Lydia received a rude awakening in the dead of night. Wren poked her forehead hard, asking, “Have you seen any of my socks?”
She looked up at her roommate, eyes bleary and unfocused. “What? What time is it?”
“Three A.M.”
Lydia sighed and wiped her face. She had to be up early today and hadn’t gotten to bed until past one, like many nights since they’d returned. Cooper’s test was the next day. “Why are you looking for socks at three in the morning?”
“Because I’m staying with Janice for a bit.”
She opened her eyes wider, blinking the sandman’s dust away, and saw a handful of clothes gathered up in Wren’s arms. “Why?”
“I need a puppy!” Lydia waited for her to clarify. “I’m mad at you! And only a cuddly puppy is going to help me calm down. And Janice has plenty of puppies staying with her since Melissa was discharged.”
Melissa. Janice’s former roommate. That thought wiggled though the haze. Sitting up straight with her back against the headboard, Lydia said, “Look, Wren. I honestly didn’t plan what happened today.”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday. Whatever. But nothing happened. Really.”
Wren frowned. “This has gone too far. You led him on. I told you he takes these things seriously.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” she said. “I was hoping that if I sort of dropped it and didn’t mention it, he would move on. Obviously, he’s persistent.”
“Obviously.” Wren pouted, jutting her lip and tapping her foot. “Jando gets around a lot and all, but he doesn’t deserve to be used.”
The exhaustion still hadn’t worn off, and Lydia’s frustration welled up. “Are you honestly saying he doesn’t use any girls? Don’t tell me it’s true love with all his flings!”
“Of course not, but he’s honest about dating! He doesn’t lead his girlfriends on!” she said, stomping her foot. “Stop comparing. This isn’t about him anyway. This is about you.” She dropped a pair of pants and picked them up, tossing them over her head, half blinded by the legs. “So, have you seen my socks or not?”
“Wren—”
She turned to the bathroom door. “When you’re ready to stop this, I’ll be back.”
“Look, Wren. I will,” she said. The girl stopped at the door. “I will. I just have to find the right time to break it off. We’ve been very busy with a mission, and we all need to focus on it. We can’t be distracted.”
“Everyone’s already distracted.” Wren took a deep breath. “I need that puppy.” Then she left and Lydia flopped back onto the bed, rubbing her cheeks and groaning. She had really fouled up and knew sleep would elude her the rest of the night.