"You better be calling because you're going to reimburse me on my tuition for the class I might fail because of you." Normally Everleigh would answer her phone with hello or hi or hey, like a normal person. But seeing her own number pop up on a phone that wasn't hers was a little jarring to say the least.

            "I'm assuming this isn't Jason Voorhees."

            "Not all of us have ourselves as our lock screen." Everleigh rolled her stinging eyes. Note to self: she felt a lot less intimidating when she'd been crying over a forty percent on an exam only twenty minutes prior. "Though my status as Jason Voorhees depends on whether you're still in Brisbane or not."

            "Not the thirteenth, mama's boy."

            Everleigh pulled the phone away from her mouth so she could curse under her breath. Pushing her bangs away from her forehead, she pressed the phone back to her ear. "You're being serious? You're not in Australia anymore? I'm not joking."

            "Sorry to disappoint," Maverick said. "Took a connecting to Tokyo. I have a concert tonight."

            "Who the fuck goes New York to Brisbane to Tokyo?" Everleigh asked. Her frustration outweighed her sadness at that moment—she was sure it would teeter-totter throughout the phone call. Her brain was already trying to do the math on whether she could get to Tokyo before she had to do her BNE to DPS the next day. It was doable, but she still needed to sleep. And that was if the flight hadn't already sold out. "You could go New York to Tokyo in one nonstop and it'd be shorter."

            "Someone who was stoned when he bought his tickets."

            "You buy your own tickets?"

            "When I have things to do in specific places, yeah. My equipment beat me here."

            "Naturally."

            "Sensing some harsh judgement there, Crystal Lake."

            Everleigh sighed, sniffled a little. "Everleigh."

            Maverick paused for a moment. "That sounds made up too."

            "Says it on my birth certificate."

            "What about your nametag?"

            "You knew it was me this entire time?"

            "I don't accidentally run into a lot of people, Everleigh."

            "Could've fooled me, Kingston."

            "Thought I said you could call me Maverick."

            "I don't plan on calling you anything once I get my phone back," Everleigh said. "How long are you in Tokyo?"

            "Tokyo specifically or Japan generally?"

            Everleigh fought the urge to throw Maverick's phone across the room. "Japan. General."

            "About a week. Tokyo to Saitama to Ibaraki, day in between, then Osaka to Kyoto to Kobe. Flying to Europe after that."

            "Where in Europe?"

            "Germany, Belgium, Norway—"

            "Okay, I don't need your itinerary." Everleigh ran a hand through her bangs. "I'll be in London next week. For a week. Technically with family but I have another exam to do, so I need my phone."

            Maverick sighed softly. "London's at the end of my European branch. I've got twenty cities in thirty days."

            "Do you sleep?"

            "Wouldn't have been late for my flight if I didn't."

            Everleigh snorted. Then promptly wiped the smile off her face. She was mad. Frustrated. Angry. And not laughing at something Kingston Maverick said. Fuck him.

            "Are you really failing a class because of me?" The sentence sounded a little farther away than it had before. Maverick had put her on speaker to do something. Everleigh didn't mind feeling second place to him in that moment—she'd rather be lower than that. But if two was last, she'd happily be second.

            That one caught Everleigh off guard. "Um. No. Not really." She sighed. "Long day. Bad exam. Can't solely blame you. I should've studied harder, not kept my notes on my phone."

            "Why were the notes on here?"

            "I... it's easier to look down than try to flip through it on a different tab on my laptop. It's stupid. It's not totally your fault."

            "I'm sorry you failed your exam. Even if it's not all my fault."

            "Don't get me wrong." Everleigh picked at a thread on the comforter. "You're still being blamed."

            "Of course."

            "Just not as much."

            "That's fair."

            "Thank you for the apology. You didn't owe me that."

            "Sure I did. I ran into—" The phone rattled across whatever counter Maverick had put it on. "Someone texted you."

            "Who?"

            Footsteps came a little closer to the phone. "Uh, Donny."

            Everleigh's eyes widened. "Oh, God."

            "I get that we're in this situation for a while. Do you want me to read it?"

