We <3 Plants

She was tense and rigid as a flagpole, standing straight to attention with her hands folded in front of her. Her eyes were glued to the ground, listening as Magnolia slipped past and opened the door with a small squeak of the hinge. When it clicked back close, a flood of relief washed over her. Evelyn slumped against the wall and grabbed at her head to try and collect her swimming thoughts. She was finally able to breathe again.

So now she had a stranger in her shower.

What now?

That was the question. She wasn't used to playing the host—back home, that was always her mom, and here in Dorm 101, Kimp had always been the center of attention. Not that they ever got many guests anyways, just Jace... and Lotte, that one night. Thinking about that made her want to down another bottle. Was Lotte doing okay since she'd gotten back?

Evelyn sighed and stepped away from the wall. The room span around her like a carousel, but she managed to totter into the living room without tripping over her own feet and hurling her guts up all over the carpet. It wasn't like things could look much worse, but she still wanted to avoid dry heaving all over herself while there was a guest over, if that was possible. Some of her mom's lessons had stuck with her, at least.

Somewhere along the way, she'd found herself in the kitchen. It was modest, only separated from the living room by a curved countertop, a mini-bar stacked beside a small fridge and an oven. She fumbled for a light switch before rummaging through the first cabinet she found. Evelyn couldn't tell you what she'd been looking for; just that she was looking for something. The steady thrum of the shower filled her head as she brushed over bread and cans and stale cereal, finally bumping into a plain mint green box. Her hand settled on it, and after a moment of deliberation, she pulled it out.

'Peppermint Herbal Tea'

It was a stupid gesture, but if she didn't want a cup, then she could drink both. With another sigh, Evelyn went searching back through their cabinets. A pot, two cups, two teabags. It was a familiar process, but as she put the pot under the faucet, she realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd done this. Within a few minutes, with the pot boiling on the stove, it was done. Two steaming cups on a small tray, with the sharp scent of peppermint wafting through the air. The smell filled her head with nostalgia, and she couldn't help but allow herself a small fleeting smile as she picked it up to carry it to her room.

Or tried, anyways. Her arms wavered and she set the tray back down with a small curse under her breath. The tea sloshed around in the cup, not a drop spilled, but it was a close call.

I'll just leave this out here... Falling on her face was one thing. Falling on her face with scalding hot tea in her hands was another. She knew how to choose her battles.

Evelyn muttered complaints under her breath, bringing a hand up to her head. When she brought her hand back down, there was a leaf pinched between her fingers. Her eye twitched. I probably look like a mess... With a glance down at herself, under the kitchen light, she could really appreciate just how pathetic she looked. Dirt and fertilizer was smeared across her button-up, sprinkled with twigs, leaves, and flower petals from her tumble in the bush, with a few odd stains here and there either from the rain or from the alcohol. She didn't want to know what her hair looked like. The rest of her hadn't gotten off easy either. While she hadn't been dripping water like Magnolia, her skirt was a rumpled mess from the wind, and her thigh-highs had been soaked through to the skin.

All she wanted to do was collapse on a bed and forget about the whole day, but first she had to take a shower, whenever her unexpected house guest had cleaned up and left. She just had to hope she didn't pass out halfway through. But first... Evelyn moved away from the counter, staggering her way to the bedroom, rubbing the blurriness from her eyes. She could barely think, but the least she could do was clean herself up.

The shower was still running as she reached the door, her fingers lightly touching the brass doorknob. She had a few minutes, didn't she? Evelyn creaked it open and peered inside. Sushi's tank was the only source of light in the room, a dim filtered white glow that stretched over the piles of dirty laundry and old bottles. A pang of embarrassment shot through her. Fuck... A part of her had just figured that no one else would see her room any time soon after Jace left. Of course she just had to be proven wrong tonight.

Otherwise, it was dark and quiet. Glancing around her, and with a deep breath, she padded away and back toward the front door. Maybe, just maybe, if she was sober, she might've thought it through more. It was stupid. It was risky. It could wait. But her head was numb and dizzy, and none of those questions passed her mind. She was already groping at the buttons with clumsy uncoordinated hands, one at a time, all the way down. Her necklace, a silver snowflake embedded with diamonds, rested against her skin as cold as a blade. A hard reminder, but she ignored it, slipping out of the disheveled button-up and shaking out all the loose debris. After giving it a quick brush, she flipped it inside out, pulling out her sleeves and slipping her arms back in.

