The Beautiful Monster

They studied for another two hours. She corrected some of his mistakes, explained some concepts to him, and organized his notes.

Strangely, it was the most fun that she had that semester so far. They talked all throughout those hours, whether it was about bands, favorite foods, or things happening around campus.

She felt like she had found a good friend in him. She hadn't told him about her family or any of the darker things that she had affected her life. The mood was still so bright and playful between them that she didn't want to ruin that now.

"I feel like a genius now," Elias laughed as they walked out of the dorm building together.

"We still need to get a few concepts nailed down, but we're getting there," Alyssa told him with a smile. She slowed to a stop and twined her fingers together in front of her as she looked at him. She didn't want him to leave. There was still so much to talk about.

"I'll talk to you soon," Elias replied before reaching out to brush his fingers along her arm as he walked past her toward the gates.

Alyssa felt goosebumps flare up along her skin just at his touch. She turned and watched him walk off, the shadows soon swallowing him up. She couldn't wait to see him again. Hopefully, her tutoring would pay off and he'd do better in class, but she wouldn't mind if he still needed some help.

With burning cheeks, Alyssa turned and headed back to her dorm. Her room felt so empty and quiet without him in it with her.

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She was glad that she was making relationships here. She had felt alone back at home with her parents, and she didn't want to feel that way here. She wanted to feel more, and she felt that with Elias.

Alyssa woke up to a text next Saturday that she never expected to wake up to.

Wanna go to ADP's party with me tonight?

The text was from Zoe. They had chatted throughout the past week in class, along with Elias, who jumped into their conversations from time-to-time. He had been by her dorm once that week for another tutoring session. Now, she was faced with a party invitation that she didn't know how to respond to.

She wasn't really a party person. They were awkward, crowded, and loud. She usually didn't know anyone there, and she was ignored or pestered by some drunk guy the entire time. Plus, it was at a frat house, which was notorious for being dirty. It wasn't her ideal environment.

But Zoe invited her. She would have a friend there to talk to and be with. Zoe could make anything fun, even a slow lecture day. Besides, it would be good for her to get out of her dorm and try to socialize a little more. Maybe she could even make another friend. She wouldn't know unless she tried.

Alyssa; Sure! I don't think I have anything to wear tho

Alyssa sent the text before heading to her small closet. She shuffled through all of her clothes with an unimpressed look. There were no clothes that looked suitable for a party in there. No cute dresses. No skirts. No tight tops. Nothing.

That wouldn't do. She wanted to somewhat fit in and not stick out so much from the others. That drew too much attention, and nothing good came from that. She had already gone through that too many times.

Zoe; I'll come pick you up in 10 mins

Alyssa checked Zoe's text before narrowing her eyes in confusion. Zoe was picking her up?

Alyssa; What are we doing?

Alyssa hurriedly fixed her hair and changed out of her sleep clothes into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She had a feeling she wouldn't know what Zoe was up to until she got in the car. Once she grabbed her phone and her purse, she hurried out of the dorm and to the nearest parking lot.

She then realized that she didn't even know what kind of car Zoe drove. She glanced around for any moving car, eventually spotting a red Camry making its way toward her. She squinted her eyes to make out Zoe in the driver's seat once the car stopped in front of her.

Zoe rolled down the window and peered out at Alyssa with a glowing smile. Her hair was in two delicately rolled space buns, and black sunglasses rested high on the bridge of her nose.

"Get in!" she said.

Alyssa slipped into the passenger's seat of Zoe's car before turning to her.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Zoe could be kidnapping her and taking her to some deserted place, and she would have no idea.

Zoe rolled up her window and sped out of the parking lot.

"To the mall, of course. You need some clothes, girl," she laughed softly.

A smile quirked up on Zoe's face as she nodded. They were finally having their shopping day, and she could add some new choices to her very limited closet. Excitement rushed through her at the thought of having a cute, new outfit to wear to the party tonight.

All of these moments were small. She probably wouldn't even remember half of them in a year, but they all made up the college experience that she wanted to have.

She didn't want to be locked up in her room just studying. She wanted to try new things, whether that was wearing new clothes or doing new activities with new people.

"What are you wearing?" Alyssa asked Zoe.

Zoe shrugged as she took a right turn down a main road in town.

"I think I might buy something new too," Zoe replied. "Maybe we can twin."

"Sounds great," Alyssa said, feeling a light flush cross her cheeks. She wasn't sure if she could pull off the clothes that Zoe wore, but she wanted to try. Maybe she would surprise herself.