You Promised Me

by Lucy Scott Bryan

  I sit and people watch out of the window that runs around the cafe while finishing my juice. My mind is a buzz with Hunter’s weird threats, my new friendship with Dom, Caleb and Drew, and the girls as well as the amount of work I need to do before Monday’s classes restart. With my thoughts scattering and zinging everywhere, swirling around, looping and looping, my focus is shot. Eventually, I catch sight of a happy couple walking out of the cafe through gardens and it gives me an idea. Maybe some time alone, away from all of today’s drama, walking, will help soothe my fuzzy head.

  The weather has certainly changed in such a short amount of time, it’s cold here already, but I like it. I walk the gardens and they are beautifully peaceful, the crisp afternoon air seems to sweep through the cobwebs in my head and each step brings peace, helping me feel more like myself. Only now I am so damn pissed off, for acting so silly but Hunter makes me lose my mind, my confidence, and my focus. I need it to stop or it is going to affect my friendships and my goals here.

  I find a secluded sunny spot on the lawn around the side of the main buildings, away from prying eyes and quickly sit down, using my pack as a pillow. I grab the IT notes from our earlier lecture and start from the top again. I need to understand this. Outside, in the open, away from the looming expectation for greatness that saturates every surface at St Joseph’s, I take my time and review the notes and examples until the day gets even colder, as the light dims to dusk. I pack my notes and my bag and close my eyes for a moment, enjoying the tranquility. I did great work this afternoon, and even better, it makes sense. I feel settled, which is important to me. Now I can chill.

  The curriculum at St Joseph’s is huge and constant. The unspoken expectation of both my professors and myself are seeing me working hard pretty much from sunset to sundown. Don’t get me wrong, I have time with my friends, catching up quickly at meal times, but my time here is dominated by studying. Most of the time my nose is in a book, thankfully I also find great study partners in Caleb and Dom. Drew is too talkative for us and we banned him within the first two sessions, much to his happy disgust. Although he makes up for his banishment by starting to train with me, we share the PT and have an absolute laugh.

  Dom has been, and continues, to be a good friend. We spend a lot of time walking to classes together. We swap notes and I either text or talk to him nearly every night. I am surprised by his intelligence and his compassionate nature. I shouldn’t be really, he has been very honest since the first time we met. We study well together, we are good friends. After the movie night, he has done as promised, not even batting an eye when I choose to sit with Caleb or catch up with Drew.

  Tonight though is Girl’s Night and I am looking forward to catching up with the girls, Lizzie, Betsy, and Karen. Hartley is off at the Social Committee so it is just the four of us. We decided on a Sushi night, so we made our way down to the intimate Japanese Restaurant that is hidden in the middle of the gardens on campus. It is great to catch up with the girls and after too much Sake we are laughing so hard that my tummy hurts.

  “Holy smokes, did you hear Hunter broke up with Gabbie? I mean they have been going out for years apparently and he just broke it off straight after the Welcome Dinner actually,” Betsy says.

  “Oh wow, how is Gabbie? She must be heartbroken,” Lizzie says.

  “Thank god! Hunter is too freaking good looking and bishes he is mine!” Karen slurs at us, before laughing. Starting another round of raucous laughter, that leaves other students glaring at us.

  “Shut the front door!” Betsy hisses at us all, momentarily silencing us, “he just walked in. OMG Karen, shut up!” she growls in jest and we all raise our eyebrows pulling the universal sober up face. Which promptly sends us all into another round of giggles.

  “Ssshhhh, honestly he is coming over,” Betsy stage whispers behind her Sake glass. “Oh hey Hunter, how are you? Bit late for dinner isn’t it?” she talks to him, all sweet-like, like butter won't melt in her mouth.

  “Just grabbing some takeaway. Wow girls, looks like you are having a blast, on a school night no less,” he offers good-naturedly but his eyes are burning into mine. I hear what he is saying, but fuck that.

  “Damn right we are!” I quickly retort back. And as soon as he cocks his head at me, I wish I could take my words back. It is juvenile and unnecessary, even if it feels good to throw him some shade.

