a whole week had passed since the party, and harlow had returned to her busy university schedule. although she had one of the worst hangovers the night after the party, going was still worth it. harlow wouldn't admit it, but she was thankful that her brother had forced her to go.

harlow had met up with devyn and katrina since that night and gone for brunch and coffee dates with the girls. it surprised harlow how easy it was to make friends with the people who intimidated her so much.

it was currently 8:48 pm on a friday night and harlow was curled up in her bed with her macbook balanced on her knees. she was rewatching the office for what felt like the hundredth time.

as she listened to michael scott roast his employee's, harlow aimlessly opened various social media apps. she would scroll for a few minutes, then close the app, only to reopen it a few minutes later.

just as harlow began watching food videos on facebook, her phone began to ring. "thing 1" popped up on the screen. harlow let it ring twice before she answered.

"hellooooo," she said, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could close her mac.

"what are you doing?" katrina's voice asked through the speaker. harlow could hear people in the back talking, then heard katrina yell at them to be quiet.

"well currently i'm watching the office in my pajamas," she started. "why?"

"we're all going roller-skating and i wanted you to come with us!" katrina stated. "elton wouldn't even ask you cause he said you won't go but i'm not taking no for an answer,"

harlow sat up in her bed, crossing her legs. she looked around her tiny dorm room and debated what she should do. she caught a glimpse of her appearance in the mirror and grimaced. she wasn't exactly ready to go out.

"colby will be there," katrina whispered as though this information would change her mind.

since the party last week, harlow had confessed to kat that she thought colby was one of the most beautiful boys she had ever laid eyes on. she made sure to swear the blue-haired girl to secrecy, although her whispering about the cute boy while she was presumably in a room of people wasn't exactly secretive.

"i don't know, i'm not really ready," harlow confessed, looking at her dirty hair and sweatpant clad legs.

"well get ready!" kat told the brunette, "i already told you i'm not taking no for an answer,"

"ughhhhh kaaaatt," harlow groaned, pushing herself to stand up. harlow made her way to her small closet, still holding the phone to her ear.

she placed her phone on the desk, making sure it was on speakerphone. as she sifted through the clothes in her closet, she asked, "how much time do i have to get ready?"

even though harlow couldn't see her friend, she knew kat was grinning ear to ear. "hmm probably like half an hour, maybe forty minutes?" harlow could hear kat grab her keys, and then heard a door shut. "i'll come and get you! i'll leave right now,"

harlow held a few shirts in her hands, debating her options. "yeah, okay. text me when you're close,"

"see you soon, bitch," kat laughed, then ended the call.

harlow spent the next thirty-eight minutes changing into different outfits, dry shampooing her hair, and attempting to do her makeup as fast as humanly possible.

just as she was slipping on her shoes, she got a text, signaling that kat was only a few minutes away. harlow grabbed her small purse and shoved in her essentials: keys, cash, id, and a variety of chapsticks.

the brunette left her dorm room, making sure to lock it on the way out. she raced down the stairs of her building, not wanting to make her friend wait too long. as she opened the door to the building she saw kat waiting in her car.

kat honked the horn twice as harlow was opening the door, making her jump, then scowl, then laugh.

as harlow was hooking her phone up to play music, she realized she didn't even know who was going roller skating. "i forgot to ask, but who's even going?"

"sam, corey, devyn, xepher, jake, kevin, griffin, elton, and tara," kat answered as she counted the names on her fingers. "oh and colby, obviously,"

harlow rolled her eyes at her blue-haired friend. "don't make me regret telling you i think he's cute,"

kat laughed in response, "oh honey, you should already regret it,"

harlow huffed and crossed her arms, wondering if she should have kept her comments to herself.

"don't worry, i won't make it weird," kat said, as though she could read her friend's mind. "honestly, i'm rooting for you two. even though he doesn't really know you and you also don't really know him," she trailed off. "don't worry about that. i'll find a way to push you two together,"

the ride to the rollerskating rink included a lot of singing, both on and off-key, laughs, and of course, some gossip. finally, the pair arrived at the rink. the parking lot was mostly empty, though. as kat put the vehicle in park, harlow asked, "what time does this place close? there's like nobody here,"

kat grabbed her purse from the back seat of the car, "oh, we rented it out! it's just us here!"

harlow was sure her jaw hit the ground. why on earth would anybody rent out a roller skating rink?

"oooh, y'all rich rich," harlow laughed as she got out of the car, heading for the door of the building.

kat swatted her friend in response. "hush, child,"

once inside the building a worker greeted them and passed the girls their roller skates. harlow turned around to find a bench but instead was met with a pair of bright blue eyes.

"hey, it's my smoking buddy!" colby exclaimed.

great, harlow thought. buddy.