Stop!

by Alison G. Bailey

I turned into Maggie’s open arms. “Get me out of here.”

  “Okay, we’re going.”

  “Is everything okay?” Chuck had followed Maggie.

  “Hollis and I are leaving.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Clock that blond bitch,” Maggie snapped.

  “I can’t hit a girl.”

  “Hollis, let me take you home,” Risher pleaded.

  As Maggie, Chuck, and Risher’s voices swirled around me, it was the sound of Leah’s laughter that pierced through my head.

  “Maggie, please let’s go now.”

  Instead of fighting the crowd inside the house, we walked around the outside and got in the car. As Maggie put the key in the ignition, I slid my damp sweatshirt over my head.

  “Are you sure you’re okay, Hollis?” I gave a slight nod of my head. “What happened back there?”

  Using my sleeve, I wiped the tears away. “I was looking for you, but you had disappeared. I even texted you.”

  “God, I’m sorry. I left my phone in your room.”

  “Risher was joking around like he was going to throw me in the pool. I panicked. When he realized I wasn’t kidding he let me go, and then…” I swallowed back a sob. “I don’t know where she came from. The next thing I knew she was ripping my shirt off and laughing at me.”

  Maggie’s hand landed on top of mine. “She’s a bitch and will have to deal with me shortly.”

  I shook my head and said, “No. Just drop it. I’m humiliated enough. I want to pretend it never happened.”

  We rode in silence for a few minutes and then it dawned on me. What Leah did wasn’t the worst thing that happened.

  “He saw my scars,” I whispered.

  “What?”

  “Risher. He saw my scars.”

  “It was dark and he had a pretty good buzz going. I bet he didn’t notice them.”

  “He noticed how freaked out I got. I need to go home.”

  “We’re headed to the dorm right now.”

  “I mean my real home.”

  “Hollis Caroline Murphy, you are not going to let some mean horrible bitch derail your college career.”

  “I can go back to the original plan of taking online classes.”

  “I never thought you were a quitter, Hol.”

  “How can you say that to me? Do you have any idea how hard it’s been since…?”

  “Are you really still using that as an excuse?”

  “I know what you’re doing, Maggie.”

  “Don’t let some idiot stand in the way of your dream.”

  “I can’t see Risher again. I’m too embarrassed.”

  “Hollis, the look on his face… he wasn’t laughing or staring at your arms. He looked as if he wanted to take you in his arms.”

  I didn’t know how to respond. Maggie wasn’t the type to blow smoke up my ass, telling me things just to make me feel better.

  “I’ll stay, but I don’t want to talk about tonight anymore.”

  “Deal.”

  We pulled into the parking lot of the dorm and headed up to my room to grab Maggie’s phone.

  “Do you have an idea of where in the room you might have left it?” I said.

  “I’m almost positive it’s on your desk.”

  “Abigail is probably already asleep. Maybe I should just go in, so we don’t wake her.”

  “Okay.”

  Once we walked through the door, leading onto my floor, I looked down the hall. I was shocked to see the black hoodie guy coming out of my room. The black hoodie was gone. In its place was a gray T-shirt under a dark blue button down, paired with faded jeans and white kicks. As usual, the majority of his face was hidden, only this time by an Atlanta Braves snapback hat. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him as he past us, but instead, he turned and walked out the other exit.

  I wasn’t aware I had stopped walking until Maggie ran into me.

  “Hollis, is something wrong?”

  “No… it’s just… that guy came out of my room.”

  “Is he a friend of your roommate’s?”

  “I guess so. Weird. Why would he be in my room at this time of night?”

  “Is that a serious question?” Maggie said, lifting her eyebrows.

  “What?”

  Her eyebrows pushed even farther up her forehead.

  “You think him and Abigail had sex in my room?”

  “It’s her room too.”

  “How could they be having sex? She barely talks.”

  “You don’t really need to utilize a large vocabulary when slappin’ the uglies.”

