Temi POV

My plot for getting rid of Isa is put on pause as midterms are fast approaching.

I plunge myself into my schoolwork. I'm revising any and every moment that I'm not in class. I'm stressed and exhausted most days, but I welcome this. It allows me not to think about life and all the things going on in my life. It allows me not to think about my mom, and about Grace.

For a few hours, I even forget all about Isa. But of course, I am reminded of her once again each night as she sleeps only a few feet away from me.

For the most part, Isa can see how busy I am. She thankfully attempts to give me space and isn't constantly breathing down my neck as usual. From time to time, I wonder what she's up to. I have caught her several times, curled up on the sofa in the apartment living room, scribbling away in her notebook. I am curious to know what's keeping her that engaged. But I also welcome this, as she's focusing on something else rather than me.

I am editing the final touches on a paper for my creative nonfiction class when there is a knock on my bedroom door.

Of course, I know it's Isa. So of course, I don't answer, hoping instead that she'll take a hint and just leave.

Unfortunately, 'taking a hint' is not something that Isa specializes in and she opens the door, regardless. Isa is dressed casually in a white tank top and shorts that reveal the tattoo on her left thigh. I squint my eyes slightly, trying to make out exactly what the tattoo is.

Isa clears her throat, and my eyes once again return to her face.

She's leaning against the room door, her arms crossed over her chest, and fixes me with an intense gaze.

"Do you mind? I'm busy." I scowl at her.

"I do mind, actually," Isa replies, annoying as ever. "You've hardly been eating. You were hardly even eating before, but now you're hardly, hardly even eating."

The writing major in me wants to point out how what she just said is grammatically incorrect and would be underlined in blue lines if she should ever type it up in a word document. But I decide against it.

"Yes, because as aforementioned... I'm busy."

Isa comes further into the room, which frustrates me even more. I want her to leave, but she's doing the opposite.

"I know you have midterms coming up, but there's no way you can study effectively and do well if you're eating less than a hundred calories a day."

I scowl. "Why do you care? I wish you'd just fuck off."

"I care because it's my job to keep you alive and I can't keep you alive if you're dead," she continues, completely ignoring the last part of what I had just said. "And I'm trying to prevent you from being dead and me failing to keep you alive by keeping you alive before you're dead."

Isa's word vomit only sends me into a state of confusion and I'm sure that it is apparent on my face.

"Basically, you need to eat."

"Basically, you need to fuck off," I retort.

This time, to my surprise, Isa actually leaves. I'm slightly surprised at this, but I welcome it and return to the task before me.

In about thirty minutes my room door flies open, and Isa reveals herself holding a plate of pasta. I jump slightly from the sudden interruption and stare at her, slightly bewildered.

Isa ignores this but walks up to me, seated at my desk. Without a word, she picks up my laptop in front of me, dropping it onto my bead instead.

"I don't want to hear it." Isa says the second I open my mouth to protest. I immediately shut it back, feeling oddly like a fish.

My eyes are wide as I watch Isa drop a glass of juice and a bottle of water in front of me.

I watch as she stands up straight, and Isa's eyes reach mine. Her brown eyes are shining in their no-nonsense manner.

"This," she says, pointing at the bowl of pasta, "is for you to eat so you don't die of starvation. This..." her finger points at the bottle of water, "is for you to drink so you don't die of dehydration... and this," her finger now rests at the glass of orange juice, "is to ward off scurvy."

Without another word, Isa turns and leaves my room, shutting the door sharply behind her.

For a moment, I just stare at the spot she had been just a few moments ago. It feels like my brain is having a hard time catching up to the events that have just occurred.

After a moment, I look at the food laid out before me. A part of me wants to refuse. Not for any reason, but pure stubbornness. But my stomach rumbles and a much larger part of me knows Isa is right. I need to eat; I feel slightly light-headed.

More so, the scent of the pasta smells delicious.

I put a forkful of pasta in my mouth. I don't know if it's because I have barely been eating proper meals these past few days, or if Isa's cooking is just genuinely this good, but a small moan escapes my mouth.

I'm silently thankful that Isa is not here to hear that before I put another forkful of pasta in my mouth, which I wash down with a sip of orange juice.

In less than twenty minutes, my bowl is spotless, my glass is empty. All that is left is my bottle of water, which I take sips out of at intermissions.

Midterms start soon enough and I spend most of my days writing exams and turning in papers upon papers. Like clockwork, Isa is waiting diligently for me to get out of each exam, and she walks with me in silence to my next exam or back to the apartment.

I come out of my Astronomy exam building and my eyes instantly fix on Isa, seated casually on a bench a little distance away.

She notices me at the same time and our eyes lock briefly before she approaches me.

"Hey," she says.

I ignore her. Astronomy is the last exam I have for today, so we begin the walk back to the apartment.

