midnight rain | leighton murray

eight | sad beautiful tragic

2021
Freshman Year | Semester One

Maya and Maddox walked together to the meeting room in their dorm. They sat down with Kimberly and Bela and the four of them began talking about nothing of importance when Leighton and Whitney walked in.

Maya looked over at Leighton and offered her a shy smile and Leighton's lips curled up as she took a seat over by the windowsill as she had during their first meeting on campus.

"My favorite FreshThem, as you know it's Parents Weekend. My juggling group will be performing if you are looking for something super fun to do," Frude says.

Maya's phone vibrates in her lap as Jocelyn is asking Whitney if her mom will make a TikTok with her and she sneaks a look at it to see it was Leighton who had texted her.

You look so cute right now

Maya snorts as she looks over her shoulder at Leighton who simply smiles and shrugs at her.

I'm literally wearing sweatpants

So?

Maya smiles as she locks her phone and tries to reenter the conversation to find Kimberly staring at her with a knowing smile. Maya's smile slips from her lips as she meets Kimberly's gaze.

"Does Alicia have you all smiley?" Kimberly says, which deepens Maya's frown and the smile that Leighton had been wearing earlier to fade completely. Alicia, who was still her competition. She and Maya hadn't really talked after their kiss and Leighton was scared to because she wanted Maya, but she wasn't ready for what that all meant.

"Uh yeah," Maya answers, "Totally."

"Frude, I'm just gonna jump in here for a second," Bela says, "Um before our families arrive we should all quickly share any lies we've told them that we'd like each other to corroborate."

Everyone vocalizes their agreement.

"Finally, an actual reason to have one of these meetings," Leighton says.

"I'll start," Bela says, "My parents think I'm a neuroscience major, which I'm clearly not. Also, they think I've washed my sheets."

"Bela," Maya says, "You should wash your sheets!"

"I told my dad that all of our textbooks come from Net-a-Porter, and that is why he's getting charges," Leighton shares.

"My parents think I go to church every weekend. I made up a priest. His name is Father Steve and he's guiding me on my faith journey," Kimberly shares.

"I told my mom I joined the Young republicans. I didn't I'm just trying to fuck with her," Whitney says.

"Oh good, 'cause then I'd have to stop talking to you," Maddox says.

"My parents cannot know that I'm gay!" Travis exclaims and everyone glances over at him.

"Oh," Leighton says softly.

"Might want to change that shirt then," Jocelyn mutters and Maddox snorts loudly from beside Maya.

After everyone reports their lies, they head back to their rooms and Leighton follows Maya into hers.

"Hey," Leighton greets, "So when we kissed we said we would figure things out and we have yet to do that."

"I know," Maya says, as she drags Leighton into her room and closes the door behind her. Leighton looks at the closed door and then at Maya who brushes past her and makes her way toward her bed, but Leighton catches her wrist, getting Maya's attention.