Bluff

"We're still on for Friday, right?" Marrissa asked, knowing that Kory was at the studio much more often now.

Nodding, Kory clutched her binder to her chest. "Yeah, of coarse. Remind me to tell my dad after class, though." The two walked through the crowded corridors, avoiding any confrontation.

"So, what about this Brian guy?" Marrissa questioned. She knew as much about him as Kory did, but surely she could find something online about him if he was in a band where you could't go a day without seeing some kid wearing their shirts.

Kory sighed heavily, and cursed loudly at a young-looking kid who bumped harshly into her, before replying to her best friend. "Damn first years," she mumbled, "I honestly don't know. I feel so bad for being so rude at the shop but he's so...needy. He won't even restring his own guitars and honestly it pisses me off," she answered, clearly disgruntled.

They finally arrived at the stairway to the third and fourth year girls' dorms, finally relieved to be around people who made sense, people who had some respect for others. Ashleigh Tanner, a short, blonde, good girl, waved at the two as she walked the way they had come with a bright smile planted on her face.

Marrissa pushed her dark, shoulder length hair behind her ear. "Maybe it's just the way he grew up," she suggested. They finally reached room 321, unlocking the door and walking into the familiar room.

First walking in, you'd see a small kitchen, a marble-top bar separating the kitchen and the hall. A small, stainless steel stove stood against the west wall, the same marble-top being the surface of two counters on either side of it, cupboards above and below. The stainless steel refrigerator against the south wall matched the stove, and the only contents inside were off-brand whiskey, a few wine coolers, and a carton of eggs. The freezer held nothing but a few half-empty ice trays.

The living room was rather open, a single black sofa was pressed against the east wall, a large window on the north wall, and the thirty-five inch tv stood on the black stand against the west. Several game consoles sat on the one shelf under the tv, though only the Xbox was plugged in. Assorted video games were lined up next to the wall, movies and blue-rays on the other side of the stand. Several cords and controllers lie on the ground, most of them tangled within something else.

Between the kitchen and lounge, was a long hallway. on the left hand side, the first door you came across was Marrissa's closed bedroom door, painted to look like a glossy-wood. At the very end of the hallway was the decent-sized bathroom. And, on the right hand side, was Kory's room, different posters covering the door. And, at the end of the hallway, was a coat closet that the two girls used specifically for shoes.

Both girls set their books on the bar, and walked into the living room, retreating to the black sofa. Kory grabbed the xbox controller from the side table, turning it on and waiting as Netflix loaded. "I don't know," she muttered. The thought of Brian angered her, though she couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

Marrissa stood up then, walking to her room. "You know, maybe he's not that bad," she said, hopeful, as she changed into a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top.

"He irritates me, but I feel guilty about feeling that way," Kory replied. "What do you wanna watch?"

Quickly pulling her hair into a hair tie, and pushing the stray pieces behind with a headband, Marrissa grabbed her laptop and walked out into the living room. "Watch whatever, I'm doing some research on this guy."

Kory cocked an eyebrow in confusion, before shrugging it off and deciding on Sherlock. She grabbed the thin, fleece blanket from the back of the sofa, pulling it over her legs.



Korrissa opened her eyes to see that Marrissa hadn't moved form her spot, the xbox was now shut off, along with the lights, and because of the large window in the lounge she could tell that it was well past nine o'clock.

"Don't flip out, it's okay," Marrissa said quickly, seeing the look of panic cross Kory's face, "I answered your phone at three, it was Mason. He told me to tell you to get some sleep," she added. She knew that Kory was stressed, especially with this Brian guy. Kory was a genuinely nice girl, but there had always been some people she just didn't like. And, Brian being one of them, she was stressed and had gotten a D on her trig test, which she had studied weeks for.

Sighing, Kory relaxed into the sofa, focusing on the slowing pace of her heart. Once she had calmed down, she slid towards Marrissa, lying her head on her shoulder. "What'd you find out?"

Laughing, Marrissa nodded. "Well, let's start with his hair," she suggested, pulling up a document she had used to keep interesting facts, a smirk on her face.

The two had spent a few hours talking about Brian, and had gradually moved into the subject of Matt, who Marrissa clearly had a thing for. Kory had loved the adoration in Marrissa's eyes when she beamed about Matt, it was the cutest thing. It had been about eleven thirty when Kory's cell phone vibrated next to her, Jimmy's name flashing across the screen. Saliva played loudly just a few seconds after her phone vibrated.

"Hey," she greeted, giggling softly at the face Marrissa gave her. "What's up?"

"Kory! I missed you today! What dorm are you in? I had a present for you, but you never showed up!" Jimmy sounded somewhat disappointed, but the enthusiasm behind it was evident.

Kory laughed. "They won't let you come up here past eleven; curfew. I'll be down in just a second," she replied. She had always hated the thought of people giving her presents, but everything was different with Jimmy; he was so carefree and Kory couldn't help but to be the same when he was around.

She hung up the phone then, grabbing Marrissa's hand and tugging on it gently. "Come on, it's just Jimmy. He'll be your best friend, I promise."

Marrissa laughed, and the two walked outside, making sure to grab Kory's Slytherin lanyard before letting the door close. They greeted a few of the girls who still roamed the hallways, finally walking into the front lobby, which was pitch-dark until the motion censored lights turned on, giving both girls a clear view of the tall, dark haired Jimmy who was arguing with the night-time dorm guard, Simone.

"Hey, Simone, it's okay." Kory rested a hand on her shoulder, nodding towards the hostile female. "He's my brother. It'll only be a few seconds."

Simone was the girls' dorm night-time watch, everyone had called her "Sargent Simone" seeing as it seemed she constantly had a ruler down her back, and she was always so hostile with everyone. She was pretty understanding about letting the girl's take in a few of their boyfriend's during the night, but unless she had seen them before there was no getting past her.

She gave a small nod to Jimmy, before letting him into the lobby. The three sat on the stairs, Marrissa much quieter than usual.

"Jimmy, this is my best friend Marrissa. Marrissa, Jimmy," Kory introduced, hoping that the slightly awkward moment would pass quickly.

"Hey there," Jimmy greeted, a smile on his face. "So, we all asked Mason why you weren't in the studio today but he said it was because you were sick. When I asked him again when everyone was taking a break, he explained to me that you were stressed because of school, and mentioned something about Brian. I just wanted to say that he isn't as bad as you think. Also, I wanted to give you this." He then pulled a small, flat, rectangular object out of his pocket. It was wrapped in Christmas paper that clearly had come from the studio - it had been there for about two years, when the failed idea of a Secret Santa had surfaced.

Taking it between her slender fingers, Kory laughed and began to gently pull the paper off. When it had all been revealed, Kory grinned as she realized it was a coupon for a free tattoo at one of the local tattoo parlors. "No way!"

"Yep. Apparently if you get so many, and your cousin owns the place, you can get a free tat and I figured that you were a little deprived," he said, letting his fingers ghost across a few of the tattoos on her right arm. "But it expires tonight, so we better hurry."

Kory looked at Marrissa, who shared as much enthusiasm as she did. "Let's go!" Marrissa exclaimed, standing up and hurrying towards the front entrance.