Green Hearts

Chapter 1

It was one of the good nights. My dreams of Mom had become more frequent lately, and not all of them were pleasant. The worst ones featured the accident in excruciating detail: the car flipping, the sickening crunch of metal, the cacophony of blaring horns. It took everything I had not to wake up screaming, bracing myself for Muna's concerned gaze.

Today, though, Mom walked serenely through a field of white bedsheets billowing on laundry lines. A sweet, almost comical dream, a stark contrast to the nightmares that had plagued me.

No harsh sunlight jolted me awake this morning. My room, shrouded in a comforting half-light, greeted me as I reluctantly peeled open my eyes to face another day. The prospect of classes held zero appeal, but sleep obstinately refused to return. Stretching away the remnants of sleep and rubbing the sleep crust from my eyes, I glanced around the room. Muna remained sprawled across her bed in a defiant position, her head dangling precariously off the edge – a recipe for a crick in the neck if I ever saw one.

A stifled snicker escaped my lips. Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I snapped a picture, perfect blackmail material for the future. A text notification from Dad blinked on the screen, his usual attempt at a guilt trip. He wanted me to come home for the weekend for a surprise. This instantly improved my mood. Being a captive audience to the relentless demands of academia definitely called for a pick-me-up.

Deciding to call Dad back later, I hauled myself out of bed and gathered my toiletries. I'd wake Muna after my shower, a strategic move to escape the room before she fully booted up.

The near-empty communal bathroom provided a welcome respite from off-key morning singers. Feeling a surge of competitiveness, I hummed to myself as I showered, my taste in music far superior to the usual cacophony that reverberated off the walls. Before I knew it, the humming had escalated into full-blown singing. Mid-chorus of a random song, a startling knock on the shower stall sent a jolt through me, nearly causing me to drop the soap.

"You have a lovely voice," a voice remarked from the other side. My encounters in this bathroom were becoming increasingly bizarre. Muna and I were definitely moving off-campus next year.

"Um, thanks?" I stammered, caught off guard by the unexpected compliment. Shaking my head, I tried to speed things along, my desire to escape intensifying.

"Sing me something!" the voice persisted cheerfully, catching me off guard again. I nearly slipped this time, resisting the urge to swear under my breath. Think of your surprise. It’s a good day. Think of your surprise. Quiet my rising temper.

"Is it Request Music Friday or something?" I muttered under my breath.

"I can hear you," the voice chuckled, a warmth resonating in the sound. I couldn't help but chuckle in response, deciding to play along. Launching into another song, I belted it out with newfound enthusiasm.

After finishing my shower and thanking my anonymous audience with a quick "bye," I returned to find Muna glaring daggers at me as I entered the room.

"The least you could do was wake me up, you sneaky human," she grumbled, her dyed blue hair sticking out in sleep-tousled disarray.

"I was going to, but you seem to be wide awake now," I replied, heading towards my dresser to get dressed. "Saved me the trouble."

She muttered something unintelligible before flopping back onto her bed. As I dressed, I couldn't help but grin. "Your kind was out there in the bathroom. She even requested a song." Muna had a habit of making me sing for her amusement, turning me into her personal jukebox.

Muna's eyes widened with amusement. "Really?"

"Strangest way to start a day, that's for sure. Feels like it's only going to get weirder from here." I finished pulling on a t-shirt and jeans.

She erupted into laughter, her guffaws echoing through the room. Loneliness definitely had a way of warping one's sense of humor.

"I should probably go offer my services to my fellow kind," she said, wiggling her brows suggestively. "Can't let us go extinct, can we?"

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics. Grabbing my phone, I remembered the picture I'd taken earlier. The memory brought a wide grin to my face. Glancing mischievously at Muna, I caught her eye.

Her initial amusement faded, replaced by suspicion. Squinting at me, she started to rise from the bed. "What did you do?" she demanded, suspicion hardening her features.

