The subway was overcrowded once again, and all Karmin wanted to do was punch the creepy man that kept staring at her.

Don't get her wrong. She was all about peace, love, positivity, and all that good shit. Karmin was always smiling and looking on the brighter side of things, but there came a time where you just have to sock creepers and racists right in the face.

And that was okay.

Really, it was. Go punch them in the face. They probably deserved it.

After Aaliyah got off on her stop, Karmin made it to the NYU campus an hour later. It was tough transiting back and forth, especially when she had evening classes, but her Mom needed their only car to go to work. When she was too tired, she would just crash at her best friend Viola's apartment that was only ten minutes away from campus; she shared it with her two older sisters, Choyce and Adanna.

The New York University was a large brick building with purple banners hanging from the walls. The main entrance had pillars surrounding the glass doors with shiny letters that stated the name of the school. The dome-shaped roof was encircled with windows showcasing people passing by in a hurry.

It was right after midterm exams, and there were three types of students that walked around the courtyard: the first kind were stressing out about their marks, seconds away from a breakdown and the second kind left it up to the gods, praying for a passing grade. Lastly, the third kind sauntered around, already coming to terms with their failure and contemplating whether to drop out and work at McDonald's their entire life.

Karmin was the first kind.

Since she was in the pre-med program, Karmin couldn't fail, not if she wanted to get into med school. Her Dad was the entire reason she wanted to become a doctor in the first place. She wanted to make a change in the health care system by helping patients who couldn't afford their treatments.

No one should be forced to pick between debt or their health.

She ventured through the hallway that was flooded with artificial light, turning the corridors with ease. Karmin was a first-year student in her second semester of classes, so she was beginning to get accustomed to the extensive building.

She entered the lecture hall for her Sociology course that she had taken as a general course requirement. It was a four-hour class split into two days: Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was filled with subjects on social justice, sexuality, and media. The classroom was large with roughly 500 seats, a projector and a desk upfront.

Karmin glanced at the seats, planning to sit in her usual middle row to find an unwelcomed guest sitting in that space. His name was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't remember. Dave? Dylan? Daniel? She should've known his name since he had been harassing her to go on a date with him from the beginning of the semester. Whenever she rejected him or made up random excuses, he kept coming back with his ugly fruit-patterned shirts and gel-covered hair.

If anyone asked, Karmin was allergic to flowers and chocolate, she was vegan, lactose-intolerant, and something called aquagenic urticaria.

This guy could not take a hint.

With her lack of energy to deal with douchebags, Karmin climbed up the stairs swiftly, taking a spot in the second-to-last row. She threw her bag on the chair beside her, propping up her head with her freshly coated pink nails as she took in the room.

Half of the seats were filled, the number of students dwindling from the first day of the semester. Since it was almost 9 a.m., some were sleeping with their heads resting on the adjustable desks while others had metal cups that were most likely filled with iced coffee. The professor, Winona Tsosie, a Native American woman from the Lakota tribe, was fumbling with her laptop, attempting to pull up her lecture slides.

Several people entered class last minute, waving at Karmin as they took their respective seats. She was always a sociable person, excited to talk to anyone and everyone. Public speeches were a piece of cake for her and making new friends was even easier. She loved being around people.

It helped her get out of her mind.

One minute was left before class started when two people entered.

First came in Rhys Zhao, a tall Chinese-American student who showed up whenever he pleased. He was quite handsome with his short, black hair and his white t-shirt that hugged his muscular figure. Rhys was the type of person who partied hard, drank away his worries, and vaped until his lungs were filled with smoke, instead of oxygen.

Then, there was the oh-so-dreamy Leo Cortez with his beautiful tan skin and wide smile that could literally blind someone. Whenever he spoke to Karmin, her heart would skip a beat, and it felt like it would burst through her ribcage when Leo talked in Spanish.

She had a massive crush on that boy.

Her daydream about Leo was cut short when Rhys stomped up the stairs and took a seat in the far corner of the row behind Karmin. A loud thud was audible and she turned her head to see him lounging peacefully in the chair, spreading his arms out wide.

Karmin rolled her eyes and directed her attention back to the front where the projector displayed the notes for today: Influence of Mass Media.

"Okay class," Winona announced. "I am still marking the midterms, but I should have them back to you by next week. From what I have seen so far, some of you have done very well, and others, well," she faltered, "I suggest you take on a tutor."

