Consequences Be Damned

3 ⇻ a damned introduction

"That's no problem!" chirped Dawn the next day as an answer to whether I could postpone my moving in. She'd texted me to see if I was free to study together in between classes and now we were at the campus food court.

Gehenna Court was the University of California, Sunnydale infamous food court. It was a large, see-through dome that gathers all the food booths in the center of the room. Among the vast choices were Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Panda Express, McDonald's, Tito's Tacos, and Thai Kitchen. UC Sunny D was corny in that even though the places were popular brands, they changed the names so they'd fit the theme of our mascot.

"Can I get the Sacrificial Sleep?" Dawn ordered once it was our turn.

I curled my lips in to prevent the smile from appearing as the blond barista glanced at Dawn, eyeing her purple bob and sleeveless white jumpsuit with a purple lace bandeau peeking from the deep vee.

"Three shot Pike's Place," he repeated, before telling her how much it'd cost. After they'd scanned the barcode on her phone, she stepped aside and I gave the barista–Beau–a polite smile.

"Can I get a java chip frappucino?"

He tapped it into the register and then pulled out the cup. "Name?"

"Summer."

He slid Dawn and my cup over and told me the total. After I paid, I followed Dawn to the pick-up area.

"Is there a reason you need to postpone?" she asked, leaning back against the bar and sliding her hands into her jumpsuit's pockets. Her brows rose in the next moment, eyes wide as she stood up straight. "Did I scare you with the whole overeagerness and having the key ready?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "No, don't worry about that. It's forgotten; no biggie." I ran a hand through my hair, peeking over the glass to see Beau making our drinks. "My–" I cut myself off, unsure how exactly to define my relationship with Lucifer.

I coughed, settling on: "My godfather–I live with him–wants me to meet someone before I go and I'm guessing they don't arrive for another week."

Dawn nodded her head slowly, brows pulling together and lips curling down in a frown. "Can I ask where your parents are?"

I heard the underlying message. "My dad left me and my mom when I was a kid, so no worries about him."

She winced. "Men are trash."

"Agreed," I laughed. "My mom is..." I licked my lips. "She's in a better place."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

I met her gaze again, not realizing that my eyes had drifted to the floor. She was in a better place, right? And then I processed what Dawn said.

"Wait, why are you–" What I said echoed in my head. Mouth dropping and brows raising, I quickly waved my hands, correcting her, "I mean, she's not dead! She's somewhere better! I'm not exactly sure... where..." I winced as a sharp pain shot to my head, making me curl over for a few moments.

Dawn leaned forward, eyes wide and alarmed. "Are you okay?"

My head was throbbing and I felt my breath stop in my throat. I curled my hands into fists, grasping the edge of the table.

"Summer?"

My forehead wrinkled, my lips curl into a grimace, as my grip tightened at the edge of the table. Across from me, I could feel Dawn's worry grow, but I forced my eyes open and managed to send her a smile. "Sorry–just cramps. I swear, I'll be fine. Don't worry."