ROOM 214

Pop Quiz

"I overslept!" Nia yelled, hopping around the room with one shoe on while trying to brush her teeth at the same time.

"You been saying that for ten minutes," Kayla replied, not even looking up from her planner.

"Because it's still true!"

Desire sat at her desk flipping through her notes one last time before class. Wasn't expecting no test, but she liked walking into lectures prepared regardless.

Across the room, Zena was stuffing notebooks into her backpack, phone pinned between her ear and her shoulder. "Yeah, Jay...don't forget Coach said to stretch before training. I know. Just don't skip it, a'ight? Love you too."

She ended the call and zipped her bag. "Y'all ready?"

Desire and Kayla nodded.

"As ready as we finna ever be," Nia chimed in.

The four roommates left the dorm together, cutting through the busy quad while students rushed past in every direction. Somebody had a speaker going outside the student center, two guys were going back and forth over a basketball game from the night before, and the smell of fresh coffee floated through the cool morning air. Westbrook never really slowed down for nobody.

Inside Professor Hill's classroom, students settled into their seats slow, still half asleep. Professor Hill walked in, set his briefcase on the desk, and wrote two words across the whiteboard.

POP QUIZ.

The whole room groaned at once.

"You've got to be kidding me," somebody whispered.

"I wish I was," Professor Hill said, not even bothering to turn around.

Desire felt her stomach drop. She'd studied, but surprise quizzes always had a way of shaking her up regardless. Pens started moving, pages started flipping, and the room got so quiet all you could hear was pencil scratching and somebody nervously tapping their foot against the floor.

An hour later the class spilled out into the hallway, and Nia looked personally offended by the whole thing.

"That man enjoys ruining lives."

Kayla laughed. "Wasn't even that bad."

"It absolutely was."

"What question gave you trouble?"

"All of 'em."

"You definitely being dramatic," Zena said.

"I answered Question seven with confidence."

"Wasn't no Question seven."

"There...wasn't?"

Everybody lost it laughing.

"You see?" Nia threw her hands up. "This exactly why I need a vacation."

As they headed toward the student center, Desire felt somebody step up beside her.

"Hey."

She turned around. Daniel...the guy from Professor Hill's class.

"You survive the quiz?" he asked.

"Barely."

He smiled. "I was actually finna ask if you wanted to grab coffee after class tomorrow."

Desire smiled polite. "That's real sweet, but I'm gonna pass."

Daniel nodded, ain't make it weird about it. "No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings."

"See you around, Desire."

"See you."

Nia had been watching the whole exchange from a few feet away, and the second Daniel walked off she linked arms with Desire.

"So...you just out here breaking hearts before lunch?"

Desire laughed. "I don't think nobody's heart got broken."

"You turned that man down so polite he probably thanked you in his head."

Kayla shook her head, smiling. "Nia, leave her alone."

"I'm just saying."

Back at the dorm that evening, Jordan swung by with takeout, claiming Nia would forget to eat if somebody ain't remind her.

"I feel attacked," Nia said, already reaching for the fries.

"You should."

Jordan spoke to everybody before dropping into the chair next to her. The room felt unusually peaceful. Kayla had her headphones in, working through an assignment. Zena was stretched out on her bed, eyes closed, letting the music run through her AirPods, just grateful for the little bit of rest she was finally getting.

Wasn't nobody saying much.