Chapter 4: Meet the Friends
Brooke and Alex walked side by side through the quad, shivering slightly. There was a chill in the air. It had fogged over the night before and there were still tendrils of mist winding their way through the town. It was a Tuesday afternoon and the two friends were both done with their classes for the day.
“Man, my shoulder’s sore,” Alex complained, rubbing it with the opposite hand.
“Tough shoot?” He had come from one of his photography classes, dropping off his camera before they left the dorm.
“Today was all about angles, so I had to hold this…” He twisted his limbs in a knot that left him crouching off-balance with one elbow up in the air. “… for over a half hour. So I’m pretty achy, but I’ll sleep it off.” Brooke always felt a tiny twinge of jealousy when he said stuff like that. “How’d your disability thing go, by the way?”
“You mean the notification forms? Not too bad, I turned them in yesterday. My chem professor basically scanned it and grunted before signing it, but my history teacher was more smiley. Apparently she gets migraines, too. She announced it on the first day of class. My form drawing instructor is super chill, too. She prefers her students to learn at their own pace anyways. She dotted the I in’s in migraine with spirals.”
“Sounds chill for the most part.”
“Yeah, I’m hopeful. The hardest part was getting the chem form signed without Avery noticing and asking about it.”
“You’ll have to fill her in eventually though,, right?”
“I know, but I want it to be on my terms.”
“Fair enough.”
Brooke and Avery had been spending more and more time together since their first date a few days before. They hung out every day after classes, twice on the weekend, and worked on all their chem homework together. Their instructor, Mr. Whitman, had made a sudden and unexplained choice to make them lab partners during their first lab on thursday. Brooke had a sneaking suspicion that Avery had had something to do with the decision, but she wasn’t complaining. Normally, Brooke was very anxious with new people, socially, but she never seemed to feel that way about Avery. When they were together, she felt safe and at ease, like all the time in the world wouldn’t be enough to spend in her company.
Today they’d agreed to introduce each other to their friends. Of course Avery had a whole flock of them to Brooke’s Alex. Trying to juggle schoolwork and chronic illness left little time for an active social life, but Alex and Brooke were so close and spent so much time together that he was easily worth half a dozen close friends. Brooke hoped desperately that Avery’s friends would approve of her. And that Alex would be chill with Avery. He hadn’t stopped bothering Brooke to introduce him so he was, quite literally, bouncing on his heels in anticipation. And, no doubt, looking forward to the prospect of hitting on her hot friends.
As they approached the intimidating group, Brooke’s hands shook nervously. Alex reached down and took one of them in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She spotted Avery, still dressed for soccer practice, a long-sleeved shirt on under her jersey, black ponytail rippling gorgeously. She started to call out but before she formed the words, Avery turned to meet her eyes, flashed her a dizzying smile, and jogged towards them. They shared a quick kiss that only left Brooke wanting more. She could tell Avery was sweaty from practice, but it only made her more attractive.
“Avery, this is my best friend and roommate, Alex,” Brooke said.” Alex, this is Avery…” She had no idea what to call her. Friend seemed too casual, but they’d technically only been on one date.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Alex replied, shaking hands with Avery. “I’ve heard lots of good things.” Brooke blushed beet red.
“Have you now?” Avery responded, looking down at Brooke. She just blushed deeper, too embarrassed to speak. “So how long have you two known each other?” Brooke seized on the change of topic eagerly.
“We’ve known each other forever. I think we met in second grade?” Alex nodded. “We hit it off right away. We’ve been best friends for years, so it seemed like a no-brainer when we decided to go to the same college,” she supplied. “Took some real haggling to get put in the same dorm room.” Brooke and Alex both laughed.
“Yeah, really had to play up the gay angle, didn’t we?” Alex put in, chuckling.
“Oh you’re gay, too?” Avery asked. “That makes all of us.” She winked jokingly.
