Pyromaniac

Chapter 1: High School Sweethearts

            The door slid open and Drew stepped inside his dormitory, expecting to see the dull, chipping, coffee-colored walls, with little patches of lighter paint trying to conceal what the previous resident had graffitied in jet black. He expected to see the dull little twin beds, dull little chairs, and the spontaneous green couch tucked in the corner.

            And he did. He saw all that. But he did not expect a dark-haired girl perched on his bed, swinging her legs longingly against the bedside.

            His heart spared him half a beat and he cried out, “God!” as he instinctively took a sharp step back, slamming the door shut while doing so. “The hell, Mona? You scared the crap out of me.”

            Mona rolled her big and soft brown eyes, finger-combing her silky hair calmly as Drew took some melodramatic breaths.

            “How did you even get in here?”

            “Jonah let me in,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Moreover, where have you been?” she asked, slowing down her swinging legs and hopping off the bed. She sauntered over to the dirty blonde boy. She stopped an inch away from his face and slid one hand down his chest. “I’ve missed you,” she said, low and seductive.

            “Mona,” he groaned slightly. It almost seemed like he was about to play along. But then his face broke into a childish grin. “It’s broad daylight and I couldn’t be more sober. It’s not gonna happen, babe.” And with that, he took her hand, which was now feeling his abs, and shoved it back towards her. He pushed past her and kept his cool until he met his bed. Then, he collapsed on it.

            Mona offered a pout, another roll of the eyes, and a quiet “Whatever” before she walked back over to the bed, sinking back down into it, her legs pumping into another swing set motion again.

            “What are you doing here, Mona?” Drew asked, his voice muffled in a pillow.

            “To complain about my lovely roommate.”

            Drew gave a dry laugh before flipping over and giving the girl his undivided attention. “What did she do now?”

            “She’s unbelievable! It’s enough that she dumped Stephen, but she doesn’t even care!” Mona vented, all riled up. “Three years, Drew, three years. That’s how long they’ve—”

            “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Drew interrupted brusquely. “Rewind. Say that again? She did what?”

            “She dumped Stephen?” Mona repeated slowly, not sure if this was mockery or not. When she saw the disbelief and confusion in Drew’s eyes, she knew he was completely clueless.

            “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

            “Well, but, I didn’t.”

            Estella Churchill. That was Mona Leonard’s roommate. Besides being Mona’s roommate, Estella was also the head bitch in charge of Beauford University. She was top dog, queen, and also the most materialistic and mean girl you would ever meet. Stephen Bullard was only an accessory to her, but the two of them were Beauford’s icon couple. Both of them had more money than God. Estella and Stephen dating was just common knowledge. It was as simple as two plus two. It was just logical. It was just how things worked.

            “But… but,” Drew mustered, trying to work it all out in his head.

            “How could you not know?” Mona demanded, and Drew might have even picked out a hint of anger in her voice. “It’s already afternoon. The entire campus knows. Are you just that ignorant of everyone? Besides, Drew, it was all over Facebook!”