Down to Business (Business Series)

by Alexander, J. C.

  HURRY UP!!!!

  Less than a minute later, Lindy stepped out of the apartment followed by Tyler who was munching on his toaster pastry. She grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt, and practically dragged him down the stairs with her. She knew how much I hated to be late.

  Once they reached the parking lot, she jogged up to the passenger door, breathing hard. “Sorry…”

  As soon as I heard the car unlock, I yanked open the rear passenger door and got in.

  Tyler reached into his armrest compartment and removed a pack of gum, taking a piece for himself, then offered some to Lindy and me. I declined, but Lindy snagged a piece. He chomped on his gum like a cow and lazily plugged in his iPod, searching through it for what song he wanted. I swore I was going to implode if he didn’t start driving.

  “Ty, we have to go! Autumn is going to be late!” Lindy warned before I could speak up.

  “Oh yeah, right. Sorry.” he said as if he just remembered why we were in the car in the first place.

  He reversed out of the spot without looking and we nearly hit a passing car. The victim of the near accident laid on the horn and sped off.

  “Shit! I didn’t even see that guy! What an asshole.”

  Yeah...what an asshole.

  We finally pulled up to Adelphi and I had five minutes to get to class. I sprung out of the car and jogged across the wet lawn, the heavy books in my backpack bouncing off my spine. I was glad I walked the campus beforehand or I would have never found my classroom. By the time I reached the door, my lungs burned and I was panting as if I had run a marathon. Maybe I needed to take Lindy up on that gym invite.

  I entered the classroom as gracefully as I could to get the least amount of stares possible. It looked like most of the seats were full, besides a few desks near the back. My professor was a balding man, I guessed to be in his mid-sixties. He dressed conservatively in a green tweed coat with a cream-colored button down shirt and brown pants.

  I made my way to one of the vacant desks in the back, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

  Plating my butt down in my chair, I spotted the large black and white clock over the board that read 9:00AM. I sighed in relief. I made it on time.

  Once I was settled, I felt brave enough to look at my brethren. I could spot the other freshman by the nervous glances they made back at me. But not all of them were fresh meat. Toward the front of the room, there was a mix of guys and girls talking and laughing low enough to not be disruptive. My breath caught as I recognized one of the guys—it was Vinny.

  Oh no! He had this class too?

  I hoped I was seeing things until he confirmed my suspicion when he turned and looked right at me. My breath caught unexpectedly as his light brown eyes narrowed as if he was trying to place me. My cheeks burned and I forced a smile, bringing my hand above the desk to give him a discreet wave.

  His eyes widened and he smiled. It was not a ‘hey baby’ smile, it was more like ‘Oh God, it is that freak I met this morning’ kind of smile.

  “Okay everyone, please take your seats.” The professor called out, saving me from more humiliation.

  Vinny said goodbye to his friends and headed down my row.

  Oh no, he was going to talk to me.

  My heart did a jump-start. I held my breath as he approached and everything moved in slow motion. He paused at my desk and gave me a friendly smile. “Hey Autumn, I didn’t know you had this class too.”

  I nodded, unable to find my voice over the sound of my heart thundering in my ears.

  “I barely recognized you,” he said, sounding amused.

  I bet.

  I forced a smile and blushed so hard my ears burned.

  The professor cleared his throat. “Take your seats, please.”

  He stepped past me and the desk behind mine shifted.

  Oh no. He sat down behind me. This wasn’t happening!

  The scent of his cologne filled my senses and confirmed it was indeed happening.

  I covered my face with my hand and groaned inwardly.

  Great. Why did he have to choose that seat? There were other seats!

  I sunk low in my chair and wished I had taken more time on my hair, since he would spend the next hour staring at the back of my head. I did my best to focus on the professor as he wrote his name on the board with squeaky chalk: Mr. Woodworth.

  Mr. Woodworth began class with an introduction of himself. He informed us that he had been married for thirty-five years, had six children, fourteen grandchildren, and three coonhounds named after The Three Stooges.

