Darko's POV

The cup of coffee Taylor brews me tastes extra sweet. Sure, the extra spoonful of sugar I add to mask the bitter taste of instant coffee helps – but it's still nice.

A good night's rest seems to have reset Taylor as well, as he's getting ready to leave he seems back to normal. Thank God Ana fixed his car up – the bus ain't a safe place for anybody.

I check my watch. I've got an hour to kill before my first class. It's rest day, so no gym this morning. I make myself some oats, then packup the unused inflatable mattress (that has still somehow deflated, without anybody sleeping on it).

I nearly moved onto it this morning. Thanks to my schedule of waking up at 6AM every day for gym, sleeping in is a rarity. I woke up and saw Taylor fast asleep next to me, the tangerine morning rays spilling on his face like drizzled honey on toast. Despite the pillow barrier between us, I felt so close to him, like I could just reach forward and touch his cheek or move his jet black hair away from his closed eyes.

I didn't do it. But, lord, how I wanted to.

The hour ticks by quickly, and a quick shower later, I'm in my car on the road to campus. The lecture bleeds by, and soon, my stomach growls as if the oats were a fading memory.

I pull out my phone and send a group text. Going to Brewed Awakening. Any1 there?

My tummy rumbles again. As I'm halfway there, my phone pings – It's Taylor.

Bella and I are on the way. I think Lyra's coming, she had those posters she wanted to hang up. See you soon! Usual table I assume?

I send a thumbs up and find our usual table.

For university food, this place is pretty decent. It sits at the centre of campus, attached to the university's library, and has been a navigational point for many old and new students. The majority of staff are also students, so for those with more flexible classes, it works out well.

Soon, Taylor and Bella arrive, the former already nursing a cup of something. Bella's munching on a hash-brown. They must have ordered before sitting down. I smile and say "howdy".

"Any word from Lyra?" I ask as they sit. Taylor shrugs, while Bella points to a nearby building, where Lyra's sticking a big A3 sheet of paper to the wall.

You know that one group member you have that you're not exactly close with, but everyone else is? Yeah, Bella is that friend to me. Our friendship can be best described as two parallel lines; always near each other, but never engaging or crossing paths. She and Taylor met during his first year of university, and they've been pretty inseparable ever since. They both study music – Bella leaning more toward theatre and acting.

Here's where you'd think I'd be jealous, but Taylor's said more than once to me that he wouldn't date her. He wouldn't lie about that. He never lies to me.

"Here she comes," Bella says, flicking a few loose strands of ginger hair out of her face. The freckles dotting her cheeks seem to move around as she frowns in annoyance, mumbling to herself about how she needs to get a haircut soon.

I look toward Lyra. She's campaigning to be a member in the university's student council. I'm about to wave to her when Trent, a classmate of hers and a total fuckin' douchebag, picks up a poster she's holding and rips it in half, throwing it over her head.

"Fuckin feminist piece of shit. You'll never win the campaign," He spits, snickering. Soon, Trent's walking away, heading over to Duncan, his friend and lackey (as Lyra describes him).

Lyra's flipping the bird at the two idiots, before picking up the shredded pieces of paper and dumping it in a nearby bin. She marches towards us, a confident yet irritated glint in her eyes.

"Did you guys see that? God, Trent and Duncan are real assholes," she says, plopping her papers on our table. Bella and I nod in agreement, while Taylor's still focused on the drink in front of him.

"Whatever, he can't rip all my posters down. You're all still coming to my campaign party, yeah?"

We all nod.

"Great! Was just double-checking. Have you ordered yet, Darko?"

I shake my head, and we both get up and line up at the counter. She's umming and ahhing at the menu, despite the menu not changing since we started going here two years ago.

Aside from Taylor, Lyra is my closest mate. She's actually two years younger than the rest of us – a fact I like to tease her often for – and is only halfway through her degree. Meanwhile, Taylor, Bella and I are all in our final years.

We became friends by accident. She actually worked at Brewed Awakening when we first met, and she recognised me from a motocross tournament her dad was interested in. We talked all things dirtbike related, and when she quit, she kinda just stuck to me (and Taylor and Bella by extension).

Lyra's a bombshell and, if I were straight, we'd probably have dated by now. With long toned legs, a skinny build, effortlessly curly black hair, and cheekbones to die for, she's by far one of the prettiest girls on campus. Everyone loves her.

"Just like, making sure," Taylor begins to ask Lyra, "I don't have to drink if I don't want to, yeah?"

Lyra shakes her head. "What? Of course not, Tay. There's going to be minimal drinking between us all, at least until the campaigning part of the party is done. I need you guys to help spread out flyers and to help win over any undecided voters. Once that's all done you can leave, or party, or do whatever. No pressure."

Taylor visibly relaxes. Lyra frowns, but not out of annoyance. We all know about Taylor's family issues, and alcohol is, naturally, a sore spot for Taylor.

"I know being around alcohol makes you queasy. Don't worry. You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No," he says, "I want to come. I want to help you. I'll be okay."

