Page 95 of I Blame the Alcohol

We both crack up and I nearly burn Lou’s hair in the process.

“Shit, sorry. You have to stop distracting me with these scandalous tales.” Fumbling, I manage to get back on track and finish the rest of her head without incident.

“There. Let me just grab some hair spray to help hold it in place.” I hurry to my room and return seconds later, surprised to see Lou nervously fiddling with her bracelet when I return.

The anxious look on her face is the same one she had when we first became friends, the social consciousness of someone uncomfortable in their own skin. It’s pretty rare to see Lou revert back to her old tendencies, so whatever she’s about to say is something that has been worrying her for a while.

“I was wondering… I don’t really know how to say this.” She hesitates, and I patiently wait for her to continue, “I know you and Cody are going strong now, and he has a house, so I totally understand if the answer is no, but…” Lou trails off, breaking eye contact to fiddle with her bracelet some more.

“What is it, Lou?”

“I was wondering if you would want to room with me next year?” She takes a deep breath, blurting out the next part so fast I almost miss it, “We can stay in residence or move off campus, it doesn’t matter to me. I just don’t feel ready to live with Wes yet and I don’t know if I can handle another first day again.”

I wait for her to take another gulping breath before patting her knee, “There is no one I would rather live with than you.”

She smiles, halting the anxious fidgeting, “Really?”

“Really. Why don’t we check out the housing applications this week and then decide to stay or leave campus?” I pull a face, “My only request is we find somewhere with bigger beds. The singles just aren’t cutting it anymore.”

Lou laughs, “They make sleepovers a little tough, for sure.”

My mouth drops, “Sleepovers? I can barely fit in that bed by myself, how the hell do you have sleepovers in that thing?”

She shrugs, suddenly coy, “Wes and I make do.”

I give my roommate a look of appreciation, “That might be my new favourite thing about you.”

“That I can fit in a single bed with a lacrosse player?”

I shake my head, “That you’re willing to be uncomfortable for the people you love.”

We make eye contact in the mirror, and I hope she can see the appreciation for all the uncomfortable social situations she put herself through just so I could experience university the way my mother would have wanted me to.

“I mean, if you aren’t uncomfortable, are you growing?”

I laugh at the quote, it's one I have heard and used too many times to count.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Chapter 29

2monthslater…

Cody

“YOU’RE INSECURE, DON’T KNOW WHAT FOR.”

The music blasts from my nightstand, jolting me straight out of a dead sleep.

What the hell?

“YOU’RE TURNING HEADS WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE DO-OR.” I groan, reaching over and grabbing Stella’s phone. One angry jab later and the One Direction song falls silent, leaving me staring groggily at the time on the screen.4:30AM.

“Stel, I think you forgot to-

I cut off abruptly, staring at the sleeping figure beside me. Her hair is strewn across my pillow, the comforter pulled up beneath her chin. Stella’s chest rises and falls in time with her breathing, the peaceful look on her face making me want to snap a picture.

The scene is so serene that it takes me a minute to figure out what’s missing. Then it hits me.

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