Ficlet 11/50: That stuff cant be good for you

~For Hrideyy (FlightOfEagle)~

Happy Reading!

#22: That stuff can't be good for you!

University life was easy peasy. Wake up at 6am, exercise for an hour, shower, get dressed, have breakfast. Then attend class at 8, keep attending until 5 in the evening. Have a snack at 6. Catch up on homework and assignments for 2 hours, attend that party. Get drunk by midnight and sleep until 6am. Lather, rinse and repeat.

This was what university life was supposed to be like for Kunj. Supposed.

What in was in reality was: Waking up at 7.45 only to curse himself for getting up that late. Throwing on a fresh shirt over his head and heading out the door. 7. 55 and he stops by Starbucks, one tall black coffee. 8.10 And he makes it to class. Professor Miles was always 12 minutes late to class anyway.

Then attend classes up until 5 in the eve, day dream of vacation in Economics. Have an early dinner at 6. Catch up on homework until 7.30, though he promised himself he wouldn't budge or give up on his homework until 9. Then get pulled out of his dorm room to get wasted. He doesn't drink much, just eh occasional root beer. Chat and play darts until 12. 12.01, he is reminded of the homework assignment he was supposed to finish. Then stay up until 4 finishing it. Ta-da! Life of a University student!

Sometimes he curses himself for being that irresponsible with his life. He can certainly do better than that. But every cloud has a silver lining and his is in the form of Twinkle Taneja.

That girl, He swears was a bigger wreck than him! He wonders how she yet manages to ace all her classes when just the day before yesterday she was dancing on Turn Down for what' with two bottles of beer in her hand.

He wondered about how she managed to juggle her social and academic life so effortless, until he walked in on her in the common pantry of the dorm one exceptional morning that we managed to wake up early. There was a 30 Oz cup next to her on the counter, a can of Red Bull and the brewing coffee on the machine. Twinkle herself was lifelessly dozing on the chair. He was about to go and shake her awake when the coffee pot stopped brewing and her kitchen timer went off. He decides to stand back and watch what events were to unfold.

Twinkle banged the timer a couple of times to make it stop, with even raising her head up. Once the timer stopped, she slowly, almost like the fatigued student she was, raises herself off of the chair and with closed eyes feels her way to the coffee pot. She proceeds to empty half the pot in the 30 Oz cup. That is when she finally decides to open her eyes, rub the sleep crusties out of the corner of her eyes and reach for the can of Red Bull.

He doesn't know what to expect next. But it most definitely wasn't her pouring the Red Bull into her strong black coffee!

He watches her place the lid on the cup and shake it like a bartender. Once satisfied that the contents were well mixed, she takes off the lid completely before chugging down the concoction. Little streams of the drink dribble down the corner of her lips.

He wanted to stop her, that little cocktail of her could potentially lead to kidney failure but she was chugging down the drink faster than Usain Bolt's sprint. And before he could even get a word in, she slams the now empty cup on the marbled counter of the pantry.

She wipes her lips with the back of her hand. "That stuff can't be good for you!" He finally gets himself to speak.

She turns around, startled. Her eyes are blown wide, pupils dilated and he is pretty sure she wasn't even blinking. "Have to attend Professor Miles class." She declares in explanation.

"But yet-"

"We are all going to die anyway, I rather that it happens before Finals. Plus, my body is immune to this now!"

He smiles, unable to say anything else.

He sees her Professor Miles class, her hands furiously scribbling notes, eyes unblinking and glued to the board. He wonders of he should try her cocktail.

Later that night he catches her again in the pantry, only this time mixing coffee, Red Bull and a dash of Vodka in her drink. She calls it the party mix. The way she was dancing that night was proof that, that drink can't be good for her. He her so on numerous occasions.

It was closing on finals week, and a desperate Kunj came knocking on Twinkle's dorm room.

"I need your help."

She looks at him inquisitively, her hair in a messy bun, held up by two pencils and obvious coffee stain on her University Tee.

"Hit me up with your cocktail of death, Please."

"Dude, No!"

"Please."

"You won't be able to handle that stuff!"

"Please, I am desperate"

Twinkle sighs, and relents. "Okay, chalo mere saath."

He watches carefully as she whips up two parts coffee to one part Red Bull. Throws it into a blender and then adds a spoon of sugar, because it would be awfully bitter otherwise. She pours the brown red mixture in a 200 ml glass and hands him the same.

He plans on chugging down the drink the same way he has seen her do. But as soon as the liquid makes its way to his palate, she spit it out. It was VILE! It was the devil's very own creation, this was the stuff of torture they would concoct in hell!

He squints his eyes at Twinkle, who was looking up at him with an unamused expression. The I told you so' loo was so very evident in the raise of her brow.

"That stuff seriously can't be good for you!"

Twinkle finally smiles, brewing up a normal coffee for him. And chugs down the remaining of the devil's drink.

A friendship forged by Red Bull, coffee and Exams.

The life of a Uni student!

THE END.

End of Day 11/50.