The two Starbucks cups tipped precariously in their cardboard holder as I rounded the corner, almost flying face first into a trio of girls wearing sorority T-shirts. There was just time to mouth "Sorry!" before I had to dart sideways and avoid a loved-up couple walking arm in arm, and by then I was seriously regretting making this cross-campus journey at the exact time final classes let out for the day. Hanna's face better light up like a Christmas tree when she saw me.

I was on the way to the new GXRL office: a disused study room Hanna had managed to secure by sucking up big time to her favorite journalism professor. Situated on the first floor of the business building, it was a small space with an unfortunate view of the cafeteria dumpsters, but it met her two critical criteria: it had enough desk and wall space for brainstorming, and it was suitably far away from the office of her main rival, The Davidson Daily. As long as she was half a campus away from asshole-in-chief David Stephenson at all times, Hanna was happy.

Good thing, really, considering how much time she now spent in that place. Despite the new premises, GXRL was still lagging on the recruitment front; poaching disgruntled female writers from the Daily had become a whole lot harder since David had caught on to what she was doing. In the meantime, Hanna had been plugging the gap left by the four writer vacancies she was desperately trying to fill. It meant long hours, zombie eyes, and a whole lot of stress—especially when she was up against a print deadline for the latest issue. And this deadline, in the last week of classes before we were due to head off on winter break, was more important than most.

Hence coffee—venti triple-shot latte with a shit-ton of gingerbread syrup, to be precise—was now the key to her heart. And pretty much the only way I could get a conversation out of her.

Reaching the office door, I balanced the coffee in one hand and knocked with the other. "Hey, it's me. Can I come in?"

I didn't wait for an answer, since it had never been a no before, pulling down the handle and letting myself in. But once the room opened up, the sight of two figures and the abrupt halt to their conversation told me I may have made a mistake.

"Morgan," Hanna said, with a note of surprise, as she turned in her swivel chair.

With her huge circle of friends, it really could have been anyone standing across from her, leaning against the table. But I never expected it to be someone from my own circle.

"Cat," I said, trying not to let my confusion show. "Hey."

I was so used to seeing her in that bright-green polo or all dressed up for a party that it was almost jarring to see her in a casual sweatshirt and jeans. Her dark hair had grown just long enough to scrape into a low ponytail, and she was fresh-faced without a trace of make-up. She gave me a small smile. "Hey."

"I brought coffee," I said, in an effort to explain away the intrusion. "Only two, though, as I didn't know anyone else would be here—so you're welcome to my latte if you want it, Cat."

Cat shook her head quickly. "Oh, no, it's okay. I think we were pretty much finished up here anyway, right?" She glanced over at Hanna for confirmation. "Thank you, though. You're a sweetheart."

"You are also a lifesaver," Hanna said, as I passed over her cup. "Seriously. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I was dying to ask the question, but I let a couple of seconds of silence soak in as we sipped our drinks, in case either of them offered it up first. "So," I started eventually. "I didn't know you guys knew each other."

Hanna seemed most at ease, leaning back in her chair and propping up her feet on one of the nearby tables. "Kind of," she said. "It's a work thing, really. Cat's helping me with a piece I'm planning for one of the issues next semester—all about the volunteer group and the work you guys are doing. It's going to make a great feature."

"Really?" I asked, slightly taken aback. "You never mentioned that to me."

"It's still early days. We haven't worked out all the details yet. Right now I'm just trying to scope it out."

"Hey, maybe Morgan could be part of it, too," Cat suggested, looking sideways at Hanna again. "It would be great to have another perspective—especially from someone who spends more time out on the ground. Don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely." Hanna nodded enthusiastically. "What do you say, Morgan?"

"Yeah, of course." I nodded along, but really I was looking straight at Hanna, trying to work out what was going on here. Why hadn't she mentioned this to me before? If she thought Leaders in Literacy would make a good magazine feature, why didn't she go straight to the closest source: her roommate and best friend? Sidestepping me in favor of Cat made no sense—and if I wasn't suspicious about this encounter already, I certainly was now.

