Gregory Girls Gone Wild - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Rainey woke up at seven a.m. on Thursday morning, feeling quite grumpy. She was warm, yes; in her own bed, yes; but she wasn't alone nor had she gotten much sleep.
A snoring mountain lay next to her, hogging most of the covers. She poked at it.
Nothing.
Yawning, Rainey sat up and rubbed her eyes. She scrutinized the lust of her dreams snoring besides her. Was this the sleepy beauty Rainey had idolized last night? The thick, arched eyebrows, the luscious glowing hair? Now, Danika's ratty hair poked out of the comforter, and her half opened mouth dripped a pool of saliva onto the pillow. Rainey enjoyed this change greatly.
She poked her again. "You snore way more than I do."
A groan from the mountain. "H-huh?"
"Good morning." Rainey got out and slipped on a pair of warm, thick socks.
"W-whaz happening?"
"I'm going to work."
Danika groaned again, and stretched her arms. "Gimme five minutes...I'll be ready."
Surveying her, Rainey felt a stirring of rare pity. "No, I'm giving you the day off. After yesterday, I think you could use some rest."
Danika blinked up at her, her eyes bleary with sleep. For a second, Rainey thought she was about to protest. Then she grinned cheekily.
"Awesome," Danika gave her a sleepy thumbs up. "See you later then, boss."
Rainey ripped off the comforter before Danika had a chance to snuggle deep inside. "Sorry Dani, but you can't stay here. I'm gonna be out all day and I have no idea where Mariah is—"
"That's your fault," Danika grumbled. She wrapped her arms around her own body for warmth. "For fighting with your own sister."
Sighing, Rainey dragged the blanket all the way to the bathroom, relishing in the sounds of Danika's cursing filling the air.
Danika got up soon enough, and both girls quickly got ready. Rainey made two bowls of cereal, plus a buttered slice of toast for Danika.
"Aha," Danika said, sliding into a kitchen chair. She was still wearing Rainey's clothes but she looked much brighter, her hair neatly brushed, and her face scrubbed clean as well. "Breakfast."
"Eat up," Rainey sniffed. She eyed Danika warily.
Danika gulped a spoonful of Honey Nut Cheerios. "Why you looking at me like that?"
Rainey averted her gaze, embarrassed. "I'm not looking at you."
"Yeah, you were."
"No, I'm not, idiot."
Danika frowned, shoving another spoonful in. "What happened to being gentle with me?"
Rainey bristled, her warring emotions threatening to break loose. "About that, Dani. You're not five years old. Stop trying to make me something I'm not."
Danika shook her head. "What, being nice?"
"That's not what I mean." Rainey drummed her fingers on the table. "I'm not a gentle person. I'm mean. I'm hard...like a rock. Like a big, mean rock."
She slammed her fist on the table, as if to prove a point.
Danika picked up the bowl and tilted it, drinking the milk at the bottom. She wiped her mouth, then stared pitifully at the front door. "Hey, Rainey?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you untie my boots?" Danika asked sadly. "I didn't have time to do it last night because of...well, you know. The laces are super knotty."
Rainey rose and went to go grab the boots.
At the table, a shocked laugh erupted. "You are acting strange!" Danika exclaimed.
Rainey turned red, picking at the laces. "Can you just...leave me alone?"
She sat on the floor near the front door, amidst the peal of laughter, and wrestled with not only the damned laces but her own feelings. Did she want to kiss Danika or not?
She scratched her chin. Not when Danika was teasing her like this. And in the morning, with the rays of the early sun clearing the foggy darkness of the night, Rainey's mind too, became clear. She needed to be careful with the sophomore going forward.
There were two paths to take, Rainey thought while picking at the knot. And choosing the one less traveled was not going to be much help.
One. She lingers on the flickering feeling of lust from last night. She confesses it to Danika, making it a reality. Danika severs the friendship because, well, she was fucking obviously straight.
