Kacey is leaning against her headboard, and Judith is sitting in her place. Her back is to the wall, her knees are to her chest, and her arms are holding them in place. She's staring at the floor between the beds, listening to the rain dripping on the windowpane.

Juniper, Kacey, Jennifer, and Veronica are staring at her, expecting her to continue explaining why she's discolored beneath her clothes, but all that she's mentioned is the accident.

Mary enters the room, holding a whole roll of tissue in her left hand, and hands it to her old friend. Judith's eyes climb Mary's torso until they land on the baby blues looking down at her with pity. Her hair is tucked behind her left ear and draping down her face on the other side.

Mary returns to her position on the bed as Judy slowly takes the roll into her hands.

"Are they still singing downstairs," Veronica asks, and Mary sniggers, then nods.

"They're blasting music from the little radio that Ms. Ethel gave them," she says. "I passed through when they started playing Candygirl. As much as I think that Frankie and his band are mouth-watering, there's only, but so much I can take of them."

"I dig it, girl," Veronica says with a humorous huff. "Those airheads serenaded me when I first walked down that hall. I absolutely hate the song Ronnie because of how many times I've heard it sang or played for me."

"It's so cute, though," Mary tells her, and they all share a laugh, except Judy. Judith wraps the strip of tissue around her hand and then tears it off the roll. "God, I wish someone would serenade me for a change. If Frankie Valli scooped me up one night and sang to me under the stars, I would be all his."

"You're funny." Veronica sniggers and Judith smiles under the tissue cleaning her face.

"Fuck, Marry, Kill?" Mary sits with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. They exchange glances to see who wants to go first.

"Are we doing singers or anyone," Juniper asks, and they glance at her.

Does Mary know that she's with Derek now?

"Singers but based on one song." Mary smiles. Juniper takes a breath and opens her mouth, ready to respond.

"I would fuck Bootsy Collins because of Roto-rooter or Munchies for your love," Veronica interrupts her. Jennifer and Kacey nod and hum in agreement. "Marry Little Anthony because of Tears on my pillow, and kill – The Commodores because of the song Brick House."

"What, why," Kacey asks. They look at Veronica, who's shaking her head with her lips pursed.

"I can't get past that song. All they talk about is a woman's shape and I like meaningful, poetic lyrics." She shakes her head. "I don't know."

Kacey and Jennifer look at each other, then say in unison, "It's 'cause that lady's stacked and that's a fact."

"Shut up. Oh, my God," Veronica says with a chuckle and hides her cleavage behind her crossed arms. They laugh together. "Who do y'all choose? Damn."

"I would fuck The Commodores," Kacey says through sustained laughter. Veronica playfully rolls her eyes with a scoff. Juniper, Mary, and Judith snigger. "I would marry Frankie Lymon, and I would kill James and Bobby Purify."

"Both of 'em," Jennifer asks through laughter. Tears are sitting on the brims of her eyes as she looks at Kacey.

"Yeah," Kacey says with an incredulous tone and scoffs. She leans into her sister and cackles into her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I don't want a man who's a puppet for me. I'm not a marionettist."

"Jenny," Veronica calls for her, and she and Kacey look at each other.

"Give her a minute, Ronnie." Juniper watches Jennifer sit up straight and slowly wind down. Her tears have run down her face, staining her light mascara. "You know she's the goofy one in our group."

"Um." Jennifer clears her throat, then wipes her face with her palms. All eyes are on her, and she takes a shaky breath. "The Whispers, Brenton Wood, The Whispers."

"Wait a minute." Kacey sits up. "Explain that, 'cause why're you boning and killing them?"

"I don't want them making a song about how they had a turn with me," she answers in a higher pitch as if she's surprised that Kacey asked. "Some experiences have to be kept private."

"Okay, uch," Juniper chimes in when she hears the sensuality in her sister's voice.

"Don't be a prude, June bug. Who do you choose," she asks her.

"I'm not playing." She leans into the wall and folds her arms. Jennifer rolls her eyes onto Mary.

"I'll go." They all look at her when she volunteers. "Elvis or Dion DiMucci and Richard Myhill."

"You'd kill Richard Myhill," Kacey asks with furrowed eyebrows.

"No, I didn't have anyone for that spot, so I left it blank," she clarifies, and Kacey nods then looks at Jennifer and Veronica. "I mean – I guess Derek Oliver."

"What?" Juniper sits up straight and raises one of her brows with her head slightly tilted. Mary veers her head to her, and Kacey shares a worried glance with Judith.

"Oh, it's some guy on campus. You don't know him," she assumes with a nonchalant shaking of her head.

"Really? Tall guy with blond hair," Juniper asks, and Mary narrows her eyes without a vocal response. They glare at each other. "You're the broad that he was talking about."

"Oh, shit," Kacey mutters under her breath, and she brings her legs over the edge of her bed. Jennifer and Veronica dart their dark brown eyes between the two of them; Mary and Juniper.

"Who're you supposed to be," Mary asks while standing to her feet.

"I'm his girlfriend." Juniper rises as well. She's three inches shorter than her, but they disdainfully scan each other up and down.

"Really?" She raises a brow, then narrows her eyes at Mary's rhetorical question. "We'll see how long it lasts."

Juniper shoves Mary back, and Judith's eyes widen along with Kacey's. Jennifer and Veronica silently watch them. Mary's right-hand curls into a fist as she stares into the eyes of the frail-bodied girl.

"Swing, bitch," Juniper challenges her with an earsplitting yell, and Kacey rushes off of her bed.

