Mindy's New Dorm Mate

JJ made his way up to BMU and immediately headed to the massive library found in the east wing. There, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a notebook balanced on her knees and three books spread around was Zoey Irons. She looked up the moment she noticed him, a soft smile already forming like she’d been expecting company. The redhead from Dartwin had the benefit of finding herself as Mindy's dormmate for the next year at least and for JJ that was just perfect. He had met Zoey a few weeks back when meeting up with his old friend Eric, the former teammate had moved up to Dartwin a year ago and seeing as they were both BMU bound, it felt like the perfect time to link back up. Meeting Eric led to meeting his newest friend Zoey, which made the world feel all the funnier when he learned she was going to be with Mindy. She was a sweet, friendly girl who was just the right amount of extroverted for someone like Mindy who needed that little push to get outside of her comfort zone.

“Hey JJ,” she said, looking up from her notebook. “What’s up?”

JJ slowed, showing already some signs of relief. “Was hoping you had a minute?”

“Yeah, of course.” She reached over moving aside one of her books and motioned with her head. “Sit.”

He dropped down next to her, elbows resting on his knees. For a second, he simply exhaled and stared out, looking through the library as he searched for the right words. Zoey rolled in her lips, waiting patiently, but already realizing this was something a bit more serious than a simple question, so she set aside her notebook as well. “It’s about a friend of mine,” JJ finally said. “Kenny.”

She nodded gently. “Okay.”

“And… another friend. Mindy.”

“Mindy?” Zoey’s brow creased slightly as she searched the name. “Oh—yeah. 'Mindy' Mindy, right. Is she alright?”

"Sorta, you guys have talked?"

"Well, a little bit since she got here earlier this week."

JJ glanced at her. “Nothing deep?”

Zoey shook her head. “No. She seems nice. Kind of quiet. Keeps to herself mostly.”

JJ exhaled. “That tracks.”

Zoey tilted her head, voice calm and open. “What’s going on? You seem really concerned.”

JJ rubbed his palms together. “Right, so, Mindy and Kenny, they've been best friends since -- Shit, they been best friends before they knew they were best friends, you know?" Zoey nodded, "And...Mindy kinda developed some feelings for Ken over the years. Felt natural for anyone, you know? And well over the summer… things crossed a line. They hooked up.”

Zoey’s eyes widened just a touch, not judgmental—just surprised. “Oh.”

“It was both their first time, I guess some drinking was involved, and things got a little, uh, intense. Afterward, Mindy told him she needed some space,” JJ continued. “And Kenny, the nice idiot that he is, instead of… checking in or doing literally anything a normal guy would do, took that to mean he should disappear.”

“Oh no, you're joking...” JJ merely pursed his lips and shook his head, “So they stopped talking?”

“For a month now,” JJ said. “Neither of them actually wants that, but they’re both stuck in their own heads.”

Zoey’s shoulders sagged with sympathy. “That sounds really hard. I'm sure they have a thousand different thoughts running through their minds every day.”

“It's not good,” JJ confirmed. “Kenny’s convinced he messed everything up. And Mindy…” He paused. “I don’t know exactly what she’s feeling. I just know she hasn’t brought anything up to me personally. Which, in retrospect, makes me worried because she usually tells me everything.”

Zoey stared out for a moment, thoughtful. “Sometimes when people don’t talk about something, it’s because it matters too much. And no offense, depending how intense this is, she might not feel comfortable with you being in the middle. This can be a big deal.”

JJ nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Zoey clicked her pen and set it on her notepad. “So… how do I fit into this?”

JJ exhaled and ran a hand over his head. “I was hoping you might help me make it easier for them to be in the same space again. No pressure. No confrontation. Just…normal.”

Zoey tilted her head. “What did you have in mind?”

“A group trip,” JJ said. “A ski lodge Brian's family owns, a couple hours outside of Dartwin. A bunch of us all up there for a few days. Low expectations. If nothing happens, nothing happens. But at least they’re not avoiding each other anymore. As much as I think they are great together, the one thing they can't do is stop being friends.”

Zoey took in the idea and arched a brow. “And you think Mindy would go?”

“I think she would if it didn’t feel like it was about Kenny,” JJ said. “And if someone she’s comfortable with was there.”

Zoey smiled softly. “I don’t know her well," JJ grimaced, "but…I can ask. You know, keep it casual. I mean, if it's a group thing, maybe I can bring Maggie and Akira, she'll know she has some other girls there with her."

Relief flickered across JJ’s face. “You’d do that?”

Zoey nodded without hesitation. “Of course I would. Mindy's very sweet and now that you told me all this, I don't want her wallowing in those awful feelings all year.”

JJ let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Thank you. Seriously. I didn’t want to push her, or make her feel cornered. And if it was coming from me, she'd know exactly what I was trying to do.”

“I won’t pressure her,” Zoey said gently. “I’ll just frame it as a break. Fresh air. Snow. And admittedly, I did want to become better friends with her and Maggie could definitely use a break too. She's so stressed."

“That’s perfect.”

Zoey picked her notebook back up, then paused. “Hey...question, do you know that other guy that Mindy talks to all the time?” JJ squinted his eyes and tilted his head, "Uhhh, I'm drawing a blank."

"Quiet like her, blonde hair, thick framed glasses? I've seen him once or twice with her."

"Glasses?... Oh -- Oh, yeah, yeah. That's Avery. He's a cool dude. I know him alright, he's closer with Mindy and Ken though."

"Could you maybe do me a favor as well and see if you guys can get him to come up to the lodge too?" Zoey asked with a hopeful smile, "I actually could really use someone like him up there."

"Yeah? Uh, sure, I'll give it a shot."

"Thanks, JJ." Zoey warmly replied, "And hey, don't worry, if they really have been friends for as long as you're saying, that doesn't break easy. They just need a little push."

JJ smiled faintly. “I hope you’re right.”

Zoey picked back up her notebook. “I’ll talk to her tonight. I’ll let you know what she says.”

JJ rose. “No matter what happens—thanks. This means a lot.”

She gave him a warm, reassuring smile. “Sometimes people just need a little help finding their way back to each other.” JJ walked out of the library feeling like maybe, things just might actually be okay.