            "Only if you don't judge me." Everleigh pressed her wrist to her forehead, trying to ignore the heat that crept up her neck. "Sure. Yes, Please."

            "For the record, I'm hardly in the place to judge peop—" Maverick paused for a little too long, but not quite long enough for Everleigh to crawl into a hole and die. "It's, um... He sent you a photo of an STD test."

            Everleigh buried her face in her hand. "And?"

            "You're assuming I know how to read this?"

            "I'm hoping you do, considering the hickey." Everleigh sighed. "It's a medical test, Kingston. It's not weird if you don't make it weird."

            Maverick was silent—Everleigh assumed he was considering this. "All right. Give me two seconds." Everleigh noted that Maverick hummed when he read. She would be texting him from then on. "Yeah, Donny's good to go."

            "That's good."

            "Everleigh?"

            "Yes?"

            "This is a dick appointment, right?"

            Everleigh felt the heat rise to her cheeks no matter how hard she'd tried to supress it. Straightened her back a little to remind herself sex wasn't something she should've been ashamed of. Hookup buddies were normal. She spent little to no time in Brisbane anyway. Donny was her friend a couple hours at a time and that worked for them. "Why do you ask?"

            "His last name in your phone is Brisbane." Maverick laughed. "You don't even know his last name?"

            "Shut up, Kingston."

            "Like Carrie Underwood?"

            "Sweet Jesus."

            "Is your mama ashamed?"

            Everleigh snorted. "I hate you."

            "Want me to text him back? Hey cutie, where you from?"

            "His last name is Robinson but why the hell would I need to know that when pretty much all I use him for ranges from his hips to somewhere along his thigh and his mouth?" Everleigh asked. "That's maybe ten percent of him."

            "That's..." Maverick paused. "Do you want me to reply?"

            "Uh. Yes. Just. One second." Everleigh leaned to the nightstand, pulling the hotel notepad from the drawer. "Can you please write Eatons Hill Hotel, 156?"

            "Straight to the point, huh?"

            "Not like he's going to say no when he showed me he's clean."

            "If I reply to this and he sends me a picture of his junk, I'm blocking him for you."

            Everleigh frowned. "Do you really think so lowly of me that you think I'd be into unsolicited dick pics? Not all of us are engaged, but we do have self respect."

            Maverick didn't speak for a little too long. Everleigh felt an apology teeter on her tongue, ready to project itself into existence. She argued with herself over who should've been apologizing and decided it wasn't her.

            "... I'm sorry. You're right." Maverick also hummed when he was typing. Christ. "He's already typing? Shit, Everleigh, I might hook up with him next."

            "Fun fact," Everleigh said, "he'd be into that."

            Maverick hummed a note. "I'll keep that in mind."

            "Don't steal my Donny boy, Kingston."

            "I'm assuming if you're making him get tested he's not your Donny boy."

            Everleigh shouldn't have been offended, but her jaw dropped a little. "He's my Donny boy whether we're exclusive or not. Bet you he'd say that to your face."

            "He's on his way," Maverick said. "Five minutes but I'd give him two. That text was quick. He's desperate."

            "Beautiful, so am I." Everleigh got up from her seat on the bed. Donny didn't care what she was wearing—she wouldn't be wearing it long, anyway—so she could spend her time making sure she didn't look like she'd been crying. Everleigh put Maverick on speaker as she walked to the bathroom. "Did he say anything else?"

            "I don't feel comfortable repeating that, I just met you."

            "You set up a booty call for me and now you're getting cold feet?" Everleigh flicked the bathroom light on. Fluorescent, not the best. But, oddly enough, decent for seeing that she looked fucking exhausted. Wonderful.

            "All I did was text your hotel and room number," Maverick said. "He's talking... specifics."

            "Something along the lines of fucking and brains, huh?" Everleigh turned the tap on and placed her phone on the counter. She stuck her hands in the running water, splashing her face with the water.

            "He needs new material." Maverick sounded closer to the phone than he did before. Everleigh figured she was off speakerphone.