Now, at least, she looked a bit less like an idiot. She would've liked to put on a clean set of clothes, but it was better not to risk it. Her heart was racing already; her room was a danger zone as long as Magnolia was in the shower. Even still, Evelyn didn't bother to button up the shirt right away, bending down to peel off the drenched thigh-highs. After a moment of deliberation, she set them by Magnolia's.

That was a bit better, at least.

With a nervous glance over her shoulder, she turned away from the door and began to fumble with the buttons again. Undoing them had been easier than buttoning back up. Her clumsy fingers couldn't seem to thread through the cloth. After what felt like an eternity, her shirt was only fastened up halfway. Fuck... These are so stupid... Who invented these things anyways?

It had not been more than ten minutes but Maggie did not want to be rude and finished her shower quickly. After seeing Evelyn's disheveled appearance, she figured that the girl would want to wash off. A wave of guilt washed over her. I should have offered the shower to Evelyn first. Magnolia thought. It was too late to go back on her decision though, so she decided to quicken her step and get out of the girl's dorm as soon as possible. Mags cut the water off, standing in the steamy stall for just a moment longer before stepping out into the cooler bathroom. Caution moved with her as she walked to the mirror. Maggie whipped the glass until it was free of steam, and glanced briefly at her appearance. Her cheeks were wind burnt and red but other than that she looked relatively the same. Quickly towel drying her hair, she left it un-brushed. It wasn't like she was going anywhere but home. Besides, her hair naturally waved itself if she didn't brush it and sometimes Magnolia thought it was cute.

She wrapped the plush white towel around her bare body, and tip-toed over to her clothes. With much dismay, they were still dripping wet and icy cold. With a sigh, the girl snatched the wet clothing up and tightened her grip on the towel wrapped around her body. Hopefully Evelyn would be passed out and she could just throw her uniform in the dryer for a moment without having to cause much ruckus. It was in that moment that Maggie realized her thigh highs were outside in Evelyn's room and that she was going to have to search for them...

In her towel.

Perfect Mags, just peachy huh... She thought, approaching the bathroom door. Maybe Evelyn would be drunkenly passed out. A girl could dream, couldn't she? Magnolia twisted the knob and gingerly opened the bathroom door, eyes peeled for anyone that wasn't asleep in the bed. Immediately she noticed Evelyn. The girl was standing up, obviously fretting over something. Something about being almost bare in front of Evelyn made Maggie extremely eager to be dressed. She was suddenly extremely aware of how short her little towel dress actually was and how bare her pale shoulders were.

"I'm uh s-sorry. I j-just need my uh... s-sock." It was Maggie's turn to stutter. After what seemed like an eternity she was finally able to spit out what she'd been meaning to say. She inched over to her socks and snatched them up too. "My clothes are still w-wet so yeah... I'm g-gonna put them in the uh.... dryer. Yeah the dryer..." She said her voice trailing off. Maggie cast her eyes to the floor and quickly ushered herself into the living room, pausing in the doorway.

"I left you hot water if you want it." Magnolia basically whispered, glancing at Evelyn over her shoulder for a brief moment. The girl was standing there, her shirt half buttoned up. With a small gasp, Maggie quickly returned her eyes to the floor. She hadn't meant to look at Evelyn like that, she hadn't know she wasn't full dressed. "Oh I'm s-sorry I d-didn't know you w-were uh.... God I'm sorry." The wet haired girl said quickly. Blushing profusely, the Spring girl quickly walked to the laundry room located next to every kitchen. She shut the door behind her, sinking to the floor once she was safely on the other side. What had she just seen? Something inside her sparked, and her breath shortened as though she'd just run all the way across campus. Heat blazed from her cheeks like a sunburn was raging on her skin.

She quickly threw her clothing in the dryer, and cranked it on, heat on high. Damn her uniform, she didn't care if it shrank. She just needed to leave Evelyn's dorm. Something inside her protested though, saying that she wanted to stay. This new feeling in her gut was nauseating and confused Magnolia more than her blushing cheeks. Why would she want to stay? Evelyn was clearly uncomfortable with her there, she'd realized that the second she walked in the door. It was as if the atmosphere had changed, the air become stale and stifling. She must have wanted Maggie gone more so now that she'd seen her with her button-up undone.

Magnolia sank to the floor once more, her face resting on both of her hands. What to do now? I guess I should just wait for my clothing then leave... I'm ready to put this night behind me. She thought, sighing. The cold laundry room floor had begun to seep through the towel so she stood, leaning against the wall. At least the laundry room was private. Magnolia cringed at the thought of anyone else seeing her in the small towel.