“There’s no way.”
Month old cans rattled out the way of her frenzied pale hands.
“There’s really no way.”
The pale hands grasped onto a celadon-colored shirt, the one she had worn ever since junior year.
A giant coke colored puddle resided on the shirt, narrowly missing the patch she had sewn on half a year prior.

“Urk-
Alex lifted the shirt she had been wearing for months on end and aired out the rest of the soda, eyeing the damage. She’s usually quite careful about preserving food, but her focus on her latest project caused her to knock over a free coke she had gotten from an event on campus.
With an annoyed click of the cheek, she dried her shirt off out her window and contemplated what to do next.

Whenever she worked with chemicals, she usually took off her shirt in place for a ratty, too small tank top to avoid damages or stains, uncaring to if the chemicals splashed on her. Her work was her priority after all! However, keeping her clothes useable was important. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to afford the already meager amount chemicals she uses from the university’s labs.

As she was pacing, her old Nokia appears in the corner of her eye.
Jade.
She had done Jade a favor in the past, let her copy her notes and do a part of her assignment from when she was playing hooky with her mates. It took a lot of flattering Alex’s intellect to get her to agree, and by the end Jade was red with frustration and Alex was grinning smugly ear to ear. Maybe she could ask them to buy her a shirt and use their washing machine? That would be so unbecoming! Alex is supposed to be independent! Besides, that shirt meant a lot to her. She bought it herself from a thrift store and has never let anyone else handle it.

As Alex was considering ordering a white shirt packet from Walmart, with the downside of only eating one meal a day for two weeks, she heard a buzz from her phone.

Jade.

The two usually didn’t speak outside of their quarrels during classes, but recently they had been talking a tad more. Since the pairing for the group project in biomed research was coming up, they wanted to be sure they could work together on the off chance they’re paired together.
Like that would ever happen.

Alex picked up her phone.
J- “I just realized I haven’t actually texted this phone ever since I got your number, this works right?”

On pure instinct (and not wanting to text using those buttons), she called Jade. She picked up rather quickly.

“You know how I covered for you in class the other day?”

“Jesus, you could’ve said hi first. Why did you call instead of just texting me?” Alex could practically hear her eye roll, and it made her fume.

“Texting on this phone is tremendously slow and I don’t have time to stay like this! I need you to buy me a cheap shirt from Walmart and let me borrow your washing machine. I’ll pay you back and dry it myself.”

A moment of crackly silence passed before Jade replied.

“Couldn’t you at least say please?”

The fake, mockingly saccharin nature of their voice set off a fire in Alex temper.

“No. Now will you help me or waste my time?”

“Tch, I’ll help if you stop being persnickety at me. Say please and I’ll help you out. Also, you don’t need to pay me back or dry it yourself.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“Nope, I’m dead serious.”
A moment of silence passed between, Alex infuriated stutters and Jades muffled giggles being the only noise audible.

“Fine. Will you please fetch me a shirt and let me wash my clothes in your dorm?” Jade laughed at her clear struggle with basic manners.

“Yeah sure, why not? Also, I’ll do you a solid whenever you need, you don’t need to bring up past favors for me to help you.”

“Wha- Why’d you make this so difficult then?! You could’ve just said yes!” Alex burst with exasperation, and then heard a door open as Jade replied.

“Because A. You need to have some manners, and B. It’s funny.”
“Gh-“
Jade hung up before she had time to complain at her.
Typical.

About 7 minutes had passed until Jade arrived at her dingy apartment, a way aways from campus.
“I’m hereee!” Jade announced in a sing-songy voice. The place was filthy, with strange looking people eyeing her pockets. She shrugged; it couldn’t possibly be that dangerous.
The sound of multiple locks being unlocked before a hand appeared from the slim gap between the door and the wall, clutching 5$.

“You chowderhead, I told you that I’m not taking your money!”

“Well too bad, I’m not owing you anything!” Her refusal just made her more determined to

“First of all, you wouldn’t owe me anything, and second I knew you’d say that so I’m giving you an old shirt of mine.”

Some silence passed before Alex simply said “oh.”, put away the money, and snatched the shirt.

It was huge on her and seemed to be a plain white tee from the front, with a Marina and the Diamonds logo on the back. It was incredibly faded.

“It’s just some old thing from middle school, too short on me but also too wide. It doesn’t fit me so… this is the best thing I could’ve done with it. When are you letting me in anyways?”

Right as she said that Alex opened the door. Instead of her normal outfit, she had sandals and the newly gifted shirt on. It went to her mid-thigh. With her shirt and old jeans clutched in her hands, she locked the door behind her and looked up at Jade.

“Let’s go.”

“Oh, I uh, thought I was going to get let in first.” Jade hesitantly said, caught off guard. They’d never seen Alex in clothes other than their normal outfit. She looked… like the same blockhead she always is. Not cute at all.

“It’s a mess.”

“When did you care about being neat?”

“Right now.”

The walk to Jades car was a tad awkward. The constant stream of consciousness flowing from Jades mouth was cut off by Alexs deafening quiet and the look of her in their old shirt.

“What happened to get that stain on your shirt anyways?” Jade said, attempting to break the silence.

“Ah, I was working with some chemicals, and I knocked some soda to the ground, and it spilled all over it.” Alex shrugged.

“The ground? Doesn’t that mean you were wearing something else?”