Two. Clipping that random feeling in the bud. She wasn't a sexually-driven machine, was she? Having feelings for any girl that came into close contact? She wasn't a guy, for god's sake, she had fucking morals—she had respect for her female friends.
And losing this friendship, Rainey thought as she shook the boots in distress, wasn't worth pursuing a fleeting horny thought. Danika, however annoying she could be, had proven to be a good friend—one of the better ones Rainey had made in college.
Not to mention the Phoenix Kings were after them. She couldn't afford to alienate Danika now, not during such a dangerous time—she owed the sophomore that, at the very least.
Two laces fell apart within her fingers, harmless and single, like two sister snakes. Rainey planted the boots besides Danika's socked feet, appreciating the satisfied thud.
"Thanks Ran-Ran." Danika was attacking the toast with an obscene frenzy. "How'd you manage to untangle them so fast?"
"Willpower," Rainey shrugged. She coughed. "Alright, I've got a plan about the Phoenix Kings."
"Yeah, they're becoming something of a nuisance, aren't they?" Danika replied. "My phone's blown up with messages. Everyone's worried because I basically vanished." She paused to text something and then looked up. "I think the police are looking for me too."
"Talk to them," Rainey urged. "When you're feeling up to it."
"Should I tell them about the Phoenix Kings?"
"Dunno," Rainey shrugged. "We don't have a lot of information about them, do we? I just acted on instinct last night based off the note. It's not like there was a direct threat."
Danika rubbed her forehead. "Felt like a threat to me."
"We need more information," Rainey said eagerly. "I'm thinking I'll head back to the office—"
Danika slammed the silver spoon on the table. "What? The hell with that."
"But—"
"Are you crazy?" Danika exclaimed, her eyes darkening. "You visiting the office led to this whole mess! There's no way you're going."
"They're messing with us, Dani!" Rainey said fiercely. "The ball's already rolling! The only way to stop it from getting worse is to understand what's going on." She took a deep breath. "While I head to the office, you should contact Ethan."
Danika looked taken aback. "Why him? Why now?"
"We need answers," Rainey answered firmly. "This all started with him. And he likes you, he'll tell you the truth. Text him, call him, just try okay?"
"Can't we go to the office together?" Danika pleaded.
Rainey shrugged. "You're free to come, but the office isn't dangerous, Dani. It's only that weirdo secretary working there." She picked at the tablecloth guiltily. "Also, from now on I'll be honest with you about where I'm going and what notes I get from the Phoenix Kings. And I'll trust you'll be honest with me too."
Danika twirled her spoon unhappily. "I can't say I'm in love with this plan." She looked up. "But I agree with the honesty thing. Constant contact, right?"
"Absolutely. You done with your food?"
Danika nodded and put on her boots, lacing them back together. Rainey rose to get a woolly jacket and her motorcycle keys. She spent a minute in the kitchen, searching for an important item.
After finding it, Rainey joined Danika at the door. She was pleased to see that Danika was holding the paper bouquet.
The weather outside had calmed down to a windless, forgettable day. Danika sat behind Rainey on the motorcycle, yelling directions as they zipped through the streets and onward toward campus.
Obediently entering a nice area, close to where she lived, Rainey spotted a line of pretty-looking orange-bricked dorms standing cheerfully. She blinked in shock.
"This is...nice," Rainey said, staring at the glass windows and small pond in front of the dorm. "Really nice."
Danika slid off the bike. "Come inside?"
Rainey nodded once, secretly wanting to see where Danika lived. She vaguely remembered where she lived freshman year; an old dingus dorm by the main road, with bug-infested beds and cramped toilets. This place, called the Gregory Livings, was great—for Gregory College standards at least—containing spacious rooms with two beds, a clean bathroom, and an apt laundry unit.
They had barely reached the third floor—expensive wooden staircase, Rainey noticed—when they bumped into a girl frantically locking room 413.
She was an Indian girl with bushy hair strangled into two braids and a small mole near her upper right lip. She had long fingers which she fiddled obsessively with and a breathless voice with which she said:
"Dani! God, can't you answer a text normally?"
