《A Thread of Fate》


 00

    "Oh god finally the last box !" Elliot huffed, dumping the moving box on the elephant grey carpet floor before coming to join me on my bed.


    We have just arrived at college half an hour ago and after registering in the reception hall, Elliot being the bestest human alive, offered to help me with my boxes since my parents didn''t come along with us to help me settle in. But luck clearly wasn''t on Elliot''s side because as soon as we got to my dorm we found out that there''s no lift and the worst part is my room is on the third floor. So he ended up carrying all five of the twenty kilo boxes up to my room for me.


    "I thought you said you''re strong huh?" I teased him as I passed him a bottle of water.


    "Yea yea says by someone who didn''t even carry one box up the stairs." Elliot rolled his eyes at me playfully as I saw him crossing his arms and turning his back on me like a drama queen.


    I laughed at his attempt on pretending to be angry with me because I know he''ll never be angry for real since we only had a fight once and it''s over a stupid cupcake that I stole from him in grade 3.


    "Aww Ells you know you love me." I cooed, sticking my lower lip out to play along with him.


    He continued to ignore me and started chugging the bottle of water that I gave him earlier.


    "Come on Ells." I tugged at his shirt, trying to make him turn around.


    After awhile he finally complied and looked at me expectantly with an evil glint in his eyes. I sighed defeatedly, knowing exactly what he wants.


    "Fine." I drawled. "Cupcake on me later."


    And like I expected, the moment I said cupcake his face lit up instantly with a smug grin plastered on his face.


    "Don''t get too cocky you-" I tried to search the best insult I could come up with in my head. "you douche!" I said lamely.


    Elliot let out a deep chuckle, "That''s the best insult you''ve got Katie bear ? Seriously ?"


    Feeling slightly embarrassed, I punched him pathetically several times with my flabby arms which I doubt would make any damage to his well toned ones. Ugh I hate it when this happens !


    I changed my tactics and instead tried to push him to the edge of the bed. "Leave you big bully !" I yelled childishly.


    "Okay okay. Chill." He smiled while shaking his head. "I''ll leave it to you then. Just text me after you''re done."


    Just when I thought he''s finally leaving me alone, he swiftly ruffled my hair before he swung my door open and bolted outside the dining area of the apartment.


    Once I caught on to what he had just done, I screeched and ran after him but I knew I was too late when I saw the front door slammed shut.


    Damn it ! I''ll definitely get back at him !


    I really hate it when people touch my hair since I don''t have perfect hair like most of the girls out there. My hair is extra thin and flat which definitely doesn''t go well with my round face so I usually spent half an hour to fix my hair everyday before I go out or else I will probably look like a failed pumpkin carving face. Trust me I do look that bad.


    I turned around to go back to my room but the cardboard boxes that peeked through my opened bedroom door reminded me that I still had to unpack my stuff. I groaned, already feeling lazy to start. The worst part is I couldn''t stuff everything in like I did when I packed for college.


    Dragging my feet across the room, I told myself to suck it up and started unpacking. After taking several ''breaks'' in between and forcing myself to get up from the bed every time those breaks end, I finally made it through.


    I plopped myself on my well made bed, scanning my room closely for the first time since we got here. I''m quite satisfied with how everything looks - a queen sized bed against the centre of the light lilac wall opposite to the door, a nightstand on its right, a study desk against the left side wall and a mirror wardrobe on the far end.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Now that everything is settled, the only thing that worries me the most now is my roommate. I don''t know if we can get along, considering I''m always socially awkward around new people. Gosh I won''t be able to forgive myself if I make a fool of myself in front of my new roommate. I can already see a hundred different ways how I can messed up -


    The vibration of my phone pulled me out of my thoughts, I stretched my arm and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. Just as I expected, my mum''s name popped up in my screen, I swiped to pick up the call.


    My parents faces popped up instantly but in a weird angle, I''ve already told them many times not to put their faces too close to the camera but they never listen. So they ended up only having half of their faces shown on my screen.


