Asylum

by Kristen Selleck

  “You go first,” she ordered, and before Chloe had a chance to argue or even think, Sam had pushed her out the door.

  “Hey!” Seth called immediately, “Chloe, Sam, over here.”

  “See?” Sam said through her teeth, while flashing a smile at the table of boys.

  “Guys, this is Chloe and Sam, they’re from my hall. Chloe, Sam, this is Jeff, Mark, Lane, and Mike.” As Seth called out their names, each of the guys either nodded or raised a bottle at them.

  “Have a seat ladies, have a seat,” the one named Mike said, pulling a chair from another table up next to his own. Sam sat down next to him as Seth grabbed a chair for Chloe and set it next to his.

  “Freshmen,” remarked one of the guys. Chloe couldn’t remember if he was Mark or Jeff.

  “So how do you guys all know each other?” Sam asked smoothly.

  “Hockey,” they all said at once.

  “I cannot wait for the game against Tech!” Sam trilled, “Please tell me you’re going to kill them this year, I won’t even be able to hold my head up back home if you guys play like you did last year!”

  This, at once, brought such a chorus of oaths, curses, and game predictions against their hated rivals, that Chloe found she was able to get by with just an enthusiastic nod or two. Seth was also quiet, frowning thoughtfully at his beer bottle as the debate over how good Tech’s team was that year raged around them. It stopped only when May came back with her tray, and surprisingly, a smile on her dour face.

  “Alright boys, who’s ready for another…Seth?” she asked sociably. Chloe and Sam exchanged surprised looks.

  “Nah, we’re not staying May, just came by for one. Can I pay my tab?” Seth answered her.

  “On the house this time guys.” She clapped Seth on the back before going back to the bar. Sam rolled her eyes at Chloe and mouthed the word, tab?

  Seth dug into his pocket, grabbed his wallet and threw a couple of dollars onto the table.

  “Gotta love May,” he grinned.

  “Maybe at gunpoint,” Sam agreed.

  “So…you’re not staying?” Chloe cut in.

  “A bunch of guys we know are having a house party over on Main,” the boy who was either Jeff or Mark said. “You guys should come, and bring some of your friends.” He jerked his head in the direction of their booth.

  “We’ve got class in the morning,” Chloe said quickly. She, almost as quickly, jumped in her seat as Sam’s foot connected with her shin under the table.

  “But we’d love to go anyways,” Sam added. “It wouldn’t happen to be the freshmen mixer they’ve been passing out flyers for, would it?”

  Of course it was. Chloe tried to catch Sam’s eye, but Sam was too busy giggling at Mike’s assurances of how ’wild’ the mixer usually got.

  “What class have you got, Clo?” asked Seth.

  “Intro to psychology at nine. Sam has it too.”

  Several of the guys groaned or laughed, including Seth.

  “Not Willard!” laughed Mike.

  “Poor little freshmen,” said Lane.

  “Guy’s a nut job,” commented Jeff/Mark.

  “He’s a character, that’s for sure,” agreed Seth, “Just let me do you a favor here ladies. Just a minute, let me uhhhh…let me…where did it go?” Seth groped around in the empty air next to him, grabbed something invisible and then set it on his head. “Let me just put my R.A. hat back on…okay, there. Let me advise you ladies, do not, under any circumstances let him talk you into being a teacher’s assistant for his class. He’ll make it sound great, he always gets a couple every semester, but the truth is Dr. Willard thinks T.A. is the modern term for “slave labor”. Your every waking moment will be at his disposal, you will have no life to speak of.”

  “And then there’s his book,” continued Lane, “the book he’s been working on for like, ten years. If you’re lucky you’ve only got to take the one psych class, but I used to date a girl that was a psych major and she had to hear about it all year every year until she changed her major to engineering and transferred to Tech.”

  “I’m a psych major,” admitted Chloe.

  This brought a fresh round of groans and assurances of sympathy from the table. Seth patted her back, tipped back the rest of his beer and then stood to leave, grabbing his coat off the back of his seat.

  “Alright, I’m headed back to the dorm, anyone need a ride?” he offered.

