The words on the pages of the book in Serita's hands were beginning to blur. Mostly because she had been looking at them so damn long that her eyes
were beginning to blur, too...and droop...and subsequently close.Feeling her heavy head loll for nearly the fiftieth time, she snapped it back
upright, grimacing as she closed the textbook for her African American Women's History class harder than she really had to. Ugh. Why...the
blue fuck...did she agree to take a second shift at the Cafe this entire week? Why THIS week? With finals coming faster than she could really
comprehend, final drafts for papers being due and a semester project that still needed completing...and that was due in four days!
She was over her head. Not like she hadn't been over her head before when it came to her studies. Every semester was full of "over her head" moments
from the start. Just signing up for classes, she could already find herself drowning beneath the tide of finances that she didn't have. But she did it
anyway...because no matter the stress and no matter how many...unpleasant things she had to do just to get by...all of this was worth it. She knew it
was.
"And forget this..." Throwing the book to the side, she pushed herself up out of the crevice of the chair she'd been sitting in for the past hour and
a half, waiting for her class to start and trying to use the ONE and ONLY break she'd have the entire day to her advantage...which meant she was
studying when she should've been sleeping. Well, reverse that...because a few moments ago, the only thing she'd been reading was the back of her
eyelids. Not that the reading that she'd been trying to do would matter in the first place as "open discussion" wasn't really a component of her next
class. Dr. Blakely's wonderfully, enlightening, boring class. Also known as the class she shared with Epic. And right on cue, her
lips tightened at the name...his name. Serita hadn't really spoken to Epic since their lunch at Busy Bee's. That had been weeks ago...and the only
contact they'd had since their lunch was the occasional "hi" in the dorm hallways and a short conversation after or before class, in which she found
the stupidest excuses just to escape him. It...wasn't that she didn't have a good time with him at the diner, eating the cooking that reminded her so
much of home. She...she just...she didn't know. Really, she didn't. The conversation that they'd had opened up shit in her that she hadn't wanted to
really...exposed and with a less observant man, it wouldn't have been as hard to pretend like his eyes hadn't seen farther into her than she'd wanted.
Epic had just gotten...too close. And that was enough for her to make the attempt to dodge him at all costs. Walking down the nearest hall
when she saw those familiar locks and that brown skin, turning on her heels whenever she spotted him working the front desk in the dorm. Avoidance was
key when it came to Epic...even though it seemed like he was EVERYWHERE...all at once.
Rubbing her temples, her fingers moving to the soft waves and to the tight curls in her pulled back puff, Serita let out a slow breath. Her body was
so done...so over being awake. Maybe...she could close her eyes for two seconds and get back to studying before the door opened to her class.
On-call shifts were shit. This class was shit. And he was tired. Epic knew he wasn’t going to be much of anything to anyone today because
he’d started cussing when he peeled himself off his sheets. He hadn’t wanted to move. He’d worked that damn front desk for almost 16 straight
hours from Tuesday into Wednesday making up hours he owed, working his on-call shifts and two other peoples’, and sticking around for his regular
Wednesday morning shift before class. Fuck. He didn’t want to do anything but sleep and the 30-minute nap that he’d gotten between now and when he
got off felt more like 30-seconds. He was so glad summer was coming and the semester was almost over. At least with school out of the way, he’d have
some time for something other than the res. hall. Sure, he was staying on campus over the summer, but freetime would be much easier to come by when
all he had to worry about was Frear and his Summer research. Although, Jendayi was supposed to be making the trip from home so watching her was going
to be a task and a half too.
He wouldn’t think about it now. He was too tired to think about it now...All he wanted think about, as he pulled open the door to Dicken’s Lobby,
was passing the fuck out straight after this class. He was so glad he only had one today. Just an hour and a half of listening to Dr. B ramble about
whatever today’s topic would be and he would be free to sleep until at least 6...That sounded good as hell right about now...