    "Hi honey ! Is everything settled ?" My mum chirped.


    "Yup. I just finished unpacking. Look." I bragged as I switched the camera to rear facing mode, giving them a room tour.


    "Aww honey, I missed you already. Your dad here cried when you left a few hours ago." She teased as she let out a laugh.


    "Oh why did you tell her that ! I thought you said you''re not gonna tell anyone." Dad piped in, annoyance was written all over his face.


    I laughed at their exchange, I love them so much. I really hope one day I can find someone just like Dad. They''re so in love even after all those years that they''d been together.


    "How''s Elliot by the way honey ?"


    I groaned, "Don''t mention him. He messed up with my hair just now !"


    "Oh you''re overreacting ! You guys are so cute!"


    "Mum !" I drawled, " How many times do I need to tell you we''re just friends !"


    "Whatever you say honey but my intuition is always right. That boy is head over heels for you." She smiled knowingly.


    "Ew gross." I scrunched up nose, "He''s like a brother to me."


    "Good to hear that sweetie or else he''s gonna go through me before he call you his girlfriend. Don''t listen to all those nonsense said by your mother. She doesn''t know what she''s talking about." Dad snorted.


    Mum looked so offended and hit him by the shoulder. "You''re the one who doesn''t know anything. Elliot is a nice guy, he can give happiness to her."


    "I know what guys think. I''m just trying to protect her-¡±


    "Can you guys stop talking about this as if I''m not involved." I snapped.


    "No honey - listen to -"


    "Bye mum."


    "Wait -" I pressed the end call button before she could say anything else.


    I do feel bad about hanging up on them like this but I couldn¡¯t help it. I always get extra annoyed whenever they talked about this topic. It''s not because I hate Elliot or anything but it''s just weird to think of him that way and I know he feels the same too. I''ve known him since I started kindergarten and we''ve been best friend ever since I know for sure this is never going to change because he''s just like my brother. But my parents, well mostly my mum doesn''t understand.


    I sighed, deciding to just text Elliot I''m going to find him to get my mind off of the little episode that had just happened.


    With that, I put on my converse and left the apartment. Since Elliot''s dorm was all the way on the other side of the campus, I took my time to explore my surroundings. The whole way there was basically surrounded by trees and flowers and there''s even a running track beside a small lake. I mentally noted to go for a walk in there sometime. After passing by more buildings and restaurants, I finally arrived in front of Everrett House. It was a three storey building just like mine but the exterior was slightly different, the walls were built with red bricks instead of beige bricks which gave it a more retro look.


    I walked inside, trying to search for his room. It was exceptionally quiet today since we came one day earlier, but I''m glad we did that because I really don''t want to encounter any guys being naked on the hallway. That would be awkward.


    As I was about to turn left, an angry voice startled me. I stopped in my tracks immediately, knowing that it''s probably not a good time to casually walk pass whoever that was down that hallway.


    "Fuck." He growled as I heard a dull thud, which I assumed he just punched the wall.


    I backed against the wall and held my breath. Realising I should just come by later, I slowly turned around, trying not to make any sound. I carefully lifted my right foot and took a large step, putting my arms out on either side to balance myself, but just as I was about to take my second step, my stupid converse had to squeak on the polished hardwood floor. Crap !


    I cringed at the nasty high pitched sound I made, my heart pounded in my chest.


    "Who the hell is it ?" He snapped as I heard him walking closer and closer to me.


    Oh my god. Should I run ? But I¡¯m sure he can definitely catch up with me! Damn it !


    After contemplating different strategies that wouldn¡¯t make me look like a complete idiot, I took a deep breath and finally made up my mind. I poked my head out behind the wall just before he could catch me in a weird position.


    But I knew I made the worst decision of my entire life the second I did that because his face was just a millimetre away from me ! I was literally breathing the same air as him !


    His steel blue eyes instantly pierced through me, all his chiselled features were magnified by our close proximity.