"No," she shouts, and they look at her. "If you two wanna brawl, then take that shit outside. I'm not losing my scholarship because of you."

They silently look at everyone watching them. Jennifer nods at her, Veronica is staring with her mouth open, and Judith is shivering under her warm clothes. They return their scowls to each other.

"You down, blondie?" Mary looks her up and down before shaking her head.

"No. I'm going to my room," she says and glances at Kacey and Judith. "My parents are paying for me to be here."

They watch her walk toward the door, and when she exits the room, Kacey and Judith sigh with relief. They look at Veronica and Jennifer.

"Why aren't you going after her?" Juniper shuts her eyes and takes a deep breath when her sister asks. The rain is still falling, but sporadic thunderclaps inform everyone to stay indoors.

"Mom and Dad are paying our tuition, Jen," she reminds her before backing toward her bed. She returns to her place next to her sister.

"I don't care. She stepped to you, so you either fight her or fight me." Kacey sits on the edge of the bed, silently watching her roommate pressure her sister. Judith lifts her quivering hands to her mouth, her eyes full of worry. Veronica gazes at them on the other bed, then to her right.

"It's copacetic, girl, chill," Kacey chimes in when Juniper looks at her for help. They all avert their attention to her.

"Don't mettle," Jennifer tells Kacey, then turns her head to her younger sister. Judith's heart races when Kacey glances at her. "Pick one, Junie."

The room falls silent, and her stomach begins to rumble and twist. Jennifer licks then pulls her lips into an incredulous smile when her sister doesn't answer, and as she leans upward to confront her, Judy takes a shaky breath.

"Don't – do this," Judith yells while staring at her bare feet. They look at her and notice her body trembling despite the warm climate around them. "Don't fight anyone. Especially over some stupid boy."

"He's not stupid," Juniper says, and Judy scoffs. "What? He's the sweetest guy I've ever met, and that's saying a lot. I'm so done with you people trying to ruin something good."

"You people," she asks with her eyebrows raised. Kacey rolls her eyes, tosses her head back, and groans from annoyance. They look at her.

"You two get out of my room." Juniper stands up, but Judith doesn't budge. As Juniper walks to the door, Kacey and Judy lock eyes. "Did I stutter?"

"I can't go outside," Judith rushes the words from her mouth, her heart pounding in her chest.

She watches her roommate's sister leave the room, then returns her gaze to Kacey when she says, "I don't care where you go, but you're not staying here. The three of you killed the vibe."

"You don't understand." She lifts her brows in anticipation of her elaborating, but Judith licks her quivering lips and stares at her respective hands. Kacey looks at Jennifer, who's staring with a confused expression along with Veronica.

"What happened," Kacey asks, and she takes a deep breath to prepare herself for her answer. She doesn't want to talk about it, but she doesn't want to be pushed into the rain and darkness.

"Someone grabbed me." Kacey narrows her eyes at her. "It was after I left Jerome in the student lounge. He wanted to walk me here so I wouldn't get hurt, and I said no, and – it happened so fast. I just kicked and kicked the door until he dropped me and ran."

"Did you see who it was?" She shakes her head in response.

"It was too dark, and he was wearing a cloak." Kacey takes a deep breath and looks at her roommate.

"Was his cloak similar to the Grim Reaper's," Jennifer asks, and Veronica rolls her eyes. Judith lifts her chin to look at her with creased eyebrows.

"I don't know who that is," Judith tells her with uncertainty in her tone. Jennifer jolts to the edge of her bed, and she opens the last drawer of their nightstand.

"Don't start this shit again," Veronica says with a heavy breath that resembles a faint chuckle. Kacey quietly watches alongside Judith. She knows her roommate and precisely what she's going to say but doesn't want to intervene.

"Get off my back, Ronnie," she tells her before retrieving a small, black notebook. She walks across the floor and then sits next to Kacey. Judith slides towards her. She flips the book to the last page, where sketches of mythical creatures cover it along with their respective names. Jennifer places her right index on a frail entity whose face is concealed in the darkness of his cloak. His dark brown hands are shown holding a scythe taller than him. "This is the Grim Reaper."

"That's – yeah, that looks like what the person was wearing," she says while staring intently at the drawing. She's fascinated by each one that her eyes land on, but Veronica is far from it; she's annoyed.

"Halloween is in six days." Jennifer raises her fearful eyes, and they land on Veronica's unimpressed ones. "You can choose to ignore this all you want, Ronnie, but the signs are here."

"You think the Grim Reaper tried to kidnap me," Judith asks with a faint smile and a humored tone. Jennifer turns her head to her.

"No, she thinks that the idiots in Alpha Psi Delta are doing their annual sacrifice," Veronica clarifies, and Judith's grin fades. "Who're they killing virgins for this year, Jenny? Queen Nefertiti or Yeti?"

Jennifer rushes to her feet, and Veronica does the same. Judith stares with wide eyes and agape lips, stunned by the hostility surrounding them all.

"Cut it out," Kacey yells, but only Judy looks at her. "Are you two really gonna fight over some make-believe bullshit?"

"No." She looks Veronica up and down. "I know what I know, and I don't have to fight to prove it, but if she wants to do this, we can."

"I'm not afraid of a little rain." Jennifer sets her notebook on the nightstand, then follows her out of the room. Like the thunder outside the window, the door booms shut behind them. Judy and Kacey look at each other.

"They're so childish," Kacey says, then shakes her head.