by Sophia Sharp
“How is it that you know so much about all this?” I ask.
“Haven’t I told you yet?”
I shake my head.
“I’m not really a freshman. Well, I am, but not like you. I was here last year. But I left halfway through first semester to, um, sort out some personal things.”
“So you’re a year older?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“How come they put you back in the freshman dorms, then?”
“I never got any credits, so I came back with a clean slate. It’s like I was never here!” She winks. “But I know tons of things about campus life. So, you and I are on the inside track.”
“Heh. I’m glad I’ve got someone by my side who’s done all this before.”
“That you do,” Katy agrees. She takes my arm, pulls me up, and shoves me down the hall to the bathroom. “Now, hurry up! We don’t want to be late. Word is, our peer leader is a total hottie.”
***
Katy and I rush into a packed classroom ten minutes past eleven. Despite her familiarity with campus, we had a little bit of trouble finding it.
There’s an excited energy in the room. A ring of blue plastic chairs rims the outside. Most are taken. I spot two empty ones and point them out to Katy. We go and sit down.
“Hi,” an over-eager guy says beside me. “I’m Johnny.”
“Paige,” I reply, shaking his hand. “This is my roommate, Katy.”
“Nice to meet you,” he says to both of us. “I take it you’re both freshmen, too?”
“Well, technically…” I begin.
“WELCOME!”
Everyone’s attention snaps to the center of the room. A hush falls over the students. They start moving to their seats to carve out a space in the middle, where a tall man with light brown hair is holding up his arms.
“That’s him,” Katy hisses beside me. “He’s hot, just like I said, isn’t he?”
“How can you tell?” I whisper back. “All we can see is the back of his head!”
“Ahem. Once I make sure everyone’s here,” our peer leader says, “we can get started.”
“I can tell,” Katy assures me. “The way he has his shoulders pulled back is proof enough.”
“We’ll see,” I mutter.
The guy in the middle starts counting heads. His hand dips down slightly every time to acknowledge the count. “…eleven, twelve, thirteen…”
Something about his posture tickles the back of my mind. I don’t know what. I strain my head to the side, trying to get a look at his face. So far, I can’t see anything except his hair.
He turns slowly as he continues his count. “…twenty-four, twenty-five…”
Then I see the side of his face, and my breath catches.
It’s Andrew.
“Wow, what’d I tell you?” Katy chortles beside me. “Total dreamboat, right?”
“Yeah,” I say weakly. Andrew is here?
Katy looks at me sideways. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, look sharp!” she alerts me, sitting up straight in her chair. “He’s getting to us.”
Andrew’s forefinger bobs up and down as he continues his count. He gets to me and Katy. Our eyes meet. A look of complete and utter shock flashes across his face.
“Oooh, he likes you,” Katy whispers once he has moved on. “Did you see the way he choked up when he saw you?” She clicks her tongue. “Too bad it’s against the rules to get involved with your peer leader.”
I turn on her. “What?”
She looks at me funny. “Yeah, like, duh. The RAs don’t want peer leaders having favorites. They’re supposed to be, um, ‘impartial advisors,’ as the student council calls them. Being romantically involved? Total no-no.” She winks. “Otherwise, half the girls in here would have jumped him already.”
Andrew starts saying something in the middle of the room. I don’t hear a word. Katy’s words ring hollow in my ears. Total no-no.
Andrew makes us go around the room and say our names, one by one. Katy has to nudge me when it’s my turn. “Paige,” I offer, lifeless. I feel numb inside.
Andrew doesn’t look at me once during the meeting. There’s only one reason for that: He knows. He knows we cannot be together. All because of some stupid rule. It’s not fair. Just when I come across the first good thing in my life, it gets snatched away.
The orientation meeting wraps up. People start filing out of the room. I get up and try to blend in with them.
“Paige.”
I freeze. Other students rustle by me. A few give me odd looks for holding up the line.
I turn in the direction of Andrew’s voice. He’s leaning against the wall, both hands in his pockets. He doesn’t look very happy. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”
Katy catches the exchange. She nudges me with her shoulder as she passes. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”
I walk stiffly to Andrew, keeping my eyes on the ground. I want to look anywhere but at him.
He waits until the final student leaves before walking over and closing the door. When it’s just the two of us, he exhales loudly.
“You know.”
“My roommate told me.” I still don’t look at him. “And your reaction confirmed it.”
He walks up to me, stopping about a foot away. Even like that, it feels like he’s too close. “I can’t change the rules, Paige.”
“I don’t expect you to.” I shuffle my feet. “Can I go now?”
“What? No, Paige. Look at me!”
He startles me into looking up. I’m surprised to find turmoil boiling in his eyes. I didn’t think it’d be there.
“Listen, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I nearly lost it when I saw you sitting there. I just never would have though… I mean, thirty-three hundred freshman matriculated this year. What are the odds you’d end up assigned to my group?”
He looks at me as if expecting an answer. I don’t have any.
“I need this job, Paige,” he continues after the pause. “And the administration is tough when it comes to things like this. They make it very clear what will happen if they catch you in a relationship.” He exhales heavily. “I need the employment more than you can believe. The hours are flexible. I get subsidized on-campus housing. If it wasn’t for that—”
“I get it,” I say, cutting him off. “You don’t need to defend yourself to me. Your responsibilities obviously come first.”