    Shock was written all over his face for a split second but it was soon replaced by a cold hard stare and a scowl permanent on his face. Though I swear before all the glaring, his eyes softened for an instant.


    I backed away from him before my hormonal teenager heart gave up on me. I could feel my cheeks heat up by both the embarrassment and the close proximity.


    "Umm I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to-" I stuttered, my voice getting softer than normal.


    He didn''t let me finished but instead grunted and trudged his way out, not giving a care of what had just happened.


    I guess I just made my first enemy here in college ...

 01

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 02

    It''s been four days since that incident happened and I''m glad I didn''t cross paths with him again. I''m also pretty sure I won''t be seeing him a lot on campus since I didn''t see him in any of my lectures or tutorials.


    Other than that, university life has been alright for me, but it''s not as fun as I thought it would be. And just as I had predicted, I couldn''t really make any friends here, everyone seemed to be friendly but fake at the same time which I get it since it''s hard to make friends at the start but I don''t want to make friends with them just because I need to.


    To say the least, I actually started to miss Olivia and Kyla back home. They''re the ones who are always there for me whenever I was anxious about giving a speech in front of my class or when I had a childish argument with Elliot. They always back me up no matter what even when I was the one who''s in the wrong sometimes. I guess I only have Elliot now but I know for sure I can''t always stick to him since he had already made a group of friends. I don''t know how but honestly I wish I can be more like him.


    I emptied all those negative thoughts before I speed walked down the lane that led to the Business Lecture Hall. My tutorial finished early today so I could meet Elliot there as we have promised earlier this week whoever can leave early will wait for each other outside the building to go for lunch together.


    I stood awkwardly beside the front door as I saw all those Business students rushed out, talking and laughing as they headed to the direction of the cafeteria.


    After receiving questioning glances whenever someone passed by me and waiting for another few minutes, I finally saw Elliot turning around the corner and heading towards me. However, when I saw a group of guys and girls trailing behind him, I knew something I wouldn''t like would happen.


    I put on a small smile as he spotted me from afar and picked up the pace, opening the door and stood in front of me with his bag slung on one side of his shoulder.


    "Let''s go." I said, staring into his eyes.


    Just when I thought he would happily agreed with me, his apologetic smile on his face gave him away instantly.


    My face fell, praying silently that he wouldn''t say what I think he was going to say.


    No ! Don''t say it ! Please !


    "Actually, Kat ... Umm I sort of promised my friends from my tutorial to eat with them today."


    Damn it ! I freaking knew it ! I hate how my sixth sense was always right.


    Seeing that I wasn''t smiling like I always do, he scratched the back of his neck, a sign when he''s nervous. "Shit sorry. It kind of slipped my mind to text you about it earlier."


    Ouch.


    My heart squeezed as I heard what he said. It''s kind of expected, I didn''t even know why I''m sad about it. I mean it''s bound to happen at some point, I couldn''t always tag along with him like a loser, can I ?


    So I hid my disappointment quickly and plastered a bright smile on my face instead. "Oh Ells, it''s completely fine. It''s cool. I can just grab lunch with my other friends."


    "You sure?" His face etched with hesitation.


    "Yea."


    "Maybe you can come along with us, I''m sure they won''t mind." He suggested.


    "No!" I exclaimed. Realising I answered too quickly, I calmed myself down.


    "My friends invited me to eat with them earlier but I said no since we''re eating lunch together as we have promised. I guess problem solved now I can eat with them and you can eat with them." I lied and I knew exactly what I was doing. I am making him feel bad and I''m feeling better. Gosh I''m such a horrible person. When did I become like that?


    Elliot stared at me, searching for any trace of me lying or even anger I guess.


    "Dude, are you coming ?" Someone behind us yelled, the group that was following Elliot was now further down the road towards the cafeteria.


    "Just go." I reassured him as I threw a nod towards his friends.