Epic rounded the corner finding the couches in front of his destination and a familiar face. He hadn’t had time for much of anything lately, and
that included his bickering matches with Serita. He smiled as he watched her fingers run over her hair, her body giving a soft stretch before settling
deeper into the seat she was in, her eyes closing. Seemed he wasn’t the only one being deprived of sleep around here. He wouldn’t bother her much.
He’d just take a seat say hello and jump on her idea of a short nap before class. Nothing sounded better.
Taking his headphones out of his ears, he slid into the seat beside hers, her eyes finding him once she sensed movement near her. “I see I’m not
the only one out here in the struggle-,” he said playfully, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Seeing the backs of her eyelids was absolutely divine. In the few seconds that she'd literally shoved her books off of her lap and onto the floor,
curled up in that entirely uncomfortable chair that kind of smelled like feet, and closed her eyes, Serita had actually drifted off. She didn't know
where. Maybe somewhere between sleeping and waking? Somewhere where deadlines and work shifts weren't blaring horns in her mind's ear. Where the quiet
of the room and the occasional chatter of people passing by were the only things that she had to listen to. Not exasperated sighs from students when
the line wasn't moving fast enough for their liking, lunch cards impatiently thrust in her face like she owed them her swiftness in swiping them. And
to speak the truth and shame a lie, she was seriously not missing hearing the shit she heard at the second job. The shit that even on a good day, she
could barely tolerate. Her nose wrinkled, brow furrowing from the thoughts that threatened to ruin the light sleep that she was sure would turn into
R.E.M if she'd let it.
That is until she felt someone move beside over her and listened to their weight shift the seat beside her. Well. That was it for sleep, she guessed.
Opening her eyes, her full lips pouted slightly as her body shifted and...and she looked right into the smiling face of Epic. Great.
Just...perfect! All of that avoiding and dodging and here Mr. Thomas was, sitting right next to her! Not that...she didn't want to see him. And not
that she did! It was...things were...she was just...confused? About what? Yeah, she wasn't even sure as things were pretty much spelled out for them.
There was really nothing to be confused about! There were three things that Serita hated more than anything about college...besides her job, of
course. Men, smart asses and greek organizations. And Epic was all three rolled into one. So why was it so damned hard for her to just...hate him
too?
Sighing loudly, she sat upright, her dark eyes cutting at Epic and his completely infectious smile as an almost similar one spread on her lips as
well. That had been the way that it was every time she'd run into Epic since their..."outing". She'd dodge him like a bill collector, he'd finally
catch up with her and he'd...smile at her they way he always did and have her wondering why the hell she even tried dodging him in the first place.
Oh, that's right! Their "friendly" debates, which ended up as "disputes" more so than not. She surprisingly wanted, less and less, to have with him.
Mostly because he kept showing her ass up...and at the same time, showing her, again and again, just how intelligent he really was. Both uncomfortable
things and both...highly unwanted. But the debates had diminished in the last few weeks as things were winding down, which meant "heating up". The
semester was almost out and any debates worth having, Serita saved for the final papers that were due.
"Ugh...is it May yet?" She joked, a soft laugh leaving her lips as she pulled her legs into the chair. "I see the struggle hasn't stopped you from
being annoying. You did see me sleeping, right Epicurus?"
Well she obviously wasn’t too sleepy if she had the energy to be as surly as usual. Oddly enough, he welcomed it. In the few times they had passed
one another in the hallways or seen one another in class, she had been, dare he think it...civil. Who knew? Maybe the caf wasn’t as bad as it once
had been. Lord knew he hadn’t seen the inside of it for almost a month. Eating during caf hours was a rarity these days and the few seconds he had
found to do that, he might have caught a glimpse of Serita, but they hadn’t spoken. Not really. Not since that lunch that they’d shared. The one
that ended in...awkwardness. He’d gotten too close to something and that made her uncomfortable...at least it hadn’t ended like a majority of
their other encounters though; in an argument. Kind of how this one was starting.