  Afterwards, he passed out the syllabus. When the syllabus stack got to me, I took one and passed them over my shoulder. My stomach involuntarily tightened as the gentle weight of Vinny’s grip took the papers from my hand.

  I followed along as Mr. Woodworth went over the syllabus. I did my best to focus, but every time Vinny shifted in his seat or made any noise, I lost all concentration.

  I had never felt this way before. Why was he getting to me?

  Yeah, he was good looking, but I had seen tons of hot guys on TV and in magazines and never once experienced this kind of attraction. I assured myself he would do something I deemed repulsive and I would be over him instantly, or at least that’s what I hoped.

  We finished the syllabus five minutes early and Mr. Woodworth let us leave. As I was putting my things in my bag, a guy walked over and stood right beside my desk so that I couldn’t get up.

  “You going to the meet and greet kegger at Alpha Tau tonight?” the guy asked, looking down at Vinny.

  “Depends.”

  “It’s going to have eager hot freshmen chicks galore. What’s more important than that?”

  “My uncle moved into a home last week and I told him I’d stop by.”

  “Ah, okay. Well, you should at least stop by after. You know it’ll be going strong until 4AM.”

  “Right, maybe I will. See you around, Jace.”

  I glanced up at Jace, figuring he was done talking. “Excuse me.”

  He looked down at me with a look of surprise on his face. “Oh, shit. Have I been blocking you in the whole time?”

  “Yeah, you have…” I said with a hint of irritation.

  He stepped aside to let me up.

  “Sorry,” he offered but I pretended not to hear it.

  I didn’t spare either of them a glance as I stood up and pulled my backpack over my shoulder. I headed for the door as fast as I could.

  “Hey Autumn, wait up!” Vinny called out, causing my heart to do a somersault in my chest. I paused and turned to see him jogging towards me. He stepped around me to hold open the door. “Sorry about Jace. He’s been tackled too many times.”

  I forced a smile and stepped past him through the doorway. “I could tell.”

  “Do you have another class after this?”

  “Yeah, social studies.” I said.

  “Oh, I have microeconomics.”

  “That doesn’t sound very fun.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I’m guessing it’s not.”

  A sea of students migrated around us and he stepped closer to me to avoid getting run over. I swallowed hard and my heart started to pound again as I stared at his chest and thought of his just-out-of-the -shower sexiness.

  “So, uh, are you going to the Alpha Tau party tonight?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “I wasn’t planning on it, why?”

  “I thought maybe you might be going since Tyler is pushing to join.”

  “Tyler and Lindy might be going, but I won’t be,” I said with a shake of my head. “Partying isn’t my thing.”

  “Oh. Well that’s cool. I better get going. Good luck in your next class.” He said and tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Yeah, you too. See you later.” I backed up, bumping right into someone going the other direction. I looked up to see him laugh and shake his head at me. My face burst into flames and I bowed my head, leaving the building with the other students.


  What the hell is wrong with me? Get it together, Autumn.

  As I walked, I wondered why he stopped to talk to me. Did he want me to go to the party? Was he trying to ask me to go so he could get me drunk and use me? There was no way he would want me. Why would he when there were swarms of easy girls that were much prettier. I figured he was taking pity on me because I was a freshman.

  Social studies went at a snail’s pace. I found myself daydreaming about what would happen if I did go to the party, and I did run into Vinny. What if he actually got drunk enough and kissed me? I bet he was a great kisser. Just the thought of kissing him made me warm all over. I was a lot better at making out in my mind than I would be in actuality. After an hour of daydreaming about making out with Vinny and trying to listen to the social studies professor drone about the syllabus, I felt anxious and hungry. I was glad I gave myself a window between classes from 12-1 to get lunch. I didn’t have a way to leave campus, so I decided to check out the dining hall.

  It looked like a cafeteria with high ceilings and lots of blue plastic chairs crowded around brown rectangular tables.

  As I was trying to decide if I wanted to eat there or not, my cell phone vibrated in my backpack. I pulled it out to see Lindy’s name.

