Friday Night/Saturday Afternoon

Marvin

I'm in my dorm that same Friday night, trying to fall asleep but not really doing so. There's just too much on my mind. We're in, what, October now? And college is already hard. Why did I think I could handle this? Whizzer and Cordelia are there for me, which is helpful, but they're not here at the moment, which is when I'm really stressing.

I want to get up to study a little while longer, but I also really don't want to. I hear a knock on my door, and with a groan, get up so I can answer it. It's probably Whizzer, here to help calm my nerves, even though I'm not quite sure he knows about them.

When I open the door, I'm greatly disappointed by not Whizzer standing there, but Trina. And it's kind of embarrassing, because I'm just in sweatpants and a T-shirt I've had for five years that's barely a shirt anymore. I mean, she's seen me naked, but still.

"Marvin," she greets me, like it's totally normal for my ex-girlfriend to show up at my dorm unannounced at 11PM.

"How did you know where I live?"

"Mendel told me where to get your information," she admits.

I roll my eyes at the mention of Mendel. "What do you want, anyway?" I demand. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I want to meet him."

"Who, Mendel?"

"No!" she exclaims with a frown. "I'm talking about your boyfriend. You know, the one Mendel mentioned? The one you possibly left me for and the one I'll have to go to the same school as for the next four years? I should at least know what I'm in for."

"His name is Whizzer," I inform her.

She raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Shut up. So, what, you want me to just shoot him a text saying, Hey, Whizzer, can you come to my dorm in the middle of the night, please? My ex wants to meet you?"

"Not now. Later. Or, eventually. I just want to meet him, Marvin."

"So why did you come here in the middle of the night to ask me that instead of tomorrow or sometime when I'm properly dressed?" I motion to my clothes.

Trina shakes her head. "Oh, please, Marvin. I don't care how you're dressed."

"Great! Thanks! Can you go now?"

She glared at me. "You could, I don't know, invite me in," she suggests. "Be a decent host, at least."

"I'm deeply sorry, Trina. Would you like to come in and sit at my single chair or lie in my single bed?" I swing my arm in the direction of my dorm in a sarcastic welcoming gesture.

"Actually, no," she huffs. "But I do want you to call me tomorrow, okay?"

"Uh-huh," I say, clearly indicating I'm not going to do that.

"Marvin, seriously. I think it would actually be good for me to meet... Whizzer. That's what Mendel said."

"Why do you even listen to Mendel? You know the guy is just trying to get in your pants."

She turns red. "Marvin! That is totally beside the point..."

I examine her face. "Oh, my God," I groan in a moment of realization. "Do you like him, too? This is sickening." I start to close my door in her face, but she stops me quickly.

"Just let me talk to you!"

"I'll let you talk to me tomorrow when you're invading my personal life and meeting my boyfriend," I say, struggling to shut the door against her.

Finally, it slams, much louder than I would have preferred at this hour. Trina sighs.

"I'm not going to forget, okay?"

"Okay," I mutter, pressing my back against the door as she walks away. God, now I just really want to go to bed. No more staying up late studying. Trina ruined that for tonight.

Whizzer

"CORDELIA."

She looks up from her phone, which she's holding, sitting cross-legged on her bed. I just got back from a shopping trip after sleeping most of the day, so I've apparently missed a lot.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS." I slam a sticky note down on her bed, and she picks it up with a smile.

"I asked Charlotte out."

"I can see that!" I cry. "When did this happen? How long was I asleep?"

She laughs. "It happened yesterday. I put that on the fridge because you were still at school. And we went out while you were either sleeping or shopping."

"YOU GUYS WENT OUT ALREADY?"

"Stop yelling in my ear," she tells me, leaning away. "Yes, we WENT OUT ALREADY. I didn't tell you in person for this very reason. And that you were at school yesterday."

"How did it go? Move." I climb onto the bed next to her, flicking the sticky note away, and stare at her expectantly.

"I don't know. It went fine." She pauses. "Okay, it went great. I'm so glad you convinced me to ask her out!"

"And I'm so mad at you that you didn't let me meet her before you went out."

"Oh, relax, Whizzer. If it makes you feel any better, we'll probably be going out again sometime soon." She giggles and leans back onto her pillows. "I can't believe it. We're both sort of dating people now!"

I'm about to share my excitement, but my phone rings before I can add anything— rude. I glance at it and see that Marvin's calling. Maybe I can call him back later. But I also want to tell him about Cordelia and Charlotte, so I answer it.

"Marvin! Did you know Cordelia finally asked that Charlotte girl out the other day?"

"Yeah, I was there," he tells me. "Look, Whizzer, Trina came to my dorm last night, and I'm just gonna get right to the point— she wants to meet you."

I hesitate. "You... you were there?"

"THAT'S NOT EXACTLY THE POINT OF THIS, WHIZZER."

"You let him be there but not me?" I cry out, holding the phone away from my ear as I face Cordelia for an explanation. "I can't believe you."

"Stop it. Your boyfriend's talking to you on the phone and you're being so extra," she frowns.

I turn back to my phone. "Fine. Sorry, Marvin, what was it you were talking about?"

"Trina. She wants to meet you."

"Oh." I pause. "Why?"

"I don't know! But I guess we're going to need to set that up, because I can't avoid her forever."

"Yes, you can."

"No, I can't. Our classes are evidently so close to each other I can't walk in the hallways without spotting her. Plus, we both know Mendel."

"Just stop talking to Mendel then."

"Believe me, I've tried," he sighs. "Come on, please do this for me. Trina's not that bad anyway!"

"That's not what you said when we almost ran into her in the hallway back in August," I remind him.

Cordelia stares at me. "Are you guys arguing again?"

"Whizzer, it's not up for discussion. I mean, it's the least I can do for her. I treated her pretty badly back when our relationship was coming to an end..."

"And why do I have to be punished for that?" I demand.

Marvin exhales loudly. "This isn't a punishment. And it doesn't have to be today, or next week, or even this month. But Trina wants to meet you and I kind of want you to meet her too."

"You do? Why?"

"Because I just want to get it over with. I'm obviously not going to be able to avoid her, and I doubt you are either. So it's best if we just do it now. Rip off the band-aid."

"That's kind of a weird expression," I remark. "But, sure. I guess I can meet her. Don't make it weird, though. I don't want you to be there."

"Wha— fine. All right, then. I'll set it up."

"Thanks. Bye." I hang up exasperatedly. I look back at Cordelia. "So when are you and Charlotte going out again?"

"We literally just went out a few hours ago, Whizzer. I don't know," she answers.

"That's fair."