QUICKSAND

P4. Devil on My Shoulder

The air was wet, thick as she inhaled it through her nose, feeling the tiring sting in her thighs from her powerful strides. She breezed past the university's yard, maneuvering her way around the cluster of students. They were scattered across the dewey, wet grass, standing in small or large groups. Usually by eleven the yard would be packed and she'd have to hold on tightly to her laptop bag, scurrying past flying footballs, coffee spills, and sneezy students that fell prey to the Springtime's predators, the allergens. She tried to avoid the people she knew, and made her best effort to speed up the process of walking across the entire campus to a rather abrupt (but urgent) meeting.

Her spaghetti-strap blouse cupped her breasts and fitted her waist, the white fabric outlined with a dark brown accent. The breeze whipped her hair behind her back, the layered, shorter hairs falling at her temples. She wore heeled ankle boots, pointed with a thin stiletto. Her pants were tight, ripped in two places. And in one of the pockets her phone rang insistently, her ex-colleague maintaining his habits. She walked quickly, firmly muting her cellphone and shoving it back where it had been. The shoes gave her height a boost, they were comfortable, and most importantly they were cute. She had a thing for heels.

Kiani pressed her hand into one of the double doors that lead to an empty lecture hall. She forced her breathing to slow as she spotted her colleagues. They stood at the front of the spacious room, quietly talking amongst themselves. Their mumbled, drowned out conversation began to clear as she approached them, dropping her laptop bag onto the desk but the main projector and a computer. Her arms cross over her shoulder as she finally makes eye contact with her two co-conspirators, Rowan and Kazim. This was their usual meet up place, specifically because the room was still under electrical and minor structural construction. A long ladder was left leaning against the wall by a storage closet. Pints of white paint were set over a white blanket on the floor. It wasn't under the right conditions for a proper college lecture, but it was perfect for their regular meetings.

"Yay, look who's here," Kazim announced in his hearty, rich voice, his white smile on display as Kiani came beside the standing pair. His eyes were a lighter shade of brown than his skin, and his buzzed hair was nearly black. The facial hair on his chin made him appear slightly older, though he was a twenty-four year-old graduate assistant. As usual, he was dressed in a colorful, fun short-sleeve button up and fitted pants, a pair of black pointed dress shoes on his feet.

Rowan peers over at Kiani from her phone. She always wore black, thick eyeliner around the bottom lid, a smokey eye enhancing the bright blue of her eyes, lashes coated in jet black mascara. Her brown hair was usually an unruly mess she insisted was a bun. She wore long cardigans with simple tees underneath, jeans, and a pair of flats. Her scent carried the slight wisp of coffee beans and cane sugar. Rowan usually has a bored, mean look to her face, frowning more than not. Her glossy, black fingernails tap the back of her phone, fingers adorned in many silver rings.

"Kiani, nice of you to join us," she flatly mutters, breathing most of her voice into the straw of her iced latte. She settles into the chair behind the desk, plopping down lazily. This was honestly one of the last things she wanted to be doing today, and on her face, that seemed to be painted like a masterpiece. The delivery of her expression perfectly encapsulates how much she seems to hate everything.

Kazim tries to smile at Rowan's typical grouch-like behavior. It's like the coffee doesn't work, so why does she drink it?, Kiani briefly thinks to herself. Despite Rowan's attitude, she was likeable in Kiani's eyes. She was very straightforward and her stoicism was artfully the reason why she was focused, goal-oriented, headstrong. Kiani can appreciate these qualities about her, which is the only reason why they're friends. And Kazim has a solid moral compass, never second-guessing his opinions and his intuition on a subject. His decisiveness and his compassion easily make him one of the few people Kiani is fond of, which he knows. He can get away with giving his opinion even when they're unwanted. But he never seems to steer her wrong.