  “So, Hunter,” Lizzie starts, “you going to the Saints First Party?”

  “Who’s asking Lizzie?” he smirks quickly before turning to the waitress holding his go bag ready for collection. We all watch him walk away, he looks really good in his tight dark jeans.

  “Oh you know,” she offers playfully, when he turns back around to look at us from the front counter. At that moment his food arrives, neatly packaged all ready for him. Even from here, you can see him wooing the lady at the counter with his charm. He looks at his phone before stopping at our table again on his way out.

  “Come on Lizzie, don’t start playing games. You want to ask me out, just do it. Better yet, how about I ask you out. Lizzie, want to go with me?” Hunter asks before he places his order on the spare table next to us. He moves to stand behind my chair so I can’t possibly see him as he waits for Lizzie to answer. His hands drop to my shoulder and he bends down close to my ear.

  Lizzie watches his face, honestly you don’t see anything else when he is around, such is his pull. Even without looking, I know that he has her full attention, same with Betsy and Karen.

  Once he has them under his spell, they are staring at him as he leans closer still to my ear, “You should go with me to the party…..Ginny. Tell her. Tell her to be my date,” his mocking words are loud enough for everyone to hear and he smiles sweetly at her, but his hands are squeezing my shoulder. With the girls under his spell, totally focused on what he is saying, they miss when he rubs his thumb gently over where he bit me. I struggle not to wiggle under his touch or even make a noise.

  “Ginny?” he says when I don’t answer, “Tell her to say yes,” he pulls me to the side so he can see my face as he laughs, like we are all the best of friends.

  “Oh sorry! God, of course, Lizzie you should go with Hunter,” I say with fake happiness following his every word. Once again Hunter has played me. This time in front of everyone.

  “Well text me, Liz. We can work out the details. Ladies, have a good dinner and don’t forget we have early classes tomorrow,” he nods at each of us and then walks out the door. It is quiet around our table until the door closes and then chaos erupts.

  "Are you serious? Hunter, just asked you out on a date, Lizzie," Betsy squeaks in surprise.

  "Umm, what just happened?" I ask, just as bewildered. "Are we that drunk?"

  We all sit around finishing off the last remaining bits of sushi, trying to figure out how Lizzie just got asked out by Hunter.

  "I don't know if I can do this," she says after a few minutes of shared stunned silence. "I mean he just broke up with Gabbie, I won't be a rebound."

  "God, I would. He is freaking, drop-dead gorgeous," Karen offers.

  "Either way, be careful. Gabbie is not going to let anyone near him and no offense but I am pretty sure, oh look, I don't know what I am trying to say. He asked you, he obviously wanted to, so maybe you should?" I say back quietly.

  "Who are you going with Gin?" Lizzie asks, still looking a bit stunned by what had just occurred.

  "No-one. I am not sure I am going to go yet," I say.

  "Dom!" the three of them answer in a moment.

  "And yes you are going, with or without Dom, this is the event of the year. You are going even if I have to drag you in your pajamas!" Karen says before dropping her napkin on her plate, signaling the end of our girls night.

  "All right, let's get going. Hunter was right, we have an early class and now I already have a Sake headache!"

  “Worth it!” we all toast with the end of our drinks with one last laugh.

  After a quick clean up of the
carnage on our table, which sees us cracking up even more after Betsy and Karen fight it out in a chopstick war, and a flurry of thanks to the staff, we all head out. I leave the girls with a big hug and a kiss with the promise of a repeat very soon. I wobble away in the opposite direction to them, their encouraging shouts following me down the path.

  St Joseph's is as safe a place as can be, there are lights around the area, we have security guards everywhere. The college boasts many things and student safety is one of them, strangely though my subconscious is on hyper-alert. I feel a constant twitch between my shoulder blades as I walk along the well-illuminated path, past other’s walking back to their rooms also. I get the lingering feeling that someone is watching me.