Karmin felt confident with her exam. She flew through it without any problems, circling the multiple-choice questions swiftly and writing her short essay on the culture of capitalism and coercion in the workforce.

She had aced it.

But what if I messed up really badly? What if I thought I did really good, but I was just psyching myself out? What if?

Her mind was a space filled with doubt and over-thinking. Can someone please just shut off her brain?

Thank you.

She shook herself out of her thoughts, catching a piece of the lecture.

"...The media plays a significant role in how the audience is influenced. They advocate not only products but attitudes and a sense of what is right and wrong. For example, if you're watching Fox News, and you really shouldn't," Winona addressed, giving the class a pointed look, "they won't give you the full story. Only pieces of it, and –"

Karmin was fully invested in the lecture until harsh whispers sounded from the back corner.

"Maddox, you said you would be in class," Rhys spoke quietly on the phone. "Why the hell am I here then?"

Ugh, she hated people like him. His parents were paying for education, so he could at least pay attention.

"I know you have a fight today...wait how much?" he halted. "5,000 dollars?"

Her ears perked up when she heard those words.

5,000 dollars? Fight?

"I'll see you later, then," and with that, the back of the room went quiet.

How was Maddox making that much money? Was he a boxer or something?

But that was when it hit her.

On her way to school, she had read about a possible set of rumours about the rich of New York City hosting fights as a way of entertainment for them. She guessed travelling around the world in private jets and buying pet lions got old pretty quickly.

The only way he could possibly be making that much was from the illegal fight clubs.

Karmin didn't think too much about them before, but now she needed a way in. She could fight. Ever since she was a kid, her parents put both Karmin and Aaliyah in self-defence classes and afterschool martial art programs. They didn't want to leave the kids alone at home for hours while they worked, so the best choice was to keep them active.

She didn't know where they were hosted or how to get an invite. She could talk to Rhys, but it would be pretty difficult to hide her disdain for him.

One thought echoed in her mind.

She needed to find Maddox Knight and convince him to get her a spot in the fight club.

***

After two hours of talking about social media and trends, the class finally came to an end. A part of her hoped Maddox would show up, but now she just had to wait for two more days to see him.

As she left the lecture hall, she heard someone shout her name.

"Karmin, wait up," Leo called out, jogging to her.

A giant smile made its way on to her face as she clutched the straps of her backpack tighter.

He stopped in front of her with a grin on his face. "I just wanted to thank you for the notes. Without them, I don't think I would've passed."

"Yeah, of course," she said casually, but inside, her heart was beating rapidly. Why did he have to be so freaking cute?

"Do you mind sending me the answers for today's worksheet? I have football practice, so I don't think I'll be able to finish it," Leo asked hopefully, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Um...," she wondered hesitantly. She was pretty busy today with her classes, and she wasn't sure if she could complete it herself.

But, when he put his hand on her shoulder, she knew the answer instantly. She needed to finish the worksheet for him.

"Sure, I'll text you them once I finish," Karmin replied cheerfully.

"You're awesome," Leo said, offering her a smirk and sauntering away.

Did you hear that? She was awesome.

He always asked for notes and help on his worksheets, and Karmin always said yes. No matter how busy or tired she was, she couldn't help but agree. Whenever he smiled at her or touched her arm, she couldn't think straight.

Now that she was in a better mood, Karmin made her way outside to meet Viola for pizza at Central Park Pizzeria, the restaurant across the street.

The sun bathed her bronze skin, the warmth hugging her lightly. Her eyes glinted in the light when she saw her best friend, Viola Oni.

Her dark ebony skin glittered in the light as her box braids trailed down her back gently. She was soft-spoken with the sweetest personality. She was a second-year biomedical engineering student who was ridiculously smart. While Karmin wore dresses, Viola chose to go with the more vintage style of dress pants and oversized tops.

They had first met when Karmin was a freshman in high school and had joined the robotics club. The only reason she joined was because it looked good on college applications, but Viola showed her the ropes, and they quickly became friends, spending their lunch hour together every day.

"You look so freaking good, I can't," Karmin exclaimed, pausing in her steps dramatically as she took in her plaid high-waisted dress pants, white full-sleeve shirt paired with a black tank on top. "You make me want to wear pants."

Viola let out a soft laugh. "And babe, look at you. You look absolutely marvelous. Marry me?" she joked.

Karmin wrapped her arm around Viola's shoulder as they crossed the street. "You know I would if I wasn't into men," she said, shivering in disgust.