  “Come on Grandpa Seth, it’s the end of freshman welcome week, you can give up your precious eight hours of sleep one night of the year,” pushed Mike.

  “And that is why I lead the team in goals ladies, I’m the only one sober enough to skate,” explained Seth.

  “We’ll come,” Chloe piped up, “We rode over with our friends, and I don’t think they’re ready to go.”

  “She means she will go with you. I’ll go talk to my friends, and see if they’re ready to go, we’ll just follow you guys,” Sam clarified. “You sure you want to call it a night, Clo? It sounds like you’re going to miss one hell of a party.”

  Chloe thought about it. She envisioned herself following Sam to the door of a large, wild, frat house. A boy in his underwear, wearing a bear mask, answered their knock. And then he yelled “FREAK” and slammed the door in their faces. She winced.

  “Ummmm…” she answered.

  “Shall we, Chloe?” Seth offered his arm.

  Chloe stood, but hesitated. She walked a few steps with Seth, and stopped, still undecided.

  Sam waved her off with general unconcern.

  “Chloe?” Seth lowered his voice so that only she could hear, “I know they told you in the freshman welcome literature that you should carry mace and assume that every guy is trying to slip you rufies, but Sam will be fine. There’s a whole booth of girls for her to be bathroom buddies with, and these guys are actually halfway decent.”

  “I‘m not worried about Sam. I just don’t know if…” she trailed off, and glanced up at him. The look on his face told her that he misunderstood completely.

  “Good point,” Seth agreed, “but I have to say that now that we’re standing in the middle of the Eat and every person, including May, now realizes that we’re leaving together, I’d probably become the logical suspect if you don’t make it to class tomorrow, right? This is a pretty small school, Clo.”

  Chloe’s face burned. How many times was she going to mess up in one day? Seth was watching her, smiling a little bit. She needed to say something.

  “I didn’t mean…I don’t think that you would…I mean…” she fumbled.

  “I’m just teasing you, kiddo,” he grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. “Don’t even worry about it, no offense taken.”

  And then louder, so that everyone at the table could hear, “Alright guys, don’t party too hard. Morning practice with the freshmen, remember?”

  Several of the guys groaned. Mike laughed. With a friendly pat on the shoulder to Chloe, Seth walked away, headed for the door. After glancing at Sam, who was still focused completely on Mike, she followed him.

  The parking lot was full, and lit only by the greenish flood light on the Eat’s roof. It was already cold enough outside that their breath made fog in the air. Chloe shivered in Sam’s short dress, as she followed Seth to a newer Ford pick-up truck. She could only tell that it was a dark color, unidentifiable in the alien light. Seth hit the unlock on his key fob, and tossed her the coat he had been carrying.

  “Remember, this is the U.P. kiddo, it’s not all that strange for it to snow in September,” he said.

  Chloe wrapped his coat around herself. It was lined in flannel and smelled kind of woodsy, obviously chosen for its warmth and not style. It reminded her of being zipped into a sleeping bag when she was a little kid on a camping trip.

  As they drove back to the dorm, Chloe stole a few sidelong glances at Seth. He didn’t seem to mind the silence in the car the way she did. He probably never wasted any time wondering if he should say something or worrying
if she thought he was socially retarded. Chloe fidgeted as she tried to think of something to say.

  “So what’s your major?” she blurted out.

  Seth chuckled and shook his head.

  “You know that that is, hands down, the number one used pick-up line at bars for college students?” he asked.

  “Oh my God, no…I, it, I-” Chloe stuttered horrified.

  “Relax,” Seth assured her, “I’m flattered.”

  “No, really, I just meant-”

  “I’m teasing you Clo, really, but just so you know, in case you get any ideas…I am carrying mace.”

  Seth gave her a quick suspicious look, which caused her to choke on a tiny nervous giggle.

  “I’m majoring in Forestry,” he offered. “It’s a program BHC is pretty well known for. I mean, look at this place.” Chloe glanced out the window. An army of red pines stood in military rank on either side of the road. “So psychology though… why BHC?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. I just wanted to get as far away from home as I could, but I can’t afford out-of-state tuition.” she said.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Detroit,” she lied.

