Nina |18+|

31

NINA

It's too early for this. I stared at campus through my frosted car window, wishing I could skip the day and take my ass back to bed. I couldn't. We were nearing finals, and I couldn't afford to miss out.

Not only that, but I had been down since my mother left earlier than we both thought. She didn't even get to say goodbye to Theo.

Theo...

Where is he?

I sighed, pushing my phone into the pocket of my hoodie. No messages from him, but I suppose he did mention I should call him if I needed him.

With my bag over my shoulder, I opened the door and stepped out onto the wet paving of the parking lot. It was dreary outside, almost matching the gloomy mood I was in. Nothing felt right.

The sweats on my body felt like a hindrance, even though it was the comfiest pair I owned but having a tattoo on a spot like my hip was bound to make everything feel uncomfortable. Besides that, I had been fighting with my hair the entire morning and managed to skip breakfast.

What a lovely start to my day.

I just needed to see Theo, and I'd feel a million times better.

With hesitancy, I walked to the double door entrance and passed by students blowing puffs of smoke out in the air. It started raining the second I was inside and I breathed out, pulling my hood off my head. My hands were freezing, and my cheeks felt cold to the touch.

I need Theo. He was always warm.

I walked through the hall, barely paying attention to my surroundings while I made my way to the bathroom. It was empty when I got there, except for one student leaving as I entered. My hands were clasped together—a meek attempt at finding warmth but it was futile.

Opening the tap above the sink, I let the hot water run over my hands and I knew it was a mistake when I started feeling sleepier than before.

"Nina?" A familiar, high-pitched voice called out.

I spun around, coming face to face with a smiling Sidney.

She wore a sundress and a denim jacket, despite it being icy outside. Her hair was pinned back by two butterfly clips, and a pretty beaded necklace hung loosely over her collarbones. Sidney was cute—when she wasn't looking at me as if she wanted my boyfriend. Boyfriend. I'd never grow sick of hearing that term.

"Hey, Sid," I murmured, glancing down at her bare legs and wondering how she wasn't freezing to death.

"Thank you for the recommendation," she beamed, grinning happily with her textbooks clutched to her chest.

Recommendation? I didn't remember recommending anything. What was she talking about?

"For what?" I asked, furrowing my brows at her.

"Come on. Theo's tattoo place," she mumbled, rolling her eyes playfully. "You were right."

My heart just about skipped a fucking beat. Did that mean what I think it meant? I stared at Sidney, waiting for her to continue but I knew that Theo's customer last night had to be her.

I swallowed away all the jealousy and nasty feelings I felt. Theo wouldn't. Maybe he would. It was a job. A profession. The way that he made a living. Why would he turn it down, just because the girl had a silly little crush on him?

I licked my lower lip, quickly drying my hands with a paper towel. 

"I was?" I asked, turning back to her.