Deviant or Divine | Hades and Persephone

VI - 🌹

Leila sat at the edge of a twin bed in a messy room while Bianca and Min-Seo grabbed her a drink.

They'd shown up to Camille's house and whisked her off to the New Olympus Preparatory Academy housing for a "welcoming party"— whatever that meant.

With barely a word of approval from Camille they rushed off, the tires of the sky-blue jeep squealing.

Leila tilted her head back, there was a tightness starting to build behind her eyes threatening a headache. She tried to ignore the party music that was blasting from Bianca's speakers and concentrated on the feeling of the soft glow of the dozens of Edison bulbs that hung down from Bianca's room.

I just want to sleep.

A thud and a high laugh brought her back to the room.

"Okay, so I don't know how you feel about vodka, so I only put a couple of shots in it." She looked down the red coffee mug of pink liquid and then up to Bianca's smiling face. Bianca held up her own mug with But First, Coffee written on it. "Sorry, all my other cups are dirty. Someone didn't do their chores this week."

Leila gave a soft smile back and clinked her mug with Bianca's then took a sip.

First she tasted sweet pink lemonade and then a chemical like burning taste.

"Ugh," she grimaced, making Bianca laugh and the blue corkscrew curls fall into her face. She never tasted something so awful, and she could still feel the liquid going down and coiling in her stomach.

Min-Seo walked into the room from their shared kitchen area holding a bottle of vodka by the neck. She winced at Leila in sympathy.

"Yeah I wasn't a fan when I first tried it either." She took a pull of the bottle and wiped her mouth with her hoodie sleeve and coughed.

"Oh god, Minnie, no," Bianca shuddered away, still laughing. "We're not at the party yet!"

"I'm trying to get in all the partying I can before school starts, leave me alone." Minnie replied as she went to Bianca's desk and changed the song on the speakers. A bass guitar bubbled out and a female voice started to croon.

Leila looked between the two, recalling how she had looked between the tall Bianca and the small Min-Seo as she introduced herself to her and Camille.

"Hi! I'm Bianca," she threw a skinny arm around the short girl next to her, all smiles and pep. "This is my best friend Min-Seo." The shorter girl gave a nod, her sharp olive green eyes and a ghost of a smile on her lips made Leila feel like she was being sized up.

"I see, so you're trying to top Midsummer...or?" Bianca asked, one eyebrow raised.

Min-Seo replied with a thumbs up as she took another swig. Even Leila laughed then.

Best friend.

Leila felt a pang of jealousy, seeing the two roommates so close— though she didn't understand how they fit together, they seemed like two pieces from different puzzles. Bianca wore gold and silver jewelry, her makeup perfect. Her lacy white tank top and high-waisted jeans set off her gold brown skin, making her glow. She even wore red strappy heels. In the car she was bubbly and talked nonstop— about everything and nothing— over Min-Seo's head-banging loud music.Min-Seo occasionally stopped drumming on the dashboard to contribute to the conversation, shaking her short cropped onyx hair around to the music.