at Graf. She had gotten the attention of a few people around her, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“You’re right! The Nacho award!” She cheesed, celebrating this discovery, unaware of her inappropriate volume. Noticing Graf’s startled face, she coughed and pulled away from him. “Ahem. Yes. The Nacho award,” she repeated. “I remember now! I didn’t even know his name.” She glanced back to Multi, checking to make sure he wasn’t staring at her after her reaction. Nope, he was still locked in on his computer. She realized he had headphones on, probably blocking out whatever noise she was making. “What a stupid name for an award. The plushie they gave us was cute, though.” She leaned into her chair, getting herself comfortable.
“Right, I remember that. It was cute.” He commented. Graf had seemingly moved on from the topic, returning back to his natural rhythm of whatever it was he was doing. Katie, on the other hand, did not move on. Where others may see a coincidence, Katie saw opportunity. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to scheme. This was it, a way she could entertain herself in these trying times. She could see the dots connecting in her head. She grinned, opening her eyes, leaning her head towards Graf.
“Hey, do you have his number?” She whispered, eyes bright with a plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quiet.
Multi’s sophomore year had been off to a good start. It was quiet, just as he hoped. No unnecessary drama, no unexpected life changes, just quiet.
Simple. Perfectly simple.
It scared him.
If life had been so easy last semester, fate wouldn’t let him get away with that now. That was how it always played out. There was always a punishment for peace. It was just how his world worked.
The breeze blew his hair over his eyes. He blinked, brushing it away, returning his hands to his lap. The bench underneath him was cold. He didn’t mind it. Somehow, he always found himself returning here. The bench faced a small pond, thinly draped with ice. There was a lamp on the opposite side, illuminating the area with a soft orange glow. Multi gazed upwards, admiring the night sky. He slowly nodded his head to the beat of the music playing from his headphones. As if routine, he grabbed his bag which was sat next to him. After some quick rummaging, he pulled out a small, plastic cylinder. Opening it with a quick pop, he dropped the joint he had rolled earlier into his hand. He returned the case to his bag, trading it for a lighter.
Multi had discovered this bench during his first semester here. Sure, it wasn’t entirely private, but it was tucked away into a spot on campus that was typically quiet. Sometimes he would spot other people here, usually smokers. There was a silent agreement shared between them, something he couldn’t describe with words, but he knew he wouldn’t ever be bothered. It was safe.
He slowly exhaled, the smoke filling the empty space that seemed to follow him. These moments kept him sane, in a way. He needed to sit away from his mind from time to time. Otherwise, he was sure his thoughts would suffocate him. He placed a hand on the bench, leaning back. It wasn’t as cold anymore.
Multi wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It didn’t really matter to him. He had a single room, so he didn’t need to worry about waking up a roommate by coming home late. It was a relatively calm day, his first day of classes. Syllabus talk, friends reuniting as if they hadn’t seen each other less than two months ago, and hopeful ignorance. He didn’t expect anything else. Lost in thought, Multi barely noticed when his phone buzzed, only realizing when he saw a small light appear in his bag. He grabbed it, checking to see if it was anything he would care about. On his screen was a single notification, a text from an unknown number. Strange. He squinted, reading it over.
Unknown: hey :) whats up :)
He tilted his head softly, putting the joint out on the bench, letting the dark ash join the many other marks left before it. Who was this? Was it a wrong number? A scammer? Unfortunately, there was only one way to find out, and he was never one to deny his curiosity. He returned the joint to its case, grabbing his phone with both hands now, staring at the message. He typed out a short, to-the-point reply.
Multi: who is this?
He wasn’t sure how quickly they would respond, but he decided to watch the screen for a moment, just in case.
After about a minute, he decided to give up on waiting, starting to set his phone back in his bag. As he went to release his hand, he felt a small buzz. A reply? Multi quickly turned his phone back, seeing a familiar notification.
Unknown: ur new pen pal
A quiet sigh escaped him. What did that even mean? It seemed stupid, but he decided to indulge in the mystery of it all.
Multi: do I know you?
Unknown: mayb. mayb not.
