The Immortal Pact

"I am so horny," Alex sighed, practically frisbee-ing a plate of baby carrots onto his lunch tray. "Like seriously, horn dog horny." His gay twang made his horny sound particularly so; at least, that was what Miranda thought.

She grabbed a plate of carrots for herself.

On her right, taking up the end of their nerdy three-buddy system, was Trisha. The girl rolled her dark eyes when Miranda turned her way. "We get it, boo! You haven't been laid since God knows when. Now, how about you stop taking up the line? That orange jello is calling to me erotically."

Now, it was Miranda's turn to roll her eyes. Trisha loved her sweets and had the perfect metabolism for them. No matter how much she ingested, the slim girl's caramel tummy never pushed her waistline out further. Trisha's boobs were a different matter. Standing beside her roommate always made Miranda feel like she was wearing a board under her shirt. Those Double Ds had a way of standing out, and though that always came in handy for free drinks from the club, it didn't help Miranda in the dating department. It was hard to whisper sexily into a blonde jock's ear about what she wanted him to do to her when his eyes were magnetized toward her best friend's chest.

"Be nice," She scolded, scooping up a small cup of grapes. Miranda was desperate not to be embarrassed by a summer Bikini when they took their annual camping trip. Of course, she had made herself a weight promise the year before, and all that landed her was a one-piece and a smore of shame. "Alex," she started with caution, "Don't you think maybe you should save s*x until the end of the semester?"

Trisha snorted around a mouthful of jello; she never could wait until they reached the end of the line, "Askin' him to hold off on waiving his who-ha around for almost two more months? Gurl, please! That boy has a well-oiled zipper and a library of condoms stuffed in his man purse. Telling him not to have s*x is like..." She looked around adamantly for a good analogy. Her gaze narrowed in on the fudge sundaes at the end of the line, "Oh my god, they added nuts!"

"The f*ck, girl?" Alex glared over his glasses, "You just left me hanging for nuts?"

"Hellz yeah," Trisha scoffed, "And I plan to put them in my mouth with enthusiasm!"

The student worker scanning ID cards at the checkout looked up at the crew with an annoyed frown. Miranda felt sorry for her. It probably reached a whole new level of annoying having to spend two hours swiping cards and listening to constant sexual innuendos, particularly on a day involving nuts and a ton of October-related treats.

Taking back her card, the girl stuffed it in her jeans pocket and looked around for a free table. That was when one of her hazel curls escaped from its hair band prison, blocking her left eye. "D*mn it," she growled, balancing the orange tray in her right hand so she could attack back.

"Girls, let's eat out," Alex suggested. He swayed his hips from side to side, making for an adorable exit. They had a spot outdoors where they enjoyed vegging.

As much as Miranda wanted fresh air, she wasn't sure she could keep up the wrestling match with her hair, balance the tray, and get her hips to cooperate against the steel door leading out. Following behind Trisha, she tried to spring after her friend just as the door closed, but that only made way for disaster. The sticky tray corner somehow got stuck in the huge handle. In one thrust, the girl almost lost everything.

Almost…

Two strong hands appeared out of nowhere and swept up her lunch just before it slipped from Miranda's fingers. Shocked, her lips dropped into an oval shape. She fish-lined her head up, attempting to prepare a quick 'thank you,' but it never left her lips.

Miranda could almost kid herself that her rudeness was because of being winded or surprised.

Almost…

Standing before the girl was the most excellent excuse of a man she had ever spied with her two doe eyes. He was perfect, no more than 35 and tall… and built… and... she didn't know where to let her gaze settle. Sporting an ideal pitch of black hair, he stared back with crystal blue eyes and a tiny grin that made her insides melt.

"Hey there," the man's voice sounded like warm honey dipped into a refreshing glass of milk. "You should be more careful. We wouldn't want you to get hurt, would we?"

Miranda's cheeks didn't like to play it cool, even when she begged them. Neither did her jaw. The girl could feel the heat rising in her face long before she had time to register that she was blushing. Nodding quickly, Miranda snatched back her tray and moved on. She could feel his eyes on her as she shimmied around him and chased after her friends. It took all her courage to look back, to bring in his suit so finely pressed and his briefcase held tight in one hand. He was here on business and practically radiated the words 'Out of range.'

She almost called over her shoulder. Almost asked him what he was at the college for.

… Almost

Alex stared at Miranda over the rims of his specs as she caught up. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Are you blushing?" Trisha reached out a hand to annoyingly stroke her friend's face.

The girl managed to catch it with more grace than she had when handling the door. "I'm fiiine," Miranda huffed, "Thank you 'oh so much' for asking."

Trisha grinned. It was the widest grin in the world - Still sometimes having the power to freak her roommates out even after all their time as friends. "Gurrrl, you trippin' if you think I'll let this go. You are blushing."

Miranda huffed, making her evasive curl flutter.

Alex reached into his satchel and pulled out a random hair clip. In mother-hen style, he pushed it into Miranda's stray lock and clipped it on top of her head. "Miss Thang doesn't want to tell us who the hottie is. That's fine. I have patience."

Miranda knew what patience meant for Alex. She had about two hours of trying to collect her thoughts. At that time, her roommate would be planning Hell. First, it would come up again over dinner. Later, it would rear its naked head during their reading time. An hour later, just when Miranda thought Alex had gone to bed, she would come hopping out of the shower to find him leaning on the sink. 'Oh look, Miranda, your skin is so red. Almost as red as it was earlier when you saw someone hot but decided to be a heifer and not share with me.'

