I spent eighty minutes on the phone: half a minute with my father, twenty with my mother getting my father to calm down, and close to an hour trying to phone Jen. It's funny how the silliest things seem so difficult. I had a speech ready, full with excuses and all, yet each time I looked at her I just couldn't get myself to tap the screen. In the end I just sent a message explaining I failed my exam. A few minutes later, I sent another asking how she was doing. That was ten minutes ago. Still no reply.

Throwing the phone aside, I flopped onto my bed. The smell of pepperoni pizza mixed with soy sauce irritated my nostrils, but not enough to get me to get back up. Instead, I just turned my head to the side to find the source of the stench. The room was a complete mess. Cans, post-it notes, and food carton remains covered the floor like a carpet. I instantly recognized a sketch of the inner vortex conductivity principle.

"Argh!" I put my hand over my face. Maybe should have started with that at the exam? It was complex enough to show that at least I had done some studying. Big deal that I didn't completely understand it. "Stupid unimage." I groaned at the unfairness of the universe. At any human teacher I would have gotten a C, maybe a B- if I was lucky. But call-me-missus had to transfer here to keep an eye on her daughter. For a moment I wondered if anyone in my class had passed. After ten seconds of fumbling about for it, I finally found it and sent a message to my class group. Unsurprising, several people had beat me to it.

"That bag," I said, half laughing as I looked at the screen. "She really failed all of—"

The noise of rattling keys outside the door grabbed my attention. I elbowed up just enough to get a good look of who else was going to ruin my day. Even with Spike as a roommate I'd have a hard time explaining how the place had become a decrepit stench pit in the two weeks since his last visit. As the door began to open I imagined in horror the dean popping for his obligatory apology after he messed up. Not that he cared about my self esteem—he just wanted to be sure I wasn't saying anything bad to Spike who could then convey it to Princess Twilight.

"Yo, bro!" My kilted dragon roommate popped in. "I totally forgot! Grab some clothes and let's get going!"

"Where?" I asked, skipping the obvious questions.

"Birthday, dude." He tiptoed through the mess on the floor to his wardrobe. "Frostfoot invited us over a few weeks back. With you studying and the Jen thing, I totally forgot."

"What else is new?" I relaxed back down on the bed. "Have fun. I've stuff to do."

"Huh-uh." He took out two kilts, gave them a quick glance, then threw one back in the wardrobe. "You're coming too, even if I have to dragon breath you."

"Dude, I really don't feel it." By the sound of the name it was probably an all Equestria party. "I just want to get some Z’s and—"

"Come on, Allen!" Spike grabbed a towel, then made for the shower. "If I leave you you'll be moping in this mess for days. Besides, I want to introduce you to someone."

"Someone?" That grabbed my attention. I had grown to know the nuances of the collective noun. "Did you invite Jen?" The sound of the shower was the only answer I got. "Spike!" I sat up. "Don't mess with me."

"Chill, bro." I heard him through the sound of the shower. "Jen won't be there. I mean she was invited, but after last time, I doubt she'll show."

That answered one question. At least I knew the party was mixed. Not that there was any reason for me to go. I didn't know any Frostfoot on campus, which meant she—I definitely pictured her as a she—had to be a recent transfer.

"Besides, you owe me for the hay and the beers." Even with all the noise I could hear his snigger. "Just a few hours. If you don't like it you can leave."

I slid both hands down my face. It was always the same with him. Then again, maybe I needed to get hammered right now?

"You win," I said in mock defeat. "I'm getting drunk, though!"

"Sure thing, buddy," he laughed and continued showering. While waiting, I decided to gather the trash on the floor. That way at least I wouldn't worry about waking up in a carpet of trash. Also, it was an excuse for me to finish the last can of beer in the fridge.

Spike took ten minutes to finish with his shower. It remained a mystery why it took him so long. He wasn’t shedding, that was for sure, and yet he stayed there twice as long as anyone I've known. To make him even more annoying, he took less than a minute to dry himself and get dressed. By the time he was done, I had not only cleaned the dorm, but also rearranged my wardrobe, put my study materials at the bottom of my desk drawer, and found some time to browse through Facebook. Drunken Spike hugging jackets had become a popular meme, not that the dragon cared. To my surprise and horror Twilight had also left a few comments under some of them. The lack of scrolls and dream visits the last few days made me feel uneasy. I couldn't say I knew the princess that well, but based on past experience she was either furious, or put her anger on hold until after Spike's exam. Either way I could sense a storm brewing.

Jen had set her status to "it's complicated." Better than "single" I suppose, though not by much. I went through her profile page. Nothing else had changed, she hadn't unfriended me yet. I wondered whether I should change my status as well, but in the end I didn't. There'd always be time for that in the morning.

"We're out of beer," I shouted once I heard the water stop running. "And I'm throwing away the soy sauce."

"Any energy drinks left?" Spike cracked the bathroom door open.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Dude! I've an exam in two days," he sighed. Funny he should mention that, since I hadn't seen him study one bit. If he seriously thought he could cram everything in two days he was in for a surprise. "You ready?"

"I was waiting for you to finish so I could shower." I looked him in the eye.

"Right, right." He jumped out, the towel round his waist. "Sorry, man. I'm not all here today. Take your time, I'll double check on the gift."

Shaking my head I went into the bathroom. It was beyond nice having one. Before I was moved to the fancy-building, I had to share one with everyone on the floor, which meant going to shower at half-past two, when most people were busy playing Overwatch. That said, Spike was a worse bathroom slob than me.

The shower was quick and relaxing. When I went out Spike was already dressed and writing something at the desk.

"What's that?" I asked casually. Going to the clothes I had left aside on my bed.

"Some poetry for Cuddles," he replied without looking up.

"Cuddles" was Spike's current girlfriend. I had only seen pictures of her, but I knew Spike loved her insanely much—enough to take a second major in English to be able to send her better letters. Hopefully, those two didn't end like me and Jen.

"Who's Frostfoot?" I asked, pulling a shirt on.

"New kid — a pegasus." Spike put the pen in his mouth, then moved waved claw around in search of inspiration. "Nice, but might come out as a bit bratty. Her sister is a big-shot back home."

"Spike—" I pulled my jeans up "—your guardian is a big shot."

"Well, yeah, sort of." He scribbled a few more words. "But there are different types. Twi's always close to everyone. She'll even be okay to help you with your magic—"

"Moving on," I cut him short. I was in no mood for having this conversation again. "And if you're setting me up to—"

"Dude, stop being paranoid." Spike rolled up the scroll, then burped on it. Green flames engulfed it, teleporting it all the way to its target. I could think of at least five companies that would give anything to learn the secret of that little trick. Of course there were also that much that didn't. "It's not her, okay? Trust me for once, will you?"

It would have been easy to start an argument, but I kept my mouth shut. The day was bad enough as it was to get into a raw with him. It wasn't his fault, he just didn't know better.

"Where are we going?" I passed a comb through my hair.

"Equestrian dorm." Spike stood up. "Rooftop," he added with a grin.

Despite everything I chuckled. Rooftop usually mean two things: pegasi and heavy drinking. Judging by Spike's expression, probably both. There was some small part of me that wanted to back out and just get some sleep. A look back at the things I'd been through the last few days quickly changed my mind.

"Let's go." I tapped my pockets to make sure I'd taken my set of keys and my phone. Echoes of hope still lingered in my mind that Jen might text me back or even call. "What time does it start?"

"Eight." Spike straightened the collar of his jacket, then his kilt. "But we need to go through a place first." The dragon took a post-it from his pocked and blew fire on it. "We need to get a present."