“See you tomorrow, Zee.”
“Hey, nobody has ever called me Zee, but I like it.” He lifted his chin up and smiled. I winked at him and went inside.
I went back to my room and snuggled in the bed next to Sam. She opened her eyes for just a moment. “Is she his baby’s mama?”
“No. Thank goodness, just a mix up,” I said.
“Good. The two of you are so stinking cute together. You mix together like Kool-aid and sugar.”
“I know, right. He is adorable. Now go back to sleep. Goodnight.” I pulled the cover up around my neck.
“Night.”
Chapter Four
I awoke the next morning to the buzzing of my phone. It had a text message and an email. I read the text first. It was Zen saying, “good morning beautiful,” and that he would see me in class. I couldn’t help but smile. It would be a good morning now. I sent him a quick text back telling him that I couldn’t wait to see him. I also read my email, because I knew that it would be from my mom. The message said: Ava Jean, I miss you terribly and I am ready for you to come home. Please write me soon and tell me how you are doing. Miss you bunches. Love Mom.
I wrote her an email back, so that she wouldn’t be concerned about me. I told her that I missed her more, and that I was doing great. I told her that I had met a nice boy from Canada with great manners, whom I sort of had a crush on. I mentioned also that class was starting today and I couldn’t wait. I blew her a kiss and hit send. I was really missing her.
Sam and I got dressed to get ready to go to the bookstore. We only have one class together, art history, but I was looking forward to it. It was really important that we got our books because classes start today. We each got a shower and got dressed.
“We will take my car to the bookstore. I know it’s not that far, but I don’t really want to carry all those books back,” I said.
“I’m down with that,” Sam replied.
I shut and locked the door to my room, and we walked outside to my car. Sam beat me there. I heard her mumbled remarks from across the lot. “Ding. Ding. And round one goes too…”
“What the hell did she do to my car?” I was freaking out when I walked over and got a closer look. She had keyed the words backoff into my driver’s side door panel. My car is old and worn out, but it’s still mine. “What am I thinking Sam? Maybe I should just walk away now. If this girl is going crazy over me talking to him, I hate to think what she will do next.”
“Maybe you are right, Ava,” Sam reassured me. “I love you, but you have never been the fighting type.”
I nodded. “I know. I am a lover not a fighter, but there is a big part of me that would love to rip her head off for this.” I shook my head. I really like this guy. I hate to let him go. “I will talk to Zen later today. Do you care if we take your car?”
“No, let’s go.”
After we got our books, we grabbed a bite to eat in the cafeteria. Then Sam dropped me off at the dorms before heading off to her first class. I only had thirty minutes to freshen up before mine. I decided I would text Zen to tell him that I wanted to talk before our Physics class this afternoon.
Ava: Just wondering if u will meet me sometime b 4 class. Need 2 talk.
Zen: Everything ok?
Ava: NO. Did u talk 2 Paige?
Zen: Yes. Y?
Ava: She had a little fun with my car but I will talk 2 u about it later.
Zen: Tell me now. What did she do?
Ava: Go C 4 yourself. U can’t miss it. It’s the little blue Toyota Camry in front of my building.
Zen: On my way.
Ava: I have 2 go 2 class. Will u meet me b 4 Physics?
Zen: Yeah. I will find u later.
I hurried off to my English class. I really wanted it to be a quick class because afterwards, I would get to go to art history with Sam.
When I walked into class, I noticed it was very large. The seating was arranged like a stadium, looking down towards the Professor. Wow, very movie-ish. I love it. The room was already beginning to fill up.
I rushed to grab a seat. I sat on the end seat, so that I would only have to sit next to one person. A really sweet girl sat next to me. Nicole was her name. We chatted a little bit during class and immediately hit it off. The class went well. I enjoyed myself. When the class ended, she and I walked out together. I was really excited to make a new friend. There was something about her that was comfortable to me.