    Still looking unsure of what to do, he gave me a tight hug and kissed me on the crown of my head. "I''ll make it up for you, Kat. Have fun with your friends!" He said and ran towards the group.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    I sighed after making sure they''re out of sight and started to make my way to the direction of my dorm. I guess I''m having snacks for lunch today.


    As I reached the apartment, a strong smell of chemical welcomes me upon my arrival.


    That''s when I saw Cassidy, my roommate, snuggled on the couch with her left foot propped on the coffee table, doing her nails.


    "Oh you''re back early ?" She asked nonchalantly, still concentrating on painting her last nail pink.


    "Yeah. I''m a bit tired so I''m planning to skip lunch today." I smiled despite knowing she wasn''t really listening to me anyway.


    "What about your friend ? Aren''t you eating lunch with him?" She asked, stressing the word ''friend''.


    Cassidy and Elliot met twice since we got here last week when he hung out with me in my room before he met his group of friends. She still didn''t believe me when I told her he''s only my best friend, well to be fair I got that a lot in high school. Nobody seemed to believe me when I said we''re strictly friends, I don''t understand why they find it hard to get there''s something called friendship between a guy and a girl.


    "Nah, he''s eating with his friends." I brushed that off immediately.


    "Oh so he''s ditching you." She pointed that out without warning, turning her attention to me.


    I flinched at her use of wordings and quickly denied it. I didn''t want anyone to know I''m skipping lunch because of him. "No. He texted me earlier to tell me about that."


    "Yea right Kat." She rolled her eyes at me. "It''s written all over your face. You normally had a stupid grin on your face now you''re like a widow telling everyone you''re fine when you''re actually not."


    Do I actually look that bad ?


    Seeing that I wasn''t planning on answering her, she insisted on introducing me to her group of friends.


    I hesitated for a moment as I don''t know if I''m actually ready to meet her friends. Cassidy has that cool and intimidating vibe which I''m finding hard to completely open up to her. Her overconfidence and straightforwardness always made me feel small. And that''s also the reason why I didn''t make a lot of effort into getting close to her, she just doesn''t seem like the kind of girl that I usually hang around with. And I''m sure her friends will be similar to her in one way or another.


    "Come on Kat. Loosen up, make more new friends. You know you can''t always rely on your Elliot and I''m sure you don''t want to end up being alone in your university life." She urged.


    I sighed. She''s right, relying on Elliot to be my lunch buddy is already out of the question. I might as well get to know more people now or else it''ll get even harder to make friends when all of them have formed their own groups. Besides this is like a one time thing, I''m just having a simple lunch with them. There''s nothing to worry.


    I nodded, finally agreeing with her. She flashed me a smile and quickly dragged me out of the house after slipping into her heels.


    Once we had purchased our lunch, she led me to a table where six people were already sitting. There were four guys and two girls there, laughing at something together.


    I straightened my back as we''re getting to them. I couldn''t help but already felt like I was the sore thumb of the group.


    As we approached, all six of them fell silent and stared at us, well me. I took a moment to take everything in as I found myself stuck in a group full of good looking people. "Great." I muttered through clenched teeth as I tried my best to act cool but the loud thumping of my heart says otherwise.


    The guy with dirty blonde hair broke the silence first, "Cass, who did you bring us ?" He asked as he grinned at me.


    "Guys this is my roommate, Kat. Kat this is Josh." She gestured towards the dirty blonde, " Ethan." She then gestured towards the brown hair guy who was sitting next to him. "Shelby." Gesturing towards the redhead. "Allison." A girl with auburn curls opposite to Josh. "Kris." A guy with blonde hair next to Allison. "And Liam." A guy with bleached hair tips opposite to Shelby.


    I smiled and nodded, pretending that I''ve got all their names stuck in my brain when I actually don''t. I really hope I don''t need to address them individually later.


    "Hi. Nice to meet you guys." I beamed radiantly which I tend to do whenever I''m meeting someone new as I found out that this is the best way to hide my awkwardness.


