Mates Next Door

Two To Tango

~ASTRA~

Mondays were terrible days for me. Submitting assignments, handing out projects and listening attentively in class all combined to make it an extremely stressful day for me.

And it didn't even help that I had been called into one of the professor's offices.

"Have a seat, Miss Nova," Mr Lee, who lectured in psychology class, gestured towards the seat before his desk. "You know why I called you here, right?"

"No, sir." I replied as soon as I took my seat.

He grabbed a file from his drawer and slipped it towards me. "Your mother, on the first day you were enrolled, asked me to look after you. I'm sure she didn't tell you, but you're smart enough to know that I have shown interest in your academics since you started here."

He was right. Mr Lee was my favourite lecturer. Although he was particularly strict with me, I loved and enjoyed his lecture and teaching style. Now, it made sense why he was that way to me.

"I had no idea, Professor Lee."

"Now you know," He smiled and folded one arm over the other. "You're a scholarship student, Astra. And the school pays a huge percentage of your tuition fees. I think you only have to pay less than forty percent or so, which is fair by my standards."

I sat up in my chair, wondering what he was driving at. I was even more worried that he was giving me a look of pity, like something bad was about to happen to me. Something inevitable.

"The rest of your tuition fees haven't been paid and you have been given the grace of two months," He checked his system. "Yes, two months. I know I'm not supposed to be discussing this with you, but I had the accounting department hand this over to me."

"You've been given enough grace to attend classes and participate in extracurricular activities and thankfully, this school doesn't restrict you from that. But-" He sighed. "You won't be graded. You won't get results either. You'll be treated like you're not a student of this university."

I looked down at my hands, fighting back the tears that welled up there. "I'll speak to my mother about it. She's been through a hard time since we lost my father."

"Oh, I am really sorry about that. Accept my deepest condolences."

Pushing to my feet, I grabbed my tote bag and nodded. "Thank you, Mr Lee. I'll have it sorted out."

I made my way out of his office and walked down the corridor with my head bowed low in shame. I couldn't look at anyone's face because I felt like I had my problems written on my forehead and they were going to laugh at me.

Every bad thing seemed to be happening to me this week. From my father winding up dead to this, I couldn't cope.

I made a beeline for the restroom and locked myself in one of the stalls.

I broke down and cried, clenching my fists and hitting my thigh so much it hurt. I channelled my grief by inflicting physical pain on myself.

My claws dug into my skin and I dragged through my flesh, sobbing as I watched blood trickle out of my skin. It closed back up immediately and I clawed and clawed and clawed at it until I heard the sound of footsteps coming towards me.

Immediately pushing to my feet, I wiped my tears and stepped out of the stall. I headed straight to the line of basins and turned on the faucet. My shorts were stained with blood and no manner of hard scrubbing got it out.

Once I was done cleaning myself up, I turned the faucet off and stared into the mirror, at my red, puffy face.

Miserable, miserable Astra.

If I had known, I would have swallowed my pride and taken the envelope containing cash from Ryder that night. How stupid could I be not to realise that I would need it? That I was beyond broke and with no one to depend on?

As I headed to class, all that filled my mind was a way to ask Ryder if I still had access to the money.

Asking Ryder for anything was similar to humiliating one's self, but it was worth not losing my grades over and not getting results at the end of the session.

It would break my mother's heart if she heard it and I was going to make sure she didn't get wind of it. I didn't want to add to her problems so I made a mental note to see Ryder later in the evening.

After classes, I made my way out of the lecture hall and found Valerie standing with a group of her friends, laughing and telling them all about Ryder.

"He's all over me! Calling, texting and picking me up for dates and it's just been three days!"

One of the girls who seemed reasonable enough asked. "That sounds like love bombing, don't you think?"

Valerie glared at her. "You wouldn't know that, Trisha. You barely get any attention. Has anyone ever asked you out since your admission?"

"Hey, Valerie." I cut in to save Trisha from further humiliation. Valerie had a thing for getting awfully defensive, especially when it came to her romantic interests.

She moved from her friend group and made her way over to me with a smile. "Astra! I didn't see you at lunch today. Were you burying your head in a book again?"

I laughed weakly. "No. Professor Lee called me."

"Oh. What did he say?"

"Nothing important." I shrugged, not feeling a tad bit guilty that I was lying to her. "Just called to know how far I'd gone with my project."