“I would love for you to meet my best friend Sam. She is a ton of fun, if you don’t mind that she has a big mouth. Do you want to come and hang out with us in my dorm tonight?” I asked.
“That would be great.”
“Sweet!” We exchanged cell phone numbers, and I gave her my dorm room number. “I will see you later then,” I waved goodbye to her.
“See you later,” she waved back.
I went straight to the Arts and Humanities building to meet Sam. On the way, I checked my phone. I turned it off just before English, and when I had it turned back on, it flashed three unread text messages. All three were from, Zen. The thought of telling him I wasn’t going to see him anymore made me cringe. I read the text messages.
Zen: I can’t believe she did this. I am Sorry
Zen: I WILL take care of this.
Zen: Please forgive me. I really like u a lot.
I closed my phone and took a deep breath. Focus Ava. I met Sam at the doors. “Hey, doll face, how was your first class?” I asked, putting my arm around her shoulder.
“Brutal. I really need to brush up on my Spanish. The Professor was asking us questions about ourselves, and we could only speak Spanish. I, of course, answered with several curse words and who knows what else. Everyone laughed, except the Professor. He said, “ ‘Yo tengo que estudiar.’ So you know what that means?” She batted her eyes at me.
“I know what it means, but do you?”
“Well, I do now,” she overly exaggerated her words. “Of course, I had to look it up.”
“So this means, you are going to fail,” I laughed.
“No, it means I desperately need my BFF to help me study. Please?” she pouted as she stuck out her bottom lip.
“You will be the death of me. I swear it.” She pouted more; this time she batted her lashes.
“Okay. Okay. I am there for you babe.” I pulled her into the classroom to find a seat. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I met a really nice girl named Nicole in my English class. She doesn’t have any friends here, so I invited her to my dorm room to hang out tonight.”
“That’s cool. I met a girl too. Her name is Kat. She is from here and knows some awesome places to shop. I told her she could hang out with us tonight too. She said that the boy’s football team has a scrimmage game tonight. We should go watch. I mean, if you want to."
I immediately thought of Zen. I am going to have to see him. “Sure that’s fine.” We took our seats before class started. “Maybe we will meet some hot new boys,” we giggled.
“He is hot,” we both said at the exact same time, glancing at the Professor. We bumped fists. “Right on,” we said again, at the same time. Looking at him the entire semester would make this class a whole lot easier.
“My name is Gage Rothe. I will be the Professor for your Art History 101 enjoyment for the remainder of the semester. I also teach literature, so you may see me again. Lucky you,” he smiled. “You may call me Gage, but I will not answer to Professor. It makes me feel old, and that I am not. I am twenty five, and I know you are probably wondering how that is possible. I started college at a very young age, and that is all you need to know. Let’s get started.”
I was swooning over him. I needed a bib for the drool I was losing. The fact that he was talking about Baroque artists made no difference to me. He could have been talking about painting by numbers and still looked hot. Sam gave me an elbow to the ribs, snapping me out of it. Unfortunately, the Professor had asked me a question, and I wasn’t paying attention. Don’t I look like a flippi
ng idiot? Now I will be the girl with the scholarship, not paying attention, because the Professor is hot on about nine different levels.
“I am sorry. Could you repeat the question?” I was utterly embarrassed. Most of the females in the room were laughing. They knew exactly why my attention was held elsewhere.
“I was wondering if you could tell me the name of this painting, and since you were a little distracted, I will now need the year and artist name.”
“The painting is The Girl with a Pearl Earring. The Artist is Jan Vermeer, and the date is 1665. I believe.”
I was beginning to second guess myself. He stared at me with a quizzical brow. I could not read his expression. For a moment, I thought I was wrong. I nearly pulled out the textbook to cross check myself.
“Your name, please?” he asked me.
“Avery Samuels.”
“Well, Miss Samuels, you are correct. Well done.”
