Back in the women's dormitories, Anaya and Meghan woke up when the sky was dark and lazily dragged themselves out of bed. Meghan helped Anaya change her wound dressing and then took a quick shower to wake herself up. They ate some noodles and finished a large bag of chips before Meghan got up to go meet George.
"Wanna come?" She looked back at Anaya before walking out the door.
Anaya yawned, still drowsy from sleeping so much. She waved her hands at her friend "I can't, I'm probably going to go back to sleep in a while."
"Lock your doors Ana." Meghan took a look around the room to make sure Anaya had everything she needed before she stepped out.
Anaya got up from the bed, locked her door and opened the windows to let some fresh air in. She walked to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on her face – it was messy with one hand, but she managed to get it done. She brushed the knots out of her hair and lightly slapped her cheeks to bring some color to her face.
She walked out and stood in front of the open window, closing her eyes and letting the breeze hit her face. She inhaled the smell of the forest with a deep breath. Abruptly, her eyes darted open as she felt like she was being watched. She looked around cautiously, wondering who it could've been. Waiting by the window, she watched for any movement or sound but, she heard nothing.
She left the window slightly open as she walked back to bed, picking up the book that she started last night.
*****
Meghan waited by the men's dormitories for George. She leaned by a tree and scrolled through her phone endlessly. She looked at the time and let out a weary sigh.
When did it come to the girl waiting for the guy? Wasn't it the other way around? She bit her bottom lip in annoyance. Suddenly a hot cup of chocolate came into her view, the smell wafted through the nostrils and a smile spread on her lips. She looked up to see George grinning at her.
"I'm sorry babe." He said, reaching to hold her hand in his.
Meghan took the hot chocolate from him, her previous mood evaporating. She couldn't be mad at him, she thought. "It's okay. What're we doing now?" She tucked her phone into her back pocket and took his hand in hers. Sipping on the piping hot drink, she squeezed his hand lightly.
"We could just walk around. Or we could go back up to my room…" George winked suggestively.
Meghan laughed, tugging at his hand. "A walk sounds good."
"Actually, lets walk up to the terrace. The stars look brilliant from up there." George walked her into the men's dormitories
As Meghan and George walked up the stairs, she saw students hanging out in the corridors. The men's dorms looked the same as the women's, except for the doors. The doors to the women's dorms were painted in a deep red, while the men's dorms had deep green colored doors.
Girls and boys hung out in the corridors, laughing and drinking without a care in the world. She noticed that the girl's dorms were much quieter and she barely spotted any men there. A few came to visit, but that building was no party like this one. It almost seemed like they had no rules here.
George noticed her looking around as she climbed the stairs. "Women don't like noise. That's all" he said, reading her mind.
She mulled over his explanation, nodding as she agreed. She would go insane with all this noise, she thought. Her thoughts went back to her friend who was resting.
"By the way, Anaya got hurt pretty badly." She said to George.
George stopped walking and looked at Meg seriously. "What?" He questioned her. "Where? Meg, is she okay? Why didn't you tell me?"
Meghan sat on the stairs and George took a seat next to her. She explained everything to him and saw his expression change, shifting from shock to concern.
George grew up with Anaya and he was extremely fond of her. While she wasn't born into his family, he considered Anaya his little sister. When he started dating Meg, she was a little jealous of his love for Anaya, but he explained his emotions to her and Meg understood where he came from. Honestly, it was hard not to love Anaya. She was the most caring and selfless person, who only wanted happiness for her two best friends. She was their biggest cheerleader.
"Was she in a lot of pain?" George asked.
"She wasn't taking any pain meds, so I don't think she was. Don't worry babe, I didn't leave her side until I knew she was okay. We watched a lot of chick flicks, a lot of them." Meghan grinned.
"Glad I missed that." George shrugged. "Come on, lets go."
As they got up to climb the last two flights, Meghan saw a familiar face looking at her from the top of the stairs.
Khai was upset at how glad he was to see Meghan. She could be a boy for all he cared, but he just wanted to ask her about Anaya. She was driving him crazy. He took a pause from drinking his sorrows and was going out to get some fresh air when he stopped at his tracks as he spotted a girl with pin straight red hair, sitting on the stairs. He recognized Meghan's voice and listened in when he realized that she was talking about Anaya.
He heard the last part, about Anaya not being in any pain and he internally sighed in relief.
"Khai!" Meghan greeted him with a broad smile, waving at him. "Do you remember me?"
Khai nodded, taking the last sip of his beer before crushing the can in his hand. "How's Anaya?" He asked, his voice somber.
"Oh, she's okay. We woke up a little over an hour ago. Her sleep schedule is a little messed up, so I messed mine up as well." Meghan chuckled.
Khai looked at Meghan with a small smile. 'She's a dimwit, but she's a good friend.' He thought.
"Khai, this is George. George, this is Khai, he helped Anaya after she tripped yesterday."
Looked like Anaya left out the part where she tripped because of him. He looked at George skeptically, wondering why Meghan spoke to him about Anaya and how he knew her.
George raised his hands to shake Khai's, smiling at him while Khai continued to stare at him with a vacant expression.
"Hey Khai! I'm George Nicklaus. Meghan and I grew up in the same town as Anaya. We've been friends forever. Thank you for helping her out."
Khai shook his hand stiffly, wary of George's closeness to Anaya.
"Let's go babe. See you around Khai!" Meghan flashed another smile at him and Khai grinned back at her this time. The girl's eyes slightly widened in surprise, wondering what changed.
"Glad I ran into you Meghan." Khai said "George, see you around." With that he turned back around and sprinted up the stairs in lightning speed.
Meghan and George watched Khai disappear up the stairs before they made their way to the terrace. George fought a smile as he thought about his interaction with Khai.
When they reached the terrace, he sat leaning against a short wall and watched the stars holding Meghan's hand. She sipped on the hot chocolate and occasionally turned to look at him, stealing a quick kiss. They spoke about some books they read over the summer while they were away from each other. Meghan also told him about Saturday's party and made sure he had a clean white shirt to wear.
"Did you run into anyone else we know?" Meghan asked George as she placed the empty cup next to her.
"Yeah, I ran into him." George replied, knowing who she was asking about. "I'm nervous about him Meg. We can't leave Ana alone with him around."
"I think he's my biggest regret." Meghan sighed solemnly.
"Mine too."