October Ghosts. Jenny Plumb

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      Chapter 1

      Olivia glared at the back of her roommate's head. "Come on, Paula, the guys are waiting for us."

      "Do you believe in ghosts?" Paula asked, keeping her eyes focused on the mirror in front of her as she touched up her eyeshadow.

      "What? No." Olivia wondered where this strange tangent had come from.

      "Really?" Paula asked, glancing at Olivia's reflection in the mirror. "Not even a little?"

      Olivia tried to come up with a way to explain herself without offending her roommate. "Real life is scary enough as it is."

      "You think real life is scary?" Paula rolled her eyes. "Please. You're a privileged white girl with middle-class parents who are helping you pay for college."

      "Okay," Olivia answered with a shrug, refusing to point out that Paula could also be described with that same sentence. Those were facts that neither one of them could deny, but those facts didn't negate Olivia's previous statement. She was literally the redheaded stepchild of her family, and her childhood had sucked, but there was no point in arguing. She'd only been living with Paula for a week and a half, since the beginning of fall term at Northern Oregon University, but Olivia had quickly figured out that Paula was fanatical about her viewpoints, and she no longer put in the effort to disagree verbally. "Are you done?"

      "Almost." Paula focused back on the little mirror on the inside of her closet door and opened her mascara.

      Olivia was genuinely trying to get along with her new roommate. On the surface, they had plenty in common, so Olivia understood why the university's housing system had put them together. Paula was majoring in Psychology and Olivia in Art History with a minor in Psychology. They were both native Oregonians, and they were both night owls. But their personalities were polar opposites. Paula was outspoken and brash, while Olivia tended to be introspective and quiet with her opinions.

      "Your makeup looks great already," Olivia said. In her opinion, Paula didn't need any makeup to be classified as beautiful. She was tall and curvy with a tiny waist, and she had long black wavy hair that went down to the middle of her back.

      "I haven't even put on my lipstick," Paula answered. "You may not care about looking good for Jessie, but I want to look perfect for my boyfriend."

      Olivia bristled and crossed her arms. "Jessie's not my boyfriend. I've told you that before." She pursed her lips instead of saying more. Olivia and Jessie had met back in June during summer term at NOU, and they'd connected almost immediately through their mutual love of art, kink, and kinky art, but now they were trying to include their respective roommates in their social circle. So far, it had been a struggle.

      Paula shook her head. "Friends with benefits then. Whatever."

      Angry, Olivia kept her voice level with effort. "We've never slept together, and we never will."

      Paula glanced at her through the mirror again. "I hope he hasn't tried to tell you that he's gay to get close to you. I've seen the way he looks at me. He's not gay. Bi maybe, but he definitely likes women."

      "I СКАЧАТЬ