  “Gross.”

  My hand hesitated on the doorknob. If I went in too soon after hoodie guy left then Abigail would know, I knew what they’d been doing.

  “Okay, I’m goin’, grabbin’, and gettin’ out quick.”

  “That’s what she said.”

  Pressing my lips tightly, I held in my laughter.

  Drawing in a deep breath, I pushed the door open, and stepped into my room. My empty room.

  I QUICKLY TOOK inventory of all the stuff in the room to make sure hoodie guy wasn’t an actual hood who liked to steal. Everything was present and accounted for. The room wasn’t even messed up. I wondered if my eyes had played a trick on me and he actually had come out of another room. My head was fuzzy from the after effects of being upset and the beers. Deciding no further investigation was needed, Maggie grabbed her phone and we headed to the hotel.

  I felt better and my head was clearer after a good night’s sleep. I knew Maggie was right about me staying at Chambers. I had worked too hard to get here. I wasn’t about to let the actions of one mean girl stop me. As for Risher seeing the scars on my arms, it really shouldn’t matter. If they grossed him out, then it was best I knew that now before I got further into our friendship. Thank god Maggie was here to remind me that I needed to surround myself with people who wanted to know the true Hollis and not just my cracked candy coated shell.

  Saturday was spent sightseeing, mall shopping, eating, and watching movies in the hotel room. We slept in Sunday morning until right before check-out time. Yesterday’s shopping trip hadn’t satisfied Maggie’s addiction, so we headed to the trendy downtown area for her to get her shop on.

  Main Street was a mix of high-end boutiques and more affordable stores that fit better around a college student’s budget. I had never been one of those girls who liked trying on clothes and twirling around in front of a mirror, but Maggie made it fun to explore the rainbow-colored shops. The best part was when she discovered some hidden treasure in the racks of clothes. She’d squeal and repeat, “This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s made for me.”

  After Maggie got her fix, we headed to this quaint outside café we’d passed several times during our trek up and down the street earlier. After placing the food order at the counter, we grabbed our drinks and took a seat at one of the umbrella-covered tables. Swirling the straw around my glass of sweet tea, I stared off, my mind drifting back to hoodie guy.

  Maggie snapped her fingers in my face and said, “Hellur.”

  “Sorry.” I shifted in the chair and took a sip of my drink.

  “What’s taking place in that noggin of yours?”

  “Hoodie guy. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced he came out of my room.”

  “Let’s say he did.”

  “How did he get in and why was he… alone?”

  “Simple. He and Abigail were on a date, she forgot something in the room, and he offered to go get it for her.”

  “Maybe.”

  Peeling back the paper, Maggie unwrapped her straw and pointed it at me. “I bet he’s the key to her early morning disappearances too.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Hollis, it’s so obvious. She leaves in the middle of the night after you’re sound asleep to have a sneaky peek under his hood. If you know what I mean.” Leaning in, she winked at me.

  “What is wrong with yo
u? They may not even know each other.”

  “Oh, they know each other.”

  “I think you’re still drunk from Friday night.”

  “Little bit.” She plunged the straw in her drink then said, “Hey, I know, ask Risher if he knows the guy.”

  “Maggie…”

  “What? He might have a class with the dude.”

  “He’s in my Algebra class. I sat next to him the first day, but since then I’ve been sitting with Ri… elsewhere. And I’m not positive, but I think he was the one who shoved me in the stairwell.”

  “When was this?”

  “First day of class.”

  “Well, you need to tell Abigail that her fuck buddy owes you an apology.”

  “Maggie! First of all, we don’t know that’s what they are, and second, I’m not sure it was even him. I mean, dark hoodies aren’t exactly rare.”

  We stopped talking as the waitress approached the table and placed our food down.

  Maggie tossed a French fry in her mouth. “I don’t want to talk about Hoodwinked and Princess Personality anymore.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not nice. Abigail is just shy.”