“You may call me, Ava.” I mocked his opening speech, and his proper language. “Miss Samuels makes me feel old. I am not my mother, and I am not old.” I smiled at him. I couldn’t believe I was trying to get a rise out of him. I was flirting in front of the entire class.
He sat on the top of his desk, and nodded his head at me. “Very well then, let’s move on,” and he did. I would swear that he winked at me. But, I wouldn’t dare bring that up to anyone, because my mind could very well be playing tricks on me. I could imagine what, Sam, would say to that. She was already shaking her head at me. She stared like I had the plague. I am sure my face was the darkest shade of red, but I played it off.
The class passed by quickly. I was a little worried about what Sam was going to say when we walked out. But she said nothing. I must have read more into that conversation than she did. Of course, she didn’t see the wink. I think there was a wink.
Sam went back to her room to take a quick nap before her next class. I walked over to my Physics class, hoping to meet Zen before it started.
I felt him there before I saw him. The butterflies in my stomach were having a field day. I walked into the class and saw him sitting there by himself in the empty room.
“Hey, beautiful,” he gestured for me to come and sit next to him.
“I’m sorry. I…” he started to speak, but I put my finger to his mouth and hushed him.
“Shhh. Let me speak please. First, you need to quit apologizing. What she did is not your fault. You and I have only known each other a couple of days. I am not sure why we have such a strong connection, but I feel it. I know it’s there, but you have to listen to me now. I promised my mom that I would stay focused, and right now I am not. All of this drama is affecting me. You are all I seem to think about, and I can’t. I just can’t do this. I have to walk away now before I am too attached. I don’t want to constantly be looking over my shoulder, always wondering if some crazy girl is about to attack me. Please tell me that you understand.” My hands were shaking. I have to calm down. I’m about to lose it.
“I do understand. I just don’t want it to be this way. I have not had the chance to even know you, but I can see that you already have your mind made up. I am not giving up on you. Not yet. I’ll wait if I have to, in case you change your mind. I hope you change your mind.” He looked down at his hands.
I really want you to wait for me. I’m so selfish. I want you in my life. I just can’t handle this. It’s so intense. I thought.
“Here, I brought this for you.” He said as he placed a silver necklace in my hands. I held it up. It had a silver charm hanging from it. There was a small inscription, but I had never seen the word before. “It says Paaren. That means mate in German. My grandparents still live in Germany, and it’s where my parents were raised.” He leaned over and placed it around my neck. “My father gave it to my mother when he was my age. Now, I want you to have it.”
“It’s beautiful, but I can’t keep this,” I told him.
“Of course you can. Please wear it. We can’t be together now, but we will someday. I promise my Paaren.” He smiled at me and kissed my cheek.
“But Zen…” He got up from his seat. He wouldn’t turn back around to face me, and the class was beginning to fill up. He took a seat in the back of the classroom.
I glanced up at his seat once, but his eyes refused to find mine. He looked like he was hurting. I tried to keep myself from looking at him again. I can’t stand to see him like that. I looked down at my necklace again. It’s so beautiful. I wonder if mate means soul mate. Maybe he is right. Maybe we will be together again. I can’t think about this right now. I’m in serious need of a girl’s night out.
When class was over, I waited for Zen to leave before I did. I rushed back to my room. I wanted to call my mom for some advice before our girl’s night out.
When she picked up the phone I nearly lost it. It was so good to hear her voice. “Hey, Mom, I miss you already.”
“Oh sweetie, I miss you too,” she said
“It’s great to hear your voice, Mom.”
“I know,” she giggled. “Tell me about your classes. Are they hard? Are you enjoying yourself? And what about this boy you emailed me about? Tell me about him.” She was drilling me.
“Okay. Okay. But you have to tone it down a little. My hearing is still getting stronger. I can’t seem to understand why, but I am wearing my ear plugs to sleep. No worries. Anyway, my classes are good. Not too hard yet. But, that’s not why I called. It’s about the boy.” I took a deep breath and told her the whole story. She didn’t interrupt me, but I could hear her sighs as I spoke. “What should I do, Mom? Do you think it’s insane?”