Multi: what does that mean
Unknown: it dont matter
Multi: okay…?
Multi: how did you get my number
Unknown: secret
Multi: you sound like a creep
Unknown: maybe i am a creep
Unknown: or a weirdo
Multi: what the hell are you doing here
Unknown: i dont belong hereeeeeeeeeeeee
Multi: ja pierdolę
Multi: can you give me any information?
Unknown: i’ll tell you one thing, because im generous like that
Unknown: we go to the same school
He paused, sitting on the message for a moment. The same school? Was this someone he knew? Could this be some sort of prank? Most importantly, how did they have his number? His eyebrows furrowed as he placed his palm on his forehead, trying to figure out how to proceed. He was glad he smoked before this.
Multi: i dont know how you got my number, but okay
Unknown: it came to me in a dream
Multi: ????
Multi: if this is a joke please leave me alone
Unknown: no no its not i promise
Unknown: heres the deal
Unknown: im bored as hell so i decided to spice my life up
Unknown: im a friend of a friend of a friend or something like that. no need 2 worry
Multi: not very helpful
Multi: can i have a hint of who you are?
Unknown: slow down take me to dinner first!!!!! i dont give my identity to strangers
Multi: ?????
Multi: im the stranger kurwa
Unknown: like whatever i dont even know you kurwa
Unknown: hey lets not fight on our first day of being pen pals
Multi: i didnt agree to that
Unknown: well……. will you be my pen pal?
Tension lingered in Multi’s head, his confusion and suspicion still strong. The chance of this being some weird attempt at messing with him was far from unlikely. If he was entirely honest, he had quite a few enemies here. It was for stupid shit, people getting mad at him for stuff that they chose to do. Rumors spread, and, well, he wasn’t very well-liked now. Multi preferred the quiet life, so it didn’t get to him much. Despite this, there was still a dull ache in his chest. Maybe it was selfish, and although he would never admit it, he longed for connection. For someone to care, to trust him. There was a good chance that this whole situation would go poorly for him, ruining another semester. Although, what’s the harm in going along with it, as long as he was cautious? It’s not like he couldn’t back away and block them if something seemed off. He let out a disgruntled sigh. Multi stood up, and put his phone back in his bag.
He walked slowly, taking some time to think. The icy gusts of wind seemed stronger now. His hands were buried deep into pockets, and he tried to steady his shaky steps. He couldn’t tell if they were shaking from the cold, or from the stress of it all. His hot breath wrapped around his chin, the large, grey scarf on his neck keeping it contained. As he walked, there was a familiar buzz coming from his bag. Wonderful. He chose to ignore it, continuing to his dorm.
Multi’s room was nothing to be proud of. It was wholly minimal, a few band posters hung up, and a half-dead plant rested on his desk. His bedsheets were checkered dark grey, a single, sad, pillow to match. Other than that, only various textbooks and clothes were scattered around. The harsh fluorescent light gave him a headache, so he shut it off quickly, allowing himself to rest in the darkness. He really needed to get a lamp.
Soon, the light from his phone illuminated the small space around it. He stared at the messages, taking in what he had missed.
Unknown: hey did you get my text
Unknown: do you hate me
Unknown: its fine i didnt even want a pen pal anyways
Unknown: ok im lying can u come back
Jeez. Talk about intense. Just who was this person? Why were they so… clingy? It was almost amusing how pathetic the messages seemed. At this point, it was only right of him to give them a reply. It was practically charity work.
Multi repeated a dozen excuses in his head as he started to type out a response. Any excuse worked.
Multi: so dramatic
Multi: i thought about it. we can be pen pals. for now
Anything.
Unknown: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
Unknown: u just made the best choice of ur life buddy
Unknown: or should i say pal ;)))) pen
Any logical reason to indulge in this.
Multi: i guess we’ll see
Unknown: im half asleep so il tlk to u tomorrw pal
Unknown: 3
Unknown: 2
He stared at his phone for a bit, but no “1” ever came. A smile started to form on his lips, and he let out a deep breath.
Multi: good night, pal
Anything to avoid admitting he wanted a friend.