  “Anywho… let’s talk boys.” I glared at her. I wasn’t in the mood to discuss Risher yet. “And when I say boys, I mean Chuck. He’s all kinds of scrumdiddlyumptious.”

  My nose inadvertently crinkled up. Chuck had all the qualities on the cute checklist. He was tall and stocky. I knew he had played football in high school, but a knee injury prevented him from making it a college career. He was tanned like Risher, with dark brown eyes that matched his buzz cut hair. But Chuck was Chuck. Although he was cute by most girls’ standards, it was hard for me to think of him as being all kinds of anything but Chuck.

  “Well, if anyone could attest to his diddly’s umptiousness it’d be you. Really, Maggie. You just met him and were halfway down his throat Friday night.”

  “I had constraints. Time was of the essence. Besides, I couldn’t help myself. He’s an incredible kisser. He does this thing with his tongue…”

  My hands flew to my ears. “La-la-la-la-la. Sorry, can’t hear you.”

  “La-la-la all you want, but I’ll be tripping it up here more often.”

  “I didn’t realize you missed me that much.”

  “Ha-ha.” A balled-up napkin came flying over the table at me.

  After lunch we headed to my dorm. Maggie had a three hour drive back home and needed to get on the road before it got dark. I managed to dodge other attempts she made at bringing up the subject of Risher. Today, I wanted to focus on having fun with my best friend. I’d have to deal with the Risher issue soon enough. We pulled into the parking lot and let the car idle while we said our goodbyes.

  I could already feel the tears building behind my eyes. “Call or text me when you get home so I know you’re safe.”

  Maggie’s chin quivered as she kept her gaze focused straight ahead and nodded. We were both about to become blubbering messes in two seconds.

  Reaching over, she placed her hand on top of mine. “I love you, Hollis.”

  “I love you too. And I’m guessing I’ll be seeing you again soon.”

  “Oh yeah, I’ll be jonesing for a chunk of Chuck.” She gave my hand a slight squeeze.

  We shared one last hug before I grabbed my overnight bag from the backseat, and Maggie drove off.

  Turning in the direction of the dorm, I found Risher leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. The late afternoon sun lit up his gray and electric-blue tennis shoes and dark gray basketball shorts. His tan arms popped against the white muscle tank that covered his broad chest. But what stood out the most was the sheepish look on his face.

  As I walked toward him, he pushed off the wall, letting his arms drop to his side.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice low and hesitant.

  “Hey.”

  As usual, my gaze traveled to the ground, but Risher’s didn’t. I could feel him staring at me.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “Hollis…”

  “I’m sorry.” I interrupted.

  “For what?”

  I raised my head and locked eyes with him. “For the way I acted at the party. I was annoyed because Maggie disappeared on me and…”

  “You have no reason to be… Look, I’m the sorry one. I shouldn’t have snuck up and grabbed you like that. I’d had a few beers and I’d been wanting to… .”

  He struggled for the right words. He was nervous. He was adorable. I was in trouble.

  His gaze darted around as he rubbed the back of his neck. “What Leah did was my fault.”

  “Did you tell her to rip my shirt off?” My stomach twisted with the possibility of his involvement.

  “God no! I’d never do that. She was pissed off at me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Leah wanted to hook up. I turned her down because I like someone else. She didn’t take the news very well.”

  Smirking, I slowly shook my head in disbelief. “And she assumed I was the one you were talking about? Man, she was drunk.”

  “No assumptions. She knew.” He paused and glanced away. “I like you, Hollis.”

  What the what? He can’t mean that the way I want him to.

  “Of course you do. I’m your ticket to an A-plus in Linear Algebra.” I teased.

  “Let’s try this again.” Clearing his throat, he continued. “I really like you, Hollis.”

  His words catapulted me into shock. I heard them, but I couldn’t believe he was saying them. Since my brain had stopped working, all I could do was repeat them.

  “I really like you too.”