“Well, first of all, you should have called the police about your car,” she demanded.
“Probably, but it’s old. I was planning on getting something better soon anyway,” I replied.
“All right then, but promise me you will call me the next time something like this happens,” she advised.
“I will Mom. Now please tell me what I should do about Zen?” I asked.
“You said that the charm on the necklace says mate. Right?” she asked me. She sounded a little bit worried.
“Right,” I answered.
“Have you kissed him Ava?”
“No! We held hands, but that’s it,” I answered.
“Good. I am coming down there next weekend because we have to talk.” She sounded concerned.
I started to panic a little. “You’re scaring me Mom. What is going on? What do we need to talk about?” I was nearly yelling into the phone. “Is there something I don’t know?”
“Calm down, sweetie,” she said trying to comfort me. “I know that it’s time. We need to talk about your father.”
“What about my father?” I asked.
“Listen, I will tell you everything when I get there. Just stay away from the boy until then.” She sounded very demanding.
“But what does he have to do with this? I’m confused.”
Mom answered quickly. ”Everything is fine. I promise I will explain everything soon. Just keep your distance from the boy. It’s only a week. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” I found it better not to argue with her. She would win. Still, I was without an answer, and I kept thinking how that curiosity killed the cat.
“All right, I have to go now. I am baking a cake for Aunt Susie’s birthday.”
“Wow! Mrs. Betty Crocker. That’s a first.” I was trying to be my usual sarcastic self.
“Hey little lady; I haven’t burnt anything in three days. Of course, I haven’t cooked anything in three days. But who asked you?” she laughed. “I have to go. I love you, and I’ll see you in a week.” She blew me kisses.
“I love you more. Bye.” I hung up the phone. I was still thinking about what Mom had said. I didn’t know what to make of it. I had to text Sam. I knew she would be in class, but I could bet she had her phone on and wasn’t paying attention.
Ava: Hey Betty. I hope u got plans 2 nite. I need a prison break.
Sam: I’m on it Wilma. Did lover boy take it bad?
Ava: Actually he came bearing gifts.
Sam: What? No way!
Ava: Yes way!
Sam: Is that boy mental or what. He’s known u like 5 minutes.
Ava: I know right. I really do like him. He’s sweet and cute. But that girl is CRAZY!
Sam: He sounds kind of crazy 2. MayB UR better off.
Ava: MayB… N E way what are the plans? I need my BFF.
Sam: Of course! I am your best accessory. LOL
Ava: O Yes! Whatever would I do without you, Big Head…What’s the plans?
Sam: Alright crabby patty! We r meeting at your place at 7 and I am bringing the new girl. We R going to football game at 8 & then the after party.
Ava: What after party?
Sam: The 1 that the football players r having 2 kick off the season.
Ava: What about my prison break?
Sam: No worries love. Everybody will b there. U probably won’t even c him.
Ava: Whatever I will c u later.
Sam: LATER!!
I closed the phone and put in my ear plugs. A nap was necessary if I was planning on spending an evening with Sam. I also had to have my best game face on, especially for seeing Zen. I’m beyond nervous about seeing him. There was no way to get out of going. Sam would not go for that. At least with her by my side, I am sure to have an interesting night.
Chapter Five
I woke up about 6pm, a groggy, overheated mess. I had to get something to eat and get ready before the girls showed up. It was beyond important that I was ready before Sam got to me, because she is a makeover fanatic. Meaning, I could count on her to dress me like a Malibu Barbie. Hell no. Not tonight. I was rushing around like crazy. I cooked a hot pocket in the microwave and ate quickly.
Once I got out of the shower, I felt much better. I sat on the bed to put on my makeup. I was putting on my eyeliner, when something caught my eye. There was note slid under my door. I didn’t hesitate. I opened it quickly and read it aloud.
Chased (The Graysen Pack Series) Page 3