I'm about to say something, but I'm cut off by the sound of my name behind me. That piercing voice sends a chill down my spine. I look, and Nicole waves to me, wasting no time jogging over to us and making herself comfortable in the empty seat beside me.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says, looking me up and down. "I just had to come say hi."

The three half-ass a greeting, but Nicole doesn't even pay them any attention.

"Hi, Darko."

I manage a wave. It feels awkward. "Hi."

Under the table, I feel the tip of her shoe gently run up and down my calf. "Are you free later? Surely we can go on that date you promised me last week..."

My face muscles tighten. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lyra cringe and Bella faux-gag. Nicole doesn't notice. "Yeah, ha ha, right. Forgot about that bet."

Nicole is a sister of one of my racing friends. We would talk on and off when I was at the club, but the idiot, Connor, challenged me to a race where if I lost, I would go on a date with his sister, and if I won, he would buy me drinks every time I showed up to the club for a month straight.

I really thought I'd win. But he pulled ahead of me in the last arm of the track, and well, now Nicole's here. I had no idea how into me she was, and how nice of a brother Connor is to Nicole to want to set her up with me. Ugh.

She winks. I can feel every hair on my leg move as she slides her shoe up and down, and the sensation is starting to really irritate me. It's all I can think about; God, someone, anyone, get her off me. I contemplate kicking her shin, but that wouldn't do anybody any favours.

Her phone goes off, making me sigh with relief as she pulls herself away from me. She fishes out the device from her handbag. "Oh! Sorry, gotta run. Meeting up with the other Dirtbike Girls for brunch. Raincheck on the date?"

A tiny grin plays at the corner of her lips. Her blonde hair spills over her shoulder, the smell of her perfume overwhelming. Great, now she's ruined frangipane for me.

"Yeah, a raincheck. I'll see you later."

She smiles and leaves as fast as she arrived. I let out a relieved sigh, before collapsing forward in my seat, propping up both elbows to support my face.

"Wow, she seems delightful," Bella sarcastically says. I chuckle, but don't bother to look up at her.

"She seems okay! Why do you seem so hesitant, Darko? You are single after all..." Lyra says.

"Nicole's... not my type. Plus, this is an obligatory date, not a real one. I lost a bet."

Saying she's not my type isn't a lie. She's not exactly a cute boy with glasses, asleep in my bed with morning light painted on his face...

"That's fair. But, a bet's a bet, and you gotta follow up or your word means shit," Lyra adds. "It'll be easy. Just take her on the worst date possible, maybe at a KFC or at a McDonalds, be a dick, and ghost her. You fulfil your obligation, and she wants nothing to do with you! Win win!"

Bella and I look at Lyra with concern. She chuckles. "A guy took me to Sizzler, and proceeded to hit on the waitress in front of me. Can say for sure that I never want to see him again."

"Right..." I say. "Maybe won't go the nuclear option, but yeah, it's not progressing any further than the first date."

I turn my head to look at Taylor, but he's disappeared. "When did he leave?"

Bella downs the last of her hashbrown. "Just after Nicole eye-fucked you. Bathroom, I think. He wandered into the café, so not really sure."

As she crinkles up the oiled-up paper where her hashbrown once laid, one of the café staff members comes over with the food Lyra and I ordered. She gets up. "I'll go find him. We have a class soon, so we'll see you later. Enjoy your food."

Bella's about to walk off, but Lyra makes a noise that gets all of our attention. "Oh, by the way, I broke up with Markle last night."

Shudder. Markle. What a stupid name. Was the name Mark too basic sounding for his parents?

He's some twenty-five-year-old from the neighbourhood Lyra grew up in that took interest in her. I don't know what she saw in him to date him for half a year, but I'm glad she doesn't see it anymore. The dude was a prick.

"Thank God. What happened?"

"He refused to help me with my campaigning, and called it all dumb, stupid work, and that I should focus on cooking or sewing or, as he described it, 'girly shit.' That was the last straw."

She lets out a breath, before fishing out her phone. Her face lights up. "Oh! Darko, great news; Daddy just texted me saying that the campaign shirts are ready! Are you excited to wear a shirt with my face on it?"

I stare at her, my eyes narrow. "Is this a trick question?"

With a giggle, she shakes her head, looking back at her phone. "Oh my God, they even have my campaign slogan on it!"

Thrusting her phone in my face, nearly blinding me was a bright photo of a purple and gold shirt, the school's colours, with Lyra's winning political smile. Underneath her supersized head was her slogan 'For The Students!'

I shake my head and gently push the phone out of my face.

"What? What's wrong with the shirts?"

I snort. "If you make me, Taylor, or Bella wear this, I can guarantee you'll lose votes. Our votes. No way am I wearing that."

Pouting, she huffs, folding her arms. "Well, that's a lot of money wasted. Ah well, I'll still give them all out to you later. Maybe you'll wear them as a celebration after I become part of the university's student council."

"Right. Sure thing." 

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AN: Same old characters, new coat of paint! What do you think of Lyra, Bella, and Nicole? 😁

Also, how are you finding the book so far? Any feedback? 

Don't forget to vote as well. :D 

All my love, Jacob x