SHE SAT AT THE  FOOT OF HER BED HOLDING THE ENVELOPE WHICH GERARD gave her two nights before, in her hands. She didn’t open it that night because she wanted to keep it a secret from her friends. Then yesterday, she couldn’t open it because they were bombarding her with questions on how the date went and so on. They wouldn’t leave her side and it killed her because she wanted to see what Gerard gave her. Now was her chance and she turned the envelope over so the back was staring at her. Her fingers were shaking as her pointer went under the flap and slowly ripped one side of it open. Then all of a sudden, the door opened to the room and Kassidy walked in. Seeing her, Nikki quickly took the envelope and crammed it under her butt. “Well, look who decided to join the living,” Kassidy said as she joined Nikki on the bed.

“Yea, I guess I slept in too late,” she replied shyly.

“Oh come on Nikki. You deserved the extra sleep time from your adventure with Gerard two nights ago,” Kass said with a wink.

Nikki smiled at the memory of that night and how good it felt to be reunited with her friend. Kassidy saw how she was smiling and wondered if there was more to that night then what she told them, which wasn’t much. Nikki felt eyes on her and she immediately blushed. “What really went on that night between you two and don’t tell me nothing,” she asked as she playfully pushed her, almost making her expose the one thing she didn’t want her friend to see.

Nikki adjusted herself on the spot making sure that there was nothing showing and replied, “What do you want me to say? I told you all that happened.”

Kassidy didn’t let up on the interrogation. She wanted the truth and she was determined to get it even if she had to be sneaky about it. “Alright, alright. So you went out to dinner and then you came home. But there is something that doesn’t sound right.”

Nikki looked at her friend and she knew that it was lame that they stayed at the restaurant all night and then came home. But she didn’t want them to know that they went to the poetry slab and then lingered outside of the dorms for awhile. She wanted that memory all to herself and not share it with her friends. They wouldn’t understand the love they share over poetry. They never understood her poetic misery of demons devouring her soul and trees that grow fangs in the moonlight. Kassidy punched her in the arm to wake her up from her trance. “Come on girl, I know that you want to keep things a secret but just answer me one thing. Could you do that?”