She hugged Danika wildly, her backpack swinging off her shoulders. Rainey made a move to help, but felt awkward.
"Sorry, Sheba," Danika beamed at her. "I was keeping low, you know me."
"Keeping low!" Sheba said astounded. To Rainey's agitation, the girl—Sheba—kept grabbing at her falling backpack straps unsuccessfully. "When have you ever kept low in your life!"
She checked her watch. "Shit, I've got class."
"Then go," Danika said encouragingly.
"It's Thursday. I can't skip Thursday. I have five of my hardest classes," Sheba told them. She paused, then rummaged her backpack for a key.
"They're really hard actually..." she muttered, unlocking the door ushering them inside. Rainey was pulled in unwittingly. "I'm not going to pass any one of them. Terrible professors. And who are you?"
This last sentiment she directed at Rainey, who was, at the moment, reeling from the oddness of Sheba and the suddenness of being in Danika's dorm room.
"This is Rainey," Danika said quickly.
Sheba looked surprised. "Wow, you're nothing like I imagined. Dani hasn't told me one thing that's put you in a good light."
Rainey shook her head, bemused, while Danika roared with laughter.
"I feel better already," Danika said, hopping onto the right bed. The sheets were navy blue and covered stylishly in gold stars. The left bed, on the far left of the room had maroon sheets which were scattered messily across the headboard.
Sheba dropped her backpack onto the floor and sat besides Danika familiarly, biting her nails. They were close friends, Rainey could tell.
"Um, don't you have class?" Rainey asked, suddenly remembering.
Sheba glanced at her. "I'll just use Danika as an excuse. My roommate had an accident, Professor Riggs. I mean, do they honestly expect me to calculate the torque of a spinning wheel after that?"
Speechless, Rainey only shook her head.
"Sheba's a Chemical Engineering major," Danika said helpfully. Her eyes twinkled as if she had sensed how uncomfortable Rainey was. "Doesn't like it."
"Oh," Rainey blinked. "Then why don't you switch your major?"
Danika and Sheba both burst into laughter, as if Rainey had said the funniest joke in the world. Feeling out of the loop, she stiffly turned around to inspect the rest of the room. It was a typical college dorm at first sight: chest full of dishware, wall covered in lights and pictures, and a window behind the beds, hidden behind a silky curtain.
"So tell me exactly what happened," Sheba demanded. "From top to bottom."
Rainey turned to Danika questioningly.
Danika shrugged. "I've already told her some stuff about the Phoenix Kings. She might as well know the full story."
Rainey hid her surprise and made a gesture as if to go on. So Dani confides in her roommate, she thought, and not in Ryan.
As Danika swiftly explained last night's events, Rainey continued to inspect the room, interjecting once in a while to fill in the parts Danika was unable to explain.
"And you just saw the light looking weird?" Sheba asked Rainey. "And that was enough to tackle her?"
Rainey nodded, feeling embarrassed.
"Well, Rainey's pretty smart..." Danika was saying before changing the subject to Peter Pan's dismal acting skills.
After finishing the story, Sheba sat stunned. "Maybe it's just me, but this feels crazy. The lengths that this group can go to...Dani, I'm glad you're okay but I'm afraid for you. For you both."
Danika smiled, and squeezed her hand. She got out of bed.
"I'm just gonna freshen up..." she said, heading to the bathroom. She patted Rainey on the shoulder. "Make yourself at home."
While Sheba remained silent, Rainey continued her peruse. The room had Danika's small touches of course, the crystal ball on the desk, posters of old 1950s actresses on her side of the wall. Silver feathers hung from either side of the bed, and notes filled with positive messages were taped on the mirror.
Rainey idly inspected a trail of Polaroid pictures tacked onto the wall. To her delight, she found images of Danika's family: her mom, her dad, along with who Rainey figured was Danika's little sister, smiling from the castle at Disney World. Friends too, littered the walls, people Rainey had never met before, all connected to Danika somehow, apart of her life. Feeling strange, she turned around to find Sheba watching her closely.
