Play Me a Song

Chp. 21 - Good Dodging Skills

"What am I going to do?!" I ask Cora for the hundredth time, pacing around the room.

"According to google," she looks through her phone from her place seated on the floor, "Kleptomania is a mental illness and you should advise people with it to seek help."

"Wonderful, people love when we say they should see a psychiatrist!" I drop myself beside her, head between my hands.

"Maybe if you choose your words carefully."

"It just don't feel like my place to tell her. I barely know her. We barely live together! She has those sorority friends and God knows where she is all the time."

Cora grimaces making me sigh, she does not know how to advise me.

She shuffles through the contents in the gym bag opened in front of us and from there she takes a beautiful ring with the price tag still on. "But you have to admit, she has good taste."

She analyzes the jewelry. I was about to reproach her when the door was opened.

Me and Cora turned our heads hastily to the person going in, gaping as Clara halted on the threshold.

Her eyes go from our scared expressions to the bag sprawled on the ground.

"What are you doing?!" She hurries to the bag and snatches it from us hugging it tightly to her chest.

"We... She..." Cora tries as I am in lost of words.

"You can't go through my stuff!"

"That's kind of hypocritical, don't you think?" Cora snaps making me jump to my feet to address the angry roommate.

"We didn't mean to pry."

"Oh, didn't you?!"

"We are not going to judge you. Kleptomania is a mental illness..." I pointedly look at Cora, asking for help.

She also gets up and quickly adds: "And you should seek help."

As soon as she says the words I grimace, preparing myself for the explosion. There was a lot of ways we could have discussed about it, but I'm pretty sure that was between the top poor starters.

I wait for it, but that is no shouting.

Even though her eyes are full of rage, Clara only shakes her head slowly. "You know nothing. That's none of your business."

And she storms out, the door closing with a loud thud, the sound echoing.

I lower my head feeling defeated. "Well, that could have gone better."

Cora bites her nail as she looks at a new message in her phone. She turns to me apprehensively. "It's probably the worst moment to tell you, but the boys are back. They want to meet us tonight at Agara." At my sigh she adds quickly. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No. I'll be there. This is the least of my problems."

@@@

When I get inside Agara, I spot my friends at a booth to the right. The boys stand up when they see me.

"Emilia!" Leo sings and I can't help but smile. I run to him and throw my arms around him. "I see someone has missed me."

"Of course I have." I slap his arm when he releases me.

"Ouch."

"You deserved it." I simply explain as I turn to Ian to hug him.

"Missed you too, Good morning girl." I smile at him.