  “Ohhhhh, you’re a troll then.”

  “A troll?” she wondered.

  “Yeah, people from Michigan that live below the Mackinaw bridge…trolls. You know, Michigan Tech would have been even farther away.”

  “It’s also a lot bigger with great programs, draws a lot of kids that like science and math. I didn’t want to run into anyone I know.”

  Chloe bit her lip reflexively. Why had she said that? Why couldn’t she have just said that she didn’t have the grades? If Seth noticed anything he didn’t show it.

  “So this is your first time in the U.P. then?” he changed the subject.

  “Uh-huh. Where are you from?” she asked, hoping that this wasn’t the second most used pick-up line for college age students.

  “Oh, me? I’m a big time city boy. I’m from Marquette.”

  “Where’s that?” asked Chloe.

  “Oh about sixty miles down the road. Largest city in the U.P., home of the Yooperdome, and the best homemade pastie shop in the world.”

  Seth pulled into a spot in front of the dormitory.

  “If this is your first night in the U.P., I’ve really got to show you something,” he said mysteriously. He opened the door and Chloe got out and followed as he walked away from the building, and back down the road they had just traveled. She had to hurry to keep up with his stride.

  “This’ll just take a second but it’s definitely worth it,” he explained. Under the silent pines, the dormitory and its lights quickly disappeared. It was very dark. Chloe timidly slipped her hand under Seth’s arm. He squeezed it tight against his side. He didn‘t look at her, but she thought she saw a hint of a smile on his lips.

  They made no sound as they walked. A carpet of orange needles muffled their footsteps. Chloe was acutely aware of him. It was a strange feeling, to be so intensely focused on the press of his arm against her fingers. The woods were so quiet she could hear him breathing.

  It wasn’t long before they approached a clearing. Seth stopped.

  “Alright, now look up,” he ordered.

  Chloe gasped. The stars must have literally numbered in the millions. She could see the Milky Way. The innumerable, tiny, white lights twinkled and shone exactly like the nursery rhyme insisted, like diamonds in the sky.

  “Oh wow, it’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  “This isn’t even the best spot to really see it. You’ve got to go somewhere with zero ground light, and then the sky actually looks white there are so many. It’s unbelievable. But the best, the absolute best, is in the winter when you can really see the northern lights. I love to camp out at the beach on Superior and just watch the show. It’s cold, but it’s amazing.”

  “You’re one of those people that love nature and the outdoors, aren’t you?” Chloe asked, trying her best to seem as though she understood him.

  “I guess so,” he shrugged, “I’ll never understand how people can rush around so wound up over job reviews, and stock prices, and whatever it is that people worry about that they forget to stop and look up.”

  “If people did that in the cities, they wouldn’t see much,” she said.

  “That’s true,” he shook his head as though it were unfathomable why anyone would want to live in a city. “Come on, let’s get back to the dorm. I got stuck with an eight am class on Mondays this semester.”

  Chloe took a last look and followed him, again feeling brave enough to slip her hand under his arm. Bundled in his coat, she felt very warm and for the first time that night, very comfortable.

  Back at the dorm, they both showed student I.D.s to the night receptionist and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Seth walked Chloe to her door and waited as she dug in her pocket for her key.

  “Well…” she trailed off with one hand on the knob.

  “Well.” Seth repeated.

  “Thanks for the ride.”

  “Sure.”

  “I had a good time.”

  “Me too.”

  He continued to stand there expectantly. Chloe felt all her tension come rushing back. What was she supposed to do? Was he waiting for an invitation to come in? She barely knew him! But that’s what people did in college, right? If you liked the guy, you invited him in to sleep with you and if you didn’t you said something trite like, ‘well-I-had-a-great-time-but-I’m-pretty-tired-sooo…’

  The silence had become awkward and strained while she tried to decide what to do.

  “Could I have my coat back?” he asked.

  “Ohhhhh… OH!” she exclaimed, relieved, while shrugging off his heavy coat.

