Nobody Loves me

Selene's POV

The first thing I noticed was the smell, like stale coffee and old books left too long in a damp room. My eyelids felt heavy, weighted down. When I finally managed to pry them open, unfamiliar ceiling tiles stared back at me.

Where was I?

"Oh good, you're awake!" A cheerful voice made me turn my head, sending a little spike of pain through my skull. A girl with short black hair streaked with violet sat perched in a nearby armchair, watching me with curious amber eyes. It was Maya, the same girl I'd seen in the hallway earlier. "I was starting to worry."

I tried to sit up, my body protesting with every movement. "What... where am I? and why am I here?" I looked around

"The faculty lounge, I found you collapsed in the hallway about twenty minutes ago. Are you okay?"

Fainted? Again? And why couldn't I remember anything? The last clear memory I had was talking with Drey near the shuttle stop. After that, there was just… nothing. Something nagged at the edge of my consciousness, like trying to recall a dream that slips away the moment you wake up.

I pressed my palm against my forehead, hoping to stop the slight headache "Why did I faint?" I asked, struggling to sit up properly. "What happened to me? I don't understand, I was in the parking lot…" I paused, frowning. It was somewhere, but I couldn't pull the memory forward.

"What do you think happened?" Maya leaned forward, like she was genuinely trying to work through it with me. "Do you remember anything at all?"

I shook my head, frustrated.

Maya tilted her head, studying me. "Maybe you skipped lunch? Low blood sugar can do that sometimes."

I had eaten lunch. I remembered that clearly, sandwich that tasted almost terrible and coffee. But everything after leaving Lily was just... gone.

"Did you see anyone else?" I asked, though I wasn't sure why the question felt important. "When you found me, I mean?"

"Nope, just you." She shrugged.

I swung my legs over the side of the couch, testing my balance. Whatever had happened, I felt strangely... better. The pain in my hand had gone totally. I rolled up my sleeve to check the wound, but there was nothing there, not even a mark.

"That's weird," I muttered.

"What's weird?"

"I hurt my hand earlier this week, but…" I stared at the unmarked skin, turning my arm in the lamplight. "It's like it never happened."

"Huh. That is strange." Maya's expression didn't change.

"I should probably head back to my dorm," I said, standing slowly.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You still look a little pale."

I did feel okay, better than okay actually. But that nagging sensation persisted, like I was missing something important. "Yeah, I think I'm fine. Thank you for staying with me, Maya. That was really kind."

"Oh, it was nothing." She waved dismissively with her pretty smile.

"Are you headed toward the dormitories?" I turned to ask as I walked toward the door.

"No." She shook her head. "I live off campus."

"Isn't it a bit late to be traveling alone?"

"What?" She laughed, "I love the thrill."

Despite everything, I found myself smiling back and letting out a little laugh. "Me too."

I liked her already.

Walking back to my dorm, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was forgetting something crucial. The missing hour bothered me a lot. Was I having some kind of medical issue? Memory problems at twenty one seemed unlikely, but what else could explain it?

Maybe Maya was right about the low blood sugar. Maybe I just needed a good night's sleep and everything would make sense in the morning.

"You're back late," Diana grumbled from her bed, voice thick with sleep.

I gently closed the door behind me, whispering an apologetic "Sorry."

Sitting on my bed, exhaustion finally hitting me, I was still turning the evening over in my mind. Maybe I really did need to go to that party tomorrow, clear my head and have some fun. I flopped back against my pillows and pulled out my phone. No messages.

I sighed. I guess no body loves me.

One thing about being considered pretty is that everyone assumes you're constantly surrounded by people, so they don't bother reaching out. They think someone else is already talking to you. Lovely world.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, my phone buzzed with a text from Drey:

Hey, hope you made it back to your dorm okay. You seemed pretty tired earlier. Still on for tomorrow night? Can't wait to see you there. Sweet dreams, beautiful.

I smiled as I texted him back.

⸻

"What about this one?" I held up a red dress against my body, turning toward the mirror.

Diana glanced up from where she was carefully applying mascara at her desk. I'd asked Drey if she could come with me tonight, just in case I did something monumentally stupid, and sweet Drey had agreed without hesitation.

"Too much," she said, crinkling her nose. "You'll look like you're trying too hard."

I tossed it onto the growing pile of rejected outfits on my bed. "I don't know why I'm being so weird about this. It's just a party."

"Uh-huh." Diana capped her mascara and spun around in her chair. "Just a party where Drey will be. The same Drey who's been texting you sweet dreams every night."

I tried to hide my blush

"And you guys are going to be like the hottest couple in school!" she squealed, already lost in her romantic fantasies, causing me to smile broadly.

I pulled out a black dress, simple and fitted, with thin straps that showcased my shoulders. It hit mid-thigh, making my legs look endless. "This one?"

Diana's eyes lit up. "Now that's perfect. Sexy without screaming 'please take me home.' Though if that's what you're going for..."

"Diana!" I laughed, heat creeping up my cheeks.

We'd grown so much more comfortable with each other since that first time we met. Maybe all introverts had their wild sides hidden beneath the surface, and I loved discovering hers. Though she definitely wasn't as crazy as I could be, or like Maya. Maya seems a little too crazy.

I slipped into the dress, checking my reflection. The fabric hugged my curves in all the right places, and the color made my skin glow. "I look okay?"

"You look like trouble." Diana grinned. "I mean, you are trouble though, but the best kind"

An hour later, after Diana had insisted on doing my makeup and I'd changed my mind about shoes three times, we were finally ready.

Lets go have some fun.