"How was your exam?" Isa asks.

I intend on just ignoring her like I had been doing. But for some reason unknown to me, I decide against it at the last minute.

"It was okay," I say. "The only reason I took this course is to fulfill my natural sciences requirement for my degree. I had expected it to be more like astrology, but it's really just physics in space."

Isa laughs beside me and the sound is something new to me. It makes me uncomfortable. I'm not used to Isa displaying such emotion when she's with me. But yet, a part of me wants to hear it again.

"I can't imagine what I would have been like if I ever went to college," Isa says suddenly.

I sneak a sideways glance at her. "You didn't go to college?"

"Nope. I joined the military the moment I finished high school. But I'm not mad about that. My family wouldn't have been able to afford it either way."

I don't know what to say. There are so many questions on my mind. There's so much I want to know more about. But the sudden interest I feel in Isa's life frightens me, so I clamp my mouth shut and keep walking.

I'm back in my room revising for my final midterm when there's a knock on my door, instantly followed by Isa walking in.

I scowl. "Can you wait for my response? What if I'm naked or something?"

"Is that a trick question? You never respond when I knock."

My scowl deepens more, because I know she's right.

"Anyway, get dressed, because we're going for a walk. A bit of fresh air is what you need right now."

Isa does not wait for my reply before leaving my room. I'm smart enough to know that there's no point in me arguing, and I sigh deeply before changing my sweatpants into a pair of leggings and throwing on my trainers. I pull a hoodie over my head as the weather has gotten colder lately.

Isa is already waiting for me by the apartment door and we make our way out together, walking in silence.

We walk in silence for longer. It's quite windy outside and I bask in the feel of wind slapping against my face, sending my braids flying. I'll be lying if I said that Isa did not have a point about going on walks. In a weird way, it seems to be growing on me.

"Hey, Temi!"

Any relaxation I had been feeling a few moments ago instantly disappears when I hear the familiar voice.

I turn around slowly to see none other but Melody approaching me. Her short hair is dyed purple. It had been green when I saw her at the grocery store.

"Hey, how have you been?" Melody asks, her eyes study me with concern and I detest that.

"Fine," I lie. Melody nods, then her eyes wander off to studying Isa beside me. I know she's expecting me to introduce her or explain who Isa is, but I don't. I keep my jaw set, staring straight ahead. Isa is silent next to me as well.

Melody finally brings her attention back to me. "It's been a while, hasn't it? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

I wonder why?

I nod my head. "Yeah, I've been busy with midterms and school stuff."

Melody nods her head. Her eyes look upon me with pity, and I hate it. I ask myself why I ever even dated her. What did I see in her? The truth was-probably nothing. I just enjoyed having sex with her. I know the same was probably true for her.

"Well, you should come out more often. I miss you."

A strange feeling of guilt passes through me, and there's the slight realization that maybe I was the bad one in the relationship all along. I look into Melody's eyes and there's an emotion in there that I can't quite place. That I don't want to place. All the while, Isa is observing this exchange silently beside us.

I clear my throat awkwardly.

"A bunch of us are throwing a party at my place Friday night. You should definitely come if you're not doing anything."

"Sure, I'd check my schedule," I say, knowing damn well that I have nothing Friday night but have no intention of going to her party.

I had once been a party girl. I would be at every party every weekend. I loved it. But that seemed to have been a lifetime away. The last thing I want is to be in a room full of people giving me puppy dog faces and looking at me with pity in their eyes.

"I got to go," I finally say.

"Oh, yes, of course." Melody says, awkwardly, "I'd see you around, Temi."

I force a smile that doesn't reach my eyes and walk around Melody, back in the apartment's direction. Isa follows me. She says nothing about the fact that we have barely even gone on a walk, but just follows in silence.

We get back to the apartment and I'm about to head straight for my room when I'm interrupted by Isa.

"I bought us some baking supplies a while ago. I think we should try baking something together someday."

I stare at her blankly.

Baking is something that Grace and I used to do together, and I know Isa probably knows that from the stupid report that she has on me. Anger surges through me and I feel tears almost threatening to burst through.

"I don't know what it is you're trying to do," I say. My voice is low but hard, "but we're not friends. We're not buddies. We don't bake together. It's already bad enough that I have to see you each day."

If my words affect Isa, she does not show it. Her facial expression takes on a hard mask and I can't see through it. I can't decipher what it is she's thinking or feeling.

My mind is racing as I walk to my room. My heart is beating hard in my chest and it becomes hard for me to breathe.

I'm enraged at Isa for even suggesting that we bake together. Nobody else can replace Grace. I need to get rid of Isa, some way or another.

An idea pops into my head and my breathing steadies slightly. I reach into my pocket, retrieving my phone. I scroll through my contacts until Melody's name pops up. I send a quick text:

hey, could you text me the address of the party?