  “Hello?” I answered and peered down at the buffet line of food. Steaming bins were brimming with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and mixed vegetables.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  “I’m getting ready to eat lunch at the dining hall.”

  “Why would you want to eat there?” she asked, her voice laced with disgust.

  “Because I paid for a three month meal plan and I have no way to leave campus without a car.”

  “Tyler and I are going to stop at The Soup Bowl for lunch before our classes start. Did you want us to pick you up?”

  I scrunched my nose at the dry pot roast sitting in gravy that resembled brown sludge. “Yeah, I’ll meet you at the same spot you dropped me off.”

  “We’ll be there in five.”

  When I arrived at the curb, Tyler’s car was waiting for me. Lindy leaned out of the passenger window, pulled her sunglasses down, and gave me a sassy look. “Hey there, sexy, can I take you out to lunch?”

  “Shut up...” I said with a laugh and slid into the back seat.

  Tyler barely waited for me to close the door before he jutted back out into traffic. He watched me in the rearview mirror with a smile, his eyes hidden behind expensive looking sunglasses. “How were your classes?”

  “Boring. We just went over the syllabus the whole time,” I responded, buckling my seat belt.

  “Soo…” Lindy said, turning so she could look at me over the consol. “Did you meet any hot guys?”

  I wasn’t about to mention my Vinny encounter. As if on cue, a vision of half-naked Vinny popped in my head and I forced it away with a shake of my head. “No.”

  “I heard you ran into my friend Vinny this morning.” Tyler called out as if he read my mind.

  A burst of heat washed over my face when I heard his name. I looked out the passenger window hoping they wouldn’t notice that I was blushing. “Yeah, I did.”

  “Sorry I didn’t warn you. He texted me at like five in the morning and asked if he could use our shower because the hot water was out in his dorm. I’m so glad I don’t live in the dorms. Our apartment is so much better.”

  Our apartment? When did Lindy’s place become his? He doesn’t even pay rent.

  “Vinny is in the mob,” Lindy said as if it was a dirty secret.

  “No he isn’t.” Tyler argued.

  “Yes huh. Vivian said his family is part of the mob.”

  “Who’s Vivian?” I asked.

  “His ex-girlfriend,” Lindy said, twisting a piece of her long blond hair around her finger. “Vinny’s dad is doing time right now. I wonder if he killed someone. I never asked.”

  Tyler laughed. “Come on Lindy, just because his father is doing time, doesn’t mean he is a mobster.”

  “I know, but, I wouldn’t wanna to piss them off, ya know?” Lindy said and gave me a worried look.

  “Vinny’s in my Business Management class.” I said, causing both of their heads to turn at the same time.

  “Really?” Lindy asked.

  “Yeah, really.”

  She stared and me and suddenly looked amused. “Oh my God. You’re blushing, you think he’s hot!”

  I did my best to act revolted, but that only made my face burn worse. “What? No I don’t!”

  “You’re blushing, Autumn. You never blush over guys.”

  “I’m not blushing—”

  “So, do you want his number? Tyler has it. I think he’s single,” she teased, wiggling her slender brows. “Maybe you can ask him if you can get a sample of his hot Italian sausage. I hear it’s extra spicy.”

  “Lindy! Shut up!” I yelled trying not to laugh as I imagined him with a hot Italian sausage between his legs.

  Oh God! What was the matter with me?

  “Gross,” Tyler groaned. “Don’t talk about Vinny’s shit like that. We’ve been friends since high school and I do know he isn’t in the mob. Don’t start rumors, Lindy.”

  “He’s rich too,” Lindy bribed, ignoring Tyler. “His family owns an Italian restaurant in Manhattan. He would take you out on nice dates and he can probably cook too. Italians are always great cooks.”

  “I don’t care. Can we drop it please?” I begged.

  “Yeah, please?” Tyler agreed.

  We finally found something to agree on.

  “How am I ever going to find you a boyfriend if you won’t cooperate?”

  “I guess you just won’t.”

  She sighed at me and turned back around in her seat. After a few moments of peace, she started discussing what she wanted to eat for lunch. I didn’t care what she ate, as long as she stopped talking about Vinny and his sausage.

