“imagine living close enough and having enough love for your parents to go visit them when youre free from the hell of college,” he rolled his eyes with a chuckle, “well you better start working on that back elbow now, people do love themselves some mashed potatoes,”

“some of us escape inn movies or hobbies, others go back home i guess?” she joked. “i’ll probably order in to my dorm. i’d rather not be a part of the sharing circle of why i didn’t go home stories. have anything big planned?”

“Does anyone have any actual plan for the upcoming holidays or are we gonna have some big thanksgiving dinner at the hands of the cafeteria staff?”

“I’m assuming most hometown kids will go home and the rest of us who don’t like our parents will be fighting over the last scoop of mashed potatoes in the dining hall.” 

‘‘i’ll have one of those chocolate shake things, please.’‘ it felt like things were finally starting to calm down since homecoming and the fire deal. michaela just tried to keep her head down, mind her business, and get her work done. if there was one thing michaela knew hopw to do, it was be smart. and to her advantage, using those brains to make some money on the side as well. she had a few papers to write for the basketball team and two intro to Bio labs to complete. nothing she couldn’t handle, just kept michaela out of her head for a bit. 

once her chocolate shake was delivered to the booth she was at, she grabbed a small white pill from a baggie: a secret weapon michaela had bought off kai once before that had become a prominent part of her diet. michaela kept her gaze down, occasionally sipping from her drink. when she felt the presence slip across from her, she paused to let out a sigh. ‘‘– i’m kind of in the middle of something. can this wait?’‘