He gives an uneasy chuckle. “If I had any other choice, Paige… I wasn’t lying when I said I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about you. I still haven’t.”
“Looks like you’re going to have to figure out some way to do that,” I grumble. I hate how sour I sound. The tension between us is palpable.
Andrew looks around the room. “Well, at least we found out early,” he says. “Before things progressed too far. Right?”
“Right,” I agree. I’ve faced tougher obstacles in the past. I can recover.
I just didn’t think I’d need to do it this early.
Andrew exhales again. “So we’re both on the same page?”
“Totally. I’ll just pretend yesterday never happened.”
Andrew cringes. “You don’t have to do that. Maybe we can still be friends.”
“Maybe,” I sigh. The last thing I want is to transition into an awkward friendship with Andrew. Better to just heal and move on.
“Okay.” Andrew picks up his bag and slings it over his shoulder. “Thank you for understanding, Paige. I really appreciate it.”
Chapter Six
Katy is waiting for me outside. She grabs my arm and starts to whisper something in my ear. Then she notices Andrew and goes quiet.
He nods at her as he passes. He does not look at me.
When we’re alone again, Katy looks somewhat anxious. “So? What was that all about?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.” Andrew has already disapp
eared from view. “You want to get something to eat?”
“Obviously it wasn’t ‘nothing’. You look like you just found out your cat got run over by a truck.” She pauses. “No offense to Pickles.”
“None taken.” I smile to make her feel better. “Really, nothing happened.”
“Why’d he want to talk to you? Hell, how’d he even remember your name? There were at least fifty other kids in there with us.”
I shrug. “He’s got a good memory, I suppose.”
“You’re not telling me something, Paige.” Katy purses her lips and looks me up and down. Then her eyes widen. “Oh my God. He’s not…” she lowers her voice, “…the mysterious guy you spent all day with yesterday, is he?”
I blink in surprise. “How on earth did you figure that out?”
Katy taps the side of her head. “Hey, I got in for a reason, eh? I’m not just some vapid blond.” She tugs at her roots. “No matter what my hair seems to imply.”
Despite my mood, I laugh a little. “You said ‘eh’.”
Katy looks surprised to hear it. Then she smiles. “Well, I told you I’m from Canada. I’ve got to make my country proud.” She tilts her head in the direction Andrew went. “I’m right, aren’t I? He took you out yesterday.”
I give a despondent sigh, then nod. Katy slips her arm through mine and leads us out of the building. “That sucks. But I know just the place we can get you a little pick-me-up.”
***
“You should just forget about him,” Katy advises. We’re sitting at an open-street café, sipping two cold Frappuccino’s. The bright sun overhead gives no indication that there had been a rainstorm less than twelve hours ago. “The way you made it sound, he didn’t even try to fight for you. A guy like that isn’t worth your time.”
“You’re probably right,” I concede. “Rules are rules, right?”
“Yeah. And Andrew sounds like he’s a stickler for them. He might have a good face, but otherwise he’s probably as exciting as a stack of hay.”
I laugh. “Yesterday he wasn’t so bad.”
Katy rolls her eyes. “Please. Every guy in the history of the human race knows he has to impress a girl on the first date. It’s the ones that keep doing it time and again that are the keepers…” Katy trails off, her eyes focusing on something behind me.
“What?” I ask, spinning around in my chair. I see a helmeted driver pull into the parking lot on a dark bike. A Barbie doll with long legs and tanned skin clings to his back.
“Don’t look now,” Katy warns, “but it looks like your new flame has just arrived.”
“Andrew doesn’t ride a bike…” I begin. The driver takes off his helmet. Immediately, his gray eyes pierce mine.
I spin around in my seat. “Spencer?” I hiss.
Katy winks and leans back. She looks at him from the corner of her eye. “He’s seen you,” she says through a heavy smile. “Aaaand he’s coming over now. Three… two…”
I tense up. Spencer is not the person I want to see right now.
A chair scrapes against the ground. A dark shape falls into it. “Ladies.”
Katy smiles sweetly at him. “Hi, Spencer.”
“Kate.” Spencer’s attention is all on me. I shift in my seat and try to create a little distance. “It’s a damn shame about the cat. Else I’d have come back to see you again.”
“I’m sure you’ve got plenty to keep you busy,” Katy says, sparing a look at the plastic girl waiting for him. To my surprise, I don’t hear any venom in her words.
Spencer barks a laugh. “You know me better than I do myself. How’s this one doing?” He reaches over to touch my arm. I jerk away.
“Still jumpy as always, I see,” he says.
“I have a name.” I cross my arms.
“Yes, yes, and I’m sure you’d love to tell me.”
“Babe, I’m thirsty,” the girl behind Spencer pouts.
“Hold on.” Spencer waves her off. “I haven’t gotten an answer yet.”
“What answer?” Katy asks.
“If you two are coming to my frat party tonight. It’s the first of the year. Going to be a blast.”
