As Easy As Murder

9. give me my breath back

I wake up at 4am. I try to go back to sleep, but my body has decided to keep me awake. I quietly stand up, careful not to disturb Loretta, who only just came to bed. I stand up and slip my feet into my soft black slippers. My eyes feel heavy and my arm aches, probably from sleeping on it. 

I stumble out into the hallway, and start towards the vending machines at the end. I have a craving for lemonade, and it can not wait. I stop mid-way and look down at what I'm wearing and realize I'm in the most mismatched outfit ever. I can only pray no one see's me. I can hear The Smiths playing from someones dorm. 

I bob my head along as I make it to the vending machine, eyes straining at the ivory glow, vision still blurred from sleep. I pop in 50 cents and tap in the number of the lemonade. I jolt at the bang of the bottle falling, snapping out of my half-awake state with yelp. 

I bend down, grabbing the lemonade. I turn around and jump. Loretta is standing there with this pennywise smile on her face. 

"Hiya!" 

I narrow my eyes at her and start shuffling back to the dorm in zombie fashion. I pass some poor wasted guy as I make my way. Poor guy, probably thinks he's hallucinating a horrible fashion-senced demon. 

I head into the dorm, Loretta following with a granola bar. 

We both plop down on the couch and turn on a medical drama. I twist open my lemonade and take a sip, dry mouth relieved by the citrus hydration. Loretta starts gobbling down her granola bar, crumbs springing everywhere. She smells sweet.

I lean against a couch pillow, and watch as doctors rush a bloody patient into the OR, while looking at each other with passion. Loretta is invested, leaning forward in her seat at the doctors pass off the patient and press their faces together in an act of love. She gasps and squeals. "My ship sailed!" 

I roll my eyes and smile, too, knowing the two charachters would end up together in the end. 

A weird thing happens. A part of me thinks about what Kori watches. Probably some boring documentaries, like the process of cement drying or something. Or some science segment. I realize I've been thinking of him for a little too long. 

The sound of the MD fades out as I drift back to sleep, last thing I think about being how the universe brings people together, how weird it is. How complicated it is, the different theories. I'm sure Loretta's probably thinking about the anatomy of a sandwich or something. 

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I wake up at 7:30 from a weird dream about running a breast cancer marathon with Simon Cowell. He beat me. 

I sit up, eyebrows scrunched in confusion by the bizarreness of the dream. The TV has switched itself to the morning news upon being paused for too long. I look to my right, Loretta was gone. I open my phone, and she's texted that she's out shopping because all of her classes are in the afternoon today. Lucky. 

I stretch and pour myself a cup of human gasoline. I'm not a coffee person, but I feel especially worn out today. I need the extra boost because If I emerge from my dorm like this I will subject everyone to my attitude. I get extra clever with insults when I'm running on little energy. 

I go for a lacy red bralette,with a black bedazzled tanktop overtop, black mom jeans and a sparkly belt, fishnet wrist cuffs and two barely together princess leia buns. I start my way to criminolgy. I look down and realize I have my court systems assignment instead of my criminology get-to-know-you paper. I groan, and forgo turning around to get it. I also realize I have slippers one. Oh well. For all they know, it's a new trend they're missing. 

I make it to the right hallway just in time to see Anthony running at the speed of light, bullets of sweat trickling down his forehead, flannel tucked tightly into denim, old man shoes flopping against the carpeted floor with a 'bonk' noise. I stand there bewildered as he practically bodyslams the door police officer style. 

I follow after at normal speed. Somehow, I get to my seat first, this time sitting across the room from the rodent I've been thinking about a weird amount. I open my binder, and look up at the front of the room. Anthony is talking to the professor about to weather, still sweating like a piece of cheese in the sun, delaying the lecture. 

Professor Simons finally breaks off the conversation and sits down at her desk, holding about 20 different looking files, "Goodmorning class. As you were notified about, today will be the starting date and partner selection for the fake case assignment." 

About half the room nods, the other half slumped over onto their fists, too much effort to reply. I am one of them. Kori is sitting bolt upright. I'm sure he got his perfect 8 hours of beauty sleep, maybe even sung himself a lullaby. 