  My phone rings as I am walking along and I have to stop to dig it out of my bag. I should have grabbed it as I was leaving, basic safety 101, but the alcohol provides a haze to my thoughts. I am trying to find it, having no luck and a quick glance around me shows that despite being one of a few walking home just moments ago, now there is no one around. I place my bag on the middle of the footpath and kneel down to scrounge through it. Finding it on the bottom of my tote, it stops ringing as soon as I touch it. Of course.

  A quick glance at the screen and No Caller ID shows with no message. Weird, I think, only a few people have my number, I don't hand it out willy-nilly to randoms.

  I am just standing when once again, I get the sense again that someone is watching me. I turn to where I feel them the most. The night is dark and there are trees around, certainly no crazy stalker lurking behind me. From the edge of my vision, I see the Security buggy puttering along on the eastern perimeter, reconfirming to my nervous self, that I am safe.

  The rest of my walk back to my suite is less dramatic. The cooling night air does me a world of good. By the time I swipe my security card back into my suite, I am back to facing a new day with a smile on my face. A quick hot shower and I am snuggled in bed within thirty minutes. It is not too late, but I know already that I am going to suffer the effects of our fun girls night, in the morning.

  I am dead to the world when my house phone rings, next to my bed. Without thought, I grab it and answer a groggy hello. The night is dark now, the noise of the college, the activity on campus is stilled by the lateness.

  "Are you upset I asked her out?" his voice rings out, taunting me to alertness. And then there is nothing but the beeping of the disconnected call.

  My head drops back onto the pillow, as my heart all but gallops out of my chest. I don't know what game Hunter is playing, and for some reason, he certainly doesn’t want me to miss a play. Why taunt me? Why chase me around then not want me? But it has always been this way with him. I spend the next few hours in fitful, restless sleep remembering times being a kid he would cajole me in only to shock me by his actions. Hunter is a master of this push, pull game he plays.

  Eventually, my alarm buzzes and I drag myself into the bathroom for another shower, grab some Tylenol and water and head out to my PT session with Drew.

  "Gin, you look like shit!" Drew says as I make my way to him and our PT, Tomas in the early morning. Today we are out by the football field and there is an impressive collection of torture devices, I mean gym equipment.

  I offer a little laugh, "Yeah, remind me not to do sushi with the girls on a week night. Too much Sake, not enough food!"

  "Okay guys, today I was going to take it easy, but now it looks like Gin needs a challenge day, so let's change over to sprints, with circuits in between," Tomas offers, a sly smirk on his face.

  "Bring it!" I respond, my enthusiasm waning, while I start stretching it out next to them both grinning like silly kids.

  The thing they don't know is that I have my Italian heritage, Bellafonte stubbornness burning through my veins. There is no way I will quit this session. I will no doubt be heaving, but I will not give up.

  Tomas is right, he is being an ass and our session is insanely hard. I did chuck up a few times and by the end of it as I lay in a sweaty heap staring up at the clouds as the black spots in my vision danced in the sky. Still, I feel a lot better than I did earlier.

  "Tomas, what the hell! I am not fessing up to being hungover anymore, like ever actually. I need a shower and food," I say as I slowly climb up to my feet after finally stopping feeling like I am going to pass out, even my breathing has returned to a more acceptable rhythm.

  "Want to meet for a quick bite in ten?" Drew asks.

  "Okay, but I only have a few and then I need to run up to the library to get a book for English," I tell him, as I offer him my hand, struggling to pull his heavy butt up off the lawn where he is sprawled out next to me.

  "What are you doing for English? I think I am going to do Odyssey, I mean I was going to do Illiad," he replies as we start walking back. "Hey, Tomas, man, thanks for today, that was good. Nice work with Ginny too. Worth It!"

  I shove a shoulder into him and a smile, we both laugh and wave off at Tomas. We somehow break into a slow jog which will no doubt help my cramps later.

  "See you soon, hey," I offer as we break away at the lift bank. I honestly am one of those girls who is ready in an instant, I think it is a superpower of mine. Admittedly I don’t do flouncy hair or eyelash extensions, just lip gloss and mascara unless I am out for a night. Which means, I am back in the lift back down in under ten minutes, feeling better, smelling a hell of a lot better too.

