Sugilite's Pov

Are you doing anything this weekend?

I'd stared at the screen since Friday, and it was Sunday. Alex definitely knew I'd seen the text. But honestly, I didn't know how to answer the question. Was I?

I dunno why?

I sighed and flipped back to my convos with Opal and Ames. Opal was staying on campus for the weekend and Ames hadn't complained about anything recently. Alex replied,

Answer fast much?

And then,

Because I want to hang out, why do you think?

I stared at that text too. Of course, I'd hung out with just Opal a million times, and I'd hung out with just Donyx a few, but Alex and I had never hun out alone before.

Really?

Yeah. It makes o sense that we're so close to each other and literally never see each other.

She was right, if Opal could go away to college and happen to find Rainbow of al people, then why couldn't I go and find somebody I literally knew was going to be there?

You're right. I'll be over in five.

Uh, don't you need my address?

A little later, I found her apartment in a small complex about fifteen minutes from campus. I'd never hung out at Alex's house before, so I didn't know what to expect. She waved from a second-floor window then pointed down to a door. I opened the door into a shared hallway with two apartment doors and one door leading out back. I went up the staircase that was against one wall and made it to Alex's floor, where she waved me into a door.

"Welcome!" She said. I glanced around the place. It wasn't very big, but it was way bigger than my dorm was.I looked over at the two shut doors at the back.

"Bedrooms?" She nodded.

"Mine and my roommate's." She pushed one of them open. "Wanna see inside?" Her room was pretty plain with her bed and dresser, and some dirty clothes in a pile on the floor. "We haven't gotten laundry baskets yet," She said, noticing I saw them.

"It's a nice room," I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah." It was pretty bare, and I wondered how much stuff she had back in Beach City. "So you coming back home for the summer?" She shook her head.

"I can't."

"Why not?" She looked away.

"Foster Care kid, remember? I'm eighteen and have left the house now, this is where I'm living."

"Oh." I was embarrassed for bringing it up. "So... was your roommate from your foster home?" Alex blushed.

"No, I know her from... somewhere else." I nodded. "But I did have a lot of foster siblings in that house. More than I usually had."

"How many?" I realized just how little I knew about her.

"Six or seven, depending on how you want to look at it."

"What do you mean?"

"There was this one kid... he kept running away and being brought back. My foster parents were worried the first few times, but after that, they sort of gave up."

"Why did he keep running away? Were your foster parents mean?"

"Nah. They were kind of strict about chores and grades, but other than that they were pretty cool. The kid just kept getting adopted by horrible families. He'd be gone for a few weeks, almost two months this one time, but in the end, he'd always end up home. They only got in trouble once though."

"Why?" She shook her head.

"Apparently he told the police one time that they were willingly sending him to homes they knew were abusive." I gasped a little.

"Were they?" She shrugged.

"Child Protective Services never found anything wrong with them. All of us kids got sent to other foster homes for two months give or take but got sent back in the end." I nodded.

"That was when you left for a few months in freshman year." She nodded.

"I got sent to this home in Baltimore. It was crazy." Suddenly, the front door opened and slammed.

"Alex, I'm home!" Alex looked me dead in the eye for a moment before she called back.

"I'm in here, Liv. I've got a friend over." A tanned girl with olive green hair leaned up against the doorway and smirked.

"Is she your girlfriend or something?" Alex looked at her without smiling.

"That's not funny, you know." The girl shook her head and looked at me.

"I'm Olivine. You are?"

"Sugilite." She nodded.

"God, what was the craze with gemstone names in the early 2000s, am I right?" I nodded slowly. I'd never really thought about it. 

"Not many people get the gemstone thing right away." She nodded.

"I get you." She turned to Alex. "So you and your girlfriend here plan on staying long?" Alex groaned.

"Just shut the fuck up, okay?" She pushed past her and started off towards the door, and I followed her outside. "Can you bring me to get coffee?" I nodded and got in my car. She sat down beside me and sighed.

"So where do you two know each other from?" I asked as I started the car. Alex sighed.

"Baltimore."