    I was about to take a seat next to the redhead when Cassidy beat me to it, so I had no choice but to settle down next to the guy with bleached hair tips who I believe is called Liam. I quickly started eating as everyone resumed to what they were talking about a minute ago.


    I was stuffing the lasagna down my throat when I heard Liam asked, "So, Kat. What''s your full name ?"


    Wasn''t expecting someone to actually start a conversation with me, I quickly swallowed the food before turning to him, "Katherine Miller. But please just call me Kat." I rambled.


    He chuckled, "You don''t need to be so tense around us ! Just relax I promise we are nice to be around with." Then he paused for a second, gave me a thoughtful look and said, "Well except for Cole. He''s not here yet but I''m sure you''ll get to meet him soon."


    Cole ? Well I''m glad he''s not here then.


    "Anyway, you don''t sound like you''re from here ?" He cocked his head.


    "Haha, yea. I''m from New York."


    "I knew it ! " He exclaimed. "Which school did you go to before ? My cousin also lives there."


    "Graham Academy."


    His eyes widened in disbelief. No, no way his cousin went there !


    "Holy shit. That''s her school !"


    I could feel myself getting excited when I knew there''s a possibility that I might know his cousin. "What''s your cousin''s name ?" I urged.


    "Olivia Hudson." He answered almost immediately.


    "What ?! Ollie is your cousin ?" I said as I choked on my own spit. Wow how the heck do I not know she had a hot cousin like this ?


    "No wonder you look so familiar. I swear I''ve seen you in one of her instagram stories." He said as his face broke into a dazzling smile.


    I felt myself opening up to Liam as we continued to talk about how crazy this was when suddenly Cassidy got up from her seat, smiling flirtatiously at someone behind me. "Cole ! Where have you been ?"


    Curious, I turned my head around ...

 03

    Our eyes locked.


    I did a double take as my face paled by the sight of his tall arrogant figure in front of me.


    Why''s he here ? Please please please don''t tell me he''s part of this group !


    Damn it ! Of all the people that I could''ve chosen to have lunch with, I had to choose his group of friends ! I facepalmed myself in the head, panicking, but I still managed to pull a blank face. I gazed into his eyes again, trying to find any hint of surprise or confusion but I found none, the only emotion I could find was annoyance. It''s as if he knew I was going to be there, which I know it''s impossible. There''s no way he would know, right ?


    The air was thick with uneasiness as we continued to study each other but it didn''t last long when Cassidy suddenly clung onto his arm, her chest pressed tightly against his well toned muscles.


    Oh boy, she''s definitely going to be the next victim ... Good luck, Cassidy. Good luck ! After what I have experienced a few days ago, I''m positive he''s going to say something rude to her or even humiliate her in front of everyone. I''m 100% certain -


    My train of thoughts about what nasty things he was about to say was brought to an abrupt stop when I saw the side of his lips curved slightly upwards. Yes you heard me right, upwards, not downwards, or sideways or any other possible way !


    He smiled ! He freaking smiled !


    He didn''t say anything rude to her but instead he was smiling like a normal person !


    If my eyes weren''t wide open before, they widened even more with what I just saw.


    My chest tightened involuntarily by the utterly unexpected reaction from him as memories from Sunday came flooding in. I swear I could still hear his rude remark about me somewhere in the back of my head.


    It''s not that I wished him to insult Cassidy or anything but what the heck was wrong with me that day when he basically called me a slut out of nowhere ? At least I don''t think I deserved that ...


    "Kat, this is Cole." Cassidy who seemed to have completely missed the exchange between me and him introduced him in an overly excited tone.


    "Hi, I''m Kat." I forced myself to give him my signature smile and pretended that we haven''t met before because a small part of me still hoped that maybe, just maybe he''s going to change his attitude towards me this time ...


    But that spark of hope was quickly extinguished when the smile that was on his face a second ago dropped faster than a bomb. He didn''t even bother to acknowledge me and instead looked away, walked pass me and settled down with Cassidy next to him.


