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┏━━━━━━𖤐━━━━━━┓ chapter one: dark academia ┗━━━━━━𖤐━━━━━━┛
New-Haven, Connecticut March 22, 2009
The bar was packed. In all fairness, it was the last day of spring break, and being the only alcoholic safe haven near campus for miles, the turnout wasn't really quite so surprising. The creme de la creme of American academia, future alumni of one of the best universities in the country, licking salt off a red-head in a crop top. It was Olivia from Marlene's Behavioural Science class, and the girl, it seemed, preferred the practical approach.
"So I, like, told him do go fuck himself," a blonde said importantly, half-finished with her fifth cocktail. She was having trouble catching the straw with her tongue.
Marley snorted, "Oh, did you now? Is that exactly how you said it?"
"I said, "Dear Mr. Dellibey, I don't give a flying fuck about this thesis," Tessa was slurring, her hazel eyes going every which way. Marley sent her other friend Maddock a meaningful look, "So you can shove it right up your pale Irish ass and make it St. Patrick's Day."
"Nah, what she said was," Maddock cut in, holding up his finger in suspense, "Dear Mr.Dillibey, I'll do anything, and I mean anything, just please, please don't tell the Dean." His impression of Tessa was half desperate old Hollywood starlet, half anguished hooker.
Marlene erupted in drunken, overly loud laughter.
"I do not sound like that!" Tessa squealed, comically offended.
"Sure you do when you need something."
"I do not! Marls, tell him."
Marley looked between her friends over the rim of her cocktail glass, trying to hide behind the little umbrella. "I mean, he's not wrong."
Tess threw the both of them an offended glare, "Oh, piss off!" she then glanced at her iPhone, and the look of betrayal was instantly replaced by that of elation, "Holy shit, Marls, it's almost midnight!" she yelled over the music, some Red Hot Chilli Pappers song that had everyone in the bar singing along. It smelled of cigarette smoke, booze and chilli fries, and Marlene was enjoying every second of it.
"Oh my God!" she squealed with equal excitement. Maddock handed her another shot, which she downed with not a second's hesitation.
"Hell yes!" Tess broke in drunken giggles and sauntered to the bar through the thick crowd of students, "Hey! Hey, Eddy," she called out to the handsome barman. Blue eyes, deliciously chilsled features and a smile that had every girl on campus swooning. He looked up at the waisted blonde with good-natured exasperation, amid pouring out shots for other customers, "Can you put on that song we talked about?"