“No,” I huff at exactly the same time as Katy smiles, “Yes.”
I stare at her in disbelief.
Spencer laughs. “I’ll leave that for you two to work out.” He winks at Katy. “If you do decide to show up, be sure to bring this one along.”
“I have a name!” I yell after him, irritated.
Spencer looks over his shoulder as he holds the café door open. “I know. And I’m sure you’d love to tell me.” He disappears inside.
“Presumptuous jackass,” I mutter once he’s gone.
“Oh, he’s not that bad.” I can tell Katy is harboring feelings for him, no matter what she claims. “I told you he has a thing for you.”
I almost choke on my drink. “What? Are you crazy?”
“He wouldn’t have come over here to talk to me if he didn’t. He already had me. I’m old news to him.”
“I still can’t believe you can talk that way about yourself.”
Katy rolls her eyes. “I told you before. Better me than… her.” Katy’s finger follows the girl Spencer came with as she jolts out of the café and runs to Spencer’s bike. He chases her there and laughs as they drive off together. “She looks like the type to get her heart broken when he dumps her after she begins to think she’s special.”
“And you want to set me up like that? Why on earth did you say we’d go to his party?”
Katy looks at me as if I’m dumb. “Um, because Sigma Pi hosts the biggest parties of the year? What better way to get over Andrew than by hooking up with some other hot guy there?” She winks. “It doesn’t have to be Spencer.”
***
“You’re really not coming?” Katy complains. She’s standing in front of the mirror we’d propped up in our room, running her fingers through the extensions she’d just put on. She’s wearing white skinny jeans that show off her butt and a halter top that leaves half her belly bare. She looks hot.
I, on the other hand, look like a slob. My hair’s up in a messy bun. I don’t have a lick of makeup on, and the gray hoodie I’m wearing is so big it might swallow me whole.
“No. I told you. I don’t feel like going out tonight.”
Katy tosses her hair over one shoulder and purses her lips to apply some gloss. “You’re missing out. Everyone’s going to be there. You don’t want to start the year a social outcast, do you?”
I laugh. “I’m sure skipping one party won’t be that big a deal.”
“Ah, but you’re underestimating the scope of this party. It’s the social event of the year. It’s the official ‘welcome back’ for all the upperclassmen. It’s going to be wild.”
“I don’t think anyone’s going to notice I’m not there,” I point out, “if it’s really as big as you think.”
“Aha! There’s your problem. You’ve got to make yourself visible. Come on—” she tugs on my sleeve, “—all my friends from last year are waiting outside, but I can tell them to go ahead while I help you get dressed. We’ll meet them there.”
“No, Katy. I’ll go with you next time, I promise. And every time after that.” I shoot her a grin. “I didn’t come to college to hide in my room. But I’m just not feeling it tonight.”
She plops on the bed beside me. “This is about Andrew, isn’t it?”
I shrug my shoulders without answering. Of course it’s about him.
Yesterday, I thought I’d found a guy who is perfect boyfriend material. Today, I discover that we can’t even see each other? That hurts. More than I want to admit. I need a night to myself to get over it.
Katy puts her arm over my shoulder. “I know what it feels like. I don’t have to go tonight if you want a friend. Shit, there are going to be hundreds of parties this year. I only get one roommate.”
Her concern is touching. I smile. “Thanks. But I’ll be okay. I know how excited you are to
go. Don’t let me hold you back. Besides, it wouldn’t be good manners to blow your other friends off.”
“Pfft, I don’t care about that. They’ll understand. And if not, they weren’t very good friends to begin with.”
“Go, go!” I push Katy off the bed. “Have fun, and don’t worry about me.” Pickles jumps beside me and settles on my lap. “I’ve got this guy for company.”
Katy bites the side of her lip and looks conflicted for a moment. Then she beams a radiant smile. “All right. But next time, you’re totally coming.”
“I swear.”
She smiles. “Good. How do I look?”
“Like sex in black and white.”
Katy giggles. “Just the look I was going for,” she says, and darts out the room.
***
I’m awakened half an hour after midnight by the sound of a door slamming. After a few seconds, I pick out Katy’s voice. Even through the walls, I can hear her laughing and giggling. She’s way too loud to be sober.
I decide to get out of bed to check on her. I open the bedroom door a crack. Immediately, a familiar male voice filters to my ears.
“No, no…” there’s a crashing sound, “…oh shit, look what you’ve done!” The male laughs obnoxiously.
Ugh. I close the door and stalk back to bed. Spencer’s here.
I throw a pillow over my head to drown out the sounds of drunken antics from the opposite room. At least there’s a spare bed in the other room for the two of them.
Chapter Seven
I wake up feeling fresh and energized. I get out of bed—and discover Katy slumbering in the top bunk.
I go up on my toes to check it out. She’s alone.
Huh. I must have slept through her coming in. I don’t think she brought Spencer here. Otherwise, I definitely would have woken up. I smile. Good.
I exit the room, gently closing the door behind me. I walk down the hall—and freeze. Spencer is standing shirtless in our kitchen.
He’s facing away from me, watching the stove. I debate turning around and retreating to my room. Then what? Hiding in bed until he leaves?