All the little hints and subtle messages would lead to the big reveal. Yes, Miranda knew Alex very well. He had done it all so many times before. The most recent instance was two weeks prior, when he had noticed her 'gumdrops' were remarkably perky after a trip to the gym. The boy kept up with that one for three days until she finally caved and told him about the Quarterback with a Boner. Living with Best Friends meant no privacy.

Trisha, distracted from going to town on her ice cream, suddenly snapped up straight and turned to the other two. "So, did you guys hear what happened to Mrs. O'Gary?"

Miranda crunched into one of her apple slices and shook her head. Last she had heard about Mrs. O'Gary, their very rambunctious English professor, she had stolen away for a weekend of cabin writing. Her little impromptu hermit expedition always returned with incredible stories, many immortalized by pen and paper. "Is she back already?"

"Nu-uh gurl, she ain't nevah coming back."

Alex choked on his carrot, his green eyes dilating. "Excuse me very much?"

Trisha nodded, her face lighting up over the fact that she knew something her friends didn't. "Yeah, she's like gone gone, y'all. She got super roughed up on her camping trip and had to be flown to Florida to stay with her family. They must find her a sub for the rest of the semester."

Miranda couldn't believe her ears. "Poor Mrs. O'Gary. Is she going to be alright?"

Trisha shrugged, the suspense making her chest puff up. "Nobody knows, gurl. The deets are pretty murky, and she can't seem to tell anyone what happened out there."

Alex and Miranda had begun leaning in, letting the whispering envelop them.

"It serves her right!" A high voice remarked, bringing everyone roughly back to Earth. At that moment, Roxanne and Morgan, the remaining roommates, came purposefully marching up. Roxanne was tying her golden hair rays up into a perfect bun without needing a mirror. Her amazingly tanned skin was bunched up in a frown as she stared down at her three other roommates, watching her in confusion. "Oh, come on, guys! Mrs. O'Gary has been warned about camping alone in Ravenfalls Woods, even in the cabin resort. Things happen out there, and if you go hiking alone, you are just purposefully trying to get hurt."

Roxanne's younger cousin, Morgan, who was equally black in his wardrobe as Roxanne was pink, looked to the sky in frustration. "That is messed up, Roxy. She got really hurt. Mrs. O'Gary was such a sweet old lady."

Miranda watched Morgan with a newfound interest. He was the kind of guy who listened to songs that mostly consisted of screaming. He put on guyliner and painted his nails; his pants had more chains than material. She had lived with him for one whole semester now, and never once in any of that time had she heard him express any kind of sentiment. His honest concern for Mrs. O'Gary was equally as moving as it was mind-blowing.

"Are the cops looking into it?" Alex questioned over a mouthful of cheese cubes.

Roxanne stared at him with disgust before answering, "Well, it's not like they can do much, now, can they? There is no sense in endangering the lives of innocent police officers to search through miles of uncharted forest and try to figure out what attacked an old lady who knew better."

Sometimes Miranda wished she could punch Roxanne in the face for being so bitchy. Sometimes, it was like living with an evil queen from a fairy tale. In those moments, the girl wondered how they had managed to put up with each other for years. Then Roxy did something extraordinary, like helping to braid her incredibly impossible curls, and Miranda remembered how they did it. Roxy swiped up a piece of her apple cup with a cat-eat-the-canary grin.

"Any idea what they will do with her class tomorrow?" Trisha questioned.

"Probably combine us with another group," Roxanne responded uninterestedly. She bounced off in the direction of the cafeteria, and Morgan quickly followed behind his cousin lest he get swept up in a conversation with other mortals.

Trisha watched them go, "That poor b*st*rd."

Alex shuddered, "Wow, guys. Like, I don't think I can eat anymore. That is just super crazy."

Miranda nodded, closing up her lunch for the day. She wished that Mrs. O'Gary had stayed long enough to say goodbye or at least left a forwarding address where she could send her a 'Get Well' card. She wondered if Mr. O'Gary had gone with his wife to Florida or if he was sticking around to get some things in order before he went.

Trisha looked at the afternoon sky with distaste. "Come on, you two. Let's get inside before the rain reaches us."

Miranda eyed her friend in confusion. It was a beautiful, sunshiny day. She followed Trisha's gaze, and her jaw dropped for the second time that afternoon. In the far distance were some angry-looking storm clouds.

They came out of nowhere, racing across the sky like disastrous giants. "But the Weather Man said nothing about rain today."

Alex snorted, "Please, Miranda, when is the Weather Man right?"

He almost always was, she thought.

Almost.

It did indeed rain, much to Miranda's great surprise.

It rained hard.

By the end of study hall, she was soaked down to her underwear from class bouncing and just wanted a fresh pair of sweatpants and a warm cup of cocoa. In an apartment split by coffee and tea drinkers, Miranda felt it was her duty to come up between the two parties with a big mug of chocolatey goodness and marshmallows.

Her mouth was already watering over the anticipated delicious flavors about to explode against her lips. Motivated, she took a shortcut through the gym to stay semi-warm. It was relatively deserted at that hour, except for a few stragglers secretly trying to become ripped by winter break. Miranda sprinted down a hall filled with paper skeletons and ceiling-hanging bats. Her goal was to make it between the lights that still flooded from each of the different workout rooms. It was a game she had been playing for as long as she could remember, one she and her Father had made up togeth