Where Is Araminta Green? (ONC 2024)

Chapter 8: Nightly Revelations

"Hey, Jordy!"

Jordan had just laid down on his dorm room bed—ready to spend Friday night watching silly movies on his computer—when insistent knocks and a chipper voice disrupted him. The week filled with seminars and research had exhausted him but he still couldn't resist the allure of the call from outside. Because there was no doubt in his mind about who was outside. So he put his laptop away and he made his way toward the door.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" Jordan asked, having unlocked to find himself face to face with his newfound friend, clad in a bright red t-shirt with a print of Mickey Mouse and pants made up of a patchwork of different denim fabrics. Blending into the background definitely wasn't Derek's style.

"I listened to the episode you just put out." Derek ignored the question and instead wandered right in, sitting down on Jordan's desk chair. With interest, he glanced at the books—on topics ranging from witchcraft to depression-era living conditions—piled up on the desk, bed, and floor, that Jordan had checked out from the library. "Have you been working on that every evening this week? Like that's why you've never tagged along to any evening meet-ups with the rest of the class?"

Jordan shrugged, fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie. "I wanted to get it out as soon as possible," he mumbled. "Since I know people are listening now. I mean, people apart from you. So I wanted to reveal what we had found out."

"I did notice you kept the conversation about my article in there. That was nice of you. You didn't have to do that."

Jordan was aware that perhaps that conversation should have been cut. But he wanted to shine the spotlight on Derek and his article as a thank you for all the hard work he'd put in to help Jordan with his project. Which made Jordan wonder if Derek had even worked on his own project about the endangered butterflies this week.

"I wanted to," Jordan just replied, braving a faint smile. "You deserved a shout-out."

"Well I would want you to come along to the party tonight," Derek countered. "It's the last night we're here so everyone are gathering. And you're done with your episode now, so you have no excuse. You deserve to have some fun."

No excuse except for his disinclination toward parties at least. Jordan had been to a few during his time at college, but always felt like he was floating in the periphery, not quite finding the enjoyment from such celebrations that others seemed to share. "I was planning to just stay in and chill," he mumbled. "I'm not really a party guy."

"Neither am I," Derek replied, spinning restlessly on the chair. "I was just thinking it could be fun to hang out together, like not doing research or talking about school stuff. And I already promised some other people I would show up at the party so I can't really bail."

The fact that Derek was going out of his way to include Jordan made the offer hard to decline. So were the puppy dog eyes directed at him.

"I'm not really dressed for a party." Jordan looked down at his coffee-stained sweatpants. Even though he knew he was about to give in, he didn't want to seem too keen right away.

"I'm sure you got something you can change into." Derek nodded toward the scattered piles of clothing on the floor. Jordan hadn't had time to clean up this week since he was busy editing his podcast every night. "I can help you pick out a cool outfit and then we can head there together."

***

Cold night air chilled Jordan's flushed cheeks as he stepped onto the balcony. After hours spent in the joyous company of his classmates—drinking beer, eating chips, and telling anecdotes from their respective projects—he needed to gather his thoughts for a few moments, away from the buzzing crowd.