ROOM 214

Monday Mornings

Monday mornings hit different at Westbrook University, and not in a good way. By seven-thirty the whole campus was already up and moving~~~students cutting across the quad with coffee in one hand, backpacks barely hanging on to one shoulder. Somebody had Brent Faiyaz blasting out a parked car outside the dorms. A pack of athletes jogged past the freshman buildings while two girls went back and forth over whose turn it was to buy breakfast.

Inside Room 214, chaos had already kicked off.

"Nah, who took my edge control?" Nia yelled, standing in the middle of the room with one sock on.Wasn't nobody answering her.

"I know one of y'all got it."

Kayla ain't even look up from making her bed. "I use gel."

"Wasn't you."

Desire looked over from the mirror, still fighting with curls that refused to cooperate. "I don't even use edge control."

"Exactly," Nia said. "Which means it's Zena."

Zena looked up from tying her laces. "...How you figure that out?"

"You look guilty."

"I been sitting right here the whole time."

"Exactly."

Zena laughed. "You know you don't make no sense."

"I know."

Desire couldn't help but smile. Nia really did have a weird comeback for everything.

Fifteen minutes later, they found the edge control sitting inside Nia's own tote bag the whole time. Wasn't nobody letting her live that down.

"You owe us an apology ma'am," Zena said, grabbing her bag.

"I don't owe nobody nothing."

"You accused all of us."

"I was under pressure."

Kayla shook her head. "You be creating your own pressure."

The room filled up with laughter. First time since she moved in, Desire was laughing with them instead of just sitting there listening. Really felt nice.

They walked to class together, folded into the stream of students crossing campus. Morning air was cool, sidewalks packed, and every few steps somebody was calling out to Zena.

"Morning, Z!", "Miss Cathy prolly looking for you"

Zena answered every single one with a nod or a quick smile before she kept it moving. Desire clocked it but didn't say nothing. Still getting used to the fact that her roommate seemed to know half the whole university.

First lecture was Professor Jackson's Media and Communication class. Man walked in exactly at eight o'clock, set his briefcase down, adjusted his glasses, and looked around the room slow.

"If you late," he said, "don't even bother sitting. Keep it moving please."

Whole class went dead silent. Desire opened her notebook quick. Nia leaned in from behind and whispered, "He definitely went through a divorce."

Desire had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

Professor Jackson looked up. "You want to share the joke with the rest of the class?"

Nia smiled all innocent. "No, sir."

"Didn't think so."

By the time class let out damn near two hours later, everybody rushed the door like they'd just been sprung.

"Thought I was finna fall asleep," Nia complained.

"You almost did," Kayla shot back.

"I was resting my eyes."......."You was snoring."

"I was not."

"You definitely was," Zena said. Nia looked all offended. "Thought we were friends."

"We are," Zena said. "Friends keep it real."

As they headed toward the student center, a familiar voice called out. "Z!"

Tall dude in a varsity jacket jogged over, football tucked under one arm. He dapped Zena up before looking over the rest of the group. "You finally gon' introduce me or what?"

"My bad," Zena said. "This Marcus."

Marcus flashed an easy smile. "Marcus Hayes."

"Nia," Nia said.

"Kayla." Kayla and Nia giggled.

"Desire."

"Come on,why you and Kayla introducing yourself, lol, I mean the new roommate." "Marcus looked at Desire for a second before he grinned. "So you're the quiet roommate."

Desire blinked. "You heard about me?"

Marcus glanced at Zena. "I mean...she said she finally got all her roommates."

Zena shrugged. "I did."

"That's it?" Marcus smirked. "Pretty much bout it."

Desire didn't even know why that made her smile. Marcus seemed cool though~ like the type that could literally talk to anybody.

"You headed to practice?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah."

"Coach been looking for you."

"Ugh... literally have to be at Miss Cathy's office in about 10 minutes, Zena cried out.

"You late again?"

"I ain't late."

"You got five minutes."

"I'm still not late."

Marcus laughed. "You impossible, man."

As the two of them headed off toward the athletic building, Nia leaned in close to Desire. "They be arguing like an old married couple every damn time mhenn."

Kayla laughed under her breath. "Was thinking the same thing."

Desire watched Zena and Marcus disappear into the crowd before she turned toward the library. Still had two chapters to knock out before Wednesday. College really wasn't playing with her.

That afternoon, the room stayed unusually quiet. Everybody had work to handle. Kayla was typing away on her laptop. Nia was on a video call with Jordan, going in on Professor Jackson.

"I swear he wake up angry every single day."

Jordan laughed through the phone. "You say that about every professor."

"Because every professor got some kind of personal issue with me."

"Nah," Kayla said without even looking up. "You just don't do what you ought to do." Nia gasped, dramatic as ever. "See? This exactly why I need a new roommate."

"You love us," Kayla said soft.

Nia pointed at her. "Don't make me admit that."

Room burst into laughter all over again......Later that evening, Desire was on her bed reading while Zena came back from practice looking wiped out.

"You good?" Kayla asked without even thinking about it.

Zena dropped her bag by the door. "I'm straight."

"You look tired."

"I am."

"You should probably eat something before you do anything else."

Zena looked at her for a second, then nodded. "Yeah...you probably right."