"The benefits of being pan. I get everyone," Viola shrugged smugly. "Oh, how was class, by the way?"

The fight club crossed her mind, but she didn't want to say anything until she got Maddox to agree.

"Pretty interesting, but nothing big. How about you?"

"Do you remember Parker?" Viola asked as they entered the restaurant.

A faint song played in the background as waiters bustled around, taking orders. It was lively as customers talked and laughed out loud. The ashy brick walls decorated the restaurant with neon signs and chestnut tables with leather booths scattered around. Vintage, red lamps hung from the ceiling, illuminating the dim room.

"Yeah, Zara's boyfriend, right? The one who can't walk without bumping into something?"

She had hung out with her a couple of times, and it was nice knowing another brown girl. She was kind but tough, and there was a time when her boyfriend tagged along. It was safe to say that without Zara, he would probably be dead.

Viola grinned as they took a seat in the far corner that gave them a view of the television hanging by the bar. "He stumbled into the prof's laptop and it fell, breaking it," she laughed. "Class was cancelled for the day, but you should've seen the prof. He was so pissed."

"I am genuinely concerned for his safety," Karmin retorted amusedly.

As they sat, talking about anything and everything, she remembered something. Karmin pulled out the lunch box from her backpack and slid it over to Viola. "My Mom made these for you."

Viola snatched the box, opening it quickly and grabbing the round yellow sweets from inside. "I love it when you bring me food. Your Mom makes the best laddoos," she muttered through a mouthful.

"I swear my Mom loves you more than me." She cleared her throat, imitating her mother. "You know, Viola always compliments my food. You never do, Karmin. She should be my daughter."

"She's the cutest," Viola chuckled. It was silent for a moment, until she asked, "How's your Dad?"

Karmin tapped the table, keeping her eyes on her ring-clad fingers. "Not so good. They say they found a potential donor, but that's all I know. I just don't know how we're going to afford it."

Viola reached over and placed her hand on top of hers. "You'll figure it out, I promise. I'm always here, okay?"

Yeah, she was going to handle it one way or another.

"Yeah, I know," Karmin said softly, grasping Viola's hand tightly.

Viola smiled back, but she had her eyes set on someone behind Karmin. She turned around not-so-conspicuously to see Eva Dela Cruz, a waitress busting tables. She glanced back at Viola, a knowing smile on her lips.

"Just ask her out already, please," urged Karmin.

Viola frantically shook her head. "Nope, that is not happening," she retorted forcefully.

"But why?" Karmin sulked. "You're hot. She's hot. You two would make the hottest couple."

Viola had been crushing on Eva ever since they first started coming to Central Park Pizzeria. They had talked several times and Karmin could just feel the chemistry between them. Viola couldn't stop talking about how sweet Eva was and how beautiful she was. Whenever they hung out, all Viola wanted to do was eat pizza no matter how sick of it she was. She had it bad.

"I don't know," Viola said hesitantly, peeking over Karmin's shoulder for another glance.

"My love life is non-existent, okay. All I have are fictional guys to fan over, and frankly, it's kind of depressing to swoon over Stiles Stilinski and Damon Salvatore," Karmin sighed, thinking about their gorgeous faces. "Do this for me."

She was beginning to give in. "What if she says no?" Viola asked doubtfully, pushing back her hair.

"Babe, you are hot and smart with an amazing personality," she hyped up. "Any girl, boy, and non-binary folk would be so very lucky to date you. You got this."

"I got this," Viola whispered to herself as she got up with an agenda. "I got this."

Karmin grinned, giving her a thumbs-up as Viola walked over to Eva shyly. She looked away, not wanting to invade their personal conversation, but as she turned back in her seat, she caught a glance at the television briefly.

"This morning, police officers located two bodies in the Hudson River, increasing the body count to four in the past week," the reporter announced, standing in front of police tape. "Gang activity is at an all-time high and authorities believe the gang, My Brother's Keeper have a part to play in this. Stay tuned as the story develops."

Well, they probably didn't have cute matching gang tattoos.

***

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!!

I really hope you all like Karmin and Viola's friendship!!

I just wanted to clarify that Viola is pansexual. As I was creating her character, I realized that she is the type of person who loves, regardless of someone's sex/gender identity.

Also, for those who have not read Origami Love, Parker and Zara are the two lead characters from that book!

Until next time – m.k.t