  I sit down at our usual table in the main dining room, which is teeming with students getting ready for another busy day. Without waiting I order eggs, juice, and tea before sitting down. I am reading through my notes for my first lecture, when someone sits down unannounced next to me. I look up unsurprised to see Dom there, looking a little tired but happy.

  "Hey you," I say as I look at him, "you doing okay Dom? You look knackered."

  He looks away from me, staring off into the distance. I keep my gaze on him though, my worry increasing as he doesn’t answer me.

  "Dom?"

  "Gin, sorry, I am going to catch up with you later okay?" he responds quietly, before getting up and walking away, confusing the heck out of me. I watch him walk away with a little shake of my head.

  "Sorry I am late, have you ordered Gin?" Drew asks, dropping his bag on the table, moving past me, towards the counter.

  "Yeah thanks," I mutter, still distracted by Dom.

  Drew is back sitting down at our table a few minutes later, opposite me and a waitress seems to follow after him with a tray with my breakfast.

  "Don't wait for me, honestly, dig in Gin. My god did you piss Tomas off this morning or what?" he laughs opening up the bottled water.

  "Hey, Drew can I ask you something?" I ask quickly, moving off track. I continue after he nods at me, "What's up with Dom?" my words seem to still him and his eyes flash around the room before settling back on mine, strangely guarded.

  "It's not my story to tell, but it's not you Gin. Trust me on that. It's not bad but at the same time it's not good," he continues, "does that make sense?"

  "No. Drew, if one of my friends is in trouble I want to know," I say politely, putting my cutlery down so that he can see he has my full attention.

  Drew's food arrives, I give him the time to think before I start hounding him for answers to what is going on with Dom. He obviously knows and it does shit me that they haven't confided in me. I get it but still, it stings. We start eating in silence before he speaks again.

  "Gin, honestly if I could, I would. But for some of it, it is a discussion that is not mine to have, but I will say, Dom is having a bit of trouble with someone. We are not sure what is going on properly, but he is obviously being targeted," his words are like a slap to my face.

  "What do you mean, Dom is being targeted?" I ask slowly, not really getting what he is saying just yet. I need the details.

  "Silly things, his phone ringing at strange times during the night. His power was cut to his room yesterday but maintenance couldn't find a reason. Yesterday he received a
delivery of all food he is allergic to, the day before after training, his clothes were stolen. Stupid pranks but either way, it's disturbing. But he is also troubled about something else, not something bad, but something he needs to figure out, know what I mean?" he speaks gently, softly even, which is totally different from the Drew I have seen so far.

  "Can I help?"

  "Just give him a bit of time okay. That's all I could suggest," he says before finishing off his breakfast. We both sit in silence and eat and we are nearly done ready to go when Dom comes back, looking a little better.

  "Gin, sorry about before. Any chance we can catch up?" he asks looking nervous, his eyes roaming around the room before settling on my face.

  "Sure. I need to get to the library, I was going to go with Drew straight from here. Then I have a break till eleven, you want to talk now or later?"

  “Hey, Gin, I will go by myself, I am good,” Drew says quickly.

  "I'm good now. Drew you okay if I take Ginny for a bit?" Dom turns to ask Drew. They share a secret look which leaves me wondering before he nods back.

  "My lady," Dom sweeps his arms out indicating which way he wants me to go. I grab my satchel and a water, heading out to the side door, leading to the campus gardens, which is quickly becoming my favourite part of St Josephs.

  "You need a jacket over your blazer?" Dom offers quietly, surprising me a bit. I thought he was further behind me.

  "I'm okay at the moment. Are you okay Dom? I am worried about you."

  "Come on, let's walk and talk," he says before dropping his hand to my lower back and steering me further away from the café and the people all rushing around the campus.

  We walk a little while, it is a beautiful morning. Dom leaves his hand on me and I am surprised that it feels okay. But that's the thing about Dom, he does make me feel okay. His touch might not be explosive like Hunter's but it is still, crazy nice.