"Do you really have to do that?" Ricki asked.
"Do what?" Zac asked. Ricki sighed from her desk. For the past twenty minutes, Zac had been lying on his back on his bed, bouncing a tennis ball on the wall. Every few minutes, it would bounce away from him, clanking on the floor.
"Nevermind." She said through clenched teeth. She was trying to do her reading assignment for her american history class, but Zac wasn't making it easy. She was too tired to go down to the lobby to do the assignment, and she couldn't see Zac stopping anytime soon.
It was only a month into school, and he was already driving her nuts. Against her previous efforts, their room was a mess. His clothes were strew everwhere, and all of his junk was slowly spreading over to her side of the room. Her side was somewhat clean, but she never had any time to tidy it. She was either in class, sleeping, studying, or yelling at Zac to clean up his messes.
"Why do you always study so much?" Zac asked, still bouncing the ball.
"Why do you not study at all?" She asked.
"Because I don't need to."
"Your grades must be something to brag about."
"Actually, I got a 92 on our last history quiz, and the teacher likes me, so what have I got to worry about?" Zac asked, looking over at her.
Ricki clenched her jaw. She had gotten an 88, and she had studied her butt off. How did he do it? He would come home from classes and do baisically nothing the rest of the night.
She began to let her mind wander to the constant thud sound of the ball hitting the wall. She heard it faintly, and the pounding in her temples began to synchronize with the sound of the tennis ball. Thud, thud, thud. She couldnt' take it anymore.
"Could you please stop that?" She asked.
"Stop what?" He asked with a chuckle, throwing the ball again.
"Zac, please?" SHe heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Sheesh." He said. "I'll stop."
"Thank you. Finally." She muttered, turning back to her open book.
They were silent for a few minutes, when Zac got up from his bed and made his way over to hers, which was right beside her desk. He flopped down his back, and bent over backwards to peer at her.
Ricki felt his eyes on her, and she turned her head with an annoyed look to look at him. Her eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Nothing." He said.
"Ulgh." She sighed and went back to reading.
"Why are you studying on a Thursday night, anyway?" He asked.
"Because we have history tomorrow, and I though it might be nice to not be lost for once." She said.
"That class is easy." He said nonchantly.
"That's one opinion, yes." She mocked him.
"yowch."
"What?"
"Why are you always so crabby?" he asked, rolling onto his stomach.
"I just find it highly ironic that you think you don't need to study and that you're just too good to actually care about your grades, and yet you expect people to look at you like you're some kind of God or something." She snapped. "It just perplexes me, believe it or not." She muttered.
"While we're at it, let's talk about you for a minute." He said. "You always study, and you have so much organization. You wonder why people think you're so heinous, but all you do is sit up here and read or something. College is supposed to be fun." He said.
Ricki's eyes narrowed. She slammed her book shut and stomped out of the room. Zac lay on her bed for a moment, wondering what was up with her.
Ricki returned to the room an hour later, her assignment completed, and her mind sorted out. She would go in, and ignore Zac completely. She walked into the room, and he was exactly where she had left him; on her bed, on his back. Except this time, he was asleep.
She threw her book on her desk with a loud smack, not caring if it woke him up. It didn't, so she went into the bathroom to take a hot shower.
She stepped under the hot water, and she began to think about what Zac had said. All you do is study...College is supposed to be fun... Was he right? Was she taking this whole thing too seriously? She hadn't been a big partier in high school, and she hadn't planned on being a big one in high school, either. Maybe she should have more fun. She hadn't made many new friends, unlike bubbly, social, Mary Anne. Everywhere they went, Mary Anne was sure to meet someone new.
When she was through she threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, then walked back into the room, where she found him at her desk, flipping through the history book.
"A ha!" She exclaimed. "You do study."
Zac grinned. "No, actually, I was just flipping through the book, looking at the pictures." He said.
"Whatever." She said with a sigh, picking up her brush.
"Study...me...ha." Zac muttered, closing the book.
"I knew you had to." She said, pulling the brush through her hair.
"Okay, okay, I've been discovered." He joked, putting his hands in the air in mock defense.
"Yeah, that's what I though." She said with a laugh.
"Well, now that I've been discovered, what about you?"
"What about me?" She asked, setting the brush down. She picked up her towel and patted her damp head.
"Do you secretly party? I haven't seen you with anyone other than Mary Anne."
"Thanks." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Well that's not what I meant...oh, nevermind." He muttered.
"No, I like to party." She said.
Zac just looked at her skeptically.
"Okay, so I didn't do much in high school."
"Much?"
Ricki broke into a grin. "Okay, not at all." She said.
"That's what I thought."
"Hey!"
"We just need to get you out more."
"Gee thanks." She said, rolling her eyes. She sat down on her bed and leaned against the headboard. Zac moved to the other end, and sat up to talk to her.
"Seriously though. You need to get out, meet some people." He said.
"Uh, I guess." She said.
"Well then don't say it like that." He joked. "You gotta be pumped!"
"Okay." She said.
"My new friend Nate invited me to a party tomorrow night. We should go."
"Oh, I don't know..."
"See? There you go. Being all carefull and stuff. You gotta live." He said with a laugh.
"I guess." She said.
"Aw."
"No, I want to go. I serviously want to go." She said.
"Great. It's set. Tomorrow night."
"Okay. I, um, can't wait."
"Oh jeez."