Chapter Text
'Shit shit shit!!' Blue Sargent cursed as the sudden rain hammered down hard and unforgiving.
She was stranded halfway across the college campus quad and quickly made a dash for the awning just across the grass.
Grabbing her rucksack off her back, she put it down on the counter in front of the closed shutters of the café, shivering in her now soaked clothing.
Hastily unzipping the bag which she cursed now for not being waterproof, she rustled through it until she found the paper, pulling it out.
It was already slightly damp at the top.
'Shit.' She exclaimed again, fanning the paper angrily in an attempt to dry it.
'Er are you alright-' Blue jumped, dropping the papers in surprise as she turned around toward the voice.
A tall gangly boy dressed like a god-damn middle aged golfer dad walked to stand under the awning beside her, water dripping from his hair, eyebrows raised in a question.
Blue paused to answer, mouth open when a breeze blew the papers from next to her on the ground, out towards the pounding rain.
'Oh for f- my paper!' She made a mad dash at the ground grabbing pieces of paper before they blew out on to the wet cement.
The boy dashed forward to help, grabbing a couple of pieces.
She huffed under her breath this time, as she picked up the last piece of paper and pushed all the papers together, jostling the edges in to a neat pile.
When she looked up the boy stretched out a hand with the other pieces of paper in it.
'Thank you,' she muttered, taking them and placing them in the right place in the pile.
His face was so... Open, his smile kind. She hated it.
She turned back, assessing the damage to her bag.
'Got a big paper due then?' The boy piped up again from behind, walking to stand beside her.
'Yep it's due in 15 minutes.'
'Gees.' He said, surprised.
A pause.
'Not the Latin final? I have a friend that has that due today.'
She scoffed, turning around to face him again.
'No, it's Lynburn's final on Australasian oceanography.'
'Ah right.' He shifted slightly putting a hand in his pocket. 'What are you then, a bio major?'
'Women's studies. '
He let a low whistle.
'Whats that supposed to mean?' She was getting irritated now. And the paper was truly due in 15 minutes. Or maybe it was 14 now? The rain continued.
He held up his hands in innocence, 'Nothing, nothing.'
'And let me guess, you're a double major? Politics and International Relations?' She said haughtily.
He grinned now, 'Nope. Just plain old history.'
Blue had definitely had enough of double majors.
'Not surprising.' She said, trying to glare but stumbling over the words slightly.
There was a moments silence as they both stood under the cover, a couple of students dashing past them in the heavy downpour.
Blue stepped forward, sticking a hand out to test the rain and then grumbled in complaint again.
She began tapping her foot despite herself, fidgeting as she stared at her watch.
'You've got yourself quite a conundrum here then?' The boy piped up again.
When Blue turned her head round again, he was now rummaging through a satchel.
'Just a bit,' she hissed. His smile was so annoying.
'Well,' he said slowly, pulling something from his bag, 'I do have an umbrella if you'd wish to borrow it-'
'Are you kidding?!' She looked at his outstretched hand. 'If you had that then-- why didn't you -- are you sure that's alright?' Blue sounded uncharacteristically timid.
'Of course, you obviously need it-' He started.
But she took it from him with a hurried 'thank you!' pulling her rucksack back on and clutching the papers to her chest. She hurried away, not even looking back.
Blue made it in time to the hand in, but by the time she traipsed all the way back to the quad: the boy had gone.
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'Someone looks unhappy.'
Blue dropped her bag and the umbrella on to the floor of her dorm room like dead weight, letting the door slam behind her.
'And also soggy… despite the umbrella?'
Blue glared at Orla, where she lay reclined on her bed, big purple headphones pulled round her neck that were spewing the tinny sound of some bubble gum pop song, text books strewn around in front of her.
'Someone else is studying for once.' Blue retorted, slinging off her jacket and throwing herself on to her bed.
'Har har.' Orla rolled her eyes.
A pause.
'Well I know I'm going to have to drag it from you so... what happened?' Orla sighed, pretending not to be after gossip.
Blue spoke with her head half in the pillow from where she'd landed face down, 'I was nearly late to hand in my final because of the freaking rain. Some dick lent me his umbrella. Then he wasn't there when I went to give it back.'
'Gosh, sounds awful.' Orla mocked, and Blue turned her head in the pillow to glare at her. ‘What made him particularly dick-like?’
‘Oh you know; ridiculous clothes. History major with friends that take Latin. Probably private school. Annoying face.’ She whispered the last part much to Orla’s delight.
‘Wow, an annoying face… I mean that along with the blatant old school flirting, he’s just-‘
‘Flirting?’ Blue’s face screwed up, ‘There was no flirting.’
‘Why else would he randomly give away his umbrella? People aren't that nice any more Blue.’
‘Because he’s obviously rich and doesn’t care about giving his stuff away. Which just made him more of a dick. Are you really arguing that giving someone an umbrella is a flirty thing? Umbrellas aren’t flirty.‘
Orla rolled her eyes, ‘No, but he had no reason to give you his umbrella—Or not to be using it himself, which is really weird if you think—‘
‘-Are we really arguing about an umbrella? This is seriously not even a thing.’
Another moment’s pause.
‘Was he hot though?’
Blue’s look of disbelief as she threw a hand in to the air stopped the conversation.
Orla scribbled some more notes and then: 'So one of those rich kids is having a party tonight.'
'Wow, and yet the earth continues to spin.'
Orla ignored her, continuing, 'This cute guy from my math class is going and I hoped-'
'Ah, now the studying makes sense. Trying to get on my good side.'
'I was hoping you'd come with me.'
'Errr' she faked thoughtfulness, 'that would be a no.'
‘The umbrella guy might be there? Sounds like he’s probably-’
‘And…? That’s just another reason not to go.’
'Oh come onnn,' she whined, 'you always like parties once your there.' She was sitting cross legged on her bed now facing Blue's, as Blue pulled herself up.
'Yeah but not with that crowd, flaunting their wealth and-'
'Lord, save the speech.'
'Anyway, I have work.' She said turning her head. She was in no mood for a party.
'No you don't. It's Thursday night- you never work Thursdays.'
'I guess I hadn't planned on you knowing my schedule so well.'
'Oh come on Blue.'
'Why don't you go with someone else?'
'But no one else is free tonight.' Orla pouted. 'And I really want to go out.' She thought for a moment. 'I'll do all your washing for a week?'
'But why do you need me to go-'
'A month?'
'Why don't you just go with-'
'Aha, I've got it!' Orla grinned to herself.
'You haven't got it...' Blue's eyes narrowed.
'I'll buy all your yoghurt for a month?'
And that's how Blue Sargent ended up going to Henry Cheng's party that Thursday evening.