GEMINI.
The evening slipped by lazily in my dorm room, Ohio and I sprawled on the large, crinkled bin bag I'd laid out on the floor. It was one of those nights where nothing much happened—just us, binge-watching the Originals series again, laughing at the dramatic vampire politics, Elijah's casual threats and Klaus's over-the-top sassy attitude. Ohio had just finished eating the takeout she ordered, I was still very much full from lunch when suddenly, a sharp knock at the door jolted us out of our movie trance. I sat up, blinking. Ohio looked at me, raising an eyebrow.
"Who could that be?" she wondered aloud, pushing herself up.
I stood and opened the door cautiously. Standing there was a delivery guy, holding a small parcel and clipboard. His face was plain, professional.
"Are you Mr. Rivers?" he asked, voice neutral but polite.
"Yeah, that's me," I replied, scratching my head. I don't recognize him, and I definitely hadn't ordered anything recently.
He nodded briskly, holding out a clipboard and a pen. "Alright, just sign here and here!" he instructed, his tone efficient. I took the pen, glanced at the signature line, and signed my name — slightly puzzled.
He handed me the parcel, a plain box wrapped in brown paper, before giving a curt smile and saying, "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Sir." then disappeared down the corridor.
I closed the door, looking down at the mysterious package. Ohio leaned over, peering at it with interest. "What did you order?"
I shook my head, genuinely confused. "I have no idea. I didn't order anything."
"Huh, that's strange. Maybe they made a mistake," Ohio said, her brow furrowing thoughtfully. Just as she spoke, my phone vibrated on the bed. My heart skipped a beat. I reached for it, and across the screen flashed a text from Percy.
"No one your age uses that kind of phone anymore, throw that thing away!" Ohio read over my shoulder, her eyes widening in surprise. She squealed—a high-pitched, banshee-like squeal that made me jump.
"Oh my God! He got you a new phone!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement. Without waiting, she lunged forward and tore open the parcel. Moments later, she held up a sleek, shiny new phone.
"Okay, I was definitely right about him wanting you to become his sugar baby. Look at this!" Ohio said, holding up the brand-new device with a triumphant grin.
I rushed forward, snatching the phone from her hands and inspecting it carefully. "Ohio, don't just say something like that with a straight face. Besides, I'm not accepting this."
She gave me a funny look, tilting her head. "Why not? You don't like the color?"
"No, it's not about the color," I said, frustration creeping into my voice. "This is a brand new iPhone 16. Percy got me this? Just like that?"
"Yeah, so, what's the problem?" Ohio asked, grinning cheerfully, clearly amused by my reaction.
"I can't accept this," I repeated firmly. "Lunch is one thing, but this… this is too much. Why would he do this?"
Ohio looked at me, her expression softening for a moment. "Come on! You can't just return it. That's rude. You wouldn't let me get you a new phone, and now you want to give back a perfectly good one Percy got for you? What exactly are you going to tell him?"
I crossed my arms, feeling the weight of her words. "I'll just tell him I can't accept it! That's all. This is way too much— it's over the top," I insisted, feeling a little annoyed that she wasn't freaking out like I was.
She paused, then nodded. "Right, you're right." Ohio said after a moment, finally catching on. "We don't really know what the guy's motives are. It's better to be cautious."
"Exactly," I said, grabbing my phone and preparing to text Percy. "I'm going to message him now," I said, voice firm.
Ohio nodded, but a mischievous glint in her eyes told me she had her own plans. She reached over, grabbing my phone before I could stop her.
"What are you doing?" I asked, alarmed.
She waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. I've got this. It's time I give Percy a piece of my mind." She started typing rapidly, her fingers flying over the screen.
"Ohio! What are you typing?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes.
She held up a finger, telling me to wait. After a few moments, she leaned back, looking proud of herself.
"Done!" she announced. "That should do it." she added confidently.
I snatched my phone back, heart pounding as I looked at her message. My stomach dropped.
"Ohio Abigail Johnson! What did you just do?" I screamed, lunging to delete her message before it could send.
"Okay, I'm going to let that go because you're obviously overwhelmed right now," she said, smirking. "But if you ever say my middle name again, bunny, I'll murder you and no one will find your body." she warned, her tone playful but firm.
I gulped, feeling a mixture of frustration and disbelief. "Why would you tell him thank you for getting me a new phone? I thought you wanted to give him a piece of your mind?"
She chuckled, pointing at the screen. "Well, you weren't going to thank him. So I did it for you. And yes, I did give him a piece of my mind—see?" She grinned proudly as she pointed at the message.
I read aloud the remainder of her message: "I would like to have dinner with you whenever you're free, my treat!" My jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait, why did you add that?"
"I had to," Ohio said, shrugging. "That's the least you can do considering all he's done for you. Treat him to dinner, Gem."
I blinked, trying to process her words. "What?"
She nodded, a teasing smile on her face. "About time, don't you think?"
"Why do you think that's a good idea?" I managed to say, voice barely above a whisper.
She rolled her eyes dramatically. "It'll make him happy. Besides, you're acting like he's some villain."
I stared at her, still trying to digest what I'm hearing. "You were of the opinion that he was bad news until this morning, and now you're suddenly on his team?"
Ohio shrugged, brushing her hair back. "Look, it's pretty clear that the rumors about him aren't the whole story. We shouldn't judge too quickly. I hear all kinds of stuff about people—sometimes it's not what it seems."
I'm so overwhelmed right now trying to make sense of everything. Percy's generous and way over the top gift, Ohio's sudden relaxed attitude, my own feelings—it was a lot to process in one go.
Ohio always seemed so chill about money and gifts—she's used to having and spending cash, but for me? People like me don't just get an iPhone 16 on a whim. We'd have to save for months, maybe even a year, just to afford something like this.
And now she's saying it's rude to return it. I feel torn—what should I do? Return the phone and risk offending Percy? Or keep it and hope this whole thing isn't a huge mistake? I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself as I looked at the glowing screen. Whatever decision I end up making, none of it is going to be easy.