We bounce off the walls and fall into the flowers below us. Rufus is the first of us to get to his feet, and I can hear him growl.

"Donny, what the fuck, man?" I turn my attention the entrance doors to see a ghoul floating there with their arm outreached towards us. They slowly put their arm down and mutters a curse.

"What are y'all doing here, you are all supposed to be in class," each word dripping with authority. Josh reaches me and helps me to get up.

"Who is that?" I ask as Josh is looking over me to make sure I am okay. He blows a raspberry, picking the sedum out of my hair and turns to the ghoul.

"It's just the school's caretaker, Donny, they're harmless" I look at him,bewildered. How are they harmless when they just threw us against a wall?

" We got permission to help Legolas out with his course, Donovan" Josh calls out to the ghoul. Donny turns to Josh, annoyance written all over their face.

"How many times have I told you not to address me by my full name,"

"Suck a lemon, you old decrepit ghoul" Josh yells at them. The ghoul goes red and raises their hand to throw Josh against the wall before Rufus rushes up to them.

"Donny, he's telling the truth. Legolas is new, and he needed our help." Donny turns to Rufus and silently looks over his face, letting the silence drag out to where it is suffocating. They put their arm down and straightens up.

"Clean this mess up before you go, otherwise I am handing out detentions." They float out the door and we all look at each other. We start bursting out laughing and walk back to the middle of the spiral. I didn't want to continue the conversation beforehand so I ask about my room.

"Oh, you are rooming with me," Rufus says, clearly annoyed, "There are no more available roommates" Lucas changes the subject to something that happened in his class but I zone out. I am going to be in a room for the next 3 years with Rufus? I better plan my funeral now.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

After my last class is finished and we exit the room, I ask Josh to show me to the bathrooms.

"I can show you, since I need to show you our room, anyway." Rufus walks up to us with Lucas in tow. Lucas's cheek seems better, and he is silently making fun of Rufus's ears. Josh stifles a laugh and starts talking to Lucas. As they start to crack jokes and laugh, I continue to think about sharing a room with Rufus. Anxiety begins to fill me as Josh and Lucas say their goodbyes and walks down the opposite hall to their rooms. Rufus looks at me with irritation and takes a deep breathe.

"Let's get this over with."

He begins to walk down the hall with the same speed he had earlier. The sound of the thud of our feet hitting the ground with each step we take reminds me that we are alone. I realize that since we are going to be sharing a room for the next 3 years, we might as well start on friendly terms.

"I am sorry for earlier, Rufus" I whisper out but with no other sounds around, it sounds like a yell.

Rufus stops and turns to look at me. One of his eyebrows is raised in confusion.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I embarrassed you,"

" I realized, with the help of Josh throwing me against the wall, that I embarrassed myself. No need for you to apologize." To show there are no hard feelings, he flashes me another devilish grin and turns around.

"However, this doesn't mean that we're friends or going to be friends."

I start to say something but then realize that it is better for me to just keep walking.

He waits for me to catch up and starts walking again. We walk in resolved silence, our footsteps matching in stride.

After a few missteps, we reach the bathrooms and Rufus stops in front of me.

"Before we go in, are you comfortable with communal bathrooms?"

I raise my eyebrows before I answer.

" Umm, sure."

Rufus opens the door, and I slowly enter the bathroom. My jaw drops. The showers are on each side of the room with chrome tiles and showers heads on each corner of the showers. A row of chrome faucets sit in the middle of the bathroom in a circle, which each of the faucets having their own sink. The sinks contain signs of worn on each side of them. The drips of loosely tighten faucets echo throughout the rooms. I take another look of the room and my eyes land on the showers again. The showers have no curtains; I think to myself, disgusted with the lack of privacy.