Death May Disagree

Chapter 6

Something about the day after Thanksgiving, whether you're ready for it or not, kicks off the Christmas season, and UCP knows how to get with the program. Flyers are passed outside of buildings and along the walkways to announce winter concerts and parties. Stationed near the cafeteria and libraries are fundraising booths selling hot chocolate and seasonal donuts. Mostly everyone dons their closet's winter fashion coats now, and for the second unreasonable time, I feel underdressed. Thanks to the stress of finals, I've been wearing the same jacket and sweatpants for the past three days.

After looking around a few times, I find a spot in the library between two guys gaming on their laptops. I remove my jacket and hang it on the back of my chair, not wanting to study for Statistics but knowing I have to if I want to maintain my GPA. Someone taps me on the shoulder just as I'm about to sit down at the table we use for study group. It's Demi, her hair in beauty pageant waves, wearing a fleece coat, with Milo beside her.

"We reserved a study room this time. It's this way," she says over the sound of my thumping heartbeats.

"Guys, do you ever wonder why Dominique has, like, constant energy?" asks Annie after an hour of study. We're taking a study break, and although I can count the times in two hands that I've spoken more than five words to the group, I think the panic-fueled days in countdown to finals greatly sped up our getting acquainted with one another.

"Uh oh," says Demi forebodingly, probably because Annie has spoken about the subject to her many times before.

Dominique narrows her eyes at Annie while taking a sip from her tumbler.

"Notice how it's not too high, or too low, just in the middle and consistent?" Annie continues, narrowing her eyes back at Dominique in playful suspicion. They're best friends who like to tease each other from time to time, but to the rest of us, they're warm and motherly. After a few suspenseful seconds, Annie concludes with saying, "the answer is in her tumbler." We all turn to look at Dominique.

She smirks. "It's water."

"It's water mixed with two shots of 5-hour Energy! The whole 24 ounces!" Annie exclaims, a crazed expression on her face.

"Huh? Isn't that more than the recommended daily serving?" asks Kai, one of the boys from Annie's party, who's just walked into our study room. He's skinny with a cowlick in his hair and glasses on his nose.

"Calm down, child, I only take sips so it lasts the whole day," Dominique explains. "Also, I don't drink like this everyday."

"Doesn't your body crash on the off days?"

Dominique takes another sip of her drink. "Legends never crash."

Fiona laughs and hails Dominique with outstretched arms. "Dude, I want to be you when I grow up."

"Wait, Fiona, your family has a line of diabetes. Energy drinks increase a person's resistance to insulin," cautions a concerned Ethan, emanating the tenderest of cares.

"How do you know that?" Demi asks in awe of Ethan's nugget of information.

"Her mom and dad have type 2 diabetes."

Fiona musses Ethan's mousey hair, scolding, "you idiot, she meant, how do you know about the insulin resistance!"

"Oh. I read about it. There are actually a lot of terrible side effects to consuming copious amounts of 5-hour Energy-"

"Lalala! I don't want to hear it. I need all the room in my brain for final material!" sings Dominique, covering her ears with her hands.

"Tell her when she drinks all that material away at my apartment next week," says Annie with a wink to Ethan.