Bookshelf Boy

seven.

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

this is a double update so make sure you read chapter 6 first!

—

IT'S A LITTLE past eight when the first knock comes at the door. Since Lucas is in the bathroom, I walk over and open it. Marie is standing there in a leather jacket and black platform boots at least five inches off the ground. Her eyeliner is pink, and she's wearing about six piercings including her usual septum one.

I stare at her in awe.

She glances down at her boots and taps it on the ground as if to test them out.  "D'you think it's too much?"

I meet her hesitant eyes. "What? No! You look incredible."

I suddenly feel extremely bland in my plain outfit that shows absolutely zero percent of my personality.

Her face splits into a smile. I open the door wider for her to step in, and she surveys the room, her mouth falling open slightly at the sight in front of her. I have to hide my pleased smile. "Holy fuck. Is this even our dorms?"

After Lucas basically manhandled me to the floor and hid his snacks to stop me from eating them all (the bloke) we spent the last three hours completely renovating his dorm. Lucas' parents paid for him to have a single bedroom with a small kitchenette area. It's big by student standards but still small, so to make more space we ended up dismantling his entire bed and had Tyler Wielding—who lives across from Lucas—help us move it to his room for the time being.

We also moved his coffee table and chair. His study desk is empty of any trace of school work and set with two large speakers bound to make the room shake. But what really makes the whole place are the multi-colored strobe lights illuminating and flashing in every corner of the room and the disco ball which hangs from the ceiling, spindling spherical silver lights across the floor and up the walls.

I have to say, even I'm impressed with how everything looks, so I'm not surprised by Marie's reaction. She's waving a hand over one of the many strobe lights when Lucas emerges from the bathroom. He smiles when he spots us.

"Oh, hey Marie," he glances at the clock, "you're early."

"I came in case you needed help, but damn," she whistles, looking around again, "I have to say, when you said we'd be having the party in your dorm this year I thought it would be a major bust, but this is rad as hell."

Lucas shrugs, but his smirk is of complete and utter arrogance.  "They don't call me party master for nothing."

"This looks like a proper miniature club," Marie goes on, "And that—" she points to the kitchen counter stacked with all types of alcohol Lucas had one of his Year 13 friends go out and buy, "—looks like a pub."

Lucas cocks his head with a knowing smile.  "You wanna drink?"

Her grin is wicked as she ties her hair up. "Mate, I was wondering when you'd ask."

People start to trickle in slowly after nine, one by one and then in groups. Lottie comes carrying her DJ equipment. Tyler Wielding appears with his roommate Sam Middleton, holding a liquor bottle with a devilish smile. Erin—to my utter surprise—shows up in his uniform with his friend whose name I think is Julian, but that's about the only thing I know.

I play host as Lucas helps Lottie with her set, music booming as I open the door at each knock and welcome people in, a lot of them I know or am at least familiar with, and some I've never seen in my life. At some point I open the door to a group of Year 11's, all guys. One of them—a tall redhead—does a double take when he sees me.