Bitter (wlw) (teacherxstudent)

eighty-six

At least Sam hadn't also lied about getting pizza for dinner because I'd been craving it all day, and eating it with the three people I loved the most, right after they'd given me amazing birthday gifts too, made it all even better.

"This place looks much less sad than the last time I was here last year" Vic observed as we were sitting at the table.

"I know, right? I convinced her to actually hang something on the walls and to have some kind of vegetation in here. It's honestly been looking better by the day ever since I moved in" I said, looking towards the bit of living room you could see from the open side of the kitchen.

"Okay, look, you don't really have much incentive to do the whole decoration thing when you're living on your own" Sam rolled her eyes at me.

"I think I'd want to fill the place with even more plants to feel less lonely, actually" Vic said.

"Same" Mei agreed.

"Well, I dislike gardening a lot"

"So I've heard" she laughed. "You must be so happy about the indoor gardening kit I just gave to El"

"As long as she's not involving me, I'm happy" Sam shrugged, placing a hand on my thigh.

"She's so boring sometimes" I shook my head, grabbing my glass and drinking the wine in it maybe a little too fast.

"Careful there, El" Mei said, causing the others to laugh.

"I can't believe you're old enough to legally drink now, you're getting so old" Vic said.

"It could turn out to be something useful while you two are still twenty" I shrugged. "Speaking of...how was the New year's party? None of you told me anything about it"

"Oh, right, it was fun" Vic said after a few seconds of silence, not providing any other detail, which was kind of weird for her.

"Really fun" Mei added with a hint of a chuckle.

"Too bad you weren't there" Vic was quick to say. 

"Maybe it was better that way..." Mei said, causing Vic to seemingly choke on her food.

Whatever was going on was suspicious enough for me and Sam to briefly look at each other, both equally confused.

"Are you okay Vic?" I asked, trying really hard not to laugh at the sight of my friend almost struggling to breathe from the coughing.

"I'm fine" she said, pouring water in her glass and drinking it. "Something in the food must be spicy"

"There's nothing spicy in the food" Sam said, almost looking as amused as Mei. I glared at her, but she just laughed.

"What did you mean with that, Mei?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just meant that you were probably having a better time in England"

"You sure?"

"Indeed" she said, the faint smirk on her face still visible.

"Sorry about that, I'm gonna go and wash my face for a second" Vic said as she got up.

"I'll just go and see if she's alright" I followed her to the bathroom after a few seconds, although I kind of wished I could have heard the conversation that was about to happen between Sam and Mei.

I entered the room and Vic was just repeatedly splashing her face with water, a flustered expression on her face.

"Okay, what was that?" I asked as I closed the door behind me.

"I choked on my food"

"I can see that. Because Mei said the party was fun?"

"No? It just went down the wrong way, I don't fucking kno-"