I squealed with laughter and darted out of the room, the picture of mischief. Leaving the confines of the female residence hall, I stepped onto the campus grounds. The serene surroundings, dotted with trees and populated by a sparse number of early risers, provided a welcome contrast to the usual morning bustle.

Like most students (probably around 85% worldwide, by my very scientific estimation), I loathed studying. Classes themselves were bearable, but dragging myself there felt like an insurmountable chore. But enough about that – onwards and upwards!

Thankfully, the beauty of routine lay in its swift passage. My abhorrent morning classes soon became a distant memory as I found myself ensconced in a cozy cafe, seeking refuge from the rising heat while attempting to tackle an overdue assignment.

"Funny seeing you here," a voice startled me out of my concentration on a particularly vexing word – a recurring annoyance in my life, but that was beside the point.

I jumped in my seat, startling several nearby patrons who cast curious glances in my direction. I whipped my head around to glare at those familiar green eyes. Jace. A smirk played on his lips as he slid into the seat opposite me.

"Seriously? Are you a ninja? You can't just sneak up on people like that," I hissed at him, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Sneak up on you? I literally just walked over," he replied incredulously, as if I'd accused him of some heinous crime.

Rolling my eyes, I returned my attention to my laptop, vowing to minimize eye contact at all costs.

"Are you part of a cult or something?" he asked playfully.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he remained unfazed, leaning back in his chair with a smile that seemed permanently etched on his face.

"Maybe you're auditioning for reality TV with that reaction," he quipped casually.

It took a moment to summon the wit to counter his bad-boy persona. I shook my head, a silent acknowledgment that I seemed to attract strange and eccentric people. But Jace – well, Jace was a whole new level of peculiar.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "You look like you're mentally dissecting me right now."

"And I won't deny it," I retorted, a forced smile plastered on my face. My unfinished assignment loomed before me, and Jace didn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. The focused concentration I usually possessed around him felt like a distant memory.

"Why are you here, anyway?" I finally managed to ask.

"Just grabbing a drink when I spotted my first and only friend at Berkeley University. Couldn't resist saying hello," he explained, flashing a smile that he clearly thought was irresistible. I saw right through it – this guy was charming, yes, but also slightly unhinged.

I scanned the cafe, half expecting a fanfare to announce his arrival. The only people paying him any attention were the usual suspects – girls either blushing profusely or vying for his attention.

"Stop trying to sweet talk me, Jace. It's not working," I said, rolling my eyes yet again. I shut my laptop with a decisive snap and shoved it into my bag.

"Isn't it?" A hint of seriousness crept into his voice, and I looked up to find his expression mirrored his tone. The playfulness had vanished, replaced by those captivating eyes that seemed to see straight through me.

The cafe door chimed, momentarily snapping me out of his gaze and back to the task of shoving my belongings into my bag.

What in the world was happening to me?

"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? Maybe I could coerce you into giving me a tour of the campus?" Jace suggested hopefully.

"Pretend I'm invisible," I mumbled under my breath.

"But I'm looking right at you."

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Wasn't the registration office supposed to handle showing new students around?" I countered, a hint of exasperation creeping into my voice.

"They are, but I specifically requested my best friend to do the honors. Someone who would do a much better job, obviously," he concluded, unleashing another one of those disarming grins.

"How did you even find me today?" I blurted out, genuinely curious.

"Call it luck. Or maybe coincidence," he said, swirling the ice in his drink with a straw and scanning the room with a smile that seemed genuinely warm.

I rolled my eyes again. Luck, my foot. Spending time with Muna in the room would have been preferable – at least it would have been predictable.

Grabbing my drink and swinging my tot bag over my shoulder, I rise from my seat and head towards the cafe’s exit. Jace eyes follow my sudden movement, and he falls in step beside me.

“Are you not going to give me the tour?” he asks as we step out onto the street.

“For the sake of friendship, welcome to Berkeley University.” I gesture ahead, wondering at the kind of trouble Jace will be bringing into my carefully calibrated routine.