Alex awoke the next morning with a pounding head ache. She groaned, struggling to open her crusty eyes.
"F-FUCK me!" she groaned, sitting up. Jefferson was sitting in bed, drinking coffee and typing on his laptop.
"Gently with a chainsaw?" he inquired. She ignored him, stumbling out of bed and making herself a mug of coffee.
The events of the night before hit her like a train. Her eyes went wide.
"Holy.. Jeffershit, did I come in late last night?" she demanded. He nodded, not looking up.
"You were drunk off of your ass when you left; and when you came back, you were crying about how beautiful your new wife is." he stated blandly. She felt herself grow faint.
"I.. Am I married?" she mumbled.
"Yes!" a chipper voice sounded from the bathroom. Alex jumped. It was Eliza.
"Yeah, your wife stayed the night." Jefferson said flatly. Alex scowled.
"Alexandra, honey, how did you sleep?" Eliza asked sweetly, coming to feel her head. Alex shrugged.
"Alright, Eliza.. I didn't dream any of that, did I? Like.. we're married?" she inquired. Eliza nodded, worry making her eyebrows furrow together.
"You aren't upset are you?" she asked, her sweet voice full of hurt. Alex quickly shook her head.
"No, no. I was just.. making sure." she said, giving a weak smile. Eliza beamed.
"Well, your first class is at noon, my love. I have to go, but I'll text you, my love bird." she trilled, pecking Alex's lips. She grabbed her backpack, leaving. Alex groaned, falling onto her bed.
"She's wearing my Van Halen t-shirt." Alex groaned. Jefferson chuckled, shaking his head.
"My, my Alexandra. What have you gotten yourself into?" he asked rhetorically.
Alex didn't know herself.
-
"You did WHAT?!"
Lafayette and Hercules were on the opposite side of the booth, while Alex showed them her silver ring.
Lafayette broke into frantic French, clearly cussing at Alexandra. Hercules simply scowled.
"Isn't this the one you've been lying to?" he inquired, making Alex's face heat up.
"She's happy." she defended weakly. Lafayette simply cursed at Alex more, making her roll her eyes.
"C'mon, she's happy! She's so bubbly and nice, I couldn't hurt her." she stated, eyes wide. Lafayette simply glared, while Hercules was silent.
"I agree." Hercules finally said. Lafayette gave him an indignant look, opening his mouth; but Hercules silenced him.
"Laurens would have wanted that." he said quietly. Lafayette didn't answer. He clearly didn't agree or disagree.
Lafayette finally looked at Alex.
"I hope this will satisfy you Alex."
-
It was the day before winter break. Four weeks of no school. Eliza was in Alex's door, while Jefferson and Madison were packing, working around her.
"Alexandra, PLEASE!" she wailed, making Jefferson glare. Alex snorted, reading her copy of Moby Dick on her bed.
"No, Eliza. I can't." she said, shaking her head. Sometimes she wished she knew what color Eliza's eyes were. She acted like she knew, which was difficult. It would be nice to put a color to her favorite feature on Eliza's face.
"Just come with me! You can meet my family! The lake is fun!" she begged, "Take a BREAK!"
Alex sighed, "My answer isn't changing."
Eliza pouted, nodding. Alex kissed her hand, making her cheeks go slightly darker grey to Alex.
"You'll be back before you know it." Alex swore, smiling. Eliza nodded, standing. She kissed Alex sweetly.
"I'll text you every day, my love." Eliza called as she left. Alex blew her a kiss. Eliza giggled, leaving. Jefferson gagged.
"You guys are DISGUSTING." he sneered, shaking his head vigorously. Alex snorted, not looking up.
"I'm curious, do airplanes have to be careful of how low they fly due to your hair?" she inquired, making Jefferson roll his eyes.
"That joke is from the 50s." he said, shaking his head. "And the answer is yes."
Alex chortled, shaking her head.
It wasn't too much longer before Jefferson and Madison were gone too, making the room feel surprisingly empty.
Alex couldn't take it. So she decided to go to the library. She finished the first month back's homework and by that time, it was 9 pm. So naturally, she went for a drink.
She arrived at the bar and ordered a beer. She drank and drank more, not noticing the last staring at her until the lady was next to her. Alex eyed her.
"Yes?"
The girl's lips curled into a pout.
"Don't you remember me?" she asked in a silky voice. Alex knew she looked familiar, she just couldn't remember from where.
"No..?" she answered, eyes narrowed. The lady sighed.
"Maria. You punched my boyfriend.. well ex boyfriend in the face." she supplied, smiling a little. Alex laughed a little.
"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed, grinning. "That was great."
Maria giggled in a sultry way.
"I agree. Well.. I finally left him. And I don't know where to go, I came all alone." she explained, hand coming to rest on Alex's thigh.
Alex's eyes went from her hand to her face.
"Don't you have a dorm?" she asked. Maria nodded.
"Across campus. I just had to come thank you.. Your friend said you might be here." she stated, smiling. Alex nodded. Maria batted her thick eyelashes.
"How about I buy you a drink?"
And she did.
And another drink.
And another drink.
And Alex didn't remember anything after that too.
-
Alex awoke the next morning with ANOTHER pounding headache. She did however notice immediately the difference in her environment.
The bed smelled like cheap perfume, jazzy music oozed from a speaker. Alex slowly opened her eyes.
She was in someone else's dorm room. She wracked her mind, trying to remember.
She glanced over to see a naked girl in bed next to her.
Shit.
The woman stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
"Why hello." she purred, eyes raking Alex's body, which Alex suddenly realized was also naked.
She ripped the blanket up to cover her exposed flesh, cheeks hot.
"W-what-"
And then it all came back. She gasped, eyes wide.
"Oh fuck.." she muttered. She stood, and looked around for her clothes.
"On the chair." Maria instructed, before rolling over and going to sleep again.
Alex dressed and left, practically running to her dorm room.
-
The rest of the break went by, and Alex didn't leave her room. Not once. She didn't hear from Maria at all. She assumed she was in the clear.
Sometimes karma is a bitch.
There was a swift knock on her door. She slowly got up to answer.
It was Maria. But she wasn't alone.
James Reynolds stood next to her.
Alex swallowed.
"Um.. Hi." she said, leaning against the door for support.
"Hello Miss. I hope we found you in good health. You see, this is my wife. The woman you fucked." Reynolds greeted her. She winced.
"Listen, I was dr-" but Reynolds cut her off.
"I don't care. I just wanted you to know that you're getting what you deserve." he stated flatly. Alex raised an eyebrow.
"And what is that?"
They wore twin smirks.
"Maria, my sweet soulmate, filmed your little session. Her face isn't in it. But yours definitely is. Now imagine what's going to happen when I post that video on the college web page. You'll be ruined." Reynolds explained, grinning. Alex stared at him in horror.
"That'll RUIN my future!" she gasped. The man nodded.
"Oh I know."
Alex's eyes teared up, and she nearly crumpled.
"P-please don't." she begged. He chuckled darkly.
"Maybe I will. Maybe I won't." was all he said as he took Maria's hand and left.
Alex slammed the door and pressed herself against it.
She panted, on the verge of a panic attack.
A porno would RUIN her career. And Eliza would be.. livid.
That would RUIN her.
And suddenly, as she cried, she realized what she must do.
She written her way out every time. She'd written her way out of a hurricane ravaged hell, she'd written her way to the top of her class. She'd written her way out, every damn time.
She ran to the bed and opened her laptop, opening word document. Her bleary eyes gazed at the screen almost drunkenly.
'The Reynolds Pamphlet...' she typed, eyes full of determination.