Page 2 of Vexing the Viper

"Sorry, man. He has a wicked curve, and sometimes it loses control."

"Whatever," I huff and storm away.

Mateo runs to catch up with me and grabs my arm. "What the hell, man? You usually don't snap that easily."

"Ugh, I know. Sorry, sorry, there's just so many changes right now, and my emotions are all over the place."

"You know what would help you with that, right?"

Coming to a stop, I turn and face him. "What would help?"

"Mummy Mocha," he says, his eyes sparkling, because he knows he found my weakness.

"Dammit. Yes, that would help. Do you think it's open yet?"

"I don't see why not. Come on, let's go check."

We leave the quad and make our way toward Mummy Mocha, the campus coffee shop. I have an extra spring in my step at the thought of getting my hands on some caffeine. We pass more students, many of them with boxes or bags. Today is moving day for upperclassmen, so there's a slew of monsters walking the grounds.

We finally make it to the café, which takes up residence on the first floor of the library. Mummy Mocha is one of the greatest parts of Creelin U. The owner has really gone all out with the decor. There are painted hieroglyphics on the walls and fake crypts adorning the counters, all done in a beautiful gold and blue. Throughout the open café area are small, circular tables with Mummy-themed tops for people to sit and chat.

Luckily there's not a long line, so there isn't much time before Mateo and I both have drinks in our hands. While sipping on my Sarcophacappuccino, I do a little happy dance.

"This helps so much," I moan, taking another long sip.

Chuckling, Mateo takes a gulp of his own drink. "I figured it might. Come on, let's go find somewhere to sit."

After finding an empty spot, we both take a seat and stare at each other from across the table.

"You ready for this year?" he asks, glancing around the space.

"Ugh, maybe."

"Why are you being so negative? I get that it's not going to be like it was before, but it might be good. Can't you have an open mind?"

"I'll try," I say, trying to placate him. I've always been a grumpy person, but never to this extent. I just don't know how things are going to change, and I'm not ready for it.

"You wanna go to the bonfire tomorrow? We can scope out all the people. Maybe find someone hot."

Mateo and I are both bisexual. When it comes to hooking up, neither of us has a preference, just not each other. Luckily, we've never seen each other that way. Thank Medusa.

"Yeah, let's head down. It's a tradition after all. Are humans invited?" Mother Medusa, please say no. I don't want to deal with them before I have to.

"Yeah, their move in and orientation is tomorrow. It's for the entire school."

Rolling my eyes, I mutter, "great," before taking another sip of my drink. Looking around Mummy Mocha, I see a Djinn and Hydra walking through the library in a puff of smoke. I wonder if they’ll stay in their forms once the humans are here. I continue scanning around me, taking in a flying bat who shifts into a Vampire before getting into line.

"Come on, let's head back. I have more clothes I need to put away. Plus, we might get a new roommate tonight,” Mateo says, standing up and tossing his trash away.

We walk back to the dorm, making small talk about the different courses we picked for the semester. I'm so damn excited about them. I'm majoring in psychology, and this is the first year I can take classes geared toward my degree, and not just basic ones. Mateo is getting a degree in physical therapy, so we have some classes that will overlap.

Walking back into Karloff Hall, we take the elevator to the third floor. As we get closer to our room, I see there's an envelope taped onto the door. As I grab it, I notice the Creelin U baseball logo on the front.

Waving it in the air, I ask Mateo, "Do you think my dad would leave me an old-fashioned note?"

"Probably not. Why wouldn't he just text you?"

"Yeah," I murmur. With my finger, I lift up the flap reading the name at the top. "Who's King Porter?"

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