"So what's the scoop? Are you digging your college experience yet?" Katelyn asked. It was 9 a.m. on Friday, and Taylor and I had just finished going over our roommate agreement. She'd had to run to class, but I had almost an hour to burn. So here I was, settled into Katelyn's colossal beanbag while she sat on her bed, tossing pizza-flavored goldfish in the air and catching them (or at least attempting to) in her mouth.

I shrugged, settling back into the beanbag. "It's…" I wracked my brain for the right word, but couldn't find one. "Different, I guess."

Katelyn snorted, and a goldfish bounced off her forehead. "Understatement of the year. By different, I'll assume you mean wicked awesome."

I hummed in agreement, allowing my gaze to drift over her room. It was messy, in a homey, lived-in sort of way – clothes, books, papers scattered over almost every available surface. Indie band posters and pictures of Katelyn and her friends hung on the walls, an acoustic guitar leaned in the corner, a pet rock with googly eyes sat on the window sill ("Freddy," Katelyn had introduced when Taylor had asked), and a large and impressive looking laptop covered with stickers lay on her desk. I noticed the familiar rainbow symbol and I felt the corners of my mouth twist up on their own accord. Aha, a fellow gay.

I was about to comment on it when Katelyn spoke up again. "By the way, a couple of the RAs and I just managed to talk the Student Center Activities Board into hosting laser tag later tonight. You should totally come, it's going to be epic. A lot of people from our dorm are going."

"I've never played laser tag…" I said, but because of the pure excitement written all over Katelyn's face (and considering, hey, what else was I going to do?), I agreed. "Sure, why not."

Katelyn hopped off her bed and rummaged through her backpack that was hanging on the bedpost. "Here, take a flier, hot off the press."

She handed me a piece of paper entitled "LASERTAG!", with a picture of Katelyn in the bottom left corner and one of Joe in the top right, both aiming laser guns at each other with fierce expressions on their faces. Laser beams shot from their guns collided in the middle of the page. In smaller print there was a list of the time and location, followed by the tagline "Come have a BLAST!"

"I see your smirk, Jill. I'll have you know this work of art was concocted at the last minute."

"It's…one-of-a-kind," I bite back a laugh. "Very enthusiastic." I checked my phone. "I gotta go and get ready for class, though. I'll see you later."

"See ya when I see ya," Katelyn walked me out, then shouts down the hall at me, "and I better see you at laser tag!"

I spun around and made a gun with my index finger and thumb, and pantomimed shooting her. "Wouldn't miss it."

By the end of my last class of the day, my brain felt like it was frying. I diligently copied down all the notes about proper argumentative essay structure that Professor Jackson wrote on the blackboard, but it was going in one ear and out the other. I sighed in relief when, with a flourish, he finally wrote his last word and put the chalk down, turning around to face us and waiting until the we'd finished writing.

"Alright, everyone perk up, it's the moment you've all been waiting for!" Professor Jackson clapped his hands together, surveying the class with a Cheshire grin. "Time to find out your partners for the essay. When I call your name, raise your hand so your partner can see who you are."

I felt nervousness flutter in my stomach. I've always been shy – when I was in fifth grade, I cried as I was writing the five minute speech my teacher made us give, and not much has changed since in my general level of enthusiasm for the social.

I tapped my pencil to a nervous staccato beat as he read off names. Jae-won shot me a look, eyebrow raised, and he must've been able to read some form of mild panic in my eyes because he nodded and muttered, "I know, I'm not excited either."

Hopefully I get him as a partner. Or… I glanced over at Hannah, who looked like she was scoping out the class, before looking back down at my desk.

"Avery and Jill." Okay, so I suppose it was a long shot to hope I'd get paired with the one kid I know in the class. I raised my hand and glanced over at Avery. She shot me a look I couldn't quite decipher and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Yay for enthusiastic partners, I cheered sarcastically to myself.

He read through the rest of the names. Jae-won ended up being partnered with an auburn-haired girl in a batman hoodie, and Hannah got paired with a guy in cargo shorts, a pink button up, and a snapback.

"Ok, get to know your partner for a bit," Professor Jackson said, checking his watch. "We only have a few minutes, and then I'll set you free for the weekend."

With a scrape of chairs, the class bustled into motion. Avery stayed sitting, so with a sigh I gathered all my stuff up, shoving it unceremoniously in my backpack and crossing the room. I slid into the seat next to her.

"Hi." I said.

Avery turned, elbow propped up on the desk, chin resting on top of her fist. She gave me a critical once over, and I tried not to fidget under her gaze. "Hey."

I waited, but she didn't say anything else, and an awkward silence stretched out.

"Ah, I guess we could get started, I mean we only have a minute but…" A blush spread over my cheeks as I rambled. I opened my backpack, pulling out my notebook hurriedly.

"So…" I tapped my pencil on the blank page. "Um, you do plan on talking, right? This could get long otherwise."

Avery raised a brow, smirking. "Are you nervous? I think that's the quickest I've ever gotten to anyone. Maybe I'll put that in my essay." She writes 'Jill' in her notebook, then 'easily flustered.'

"Ugh." I groaned, and thought of a few choice words of my own I could write down. I didn't though, somehow I didn't think that variety of vocabulary would earn me a decent grade. "I think I liked it better when you were quiet."

Avery wrote 'sassy' in her notebook, smirk still present.

"Y'know, it's basically time to go," I said. Hey, technically, it was true, other students were beginning to pack up their things. I snapped my notebook closed and a piece of paper that'd been tucked inside fell out and fluttered to the floor.

Hannah walked up as Avery picked it up, turning it over. It was Katelyn's flyer.

"What's that?" Hannah asked. Avery showed her the flyer, and I felt hot embarrassment creep up my neck as she quirked a brow as she read. "Laser tag? See Avery, these are the types of things we miss out on living in an apartment off campus! We're out of the loop."

Avery groaned, and I got the feeling this was a longstanding argument. She looked like she was about to retort, but instead just said, "Well, we didn't miss it, now did we? We just saw it at the last second." Avery handed me back the flyer and I tucked it into my backpack.

"Are you going?" Hannah asked, her honey-brown eyes focusing on me, making my heart skip a beat. Damn, she's gorgeous.

"Um, yeah." I internally roll my eyes at myself. "My RA is hosting it, I promised her I'd go."

"Great. We can all go together."

A small, shy smile makes its way to my face. Hell yeah.

Avery's eyebrows skyrocketed up. "Oh, can we all?"

"Yes, Avery, we can," Hannah shot her a look, then turned back to me. "Ignore her. She's not half as big of a jerk as she acts. She just sucks at making new friends, though she could at least put an effort into it for her essay partner."

"You don't have to patronize me," Avery muttered, looking away, and – was she blushing? Maybe she wasn't really as bitchy as she seemed. Shocking if true.

"It's too bad," I shrugged. "I was looking forward to wiping the floor with her." I tried to keep a straight face, but Avery shot me a withering look through narrowed eyes and I broke out into a teasing grin. Payback.

"Oh, you're going down, partner." Avery said. Considering I'd never played laser tag before, she was probably right, but hell if I wouldn't go down guns blazing.

It's short, sorry. This ending makes for a better break, the laser tag part is going to be lengthy...