Things weren’t any different after the horrible date with Julia. School work has gotten rigorous, hard. Exams was coming up and pulling an all-nighter was ineffectively helpful to getting decent grades for her classes. Nora was all caught-up in a monotonous and difficult week.

She sighs, for the nth time. Staring at her damn notes wasn’t going to make it easy, the formulas and calculations were never meant to be.

“I’m sure we’ll pass,” Harold reassures as he continues highlighting something in his textbook. “I mean, if we don’t. It’s not like it’s going to be the end of the world, is it?”

“Depends on the size of your world,” Nora replies, “I’m sure someone’s world only consists of himself and if he doesn’t succeed his expectations – it’ll be like the end of his world.”

Harold was speechless.

“Are you okay? Do you need therapy? I heard the psychology students are trying to find participants for their counseling classes or something.” Selene was the thing that pops up in her head and Nora grimaces at Harold, rejecting his suggestion.

“Oh, okay, how about the clinic then?” Harold continues with another, “some of the nursing students have been preparing for the increasing cases of headaches, fatigues and the likes during exam week.”

Nora shook her head. “Nope, none. Nada, my dude. Why do you keep suggesting the shit students are doing for their grade? I don’t want to be the reason they failed.” That, and her not-exes were enrolled in those departments and avoiding them were highest priorities.

After passing her exams of course.

Harold shrugs, “thought we should join forces with our fellow STEM students in the university. It helps make things less awkward during intramurals and other events where we have to, you know, talk to them.”

Nora huffs her disinterest and says, “pass.”

She broke her Cloudflakes into many pieces before gathering a few on her palm and ate all of it in one go. The crunch was satisfying, the dry gooey texture afterwards wasn’t. It sticks to her teeth, even drinking water couldn’t get rid the ones glued on the back.

“You’re eating Cloudflakes?” Harold was in disbelief. His brows furrowed with a frown on his face. “I thought you bought it for me.”

“It’s brain food,” she answers.

“But you hate Cloudflakes,” he says.

“It’s cheap.” Nora ate another batch of Cloudflakes broken pieces and she eats it, slowly. Not exactly savoring the taste but she thinks it’d lessen the undesirable texture if she does it.

-

Nora enters the restroom. She drank a lot of water throughout her studying session with Harold, trying to rid of the fat goo that was actually stuck in between her teeth. Harold, the asshole, had some floss with him but entertains himself with her struggles before acting like a saint.

She tries to pinch him on the waist but it was hard when everything about him was, well, hard. There’s barely any excess fat or skin for her to hold on to.

“Stupid abs,” she mutters under her breath, her toilet loudly flushes as she exits her stall. There was only a girl next to the line of sinks and Nora approaches the last one near the wall.

She hears a snort then a giggle afterwards, and Nora quickens her pace. Laughter in the bathroom only comes with one conclusion, the other occupants was making fun of her. Whatever it is to laugh at, she doesn’t know.

“I never thought I’d see you again.” Nora listens, intently. Her hands were rinsed with water and have already been cleaned with a generous amount of liquid soap but satisfaction has yet to peaked with her performance.

She turns off the sink, drying her hands with her handkerchief taken out of her pocket and stares in the mirror. The glances she tries through the reflection have been nothing short of failure. But she tries, with a solemn expression. Until she sees a familiar shade of bleached blonde hair, in a familiar haircut too.

Fuck, Nora thinks. Her heart beat quickens in pace and shoulder tensed. Nora moves away from the sink, wearing her hoodie with hands deep in its pocket. She walks, slowly, quietly. Nothing should be arising any suspicion.

But curiosity still eats her up and she listens to the charming words thrown around in the restroom.

“Come to my boarding house and…” The girl’s whispering now and Nora could only conclude with the evidence provided. She did try to get a better look on the girl’s face, head bent down but angles it in a position where her eyes never left the mirror.

But there was nothing to see beyond the hair covering the girl’s face.

Nora finally reaches the door. She exits, taking a large step out of the restroom and onto the ramp nearby.

Then, the girl came out and Nora whips her head to the cheer she hears from behind. The girl with her hair now in a ponytail wasn’t someone Nora assumes, the similarities were there however. But the differences had a huge disparity to contrast the two.

Nora just lets out the breath she was holding, hands shaking and holds onto the rail for support. Even her knees gave out from relief.

Selene, she thought the girl was her not-ex. Her hook-up, her fling. Whatever she names can think of next.