    "Don''t mind him. I told you he''s a bit temperamental." Liam whispered into my ear, trying to comfort me.


    Feeling grateful that someone actually cared about my feelings first time today, I offered him a small smile. For the rest of the lunch, I successfully avoided any human interaction with Cole by craning my head to Liam''s direction the whole time and tried to join in their conversation. Not once did I looked at Cassidy or Cole. Even though my neck hurts afterwards, it''s still worth it.


    I stayed with them until it was time for my last lecture of the day, we said our goodbyes and even followed each other on instagram, except for Cole since he left early without saying a word. Everyone didn''t seem phased at all about that so I guess he''s just like that in a normal basis ... which kind of make me feel better.


    But the question is what''s so different about Cassidy ? Why did he treat her differently? Are they together ?


    Just as I was about to dive deeper into that thought, I was suddenly grabbed by my arm and got pulled behind the curbs and tress that were planted beside the road.


    I hissed in pain when my back hit the tree trunk, the rough texture of the bark scratched my skin through my flimsy T-shirt.


    Getting ready to yell at the assailant who did this to me, I opened my eyes which had instinctively shut closed during the impact earlier, just to get drawn into those annoyingly familiar steel blue orbs.


    My heart skipped a beat but then quickly recovered when dread started to spread through my chest.


    "What do you want ?" I said frustratingly while thinning my lips.


    "Shouldn''t I be the one to ask you that question ?" He snorted.


    At his rhetorical question, I threw him a perplexed look. What does he mean by that ? He was the one who pulled me here ...


    Then it clicked.


    The irritation that oozed off from him during lunch and how he wasn''t surprised to see me at first but more like he was already expecting me to be there ... He wouldn''t possibly think ... no way ...The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "You wouldn''t possibly think I joined Cassidy''s group because of you right ?"


    The way he glanced back at me clearly says he was thinking exactly what I said just now.


    I scoffed, "I didn''t even know you''re in it !"


    My attitude seemed to tick him off because without warning, he freaking blew up at me. "Do you think I''ll still believe you ?" He laughed bitterly. "Fucking stay away from me and don''t join us again!"


    "Gosh, how big of an ego do you have ? You''re the one who kept popping up out of nowhere ! I''m sorry to break it to you but YOU''RE NOT MY TYPE! And who the hell do you think you are to control who I want to be friends with ?"


    He laughed again but this time in a more sarcastic way. "Oh you meant Liam huh ? What now ? You want to fuck him instead ?" His face twisted into a nasty scowl.


    Ugh ! Why can''t he understand I''m not that kind of girl ? I might seem desperate to get a boyfriend but I am not planning to throw myself at every single guy that I literally just met !


    Already feeling weary, I gave up on even answering him. I let out an exasperated sigh, "Cole, you''re just so delusional."


    Quickly, I got out behind the trees before he could say anything and continued my walk to the psychology building.


    The last lecture ended before I even knew it, I couldn''t concentrate during the whole time. His words kept on replaying in my mind, I just don''t understand what makes him so determined to think that I''m that kind of girl he was referring to. I am not  initiative nor am I flirtatious, I don''t even wear revealing clothes. So why ? Why does it have to be me that he hates so much ?


    ***


    Knock. Knock.


    I was immediately jolted awake from my power nap when I heard someone knocked on my door.


    I squinted my eyes when the door creaked open, light from the living room seeped through the crack, temporarily blinded me.


    I didn''t know how long I had slept because this power nap was supposed to be 10 minutes long but judging from the darkness in my room, it seems like I had slept for hours. Oops.


    Without warning, someone flipped the light switch in my room. I groaned, swiftly pulled my blanket over my head, refusing to get out of the soothing darkness yet.


    That person walked in and I felt my bed dipped on my left side moments later.


