“Definitely,” Paige agreed.
There was another beat of silence and then Maia asked, “So? What do we do now?”
Ava slid off the bed and to her feet. “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m wiped. I’m headed to bed.”
It was the nudge they needed, clearly, because they all started to stand and shift and pick things up. Good nights were bid and soon Regan found herself trailing behind Ava down the hall and into their room.
A strange situation, to put it lightly.
They didn’t speak at first, each retreating to her own side of the room. Regan dug her pajamas out of her suitcase, kicking aside some of her clothes on the floor that were in her way.
“Mind if I use the bathroom first?” Ava asked.
“Be my guest.”
The door of the bathroom clicked shut and then the lock slid into place, and Regan rolled her eyes.Does she think I’m gonna bust in there while she’s naked?Not that she’d hate seeing that, but still. That wasn’t the point.
She heard the shower running and realized she had some time, so she flopped onto her bed and grabbed her phone.
Hey, loser, she typed.
The bouncing dots were immediate, and soon Kiki typed backHow was Day 1?
Regan had let her friends know she’d arrived last night but was too tired, her brain too packed full, to carry on any kind of conversation beyond that.
Crazy. Insane. You won’t believe it.
Kiki sent a wide-eyed emoji, followed byTell me!
Regan smiled. She could always count on Kiki to make her feel important. She typed.
A list:
We made carrot cake today.
Liza liked mine 3rd. 2 people ahead of me, 3 behind. Not great, but OK.
My roommate is Ava Prescott.She followed this with alternating grimacing emoji and wide-eyed emoji.
Liza is giving $100k to whichever of us “impresses her most.”
Don’t FT me. Cuz roommate.
Then she sat back and waited, a knowing grin on her face. Kiki’s first instinct was going to be to FaceTime her, but there was no way she’d have any kind of out-loud conversation that Ava might possibly be able to hear. Shower or not, she had no idea how thin the walls were. Or how good Ava’s hearing might be.
And then her brain reminded her that Ava being in the shower meant she wasnaked, and that sent her down an entirely different path for a moment…
Thank God her phone buzzed in her hand and Kiki had sent about a zillion wide-eyed emoji, followed byThe bitch who got you fired?followed by a GIF of somebody falling out of their chair in disbelief.
Regan laughed and typed,That very one.
Srsly, Kiki typed.What are the odds?
I know, right?
The dots bounced, stopped, bounced again, and Regan noticed the shower had turned off just as Kiki’s sweet message came through.You gonna be OK?
She smiled, and not for the first time, she thanked her lucky stars for her friends.Totally. Kinda awkward, but it’ll be fine. I’m a professional, ya know.