“Yeah, I’m bi,” Alex answered, grinning. Brooke peered around Avery’s shoulder get a discreet look at her friends. They didn’t seem to have noticed her and Alex yet, very wrapped up in their own conversation. There were 4 of them, two young men and two women. All very tall, very muscular, and very attractive. None of the rest of them were on the soccer team, it seemed, because they all wore street clothes. They seemed like a lively bunch, talking and laughing animatedly with each other. Avery noticed where she was looking.
“I guess that makes it my turn,” she said, sounding confident. “Hey, get over here, you guys.” At first Brooke thought for sure that they hadn’t heard; they were over a hundred feet away and Avery had hardly raised her voice at all, but they heard and immediately started to make their way over.
One of the young men punched the other on the arm. It looked hard but the other boy just shook it off, smiling and hitting his companion back. The sight made Brooke very nervous. Would she be expected to roughhouse like that with Avery’s friends? That would be disastrous. Brooke took a deep, shaky breath, giving Alex’s hand an anxious squeeze.
What happened next, Brooke wasn’t entirely sure. The first thing she was aware of was Alex’s hand going limp in hers. When she looked over to see why, his face was blank, like he was in a trance. He was staring off past her, towards one of Avery’s friends. A very imposing woman, only slightly shorter than Avery, also very muscular, but in a different way. She looked more like a rock climber than a college athlete, with thickly muscled arms and shoulders, bared by the cut-off t-shirt she wore over heavily ripped jeans. She was stunning, seemingly in her early 20s, with a cloud of wavy chestnut hair that hung loose, almost to her waist. She wore no makeup but she didn’t need any to highlight her bold features. The woman stared back at Alex with an intensity that made Brooke take a step back. Her shocking electric blue eyes jumped out at Brooke from under thick eyebrows, seeming to glow through the fog.
In a flash the woman was standing right in front of Alex, looking deep into his eyes as though they held the secret to life itself. Her movements were jerky and abrupt, setting Brooke on edge. Her gaze shifted sharply and suddenly to Alex’s hand, still clasped in Brooke’s, and a look of pure fury washed over the woman’s face. She let out an animalistic growl that sent a deeply instinctive shiver down Brooke’s spine. It sounded vaguely like the word ‘mine’. Before Brooke could even think how to respond, Avery was standing like a wall between her and the woman.
“NO!” Avery boomed in a voice Brooke barely recognized. Brooke was shaking with fear, unable to see what was happening from behind Avery’s back. Neither of the taller women spoke and several seconds of echoing silence passed. Avery reached back and took Brooke’s hand, and suddenly her anxiety was just a whisper in the back of her mind. Avery stepped aside, keeping a tight grip on Brooke’s hand, her posture still hunched protectively around Brooke, as though she was ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.
Brooke didn’t know what she’d been expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t the sight that met her eyes. Avery’s friend and Alex were locked in a ferociously passionate kiss. What was it about these women? Brooke could barely tell whose limbs were whose. They both seemed completely oblivious to the rest of them still standing there. Brooke was so taken aback, she didn’t know how to respond.
So she laughed. At first just a slight chuckle, but then Avery’s friends burst out laughing too, then, eventually Avery herself, until they were all clutching their sides. Alex and his new friend didn’t seem to notice in the slightest.
“Brooke, this is my best friend, Rachel,” Avery said, gesturing towards the couple. Her other friends were still laughing. Probably some private joke. “Maybe we should give them some space.”
“Yeah, see you later Alex!” Brooke called as they walked away. He had no reaction. The group stopped in the shade of a tree a little ways away.
“So…” Avery said, stepping backward and nudging Brooke forward slightly. She felt like Avery was presenting her for inspection. “This is her.” Brooke felt intimidated by how intensely Avery’s friends were all examining her. The other woman was still tall but by far the shortest of the bunch. She had a thin, wiry frame and dark brown skin, heavily laced with scars. She wore a very uncomfortable-looking pencil skirt/high heel combination and exquisitely skilled makeup, her eyelids shaded metallic jade. She had straight, dark brown hair, cut in a severe bob, and icy blue eyes so pale they were almost white that seemed to leap out of her face. “This is Jade,” Avery said, pointing to the woman. She just narrowed her eyes suspiciously in response.