    Whoever that person is shouldn''t have known me for a long time or else he or she wouldn''t attempt to rip my blanket off of me because everyone knows how cranky I am when I wake up.


    I clutched onto my blanket as if my dear life depended on it, "Go away !"


    "Kat. Look what I''ve bought you." He said in a sing song voice and I knew instantly who that was.


    Of course it''s him ! Because no one dares to do this except for Elliot.


    "What ?" I snapped.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to eat this because I won''t hesitate to finish it all by myself."


    I formed a small hole with my blanket as I tried to sniff the air.


    I perked up instantly at the smell of the aroma and I knew he got me my favourite pizza in the whole wide world - Hawaiian pizza ! Yay ! I don''t need to cook dinner myself tonight !


    Okay you guys might be confused why I like Hawaiian pizza so much and trust me you guys are not the only ones, everyone said that I had a peculiar taste in pizza, saying that pineapple doesn''t belong yada yada but hell no I don''t care. Pineapple, ham, tomato sauce and the cheese are literally the best combo ever !


    "What''s this for ?" I asked, trying to suppress my excitement.


    Ells, you''re too naive if you think I will get bribed by one pizza !


    Elliot gave me an apologetic grin, "I''m sorry for today. It won''t happen again I promise."


    When I didn''t respond, he brought the pizza box in front of me and smiled goofily at me.


    I sighed, I swear I could never get mad at him.


    "Apology accepted. But next time please text me first. It hurts to know that you forgot about me." I frowned.


    He leaned in and gave me a hug, "I won''t Katie bear. So we good ?"


    "We good." I bobbed my head as I grabbed a slice of pizza and stuck it in my mouth. I didn''t know how hungry I was until I had my first bite.


    I put on Netflix on my laptop as we started watching Brooklyn Nine Nine while eating the pizza together.


    "Kat. Can I ask you something ?"


    I nodded, snuggling further into the hoodie Elliot gave me earlier.


    "I saw you today at lunch ... with Cole''s gang."


    "Yea. So ?" I looked up at him, "What are you trying to say ?"


    "I think it''s better for you to find another group of friends. They''re not the people that you usually hang out with."


    Stopping the episode that''s playing, I frowned at him. "Well then who should I hang out with ?"


    "I don''t know. Just. Not them." He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the screen.


    "Ells, do you have any misunderstandings with them ?" I asked carefully.


    "No. But I''ve heard rumours about them."


    "So ?"


    He sighed and finally turned to look at me, "Look Kat, what I meant is they''re not good for you. It''s only been a few days since we started uni and they already had lots of rumours flying around them. And most of them are bad, especially that Cole guy."


    By the mention of his name, Elliot instinctively had his hands balled into fists which I found strange but I let it slide anyway since it seemed like he didn''t notice it himself.


    However, on the other hand, I couldn''t ignore the way he talked about them and the resentment that was evident in his voice. And for some unknown reason, I wanted to, strangely, defend them ?


    I blurted it out before I even knew it, "But they''re nice though."


    "Kat. Just listen-"


    I cut him off before he could say another word, "Elliot. I know what I''m doing. Stop acting like my dad !"


    He doesn''t understand me. He can''t, he''s always surrounded by people, he''s literally like a people magnet, but I''m not. It''s easy for him to just ditch his group and another group will be more than happy to take him in but I can''t. He wouldn''t understand how hard it is for me to find a group of friends ...


    We stared into each other''s eyes intensely, both of us refused to give in. After a minute, Elliot let out an exasperated sigh, finally gave in by turning his gaze back at the frozen screen.


    "Just consider what I said, alright?"


    He stayed for a bit longer before heading back to his dorm. I couldn''t help but think what he said, I don''t even know why I was so defensive when he talked about them in that way. I''ve never even considered joining in the first place, but it was just at that moment that I felt like I needed to say something back.


    Ugh ! Honestly what is my problem ? Now I need to stick with them, finger crossed I will get out unscathed because I knew Cole will definitely do something to me. God, please help me !