            "Did you reply?" Everleigh pulled a makeup wipe from the package and started scrubbing her face. She wouldn't normally, but she left the tap running so it was cold enough to potentially reduce the swelling of her eyes in not enough time.

            "Oh yeah, I used the D-word and everything."

            "Dick me down, Donny?"

            "Jesus Christ, I was joking." Maverick scoffed out a laugh. "And that wasn't even the D-word I was talking about."

            "Was it daddy?" Everleigh laughed at the silence that met her on Maverick's end of the line. "I'm taking that as a yes."

            "I don't want to participate in this conversation anymore." Maverick tutted his tongue. "Thought I did. But I don't. Let's drop it."

            Everleigh's laughter died down. "On record, I would never call Donny that."

            "Proud of you."

            "Thank you." She cupped her hands under the freezing water, holding it to her eyes for as long as she could manage to keep the feeling in her palms.

            "Everleigh, before I hang up..." Maverick's sentence trailed off into the clouds. Flew away into nothingness.

            "Yes?"

            "I really am sorry about your exam. I can text you the notes for the next one if you want."

            "How did you get in my phone?" Everleigh asked. "I thought you used the emergency keypad to dial or something."

            "Believe it or not, 1234 is an easy password to guess."

            Everleigh laughed. "You've got me there."

            "Mine's 0814 if that helps, you can do whatever you want with it while we're stuck like this. Add your thumbprint if you want to make it easier."

            "You too."

            "Thanks."

            "What's 0814?"

            "My birthday." Maverick sounded like he was smiling. "August fourteenth."

            "I see."

            "Easy to remember, not as obvious as 1234."

            "Don't knock it until you've tried it."

            "When's your birthday? I could change the password for you."

            "No thank you," Everleigh said. "I'm perfectly happy with mine."

            "Yeah but weirdos can get into your phone. Who wants that?"

            Everleigh laughed. "December twelfth isn't much better, Kingston."

            "Shit. 1212 is even easier." Maverick laughed. "You're fucked."

            "That I am."

            "Least it's coming up soon. Lessens the blow."

            "Sure it does."

            Everleigh turned the tap off and grabbed a towel to dry her face—fluffy enough it almost felt pre-fluffed. The cold water hadn't done much for the swelling, but she felt a little better having cleaned her face. "Kingston—or, um, Maverick..."

            "You can call me Kingston if it suits you better."

            "I wanted to tell you—"

            A knock at the door. Everleigh looked up from her phone, looked back to it.

            "You can tell me another time," Maverick said. "You deserve to destress."

            "He can wait a second."

            "No, I'm not sure he can."

            "Kingston," Everleigh said, "I wanted to say, please don't worry about the exam. I was... frustrated and annoyed. And... and that shouldn't have come out onto you. I'm sorry."

            "It's cool," Maverick said. "I'll split the blame fifty-fifty if you'd like."

            "Deal."

            "If you ever want a study pal, dial your number and I'll be here."

            "Have a good concert, Kingston."

            "Have a good dick appointment, Everleigh."

            Everleigh laughed as she hung up the phone. Met with another round of knocking at the door.

            "Leigh? You okay?"

            "Coming!"

            Everleigh walked out of the bathroom and opened the door for Donny, stepping backwards so he could get in.

            "No hello?" Donny asked. A grin pulled at his lips, a set of white teeth emerging. Donny fit almost every Australian stereotype and then some: tall, tan, blonde hair, nice smile, slight stubble, wonderful accent. He was practically the poster boy for what the world thought Australians looked like, and he worked in a surf shop to boot.

            "Hello, Donovan. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Enter my chambers so you can... enter my chambers."

            Donny had the kind of goofy laugh that Everleigh was sure would come from a drunk fraternity brother, but it made her smile anyway. Maybe Donny had been a drunk fraternity brother, she wouldn't know. "Wow. Charmer."

            He stepped into the room and Everleigh closed the door behind him.

            "I brought—" Donny turned as he held up a bottle of Prosecco. "—are you okay?"

            Everleigh unconsciously ran her fingers along her under eye. "Fine."

            "Leigh, you look like you've been crying."

