The moment the lecturer left the hall, Iris slumped onto her desk exhaustedly. She seriously felt that he had carried along her reserves of energy with him. She closed her eyes, blocking out the sounds of her mates chattering amongst themselves. She would get up eventually, she just needed a few more minutes...
However, she had barely closed her eyes when she heard a very familiar voice. Hopefully she would be allowed a few more minutes....
Her wishes today, however, were for naught.
"You know Iris, I really admire your unique talent for sleeping at random places at odd times."
She pretended not to hear her friend Kris, who she could tell was standing right in front of her desk.
"Iris, you do know that I know you are awake, right?"
Iris scrunched up her nose and started muttering under her breath irritably. All she wanted was to close her eyes for ten minutes. Was that too much to ask?
"I'm not asleep, Kris. Can I just shut my eyes for a few minutes?"
There was no response.
"Five more minutes, Kris. Please?" She asked pitifully.
Kris rolled her eyes.
"Come on Iris, get up and let's go home and get something to eat. You can sleep as much as you want when we are done."
Iris sighed and slowly opened one eye, causing her friend to smirk at her.
Acting pitifully never worked on Kris anymore, but each day she harbored hope that it would.
Iris got up reluctantly and glanced at her friend with an aggrieved expression. Kris's smirk grew wider.
Iris sighed and began packing her stuff. She remembered the good old days when her pitiful face used to work on her friend. These days, she had built an immunity to it, and it never even had an effect on her.
"What are we getting tonight?" She asked in a slightly sulky tone.
"We're getting pork dumplings for dinner. Pierce might bring a pizza when he comes over tonight."
Iris's face crumpled.
"That's all we're having, really?"
Kris rolled her eyes.
"Oh your highness, my sincerest apologies if my humble meal isn't enough for the bottomless pit you call a stomach, but you see, I really do care about your health and appearance. I'll be the one blamed if your belly becomes flabby."
"... You just called me a glutton."
"And? It's not like I was lying, was I?"
Iris's expression became gloomier.
"You don't love me anymore"
"And you've grown more dramatic"
"I was always like this; you just don't love me anymore. Remember when you said I could eat whatever I wanted whenever?"
Kris laughed loudly.
"Okay. I'm sorry princess Iris Clayton. But you see, you were in middle school then. You're an adult now. If you continue eating too much, I'm afraid no boy will want you, and you'll be alone when I get married. See? I really do care about you."
Iris rolled her eyes.
"Gee, I feel so honored."
Kris wrapped her arm around Iris's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"If that's the case, let's go get the dumplings then. Pierce promised to come over and watch movies with us tonight, and he'll definitely come with more food."
"He better, or else I'll kick him out personally."
Kris laughed loudly.
"Somehow I believe you would. Don't worry, I'll remind him before he comes over. We should get going though, I want to take a nap before he comes." Kris said, while dragging Iris towards the entrance.
With that, the two girls joined the excited crowd of students leaving the large hall.
***
Iris was barely awake the next morning when she heard a clear knock on her door. The sound caused her to suddenly sit up on the couch she was sleeping on, feeling quite startled. She turned to the door and sleepily rubbed her eyes. She took a look at the time on the clock in the adjoined kitchen. It was only 7:36 am.
'Who could be here this early on a Saturday?' She wondered.
She frowned and looked around. Her friend and roommate, Kris was fast asleep on the other sofa in the room, while Pierce was lying on the carpet face down.
Her eyes widened suddenly. Pierce should have left earlier, but he was still fast asleep, and would likely wake up woth a hangover, considering how much he drank yesterday. It was day now, and he would be easier to spot by reporters. Wait, what if the person at the door was a reporter?
Pierce just debuted as an artiste recently, and he was already quite popular. What if he had been traced here yesterday by the paparazzi? If they saw him here, unconscious in the house of two girls, who knew what kind of story they would spin about him?
There was another knock on the door, causing Kris to stir in her sleep slightly.
Iris was hesitant to open the door. Pierce had not been able to see them because he had been tailed by reporters for many weeks. He barely managed to sneak away this time. If he got caught, the consequences might gravely affect his budding career.
In that the case, it would be a very bad idea to open the door. However, that was if it was even a reporter at the door. It could also be her landlady, or another guest. She might just be reading too much into things. She had to see who it was herself before she would know what to do.
She got up cautiously, walked to the door and looked through the peephole. A frown slowly formed on her face when she saw who it was.
'What does he want here?'
She hesitated for a few moments, then finally decided to open the door.
Gingerly, she opened the door. Her expression was stoic, and she stared directly into the middle-aged man's eyes. She knew who he was all too well, and his presence here unsettled her. She would never let it show on her face, ever.
A smile formed on his face when he saw her, but it only heightened her anxiety.
"Miss Iris, I do believe it has been quite a while since we last spoke. You are looking more and more like your mother with each passing day."
Iris did not change her expression, but her eyes grew colder.
"What is it that you want here this early morning?"
"Am I not allowed inside?"
Iris scoffed.
"I doubt anything you are here to say requires you to sit down."
His smile faded, and he straightened.
"Miss Iris, your father wants you at the main house for dinner tomorrow."
"What for?"
"I guess you'll find out when you go there. Since that is all, I'll come get you tomorrow."
After he said that he turned and walked away, leaving Iris at the door with a stunned expression on her face.