Page 77 of Virgin Sacrifice

“Ugh. I have a meeting with a career counselor this morning. My parents are on my case to pick a major, so at this point, I will take all the help I can get. Then just, like, classes for the rest of the day. Why? What devious plans do you have today?”

I clutched a hand to my chest, feigning shock and outrage. “Devious? Moi? I am hurt, dear Autumn.”

“Mm-hmmm.” She smirked back at me. “Don’t think you have me fooled. I know that under your sweet and docile Lolita persona, there lies a dark and twisted mind.”

She really had no idea.

“Yes, well, this dark and twisted mind needs to catch up on her Intro to Japanese homework before heading to the library to do some research for her final papers.”

“And by catch up, I am sure you mean to finish your assignments for the rest of the term.” Autumn snorted.

“Guilty as charged.”

I dropped her off at the career center before heading back toward the dining hall. The air was crisp with cold, just sharp enough to sting my cheeks, but there was no snow to be found yet. The trees had all long since lost their leaves, and the plants around looked dried and decayed as life began to hibernate for the winter. The sky was a dreary gray that added to the almost morose energy in the air.

I pulled my phone out of my coat pocket.

Me: Where are you? Autumn said you are sick :(

Aaron(party): @ my place studying. Y?

Humming to myself, I slid my phone back and continued down the path back to the dining hall. As much as I had been enjoying the distance from Aaron, a good person would check in on her sick friend. That was something normal people did, right?

I dashed back into the dining hall and picked up one of his usual blueberry smoothies before making my way to his apartment.

Aaron’s place was on the border between the university and the town, in a dilapidated brick colonial that had been converted to apartments about forty-five years ago and hadn’t been renovated since. Everything in the building was covered in aging white paint, and the crevices in the ancient woodwork had turned a yellow-gray due to the decades of dust accumulated there.

I made my way up the worn, carpeted stairs and knocked on his door. I had only been to Aaron’s apartment twice before. In theory, he shared the place with another chemistry student, Jason something or other, but I had never seen the guy and wasn’t entirely convinced that he existed.

“Just a minute,” I heard him call out, his voice lacking its usual enthusiasm, followed by the sound of feet shuffling to the door and a multitude of locks being undone.

The door creaked open to reveal Aaron, dressed in dirty sweatpants and a faded white T-shirt with Hollow Oak 2021 Orientation Volunteer printed on the front.

He looked rough. His pale skin was damp with sweat, the bags under his eyes were a concerning shade of violet, and his usually well-groomed hair looked greasy and stuck out in several directions.

“L-Luz . . .” he stuttered, clearly surprised to see me, which was exactly what I had hoped for.

“Here,” I said, thrusting his smoothie toward him and taking a step into his apartment before he could say no. “I brought you a nutritious treat.”

Totally what a normal person would do.

The condition of the apartment matched the rest of the building. It was clean enough although not exactly tidy with books and notes scattered across various secondhand Ikea furniture, along with a sizable bong on the coffee table and a collection of dirty dishes piled up in the sink. Combined with the scent of Aaron’s sickly sweat it was . . . off-putting.

“Shit, sorry.” He stumbled behind me, grasping at his smoothie as I marched into the room. “The place is a mess and I wasn’t expecting company . . .”

“Don’t be silly,” I said with the best smile I could muster, taking a seat at the kitchen table across from where his laptop was parked. It seemed like the safest choice. “You’re sick, and I came to surprise you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m still embarrassed,” he said, flopping into a chair across from me and running a hand through his hair before taking a big sip of his smoothie. “Thanks for this.” He raised up his cup in acknowledgment. “I skipped breakfast and didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Of course, that’s what friends are for,” I replied, perhaps too brightly.

Aaron offered me a weary smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “What brings you to my humble abode?” he said with a touch of sarcasm as he leaned back in his chair and spread his arms wide to gesture to the space around us, showing off the sweat stains on his shirt.

“Autumn said you were feeling under the weather again. I had some time this morning, so I thought I would see how you were doing.”

“Awww, I didn’t take you for the nurturing sort.” He smirked as he reached forward and then took another long sip of his smoothie.

“I get it from my mami,” I said honestly. “She was always taking care of those around her, and she inspired me to do the same.”

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