  Risher blew out a deep sigh. “I like you, like you. God, I sound like a twelve-year-old girl.”

  I blinked several times, hoping my cognitive function would return. “I’ve never had a twelve-year-old girl say that to me, so I think you’re safe.”

  “I’ve been wanting to tell you. So I thought grabbing you and tossing you in the pool was the best, most mature way of letting you know how much I like you.” He smiled.

  At me! Hands in air… twirling… twirling… twirling!

  “It made quite a lasting impression,” I deadpanned, playing it cool.

  “Would you like to go to dinner sometime?”

  “Like a date?”

  Risher nodded. “Yeah, like a date.”

  “You and me?”

  “You’re killing me here, Hollis.”

  My brain was beginning to defrost, which was good and bad. Good because coherent thoughts were beginning to form. Bad because I wanted to summersault to the top of the highest mountain and scream with excitement.

  Say something, Hollis. You’ve been staring at him for an inappropriate amount of time.

  Tilting his head to the side, Risher narrowed his eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, you’re okay or yes, you’ll go out with me.”

  “Yes and yes.”

  Both our faces broke into huge smiles.

  “Great,” Risher said.

  “Great.” I echoed.

  “Um… how about Friday night?”

  “Yes. Friday night.”

  “Awesome.”

  “Awesome.”

  There were a lot of cute boys on campus, but there was something about Risher that caused my heart to beat out of my chest every time I was near him. To know I made his heart beat a little faster had me floating. We stood staring and grinning at each other for like a whole minute. At this rate we were going to be standing here until Friday night.

  “Thanks for saying yes, Hollis.” Excitement radiated off of him.

  My face was beginning to hurt from the constant grinning. “Thanks for asking me.”

  Risher pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to go shoot hoops with Chuck now.”

  A slight giggle escaped me. “Have fun shooting hoops.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” He took a step back.<
br />
  “Yeah, in class tomorrow.”

  “That’s right. Class. Tomorrow. Um… why don’t I come to your room in the morning and we can walk together.”

  “Okay. That’d be great.”

  He took another step back. “Okay then.”

  “Okay.”

  “I really don’t know a smooth way of ending this…” His hand swung between us. “I’m just gonna turn and go.”

  “I think that would be best.”

  Raising his arm, Risher pointed his index finger at me. “See you in the morning, Hollis.”

  I mimicked the movement. “In the morning.”

  Giving me the wink that never failed to send me into a full-on swoon, he turned and jogged away.

  My insides were spinning from the events over the past couple of days. I’d gone from being the target of a snotty mean girl to having my very own slice of scrumdiddlyumptious. Maggie was going to freak when she found out I had a date with Risher. I decided to keep the info to myself and savor it a while longer before letting my best friend in on the news. Knowing her, she’d jump back in her car and drive all the way up here to pick out just the right outfit for me to wear for the big night.

  I held my head up high feeling all light and airy as I drifted up the stairs to my room. I got curious looks from a couple of girls who passed by me in the hall. This time it wasn’t due to the thick makeup, but the giant smile plastered across my face. With my head firmly planted in the clouds, I twisted the doorknob to my room, not even thinking of using my key. Luckily, it was unlocked. I swung the door open and glided into the room. The next few seconds were a slow-motion blur.

  Looking toward Abigail’s side of the room, I saw a pair of tennis shoes in front of her nightstand. A black hoodie slung across the foot of her bed. A baseball cap was propped against her pillow right next to her open pink suitcase. I was about to take a quick scan of its contents when I heard something. My head whipped around at the sound of a buzzing noise coming from the bathroom. I peered in the slightly opened door.

  Starting at his socked feet, my gaze traveled up his baggy jeans hanging off the bones of his hips. His white tank top wrapped tightly around his flat stomach and narrow torso. His upper arm blocked the side view of his face and from where I stood, I couldn’t see the reflection in the mirror. The muscles in his thin arms flexed slightly as his hand gripped a razor.