            "I really don't want to talk about it. Especially with you."

            "Benefits are prefixed by friend."

            "Those are some big words, Donny boy."

            "They're true."

            "Are you sure?"

            "Yes. I'm sure."

            Everleigh shook her head. "I don't think we're those friends."

            "I can be if you want. You look like you could use it."

            "I could use a friend with benefits more. Help me forget the thing I don't want to talk about."

            A sad smile pulled at Donny's lips. "I can be that friend too."

            Everleigh nodded. "Please."

            Donny stepped forward and placed his hand on her cheek; calluses from his day job rough against her newly scraped clean skin. His thumb gently ran across Everleigh's bottom lip. "You're sure?"

            "Positive."

            Kissing Donny had never made Everleigh feel so lost in her own thoughts.

*

Donny rolled over, his snore echoing in the small hotel room. Blankets pulled up to his shoulder, Donny was always a heavy sleeper. Usually out for a few hours. It's why Everleigh kept him around. He didn't notice a lot and that's what Everleigh liked best about him.

            She knew she shouldn't have taken him up on his offer for room service. The fries sat heavy in her stomach. She hadn't even eaten the burger Donny had ordered—he'd eaten both.

            Everleigh slid out of bed and tossed on a shirt and Donny's boxers to walk into the bathroom. Even with Donny's near-eternal slumber on her side, Everleigh still turned the tap on to try and drown everything out. Dropping to her knees, she sighed as she flipped open the toilet. Holding her bangs back with one hand, she pinched two fingers together, sticking them as far back into her throat as she could and then some.

            She wished that the tap actually drowned out the sound of her vomiting. Then she wouldn't have to fight sobs while she made herself throw up.

            A knock at the door nearly made Everleigh jump out of her skin after she'd been sitting on her knees for a little too long. She quickly flushed the toilet and hopped up from the floor.

            "Yes?" Everleigh stuck her hands under the running tap, washing quickly.

            "Leigh?" Donny's voice was groggy. He must've just woken up. Everleigh could practically imagine him dragging his hands through his straight hair that only sometimes stuck up—usually after Everleigh was done with him.

            "Yeah?" Everleigh wished she didn't sound so panicked. Donny hadn't hear anything, had he?

            "You almost done? I gotta get in there." Donny's voice sounded like he was leaned against the door. "Prosecco's hitting."

            Everleigh dabbed some water on her face, grabbing a towel to dry it off. She took a couple breath of relief—Donny hadn't heard her. Turned the tap off as she said, "Two seconds, Donny."

            Everleigh rested her hands on the edge of the sink, examining herself in the mirror. She didn't have a moment to brush her teeth like she usually would. If she snuck past Donny, he'd probably never notice that anything had happened. Especially if he was half asleep.

            Everleigh walked to the door and opened it, Donny leaned against the opposite wall, practically falling asleep against it.

            "You good, Leigh?"

            "Fine. Prosecco hit. Like you."

            "That's..." Donny ran a hand across his face. "Sure. Fine. You done? I gotta take a piss."

            Everleigh stepped out of the doorway and Donny walked past her to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She darted to her suitcase and popped a couple breath mints in her mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly.

            Everleigh felt sick to her stomach and drained from her purge in the bathroom. She'd been doing so well, too. Crawling back into bed, Everleigh buried herself under the covers. Pulled them up to her shoulders, like Donny would. Maybe he wouldn't notice she would never.

            Hotel beds, though she frequented them for work and play, were not her favourite to sleep in. They always made her want to shower and showering made her want to cry because she had to see herself in the mirror.

            Everleigh ignored the tear that slid into hair. She ignored Donny flushing the toilet and washing his hands. Paid no mind to the shuffling of his feet across the floor and getting into bed beside her. Disregarded the shift of the blankets and the way Donny turned away from her to go back to sleep. The sound of his snoring went in one ear and out the other.

            Everleigh decidedly ignoredeverything until she drifted to sleep herself, dreading the next morning andher trip to Bali. She even ignored the strange urge she had to text Maverick, afleeting thought before a rough slumber