Rainey's first impression of Danika's roommate had been a frazzled, hot mess of a girl who should perhaps stay off the morning coffee—a sentiment not exactly untrue. But Sheba had sharper eyes than Rainey had accounted for, dark, observant ones that watched her thoughtfully.
Rainey cleared her throat, flustered. She wished Danika hadn't left her alone with someone she didn't know. "Sorry if I offended you. It's none of my business what major you're in."
Sheba tore her gaze away before flopping onto Danika's pillow. "No, I'm not offended."
They spent a minute in silence, Rainey guiltily touching a calendar that read 'OPENING NIGHT' in block letters across three days.
Sheba spoke up suddenly, "My parents suggested I study this major." The way she said 'suggested' made Rainey feel like it was anything but.
"Hate the subject," Sheba continued mildly. "But the one who pays the bills pulls the strings, or so it goes."
Although Sheba's voice was light, Rainey caught an underlying bitterness in her words.
Surprised, Rainey felt slightly more comfortable. "Nice to hear other people's parents can be crappy too."
Sheba looked amused. "I bet I would win the crappiest parent contest."
"Try me." Rainey raised an eyebrow.
Sheba squinted at her, then chuckled.
"What are you guys talking about!" Danika yelled from the bathroom.
Rainey was glad to see that Sheba also ignored Danika's erratic exclamations from time to time.
"I've got to get to work," Rainey said, stretching. "Not gonna lie, I'm glad you're skipping class. You mind watching her today?"
The toilet flushed. Danika sauntered out of the bathroom, shooting Rainey a peeved look. "I'm fine. I'm just gonna take a nap, then talk to the police...Check the theater maybe, to see if we can still go on tonight. I don't know."
"Just watch her," Rainey told Sheba firmly. "She asked me to untie her boots—"
"As a joke!" Danika interrupted, looking scandalized.
"She's more shaken up than she says," Rainey finished. "Take care of her."
"Sure," Sheba said, surprised.
There was a wicked twinkle in Danika's eyes as she settled on her bed. She was still wearing Rainey's clothes with a familiarity that was disconcerting. "Just 'cause you said that, I'm not going to Nutty's tonight."
Refusing to be baited, Rainey said, "Good. You need some rest." She strode towards Danika's bed and squeezed her shoulder. "See you Friday then?"
She nodded at Sheba, who had been watching the exchange with considerable confusion.
"What's on Friday?" Danika asked loudly.
Rainey headed to the door.
"Hey, Ran-Ran!" Rainey heard all the way from the hallway. "What are we doing Friday?"
Smiling slightly, Rainey hurried down the dorm stairs to the lobby, where she sprung open the doors. Unfortunately, unlike Danika's roommate, she couldn't afford to lie in and skip work.
Throughout the morning of water bottle delivery, Rainey's mind raced relentlessly.
Rainey had to admit that it was nice to see where Danika lived. After all the meddling the sophomore did to Rainey's life, it was about time Rainey learned more about hers. Danika had a life outside of work—an acting hobby, a guy attached to her, and a great roommate. Honestly, the only negative in her life was Rainey herself.
She shook her head. Now was not the day to nurture doubtful thoughts. She needed to be on her A-game. Solutions were what she needed—answers.
Around lunch time, after half a day's of grueling work, she drove the delivery truck back to campus, near the main building. The grass surrounding the building was yellow in color, crumbling underneath Rainey's hard shoes. There was a deserted, cracked fountain near the steps that seemed to creak with every step she made. At the fountain, she paused.
Rainey brushed her fingers against the lower part of her back, feeling where the knife that she had whisked from her own kitchen drawer was tucked securely.
Cracking her knuckles, she walked rather casually in the direction of the main building, where Sam Stabbings had better be waiting with a knife of his own.