𝐄𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟭

Dante's POV:

"DANTE!" My mom's voice pierced through the peaceful morning air, jolting me from my slumber.

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as my mom barged into my room, wearing her trademark look of exasperation.

"Gee, mom! I'll get ready," I muttered, swinging my legs out of bed. She sighed dramatically.

"Why must you go through this teenage phase? You'll be an adult in a year!" 

I wished my mom was less dramatic.

With a resigned sigh, I headed to the bathroom to start my morning routine. I threw on a loose black T-shirt and track pants, hastily tying my shoulder-length hair into a half ponytail.

Downstairs, my mom had prepared my usual breakfast - toast and scrambled eggs.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, sitting at the dining table.

She kissed my forehead.

"Have a great day, sweetheart," she said with a smile.

"You too, Mom," I replied, Grinning in return.

Grabbing my bag, I headed to the garage, giving my beloved Harley Davidson ironhead a fond pat before reluctantly leaving it behind. Today, Fox would drive us with her Volkswagen. As I climbed into the back seat of Fox's car, I greeted her with a nod.

"Wassup!" she exclaimed, flashing me a grin.

Fox and I had been close friends since middle school.

"Hey!" I replied, returning her grin as she pulled out of the driveway.

Carleton University was just a fifteen-minute drive from my house. We arrived just in time to meet our friends, Michael and Noah.

"Hey!" Fox called out as we approached them.

"Oh, hey guys," Michael greeted us with a smile.

"Good to see you two," I said, nodding at them.

"You too!" Noah replied.

"Have you seen the others around?" Fox asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Not yet," Noah answered. "We just got here."

As we chatted, Crissie joined us. Her ginger hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she looked less than thrilled. She was Carleton's head cheerleader and fashion icon, but today she seemed more subdued than usual.

"What's wrong?" Fox asked, noticing Crissie's mood.

"Nothing, just caught a cold," Crissie replied, her tone clipped. "The rain didn't help."

"Why didn't you take the day off?" Michael asked.

"I didn't want to miss our business administration class," Crissie explained.

"You could have asked Regina for the notes," Fox suggested.

"I didn't want to bother anyone," Crissie muttered, pulling her hoodie tighter around her.

Her gaze flicked to me, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

Despite her clingy demeanour, I knew Crissie had feelings for me. But my Gemini self couldn't tolerate her self-obsession. Just then, Evie arrived, and Fox ran up to her with a hug.

"DANG! YOU WORRIED ME!" Fox exclaimed.

As I watched their interaction, I couldn't help but wonder where I stood with Evie. But before I could dwell on it further, the bell rang, signalling the start of classes.