Nobody encourages her to study this much in her life. Her parents were lenient with her academics, because they had given up in pushing her in the same level as her brother; the golden turd in the family. Lily do assist her with exams and homework in high school but college were divided into specializations even with the common minor subjects shared by everyone.

She also wasn’t going to burden Lily with more work because she was dumb.

Dumb enough to enrolled in a major with too much numbers.

Nora sighs, kicking a pebble out of the sidewalk and enters a convenience store. There weren’t many people drinking outside nor inside as well. The place was surprisingly deserted but with only a day left before exams starts, people just want to cram every lesson they have in their head.

Which, fortunately, she has been for a week or two. Maybe more with how much pressure a studious roommate can have to a procrastinator like her.

She slides through the aisles, walking up to the shelves where the sachets of coffee were stacked. Nora took her usual brand, grimacing at the higher price it has compared to the ones in sari-sari stores near her boarding house.

But it’s the trouble she had to endure to continue studying at three in the morning.

“If someone decides to open their sari-sari store twenty-four seven, they’d be rich,” Nora murmurs, dragging her feet to the counter and places her sachets on top.

“Wow, you look shit, ugly.”

Ah, yes, an insult. Unexpected, unwelcomed. Nora scowls at the cashier talking her down like she’s some piece of trash and raised her head to face them.

She snorts, clearing her laugh with a cough as the sight of a clearly sleep-deprived Julia was in front of her. Wearing a shirt with the store’s logo and a nametag pinned. Nora blinks, a couple of times, rubbing each eye with a hand and wonders if she’s in a nightmare.

“Pay already,” Julia demands with her arms crossed on her chest.

Nora’s purchases were already in a paper-bag with the receipt taped over it.

“I don’t think it’s the norm for convenience store employees to have nametags,” Nora says out of the blue, eyeing Julia with suspicion. The dream, nightmare, or purgatory if she had died from overstudying, barely changes from any form of reality.

Like there wasn’t any outrageous thing coming out to eat her or something – instead, everything’s bland and boring.

Nora ends up paying, going along with the reality of her situation.

“Tell that to the manager,” Julia says back, “now, leave or I’ll die from seeing your ugly face.”  

“Rude.” Julia scowls, glaring at her and motions Nora to the door.

And Nora left, because it’s the most obvious thing she’ll do after buying her coffee.

She wasn’t a petty ex.

It was almost rainy season and the cool evening air was evident of its replacement of summer. She shivers, placing her paper bag inside the pocket of her jacket. Her hoodie covering her ears from getting cold. The chatters of her teeth accompany her walk back to the boarding house.

It’s a contrast to the usual night where twenty-four seven stores and cafés have at least a student or more hanging out, either with alcohol or not. The absence of a karaoke machines playing, the lack of boisterous laughter of the men and women decorating the air.

Nora was sure the internet cafés were deserted as well.

She opens the gate and Nora quietly enters the boarding house. The front door can only be unlocked with a spare key each tenant was given by the landlord. The first floor was mostly a living room with a kitchenette and a dining space. But there are a couple of rooms resided in the corner near the staircase, the downside was the shared bathroom stalls.

The rooms of the second floor have a personal bathroom built inside. Albeit, small but convenient. Occupants have to clean it unlike the personal cleaner for the bathroom stalls.

Nora enters the room and immediately gazes at Lily’s back hunched down on her desk. She was snoring and Nora tiptoes to her side with a hand placed on Lily’s back, shaking away the sleep from her best friend.

“Hey,” Nora starts and calls out, “Lily, don’t sleep here. You’ll hurt your back.”

Lily responds with murmurs. Then, a whine as Nora roughly shakes her again, with furrowed brows and a frown.

“Lily,” Nora persists and loosen Lily’s grip from her pen. “Come on, I heard you’ll lose IQ points if you sleep like this.” Her eyes open, slowly; squinting with pupils aimed at Nora. A heavy sigh escapes her lips and grunts as she sits up from her chair.

Nora was held by the arm but she didn’t mind the tight grip. Lily sat down on her bed, yawning her arms stretched and back arched. And the sight just fascinates Nora, observing the pleasure on Lily’s face as returns to sleep while listening to the groans once Lily’s back lies down on the mattress.

The creases and folds of the shirt were counted and the strands of hair shining through the study lamp were awed at.

Despite the stress darkens the bag under eyes and the traces of drool on the edge of her mouth, Lily was pretty. Always pretty. But Nora could only mutter cute whenever she describes her best friend.

It’s a habit she’ll change sometime soon. Maybe tomorrow or the day after, who knows.

Lily pats the space next to her and suggest, “will you sleep next to me, tonight?”

Nora couldn’t refuse.