Next Door Hater (Love Under Lockdown)

Rinsing off, I stepped out into the outer stall, lit by the fluorescent bathroom lights. Even with the new developments, I didn’t really like being naked, even when people couldn’t see me. I was only ever fully undressed while actually in the shower, and I tried to keep that to a minimum.

I’d just been teased so much, there was still a lot of work to do before I could really accept myself. Getting into my fresh clothes, double-time, I popped back into the dorm to get my phone. I had to be quiet, Brenda was still sleeping off her adventures of the night before.

I slipped out into the corridor, with a furious craving for Pop Tarts. Raspberry, preferably.

The tasty treat warmed my hand as I strode the recently shoveled walk to class, the rich, sonorous sounds of the Mark Kermode podcast filling my ears. It was pretty old, but that didn’t make the film any less good, at least if he liked them. I didn’t always agree with him, but as far as film critics went, he was certainly the most entertaining I’d come across. He also made some very interesting film recommendations. Even if I didn’t love the films, I’d at least gone through an interesting experience.

I was just noting down the title of a film he was praising to high heaven when the flow of the stream was suddenly interrupted by the distinctive ding of the campus Emergency Message System (EMS).

Switching over to the messaging app, I tapped on the little red 1, and dreaded what horrors might await me. In no way was I ready for what actually manifested.

ATTENTION

DUE TO AN INCREASED COVID-19 THREAT, ALL CLASSES ARE NOW ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF HAVE UNTIL 6 PM PST, TO

VACATE THE CAMPUS.

“Fuck.”

My mother would have washed my mouth out with soap if she had heard me, but she wasn’t there, and I was left alone to figure out what to do next. Sometimes, being an adult really sucked.

“Who ate your last Pop Tart?” Brenda asked as I burst back into our dorm room.

“Me. Oh, you meant metaphorically.”

“Um, yeah, why so glum chum?”

“Did you just call me shark bait?”

“No, you don’t look nearly that bad.”

“Did you get it? The text?”

“About the campus shutting down? Yeah, I’m betting everyone did.”

“Why are you so happy about it?”

“Happy? No, honey, lack of panic is not the same as happy. I’m accepting it because there is nothing else to be done. It’s part of being an adult.”

“Teach me how?” I asked, flopping on the bed, trying not to cry.

“Right, first step, get out of bed,” Brenda said, pulling me back to my feet.

I felt very much like pouting, but that would only add to the childish impression I was giving off. Brenda was right though. I had to be an adult. Or, at least as close to it as I could approximate.

“Let’s get you packed up, and then we can figure out what you’re going to do.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, I’m almost done. I started almost as soon as I got the notice. My sister is on her way to pick me up right now.”

“Wow, aren’t you organized.”

“Adult, remember? It’s also how I’ve gotten through the last two years here.”

With Brenda’s help I got packed up and ready to well before the deadline, getting most of my stuff into two medium-sized suitcases, thanks to her TETRIS-champion packing skills. It still didn’t help me figure out where I was headed, but at least it would be easy to get there.

“So, where are you planning on going?” Brenda asked.

“I honestly don’t know. Could I come and stay with you and your sister?”

“Sorry, kitty. June lives in a studio. I’ll be sleeping on the couch as it is. Can you go back to your parents’? Or is there a sort of Harry Potter thing going on?”

“No,” I chuckled, “I mean, no Harry Potter thing, and it’s parent, singular. My dad was killed by a bat.”

“A baseball bat?” Brenda asked, horrified.

“No, and technically not an actual bat. He was a low budget filmmaker. Apparently one of the places they saved money was the rigging for the fake, giant bats in a horror movie he was directing. One of them came loose. Fell right on him.”

Brenda didn’t laugh. Despite the absurdity of the situation, and the image it must have brought up in her mind, nary a smile crossed her lips.

“I’m really sorry,” she said, taking my hand.

“I’ve had time to get used to it. I’m sure Mom will be happy to have me back. I just hate to leave is all. College was supposed to be a big adventure. I shouldn’t go running home at the first sign of danger.”

“First, there has been a road-trip’s worth of signs. Second, if you stay on campus after it closes, you’ll be arrested for trespassing. Going home for a while really doesn’t seem so bad.”