"Okay, okay," She slipped her arm around mine.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Ryder?" I asked as a way to know if he was around school.

"I ate lunch with him at this nice café downtown. But I've not seen him since then. He's probably having workshop classes today."

"Workshop?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Yes. He's majoring in automobile engineering. That's why he's so good with cars."

"Wow, I had no idea."

"You wouldn't!" She nudged me. "It's not like you're close to him."

"Right." I muttered under my breath. "I have to go now, Valerie. I have classes till two."

*****

Ryder majoring in automobile engineering stuck with me for the rest of today. I imagined him at the workshop, dressed in overalls, working on auto parts and excelling in it.

I caught myself lost in thought, and shook my head, chiding myself for dwelling on him more than I should. With a heavy workload already, I didn't this distraction.

After classes, I headed home, determined to focus on my assignments and avoid their apartment until it was time to see Ryder.

I stalled, enjoying a quiet dinner alone, binge-watching Grey's Anatomy, and indulging in my nighttime skincare routine. Finally, I made my way to their place, ringing the bell with a mix of anxiety and hope.

As I waited, I found myself praying it was Ryder who'd answer - it would be easier that way. I could linger by the door, exchange a few words, get my money, and retreat to my room without venturing further into their space.

To my disappointment, it was Flynn who opened the door. He was speaking on the phone but as soon as he saw me, he ended the call abruptly.

"Astra, what are you doing here?" He asked, his tone hinting at annoyance.

Exactly. This was what I didn't want to encounter, having to be asked why I was standing by their door like I was a nuisance.

"Is Ryder in?" I asked, masking the upset look on my face.

Flynn gave me a long look, taking me in from my head, down to my toe. I hated how uncomfortable his scrutinising look made me feel.

"Ryder's out of town."

"Shit." My shoulders slumped in defeat. What was I going to do now? Wait until he returns? "When is he going to be back?"

Flynn shrugged. "No idea."

"Alright. Good night."

I turned to leave, but once I got to my door, I stopped and hurried back to find Flynn still standing there. He raised a brow at me in askance.

"You know I raced with Ryder last week, right?" Flynn nodded. "He gave me a cash prize but I returned it to him. Is there a possibility that I can get it back?"

"Why the sudden need?"

"Nothing," I shrugged. "I won the race, I think it's mine."

Flynn laughed. "Ryder said you returned it quite rudely."

I could feel a blush creeping up my cheek. Ryder telling his friends even made it worse for me.

"I know I did. But I need it now. There's something really important I need to sort out and it's quite urgent."

"And you want to ask Ryder for it?" He asked, amusement creeping into his face. When I nodded, he scoffed. "You're only going to humiliate yourself."

"I can handle it."

Flynn shook his head. "What do you want to use it for anyway?"

"I don't have to tell you," I replied, already getting pissed. Why was he so concerned about my problems all of a sudden? "I just need to know I can get it back from Ryder."

"How much do you need?"

I took a step away from him. "You don't have to worry."

"I insist." He replied, took a step towards me and planted his hand on the door jamb.

I moved out of the way, giving him a few centimetres of space. "It's better to ask Ryder. At least, he's not going to ignore me."

"What?" Flynn muttered, his mouth agape in surprise.

"You might be the one to humiliate me, who knows? That's all you've been doing."

He was upset and he looked like he had a lot of things to say, which I would have really appreciated. But he didn't. Instead, he asked. "How much do you need, Astra?"

"Goodnight." I said hastily, trying to escape, but Flynn's smooth movements caught me off guard.

His boots thundered behind me and his hand grasped my wrist, spinning me back around.

My back hit the wall with a soft thud and Flynn's frame loomed over me, his hair falling against his forehead and casting a shadow over his face. His eyes locked onto mine, drawing me into their depths.

"Flynn..." I whispered, my heart racing. "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" He countered, his voice low and intense. "Stop making me feel bad for things beyond my control."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I frowned, my brows furrowed in confusion.

He scoffed, his expression darkening. "You think it's easy watching you pine for Arik, don't you?"

"And you think it's easy to be ignored after a night of being showered with affection, Flynn?!" I snapped back, my voice rising. "One moment you're all in, and the next, you're cold and distant. I can't deal with that!"

"Neither can I deal with having to share you with Arik." His voice sent deep rumbles that softly caressed my chest. "You are mine, and mine alone. Now, how much do you need?”