“Nice to meet you,” Brooke said, extending her hand. Jade shook it, her grip like a vice.
“And this,” Avery said, tugging Brooke towards the two men. “…is my idiot brother, Joseph,” she pointed to one of the young men who looked like a younger, male version of Avery. He was a couple inches taller, but still gangly, like he hadn’t quite filled out yet. Avery’s brother had the same curly black hair and ochre skin, although his face was spotted with freckles, and his eyes were a much darker brown than his sister’s. “And his friend, Sebastian.” The last of the group was very pale with light, coiled silver-white hair interspersed with strands dyed violet which matched the color of his irises. He must be wearing colored contacts, Brooke thought. He wore black eyeliner ,as if he needed anything else to draw attention to his eyes. They drew the gaze like magnets, making it hard for Brooke to retain any other feature of his face.
“It’s very nice to meet you both,” she said. Joseph took her outstretched hand in both of his, swallowing it. His palms were sweaty but his wide smile seemed genuine. Sebastian merely nodded his head in acknowledgement.
“So nice to meet the girl Avery won’t shut the hell up about!” Joseph said brightly. His voice was a little higher than Brooke was expecting, showing his youth. Brooke glanced up at Avery just in time to see the blush spreading across her cheeks. She leaned over and casually punched her brother on the arm. The other woman, Jade, cracked a half smile, tugging taught one of many scars that cut across her cheek and lips, ending at her chin.
As much as she wanted to make a good impression on Avery’s friends (it seemed as though she’d already failed with Rachel), Brooke was uncomfortably aware of how long she’d been standing, and she was starting to feel lightheaded and breathless. Her POTS symptoms were flaring up and she needed to sit down. She still hadn’t filled Avery in about her chronic illnesses, so she needed to come up with an excuse. Looking back toward where they’d been 5 minutes earlier, she saw that Alex and Rachel were nowhere to be found. She was on her own.
“I just remembered I have an essay I need to get started on,” Brooke said, smiling apologetically. Avery’s face fell.
“Oh, okay,” she said, sounding disappointed. Brooke hated to have to leave. But in front of Avery’s friends and brother, standing, wasn’t the time or place to get into the whole mess.
“I’m sorry,” Brooke said.
“No, it’s okay,” Avery reassured her. “Let me walk you back to your dorm?” Brooke nodded eagerly, smiling.
“It was nice to meet you all,” she said, as Avery put an arm around her shoulders. Brooke hesitantly snaked her own arm around Avery’s waist. She thought she heard a soft purring sound but blamed it on the wind in the trees overhead. Brooke could feel Avery’s warmth beside her and leaned into it, comforted by the gentle weight of her arm, intoxicated by the woodsy scent that seemed to follow her wherever she went. She sighed contentedly, hardly noticing the other three saying goodbye.
They started off towards Brooke’s dorm.
“So do you only befriend people over 5’8?” Brooke asked jokingly. Avery laughed.
“Pretty much,” she admitted. “Although there are… other factors.”
“Like what?”
Avery was silent for several seconds. Looking up, Brooke saw that her beautiful face was twisted into a grimace. Eventually she said simply, “I’ll tell you later.” Brooke’s curiosity was piqued. Clearly there was something big she didn’t know about Avery and her supernaturally good-looking friend group, but she didn’t want to pressure her to talk about it. They’d only been on one official date, after all, she reminded herself. “Are you free tomorrow night?”
“I think so,” Brooke responded, intrigued. “What did you have in mind?”
“It’s a surprise,” Avery said, waggling her eyebrows mysteriously. “But bring your art supplies.”
“Ok now you have to tell me!” Brooke said. “It’s got art!” The allure managed to cut through her gathering brain fog.
“Not until tomorrow night.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“I guess this is me,” Brooke said, opening the door to the dorm building. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Avery spun her back around and swept her into a kiss that took the remainder of her breath away.
“See you then,” Avery said, and walked off into the mist.