“Well, at least you’re rested enough to be rude-,” Epic said, his smile never faltering. “It’s been a minute; you making it through these
last few days?” He sounded more like her Res. Assistant than her friend...if that’s what they were. Serita was different. That had been obvious
from the minute they’d met one another, her trying to scare him off with her own special brand pseudo-feminism and “I’m not here for the
bullshit” attitude and him showing her that he didn’t scare that easily...they could call one another friends...couldn’t they? Not that either
of them had had much time for one another lately. The passing hellos didn’t really count as conversation to him, but still, there was something
about them here, now, that felt...natural. Like a natural friendship...
Ha. Despite all of the insane stress, the projects, the sleepless nights of looking over class notes and study guides AND work study, it
seemed that Mr. St. Thomas had been able to hold onto that oh so loveable sense of humor about Serita's attitude. And against her better judgement and
before she could even catch the reaction and second guess it, she smiled softly at his chiding. She was far too damn tired to get into a back and
forth with him, anyway. With everything on her plate, that wasn't really a surprise. Why she hadn't fallen into an irreversible stupor from the
complete exhaustion she was feeling, she didn't know. That second of a nap she'd had had done nothing and now, she was facing the one guy that she
didn't need to come face to face with on less hours of sleep than she really wanted to count. It looked like he was coming in peace though, his next
words checking on her, asking if she'd been keeping up okay with her finals. Peace or no peace, his presence still had Serita a bit on edge as she sat
up and stretched softly, her back falling to the seat she sat in as she leaned on the chair's arm.
"I'm...surviving..." Simple. A quick answer to a very simple, general question. Nothing too advanced, right? It was nothing. This exchange was
nothing. Just a "hello, how's your mama?" and they'd keep it moving.
"What about you?" Okay. What happened to quick and concise conversation? Before she knew it, Serita's mouth opened in another question, returning the
politeness that he'd offered. Well, she might as well have, right? They weren't exactly just passersby with each other anymore. They'd...hung out. Had
lunch. Had conversation. They spoke whenever Serita was caught off guard by his appearance and she couldn't duck fast enough without her avoidance
being noticeable. That, in some weird, crazy way, made them...what? Aquaintences? She guessed. But that...was as close as he was getting.
Epic was already TOO close to begin with. Serita was not the type. She was not the type to have men friends...or friends at all. That Nikki had gotten
to the place she had? THAT was amazing in itself. But Epic? On speaking terms with someone like Serita? That was a freaking miracle.
"Things in Frear have been crazy, so I know you're tired..." True statement. Serita was just making the statement that the end of the semester was
getting a little wild in the dorms. Not an invitation for in depth conversation and a date. Another date. No! The first time...wasn't a date. It
was...it wasn't a date! That was for damn sure. But, there was nothing stopping the thought that maybe HE thought it was a date and...with a start,
she'd noticed that she hadn't been listening to any of Epic's answer to her comment and that she probably looked like she wasn't...which should've
been a good thing...UGH! What was WRONG with her!?
When did Epic not come in peace? Serita only got educated when she proved herself in need...more or less. Ha. Today wasn’t one of those days though.
It seemed as though neither of them had the energy nor attention span for anything more than a little friendly conversation. She didn’t have to
worry about him going too hard. Hell, he was having enough trouble with the quips he was throwing out to keep up with hers. She was rested enough
to be rude...Of course, her rude was nothing new and the masochist in him liked it apparently...moving on. How was she doing? Surviving, huh?
Sounded about right. It was what he was trying to do himself these days.
“About the same-,” he replied when the question bounced back to him. Everything was kicking his ass; Frear, schoolwork, making plans for Jendayi
to come visit him for the summer. It was hectic, but he was making it. He nodded as she commented on him being tired. Understatement. Sleep was a hot
commodity these days and he hadn’t been lucky enough to get a too much of it. Still, it was nothing like when he had to deal with the fallout from
the small fire on his floor and it was nowhere near as bad as when he was pledging so, again, he was making it...surviving, as she’d so eloquently
put it.
“They’ll calm down after finals are done-,” he said quietly, a sigh on his lips as he pulled at his dreads a little. He let a small silence
settle, half of him hoping that the class before theirs would be released and they could go in a little early; the other half of him...saying what was
on his mind, “Maybe after that, we’ll have time to hang out again.”
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