  Seth reached out with one hand for his coat, and stopped. Changing his mind, he placed his hand on her arm and slowly leaned in towards her. Chloe panicked. Her heart struggled to beat its way out of her chest, as she tried, in an instant, to figure out if she should close her eyes, or where to put her hand, or if she should-

  A jolt surged through her when she felt his lips brush hers. Her body reacted without the aid of her mind. She jerked her head backwards, smashing it into the heavy wooden door behind her. The thud of her skull connecting with the door echoed down the long, empty hall. Lights flashed in front of her eyes as a wave of pain made her stumble forward, crashing directly into Seth’s chest.

  He caught her, and immediately placed a hand over the sore spot on her head.

  “Oh my God! Are you…are you okay?” he asked.

  “Ummmm,” Chloe mumbled as her head throbbed.

  “I am so sorry. I should have warned you, I guess, I was just trying to be smooth or something. Jesus, that sounded like it hurt.” he apologized.

  “No, no, I’m…it’s fine,” she lied.

  “Shut the fuck up out there, smooth moves!!! Some of us are trying to sleep!!!” yelled a voice from behind one of the other doors.

  Chloe felt her face grow red and her throat constrict. The roaring in her ears meant that tears weren’t far behind. In one second she had completely ruined everything. He would probably be laughing about this tomorrow, as he told all the guys from the Eat what had happened after they left. It would be like high school all over again. Everyone smirking at her and whispering behind their hands.

  “Sure you’re okay?” he whispered.

  “Yup,” she managed to extricate herself from his grip and open the door.

  “You want some ice or something?” he asked.

  “No, I’m fine, see you later,” she slipped inside without looking at him and closed the door.

  She ran across the room and flung herself face down on her bed. Chloe fell asleep crying into her pillow.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The irritating buzz of an alarm clock brought Chloe back to reality. She groped for the snooze and rolled over onto her side. Across the room, Sam was sprawled out on top of her comforter, still dressed in h
er bar clothes from the night before. Her mouth was open and she snored softly. “Sam!” Chloe called through the early morning gravel in her throat. Sam continued to snore.

  “SAM!” Chloe bellowed. Sam snorted and rolled over onto her side. Chloe grabbed her pillow and launched it at her roommate. Sam shot up the instant the pillow hit her face.

  “What the hell, Chloe?” she rasped.

  “Class. Come on, get up.”

  Chloe swung her legs over the side of the bed and shuffled over to her closet.

  “You go, give my regards to Dr. Willard,” Sam said while grabbing the edge of her comforter and wrapping it around herself. She closed her eyes, fell backwards, and snuggled deep into her pillow.

  Chloe tugged on a pair of jeans and pulled a black hooded sweatshirt off the hanger.

  “Get up, Sam!” she commanded, “You can NOT skip on the first day.”

  “Yes I can.”

  “Alright, but if he asks for T.A. volunteers, your name is going on the list.”

  “You wouldn’t!” Sam guessed, opening one eye.

  “Only one way to know for sure,” Chloe warned.

  Sam made a noise that sounded like a growl, and flung off the comforter.

  After dressing, the girls grabbed their bath caddies and slunk down the hall to the communal bathroom. Showers hissed as steam clouds and other girls wafted around them. Chloe brushed her teeth while Sam sullenly reapplied her make-up.

  “I don’t suppose we have time to get a coffee?” Sam pouted. Chloe rinsed and spat the last of her toothpaste out.

  “I’m not sure, really. I haven’t checked the map yet to see where Kells Hall is.”

  “It’s way over on the north side of campus. We have to take the bus,” said Sam.

  “Where’s the cafeteria?”

  “Downstairs, right off the lobby.”

  “We can get coffee,” Chloe agreed.

  Chloe and Sam stood in front of the dormitory sipping hot black coffee out of Styrofoam cups as they waited at the bus stop with a handful of other students.

  “So how was the party?” asked Chloe, “When I left it kind of seemed like Mike was checking you out.”

  “I never kiss and tell,” Sam answered mysteriously.