Resistance and Resilience

ωelcoмe τo geeк-cenτrαl

He continued, "Everyone should have been notified approximately twenty days ago our change of itinerary." At that Lorraine blinked owlishly and paid attention. "Our scholarship committee has agreed that to make sure you get the 'whole experience' you'll be living in this building for the remainder for your stay. You'll each be sharing a room with one other, lads on the first two floors, ladies on the others."

Loud whispers erupted from the group of geniuses, making Lorraine shift nervously and strain to listen. "There will be security down here in the lobby, we aren't about to let you get away with murder, and I'll be living on the first floor -" the girl nearest Lorraine squealed making her lean away reflexively.

"Last thing before we run through room assignments!" Shouting over the noise, the speaker looked amused while the business woman beside him looked plain frazzled. "We have itineraries in everyone's rooms, updated ones from those sent to you. You have time some days to stray from our conventions, we encourage this actually - but please if you leave, take your roommate and be back for your curfew before dinner. Alright - room assignments!"

He rubbed his hands together eagerly, sending the girls in front of him, again, into more laughter. After flipping open a booklet, he cleared his throat and sent Lorraine's stomach into a knotted mess. What if her roommate didn't like her, she'd never had a roommate before! Lorraine cringed thinking that her nameless roommate would shave her eyebrows off in her sleep, among other torturous things.

"Is there a Lorraine Booth here?"

Squirming in spot, she raised her hand nervously. Their 'tour-guide' smiled before turning back to his book, "You'll be rooming with El-Elspeth? Um, Elspeth Jones. Third floor 304B."

Lorraine fidgeted and tried to push gently past those in front of her when seeing the back of another girls' head making its way toward the key dangling from his outstretched hand.

"I've got it," who Lorraine supposed was Elspeth mumbled before walking lazily away from the small stage and toward the pile of suitcases.

Lorraine felt like groaning yet held herself back when grabbing her navy case. As her new roommate lead the way up the only staircase, she tried not to whisper to loudly, walking a couple steps behind her and chanting, "Oh please don't be like this the entire summer!"

                          ~ ~ ~

"Zayn! Zayn," puffing to a sudden stop, Louis held his stomach and pointed back over his shoulder with the other, "Zayn what the hell are you doing? The stage crew is gonna kill you - you're missing dress rehearsal."

Not even an hour went by since Zayn had come home from his four day vacation in California before he got a phone call to get his butt to London for a prep-meeting. Honestly, he didn't mind being called away for work, he'd much rather that than his 'vacation'. But he wouldn't even necessarily call it that, it was more like a kidnapping. Unlike the rest of his friends who spent their time getting coddled at home by their parents and being ridiculously well fed, he found himself being dragged from boutique to boutique in sunny California by his girl-friend's talon painted grasp.

After being called on his mobile, he'd immediately caught another short plane ride to London where he'd spent an hour going over petty things with the rest of the boys and a stuffy, uptight stage manager. Even though it was ridiculously boring, it was the most fun he'd had all week and during the entire thing, no one was even paying attention. Zayn could vividly remember Liam sleeping soundly in one of the leather chairs while Louis texted, Harry snored and Niall puffed his cheeks full of air before repeatedly squashing them.

Licking his lips and looking past his band mate nervously, Zayn was pulled from his thoughts as his girlfriend hissed a threat. Even a day after their return to the United Kingdom, she wasn't impressed with him for leaving her side so suddenly. Zayn felt like rolling his eyes, it wasn't like he didn't spend every waking moment with her for almost five days!