The entire day on campus, Solace's thoughts would drift away from lecture to the umber-eyed demon, who spoke too much for his own good. It was like suffering from separation anxiety, but instead of missing Sage, her mind was filled with questions about where he had been the last six months and what kind of trouble he was getting into at her apartment.

If he as so much entered a toe in her bedroom or meddled about in the living room to spite her, she was going to add another scar to his collection. She just hoped he was lying on the couch where she left him this morning and watching trashy reality shows. For a boy who claimed they were fake, he sure loved the drama the ensued when a wild card was introduced, and the arguments they caused between the couples.

That reminded Solace to change the Netflix password after he erased her list of to-be-watched shows and movies, thinking it was hilarious to leave nothing, but children's cartoon shows. It had only been five days, and she already had enough of his infectious energy.

And when I say infectious, I mean it as a disease-causing nuisance.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache as she walked past Memorial Hall. The large Victorian gothic building was covered in white with the slanted rooftops sliding snow on passing students occasionally. The historical figures and inscriptions on the stained glass stood out in bright colors against the ebony. The dining hall she ate at seldomly looked warm and bright as folks shuffled in and out with the high ceiling and chandelier-resembling lights.

Her boots stomped down Cambridge Street, sighing in relief when her bus halted by the red lights before her stop. A car would've been nice during the terrible weather. She despised how her socks squished in her boots or how her beanie never kept her ears warm. Don't get her wrong. She loved the snow and how it glittered under the moon. It would just be a better view inside a heated car. But cars meant gas, and that meant money. So, if she had to pay for a bus pass with her tuition, she sure as hell was going to use it.

Solace quickly entered the bus and made her way to a seat, clutching onto the poles before the sudden lurch flew her across the vehicle. Her shoulders thanked her when she shook off her heavy backpack and leaned back into her seat. A grimace pulled at her lips at the distended zippers, and the odd shape with her textbooks and notebooks shoved inside. By spending most of the day outlining and painting, she didn't have much time to start her English analytical essay or her Introduction to Global Politics assignment. Solace doubted she had enough drive to complete any of them until her situation was dealt with. All she wanted to do was eat some of the leftover cake Emi brought from her waitressing job yesterday and sleep.

The drive back to her apartment was quiet and serene, except for the bawling baby in the stroller, the man blasting his Turkish drama, and the woman arguing with someone over the phone in a thick Boston accent. Okay, maybe it wasn't so quiet and serene, but she would take a lady yelling 'skeezah' several times on her call over Sage's arrogant smirk and painful commentary.

The walk from the bus stop to her apartment was short, and she quickly found herself stomping up the stairs, leaving a trail of wet footsteps. Her cold hands fumbled with the keys until the lock finally clicked.

The living room appeared to be intact with Sage's blanket folded neatly and his backpack placed by the door as if he was ready to run if the situation called for it. Solace slipped off her shoes and her bag, stumbling into the kitchen to find it the way she left it except for a few dirty plates. All in all, he hadn't burned down her apartment, and that was a victory in itself.

But where is he? And at that moment, she heard shouting come down the hall. She hurried down, ready to pummel Sage if he was in her room, but all the noise was coming from Emi's door cracked wide open and the two of them lounging by her computer.

"Go left!" yelled Sage as if he was in physical pain from what was happening on the computer screen.

"My team is filled with idiots," Emi complained, the neon pink lights she had around her gaming consoles and ceiling beaming against their skin. She held the microphone of her headset closer to her mouth and scream, "Yeah, I'm talking about you, bitch!"

Sage chuckled as Emi got to her feet, cursing as she violently pressed down on the controller. He was halfway out of his seat with the same amount of ferocity as he cheered for her, but Solace's gaze zeroed in on what he had in his hand.

A plate of her chocolate cake.

"When you said you were going to steal, I didn't think my cake would be next," she remarked, her voice accusatory.

Sage didn't even have the audacity to freeze when his eyes landed on her and apologize. Oh no, instead, he grinned and slowly took another bite. He made a show as he licked a crumb from the side of his lips, his taunting gaze never straying. "Was this yours?" he asked, his patronizing tone angering her further.

"This playing dumb act is beginning to feel a little too authentic," Solace fired back as she ripped off her beanie and considered throwing it at him.

He shrugged, scraping another piece onto his fork. "I don't know what you're talking about."

There was no point in talking to him. It would just further increase the risk of an aneurysm bursting in her mind, and suddenly that sounded more enticing. "Emi," she called out, only to get no response. This wasn't a rare occurrence with her getting so caught up in her games to the point where nothing else mattered except for making boys cry over her headset and killing avatars. "Emi, why did you let this idiot eat my cake?"

She didn't take her eyes off the monitor as she spoke in a crazed manner. "Sage, don't eat Solace's cake, or she'll crucify you."

"Too late," he laughed. His smile was bright even under the little light. The pink neon poured shadows into his tan cheekbones as if they were cut from marble, and he looked lively. It was positively infuriating.

Her eyes flickered down to half of the slice left, and she lunged to grab it. It was almost like he read her mind and sensed her movement as he jumped out of his seat, the cake held above his head and far from her reach. "You've lost your touch, SoSo," teased Sage.

She huffed, clawing at him, but he was quick. He was practically waltzing around Emi's room with ease. "At least give me half," she appealed.

He tilted his head in thought. "I could," he smirked, "but I won't," and proceeded to shove the entire piece into his mouth.

Solace stood in disbelief as Sage pocketed the food in his mouth like he was a chipmunk. She glanced around to find anything sharp or pointy, but the lack of light made it difficult, so she threw the one thing in her hand: her beanie. It hit him directly in the face, but that didn't wipe away the grin breaking onto his face or the laugh building up.

"You're so –"

He swallowed and immediately cut her off. "Insufferable?" Sage mocked, bending down, and grabbing the beanie. He inspected it for a moment and then put it on, stretching it down until it covered his ears. "I didn't think I was being insufferable enough. It's good to know I haven't lost my touch."

"Are you on crack? Emi!" she yelled, dragging out her name. "Is he on crack?"

"Just a shitload of sugar," she responded mindlessly with her fingers moving vigorously on the controller. "We had some donuts, a can of whipped cream, and a tub of ice cream."

"Can she babysit me from now on?" Sage wondered, his hair tucked neatly into the hat as he pulled at the hood of Solace's coat. She swatted his hand away. "I actually enjoy hanging out with her. You make me want to pull my teeth out."

"You won't have to after all that sugar rots your teeth," she huffed, pushing him when he tried to shove the hood on her head.

"I don't hate Sage, either," chimed in Emi. "We had a great time."

"Weren't you supposed to be at work until four?"

"I convinced her to call in sick," he said, grinning widely. He looked unashamed and smug at her rattled expression.

"Best. Decision. Ever," Emi cackled. "Fuck the service industry."

Sage chuckled, taking his seat on the chair beside her and placing his hands behind his head. "She's awesome. Why is she friends with you?"

Solace's gaze flickered between the two of them. She loved Emi to death, and now, here she was fraternizing with the enemy. The two of them made an unruly pair, a pair she was stuck with for the unknown future. People usually got along with Sage easily because they never saw past his charming exterior. It was only her who knew he was nothing but an arrogant troubling mess.

"I'm going to go find some Tylenol."

***

Author's Note:

Hey everyone!!

I hope this chapter was enjoyable! I am super excited about the next one! BTW, skeezah is Boston slang for asshole/idiot.

Also, for those who have read The Origami Code, I'll be rewriting and adding a few new chapters some time next month!

Until next time – m.k.t