midnight rain | leighton murray

five | if this was a movie

2021
Freshman Year | Semester One

"I tried to buy my way out of it and they're forcing me to volunteer at the Women's Center," Leighton says as she and Maya walk back from their math seminar.

"Hey, I'm volunteering there!" Maya says with a smile.

Leighton glances at Maya, "Willingly?"

Maya laughs, "Yes Leighton, willingly. Everyone there is super nice, so it won't be that bad."

"Oh, it will be," Leighton responds, "It'll be my own version of hell."

"You'll have fun," Maya tells the taller blonde.

"Lies," Leighton says as she grabs the door to the building and holds it open for Maya. She smiles thankfully as she enters and the two of them head to their floor. Maya follows Leighton into her common room where Bela, Kimberly, and Whitney were gathered. Maya is hit with an awful smell but doesn't say anything as she tries to ignore it.

"This has been the worst morning of my life," Leighton states.

"Oh my god, did they cancel your reservation at Mar-a-Lago?" Whitney asks in a mock-serious voice.

"No, I have to volunteer," Leighton says.

"Wait, I like volunteering," Kimberly responds.

"Wait what is that smell?" Leighton asks as she looks at her roommates. The girls sniff the room, but none of them say anything, "Okay how do none of you smell that?"

"Well, I thought someone was trying new perfume, and I didn't want to be rude," Kimberly states.

Maddox enters the common room, "Maya you're back, I was wondering – what the fuck is that smell?"

Leighton makes her way over to the minifridge, "I think it's coming from – oh yeah. Did one of you like shit in the fridge?"

"Okay listen I think we all know whose fault this must be," Whitney says. Everyone in the room looks over at Bela.

"Me?" Bela asks, "That's racist somehow. The smell's probably coming from Leighton's weird, refrigerated cosmetics."

"I actually stopped putting them in there after I found Cheeto dust in my eye cream," Leighton states.

Maddox grows confused, "Who was putting Cheetos in the fridge?"

"I guess you're insinuating that I was responsible for that too?" Bela asks Leighton, "I was. That one was me."

"Why did you put Cheetos in the fridge?" Maddox asks.

Whitney stands from her seat, "Well Maya and I have to go to practice, but we will figure out who's responsible for this later and that person will be the one to clean it."

"Let's place bets, my money is on Bela," Maddox says with a smile.

"You don't even live here," Bela says.

"You don't live in our suite and yet we constantly find you on our couch and eating our granola bars!" Maddox exclaims.

"Maya said it was okay!"

Maddox looks at her roommate and Maya looks at her apologetically, "I did say it was okay."

"Come on Maya," Whitney says as she takes her hand and drags her to the door.

Leighton pulls out her phone and mutters under her breath, "Sure this is soccer practice and not some other extracurricular activity you two partake in?"