Scribbles (A Niall Horan fan fiction)

22) January 8-13: An Ugly Sheep

            Madame Lier gave us our room assignments.  I grabbed my room key and followed the herd of people heading towards the stairs.  I went to the third floor (the boys were assigned to the second floor) and headed to my room.  My roommate must have been ahead of me in the clump of people because my door was open.  I was slightly disappointed because I had always enjoyed opening doors with the key in hotels but I quickly got over it. 

            My roommate is Gabby Heinz.  I knew who she was, obviously, seeing as how I had had a class with her for months, but she had never really rolled in my circle of friends.  Well, the group of friends I used to roll with.  Gabby is the smartest girl in school by a long mile.  She had dropped by some of my tutoring sessions at the start of the year to talk to Madame Lier.  She helped me once or twice when Madame Lier was occupied.  She was nice enough, even if we never really clicked.

            “Bunk beds,” was the first thing she said once I entered the room.

            I was so startled that she had something that wasn’t mean or offensive that I didn’t process the actual words she had spoken.  I kept waiting for her to sneer at me and say something demeaning.  Instead, she took in my blank expression, pointed to the conspicuous bunk beds shoved against the window. 

            “Oh, bunk beds,” I repeated.

            “I took the bottom bunk.  Hope you don’t mind.”

            It wasn’t exactly friendly banter but it was the most congenial chat I had had in a week.  I smiled a bit too big and shook my head. 

            “What were you going to do today?” she asked as she pulled out clothes from her luggage.  “Exploring with Niall?”

            I found it nearly impossible that Gabby hadn’t noticed the utter lack of communication Niall and I had the last week.  And I thought it also impossible that she hadn’t heard the rumors running rampant about me that lovely Karen and Jessica had devised.  Was this Gabby’s way of getting the information straight from the source?  Possible, but Gabby never struck me as the gossip type.

            “I hadn’t really made a plan,” I answered evasively. 

            “I was thinking about catching a train to Paris to check out the Louvre,” she informed.  I nodded.  “I think it would be brilliant.”

            “Yes, most definitely,” I said.  Part of me selfishly wished she would invite me to tag along.  Spoiler: She didn’t.  She smiled at me, grabbed a coat from her ever-growing pile of clothes on her bed, grabbed her purse, and took off. 

            I climbed onto the top bunk and that’s where I am now.  I wonder if I can get away with hiding out in my room the entire trip.  I can’t be graded down if no one happened torun into me.  I mean, she couldn’t prove I hadn’t been out speaking French.    

            Maybe I should, like, put on a nice heavy coat, walking through the lobby so that Madame Lier and the hotel employees see me head out, and then I sneak back in shortly after.  I think I’ll try it.  It’s not like I have any other plans. 

            Okay, wish me luck.

9 January, 2012, later

            I give up on making plans.  My plans never work out.  I’m just setting myself up for heartache and failure.

            Although, well, hmm…

            I’m not sure “heartache” and “failure” are the right words.