At what point should you worry about your roommate?

	That was the questions that Miranda Inamorata was tossing 
around in her head.  It was an odd question, actually.  It wasn’t 
like her roommate was a close friend, like Suzette, or even a 
friend at all.  Sierra Worthing went out of her way not to deal 
with Miranda, so it wasn’t like Miranda knew her or knew what was 
normal for her.

	Added to that was the fact that Sierra and Miranda were 
both in relationships.  Okay, the Crushingham project and Andrew 
might not qualify as a relationship proper, but Miranda figured it 
should count.  Besides, what did Miranda know about normal male-
female relationships?  In other words, she really didn’t have any 
grounds to worry about Sierra’s relationship with Dirk.

	Except…something didn’t seem healthy about the Sierra-Dirk 
relationship.  Sierra was on the hall less.  She talked to the other 
girls less, although Suzette said such behavior was normal for this 
time of year.  That aside, even when Sierra was on the hall, she 
seemed out of it.  Like Dirk was sucking the life out of her.

	Not that Miranda said much of anything to anyone about her 
concerns.  Everyone already found her weird and Sierra wouldn’t 
appreciate the interference.  No intelligent person involves herself 
where she wasn’t wanted, Miranda had chastised herself. Yet, Miranda 
found she couldn’t abandon her roommate, as odd as that was to 
discover.  So, Miranda hung around the room more often.

	In an effort to engage Sierra, Miranda would play her 
“strange music” so that Sierra would have something to react 
against.  She offered to go to meals with Sierra.  Miranda had 
even offered to tutor her in Spanish after over-hearing Sierra 
tell Dirk that she was doing badly in the class.  The fact that 
Sierra rarely complained about the music, only ate with Dirk, 
and was so much in a fog that she nodded at the tutoring offer, 
just worried Miranda more.

	Fast forward to this Saturday.  As had become her habit, 
Miranda was hanging around the room because this was one of the 
few times Sierra was in their room.  Miranda was playing a CD she 
had burned of her favorite Emm Gryner songs as she read her Logic 
textbook.  Sierra was off in that strange place in her head again, 
even as she sat at her desk on the other side of the room.  Sierra 
seemed so detached, that Miranda didn’t even realize Sierra knew 
she was in the room until (in unison with the music) Sierra asked, 
“What are you hangin’ around for this time?”

	Miranda blinked.  “Excuse me?”

	“Oh, you heard me.  Even over that stuff you listen to.  
Why are you always around on Saturdays now?”

	“This is my room, too,” Miranda felt compelled to point 
out for the fourieth time.  “My stuff is here.”

	Sierra rolled her eyes at Miranda as she crossed the room 
to stand at the foot of Miranda’s bed.  “You know what I mean.  
You used to catch brunch and a early movie with Suzette every 
Saturday.  But you haven’t done that in weeks.”

	“You noticed that?” Miranda mused aloud.

	“Yes. You would make enough noise getting up.” Her 
redheaded roommate groused.  “Well, anyway.  You need to get 
out.”

	At moments like this, Miranda had to wonder why she cared.  
“Why?”

	“Because Dirk is coming by.”

	And just when Miranda thought Sierra couldn’t be more 
inconsiderate, she was.  “Wait, you are kicking me out of my 
room so you can have sex with Dirk?!”

	“So what if I am?  I’d return the favor if you needed if 
for time with Champion.  But, as that is not part of the project, 
that won’t happen, will it?”

	Why she was concerned about her bitch of a roommate, 
Miranda didn’t know.  “Fine. Whatever.  But I’ll leave AFTER 
Dirk gets here.  And don’t you dare use my bed.”

	Sierra sighed loudly as she flopped down on her own bed.  
“He was soooo right about you.”

	“Excuse me, what?”

	“Dirk.  He was right about you being a nuisance and me 
needing a single.  Like her was right about Sheena being catty 
and Elizabeth being jealous.  God, what I’m saddled with!”

	Miranda merely raised an eyebrow and returned to her 
reading.  Just a few months ago Sheena, Sierra, and Elizabeth 
were great friends.  This whole Dirk thing really bothered 
Miranda.  But what could she do about…well whatever the problem 
was?  If there actually was a problem.  And why should she bother?  
Sierra played martyr well enough without Miranda giving her further 
reason.

	Next Saturday, she was going to brunch to Suzette.

- the end -