  It felt like a lifetime before we pulled up to The Soup Bowl. It was a small restaurant with an even smaller parking lot. It was lunch hour and the line was out the door. Lindy started to complain and Tyler made a phone call, claiming he knew a manager.

  A few minutes later, a redheaded girl came out of the building and approached us wearing a green smock that had the Soup Bowl printed on it in bright white.

  “Hey Tyler!” she said rushing over between Lindy and I, giving him a hug.

  “Hey Becky!” he called back and hugged her a little longer than normal.

  I looked at Lindy, wondering if she noticed, but she was watching them with a neutral expression. I figured she was too hungry to care.

  “How’s it going, Ty? Have you always been this buff?” Becky asked and squeezed his bicep.

  “Gotta stay fit for wrestling,” Tyler said and smiled over at Lindy and me. “Becky, this is my girlfriend, Lindy, and her friend, Autumn. This is Becky Monroe. We went to high school together back in the Hamptons.”

  I saw some of the excitement drain from Becky’s face when she heard Lindy was Tyler’s girlfriend, but she maintained her smile. “Oh, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Yeah, nice to meet you too,” Lindy said, tucking her hands into her back pockets to avoid a handshake.

  “Hey, I’ll get you guys a table. You don’t have to wait in this line.”

  “Let’s go, I’m starved,” Tyler said and rested his hand on Lindy’s shoulder.

  I could feel the envious glares on us as we bypassed the long line and followed Becky inside the crowded restaurant.

  Inside, the walls were a variation of bright and dark greens mixed with some yellow and orange accents. Modern style tables and chairs were packed into the center of the room and the walls were lined with booths. Trendy music hummed from the speakers, but it was mostly drowned out by conversation.

  Becky cleaned off a booth in the back corner for us. We took our seats and looked over the menus she gave us. I watched the workers frantically taking orders at other tables and I
was glad I wasn’t one of them.

  “I’ll have a bowl of the chicken tortilla soup and a tai salad,” Lindy said.

  “I’ll have the same,” Tyler said.

  I felt anxious as I read over menu, all three of them staring me down and waiting for my decision.

  “I’ll have the half turkey sandwich on wheat, no tomatoes, and a cup of potato leek soup.” I answered, handing over my menu.

  “Coming right up,” Becky said, collecting the menus and flashing Tyler a smile before she left.

  I looked at Lindy again, wondering if she noticed the flirtation between Becky and Tyler, but she seemed oblivious as she stared back at me.

  Tyler looked down at his phone. “I just got a text from one of my buddies. Alpha Tau is throwing the first rush kegger tonight.”

  I wanted to blurt out that I knew that before he did, but I refrained.

  “Oh nice, what time does it start?” Lindy asked, leaning over to see his phone.

  “Seven. They are having a beer pong tournament and wet t-shirt contest.”

  “Tell him we’ll be there,” Lindy said with a big grin.

  My stomach curdled with disgust as I recalled the comment Jace made about easy freshmen chicks.

  “You’re coming too, right Auti?” Lindy asked expectantly.

  “I don’t think so,” I picked up my napkin rolled utensil set. The only reason I’d want to go was to see Vinny, but there was no guarantee he would be there.

  “We are still going shopping tonight, right Auti? We need to buy you cute clothes so you don’t look like an upstate farmer.”

  I scowled at her. “I don’t look like an upstate farmer.”

  “Yeah, well, your outfit says different.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my outfit.” I protested, glaring down at my plaid shirt.

  “There’s nothing right with it either.”

  I rolled my eyes and lined my silverware up just as Becky brought our tray of food. We all dug in and the sound of clanking spoons and chatter filled in for the lack of conversation. My sandwich tasted really fresh and the soup was nice and hot. It certainly beat the dried pot-roast in the dining hall.

  After lunch was over, we paid the bill and left the restaurant. Once we were back in Tyler’s car, heading to Adelphi, Lindy turned sideways in her seat and looked at me.