"Anyway," Cat said, straightening up, "I should probably get moving. There's a committee meeting later this evening, and I have to stop by my apartment first to grab some dinner. It was really nice to see you guys, though."

"Likewise," I said.

"Yeah, definitely. I should probably get back to work, too, otherwise I'll have no hope of making this deadline." Hanna removed her feet and stood up, like she was going to see Cat all the way to the door. I couldn't take my eyes off either of them. At surface level, there was nothing wrong with this encounter; there were perfectly legitimate reasons for Hanna to have all manner of visitors in this office, particularly those involved with other campus activities. Their explanation was plausible. But it just felt weird—and that atmosphere had descended from the moment I walked in.

Hanna opened the door, stepping back to allow room for Cat to walk through. "You've got my number, haven't you?" she asked. "In case you need to get in touch. If you think of some more ideas for the feature, or anything—just drop me a message."

Cat nodded. "Yeah, I will do."

"Great." She smiled, and from my spot inside the office, I wished I could read the look that was shared between them. "See you later."

"Good luck with the deadline."

"Ha—I'll need it. Thanks."

And then she was gone. Disappearing quickly down the hall, which had now emptied of students save for the final few stragglers. As Hanna shut the door behind her, the office was quiet, too—at least until she noticed the way I was studying her.

"What?" she asked, stopping in her tracks.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That whole conversation."

She frowned, approaching the desk again and snatching up her coffee. I had my hands curled around my own cup; it was usually my favorite, but for some reason the syrup tasted way too sweet. "What are you talking about? I'm planning a feature, like I said."

"I didn't even know you knew Cat."

"We're not secret besties, if that's what you're implying," Hanna said, as she sat back down again. "I've met her a few times. Mostly at parties and stuff. In fact, this might be the first time we've spoken to each other sober."

"Why didn't you tell me you were planning an article about the group?"

"It wasn't even a thing until today," she insisted. "The idea's been rattling around in my head for a while, but I had a million other things on my mind. Then I bumped into Cat on campus and it just happened that we had a free half-hour to catch up. I would've told you the minute I got home. Why would I keep it secret from you, Morg?"

My eyes scanned her face, searching for any trace of shiftiness or inconsistency. But there was nothing. Just a slight weariness in the dark circles under her eyes.

"I don't know," I said eventually. "Do you really want me to contribute, then? Or were you just being polite?"

"Of course I want you to contribute!" She reached over then, giving my arm a friendly shake. "What's up with you today? You're the first person I'll talk to when this idea starts going anywhere. If anything, I know you'll tell me all the juicy secrets about the group that Cat will leave out."

"It's a volunteer group. I don't think there are any juicy secrets."

"Are you kidding? There's probably more drama in student volunteering than there is in all of Greek life put together. For starters, there's clearly a ton of sexual tension. Just look at you and Josh."

I flushed. "Touché."

"Whatever happens, I will definitely not be missing out on your input," she said, her affectionate smile making me feel a lot better. "Also, you are an absolute angel for bringing me coffee. I don't think I could last the rest of the day without it. We're two days away from the print deadline and I've still got a to-do list longer than my arm. It's going to be a long evening."

"Anything I can help with?"

"Not unless you've become an expert graphic designer overnight and I can finally cut ties with my shitty freelancer," she said, with a wistful sigh.

"Unfortunately not."

"Afraid not, then. But I appreciate the offer."

"It's always there." As Hanna turned her attention back to her laptop, I picked up my coffee and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. "Am I likely to see you home tonight before I go to bed?"

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

"Okay." I moved toward the door, reaching for the handle before I looked back at Hanna. Although she was hunched over her laptop, with terrible posture I'd warned a million times would give her backache, she noticed me staring and gave me one last smile. "Don't work too hard," I told her, and then I was gone.

As I walked away from the office, the encounter with Cat had almost totally vanished from my head.

Like always, Hanna had managed to put my mind at ease.

----------------------

So, er... this is suspicious, right? Morgan's not going crazy? But if not the feature, what *could* her and Cat have been discussing? Hmm...

As always, let's chat in the comments about what you think is in store! If I can promise you anything, it's that it's probably not what you think... ;)

- Leigh