"Ahem," Proffessor Simons clears her throat, her voice having gained a bit of vocal fry. I notice a picture frame on her desk, two little boys wrestling on vibrant green grass, wearing matching swimtrunks and twinning with spiking wet hair. The photo is ripped in the top corner, cutting off a mans upper body. 

"I will read off your partners now. Please sit next to them." 

She starts reading off name after name, the room becoming re-arranged, like we're a box of crayons a child is playing with. Anthony's name is read, and he is paired with the certified bad boy. I don't know much about him, but apparently he's racked up a reputation. His name is Ian, and he doesn't look too excited about his pairing. Anthony is grinning from ear to ear, while talking Ian's off. 

I perk up at the sound of my name, and...as does Kori to the sound of his. 

"Averen Hart and Kori Laurier."

My eyes go wide, knucked white from gripping the table so hard. Thoughts swarm my head like flies, my cerebrum crumpling into a ball like a snail. Kori stands up, and looks back over his shoulder at me, shooting me a look like I just deliberately ran over a baby chick with a golf cart. 

I narrow my eyes, now gripping the scratchy cushion of my seat. He starts to make his way towards me, and I look away. He doesn't stop. Of course he doesn't. I want to run up and shake Professor Simons, warn her that she may have just endangered both of our lives by partnering us on a fake murder while we simultaniously want to murder each other. 

He slides onto the stool next to me, eyes glued to the table Infront of him, Adam's apple bobbing with a hard swallow. He smells of a fresh floral scent that is somehow also husky.  His expression is troubled. He taps his pen on the sleek wood. I knaw on my lip, keeping my gaze averted. 

The Prof starts handing out the files, the sounds of paper sliding across the tables mixed with intrigued chatter. Eventually, there is one Infront of us. We look at it, then each other. We both reach to open it at the same time, but I snatch it away like a cat. I'd hiss too if I could. 

I flip it open, eyes skimming the case info. The paper looks old and battered, and very official, the realism totally there. Kori nods to himself as he registers the words. 

"My dorm after school?" 

I look at him like he's insane. "Excuse me?" 

He rolls his eyes. "For the assignment, idiot." 

Oh. I knew that. 

"Yeah, whatever." I mutter, slumping down. He flicks me on the arm and I kick him under the table. He goes in to flick me again so I yank on his tie. He leans foreward, both hands on my seat, and sends me sailing away. It becomes clear that this wasn't his intention when he lunges forward to drag me back but it's too late, Im sailing across the row, the whole lecture turned to look at me. 

I bang against the wall, ricocheting off of it and tipping forward, I groan as an ache is sent through my knees. I for sure just got a nasty rug burn. He's standing there with the opitome of an 'oops' face. But he doesn't apologize. Infact, he turns around and sees Anthony coming to help me up. He smirks and sits back down. Damn that- 

"Whoopsies! Looks like you took a tumble there. Here, grab my hand and I'll pull ya up!" 

I look up at Anthony with such a look of absolute aggressiveness and pure potential energy that he backs up, eyes wide like he just saw his dead grandpa, and shuffles quickly back to his seat. I stand up, cursing Kori out with my eyes as I pick up my stool. 

Professor Simons looks at us dissaprovingly. "We are all legal adults here. Let's act like it." 

Me and Kori both mumble insincere sorry's. Just when the class has returned to normal, Kori's phone rings, albiet a lot more quietly and less obnoxiously than mine did the week before, being his is a default tone . He looks over at me and smirks, mumbling "It's a sign." 

I go red, recalling my antics. 

My knees burn and so does the anger in my brain. I look down at the red Welty marks the carpet had left grading against the skin. I stand up, walking out of class. I sigh in relief when I make it outside. It feels weird. In highschool, you'd be scolded and yelled after. But here, no one bats an eye. No one can stop you. Your reputation is in your own hands. 

It's a little intimidating. 

I decide to hop in my car and go for a head-clearing drive. 

And I mostly did clear my head. 

Of everything except one major, annoying, humongous, gigantious, pretty-eyed thing. 

Kori Laurier.