“Just some tanktop I got from a curbside; I try to avoid damaging my usable clothes.”

Jade turned her head to her with concern. “But the chemicals could damage you! That’s unsafe, you need proper protection.”

“It’s fine, it barely happens anyways. Besides, when did you start caring?” Alex said with a scoff.

“Right now.”

Alex glared at her. “You know I hate when you repeat me.”

Jade simply snickered.

When they arrived at her dorm Alex looked up at her, embarrassed.

“Can I clean my jeans too?” she muttered.

“Why not?”

Jade tossed the clothes into her beige washing machine, turning it on while Alex looks around her dorm. She had only been here a few short times, and it was mostly both of them bickering to the door of her home during an argument or Jade allowing her to borrow study material so they’re on the same level during grading periods. Jades room was could only be described as soft and lavish. A very organized desk sat near her TV, a large icterine canopy resided above her bed that housed a large amount of plushies next to large, possibly feather stuffed, silk pillows.

Needless to say, Alex felt a touch intimidated in her room.

“Well, you can take a shower while you wait for the clothes to finish washing.” Jade had said this while flopping on her oversized bed and turning on the TV. “I have games if you want to do that instead.”
“Aren’t I already using too much of your water?” Alex shuffled while saying this, eyeing Jades game collection intensely. They had a PS3 and with a huge collection, and she had a feeling she also had the PS4 preordered.

“It’s not like I pay for it. Besides, you use too much of my patience every day and you don’t ask about that.” Alex could almost hear Jades eyes roll.

“I care about your patience as much as you care for mine.”

Jade sat up. “It’s not like I start our fights.”

Alex glared at her. “The things you say are stupid and should be corrected.” Rolling her eyes, she continued. “Even if I start it, you egg it on. You’re just as culpable as me.”

Jade shook her head. “Just go take a shower before we start arguing again, I already know who’s right.”

Usually, Alex would continue the argument from here, but then remembered she hadn’t been graced with the opportunity to bathe in a few weeks and decided to take the opportunity she had.

She walked to the bathroom door before stopping and muttering something.

“Thanks.”

Before Jade could say anything, she had shut the bathroom door.

She was grateful Alex couldn’t see her smile.


When Alex emerged from the bathroom, Jade had to insist she dried her hair a bit more thoroughly before she ruined her floor with the dripping water. Once she sat down, Jade passed her a dark purple PS3 controller.

“You look like the kind of person to like video games. Here, I’m going to go hang out with my friends and you can stay here.”

“You’re letting me here alone?! What if I steal something?!”

“You’re too prideful to do that.”

Before Alex could bring up her multiple shop lifting experiences she had with her mother and father, Jade was already out the door, and she could hear a car pull up outside.
She got a text on her phone.
J- Youre clothes are in the wash btw
A- *Your
J- shhh
Alex put down her phone and looked ahead at the TV.

Now what?

Well, she could ponder how giving Jade the trust to handle her beloved shirt could be the same as being alone in her abode, but she had better things to do than think about emotions.
The PS3.
She was honestly quite excited to try the games. It was only 12 o’clock and she had time to spare. Maybe it’ll remind her of home?
She pressed the first game that sounded familiar.

“Guilty Gear XRD? I think my dad played the original at a friend’s house one time…”

When Jade had arrived home, late into the evening, Alex was still playing.

“Good god, aren’t your eyes tired?”

“Not really.” Alex muttered, glued to the game. The sight was kind of endearing, she was very absorbed in her game.

“So, I was right about you liking games?” Jade had sat next to her on the bed, watching the gameplay but not quite understanding it.

“I guess you were.” Alex still was attempting a difficult combo, and when she failed, she uttered curse words under her breath.

They sat in comfortable silence until Jade asked Alex a kind question.

“Do you just want to sleep over?”

“Yeah.”

After about 30 minutes of watching Alex play, she had laid down and closed her eyes, listening to the clicking of buttons and seeing flickers of light from her closed eyes.

“Why do you have all these games and yet have no hours playing?” Alex inquired.

“Eh, I don’t like games much, but my parents wanted to gift me some games in case friends came over.”

“Well tell them I said thanks.” Her tone was uncharacteristically light and twinkly, and for unknown reasons Jade started smiling too. Weird.

“Will do.” Jade chuckled. “Why do you like games anyhow?”

“Reminds me of my dad’s stories about playing them as a teen. Whenever me, dad, n ma’ had enough money to spare, we’d go to this run-down arcade and play the games there till closing. Didn’t happen often, but it was nice.”

A warmth filled Alex’s chest opening up like this, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so candid, if at all. She then realized she was opening up to Jade.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to speak so.. informally.”

“It’s alright, I like hearing you talk about your family.”

“… Can I continue?”

“… of course. It’ll be my bedtime story.” Jade smiled thinking about it, a part of her hoping Alex noticed,
“Well, my dad used to talk about how in his old punk houses, there was this stolen NES, and they played this fightin’ game there…”

The rest of the night was filled by the noises from the tv, the clicking of buttons, Alex’s stories, and the eventual snores from Jade.

Alex noticed her fall asleep minutes after, and slowly made her way to the tv, shutting it off and laying at the foot of her bed with one of her spare blankets and pillows.

It was the earliest she had slept in a while, and probably the best sleep she had gotten.