by Beth Maria
Entering the campus office, I collect my schedule from the front desk. Checking it over, it all seems to be correct, which is great. This saves me the hassle of having to get it corrected.
I feel my leg vibrate, so pull my phone out of my pocket. Chloe is calling. “Hey Chlo,” I answer.
“Maisie, where are you?” Chloe sounds half asleep. She didn’t get in until three this morning from a party that she attended last night with the guy she met at the coffee shop the other day. Apparently, his name is Ryan, and he’s a really nice guy, but I wouldn’t know. I chose to stay in and get prepared for today rather than getting drunk with a bunch of people I don’t know. Parties aren’t my scene anymore, for reasons I don’t wish to remember.
“I’ve just picked up my schedule. I have to go get my books and supplies for my classes, then I’ll be back,” I reply.
“WHAT? Why didn’t you wake me up? How big is the line? Please tell me it’s not huge?” Chloe begs through the phone.
Chuckling at my best friend, I turn my head around to look at the office and see that the line is now out of the door. I’m going to have to lie, or she will never come to get her schedule.
“Erm... No, it’s not very big. I’d say about ten people.” Yeah, more like thirty people. Oh well. “And I didn’t wake you up because you came stumbling in at three this morning. I thought you could use the sleep.”
“Oh, Maisie, that was such a good party. You should have come!” I just cough to remind her. “Oh, come on, Maisie. You can’t stop living your life forever. This was meant to be a fresh start for both of us, remember? You can’t coop yourself up in the dorm room doing homework for the next year. I won’t allow it, okay?” she rants down the phone.
“Chloe, look, you know why I don’t want to go to parties, so just drop it, okay?” I’m getting pissed now. She’s my best friend and has been by my side through the tough times, so she should understand more than anybody. I huff, telling her, “I’ll be back when I’ve got what little I need for classes. I’ll see you soon.” Then I hang up before she can reply.
****
Two hours later, I’m finally ready for my first class. As I walk into my English class, I stare around at the huge room and decide where to sit. It’s not too packed yet as I made sure that I arrived early. Picking a seat near the back, I unpack my laptop, then decide to text my mom and dad to let them know that my first class is about to start.
A bag dropping next to me startles me. I look up and am surprised to see Jesse standing there staring at me with a big smile on his handsome face. I blink a few times to see if it is actually him standing there. I know that half of the seats in this room are unoccupied, so I ask, “Do you have to pick here to sit when half of the other seats are empty?”
“I like the look of this seat. Good view from up here. Plus, it’s not like we’re strangers. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting twice now. Would you prefer to have a complete stranger sitting next to you?”
“Yes, actually, I would rather a stranger sits next to me. They probably wouldn’t cause damage to me, unlike you.” He can’t sit here. I won’t be able to concentrate on my lessons at all! My pulse is accelerating by the second with him just standing there!
“Well, tough.” With that, he sits down, putting his legs on the table and crossing his ankles, with his hands behind his head. I’m about to pick up my stuff to move, when the professor walks in. Great timing, NOT! Can I ask him if he could come back in two minutes time so that I can move? Okay, I guess not... Suck it up, Maisie. He’s just a guy. There are plenty of them in the world. So he may be a douche, a sexy douche at that, who is sitting next to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk to him. I focus my attention on the professor and try to ignore the beautiful man sitting next to me.
Luckily, I get through the whole lecture without having to speak to Jesse, but as I make my way out of the door, a hand lands on my shoulder to stop me.
“Save me a seat tomorrow, darling.” I can feel Jesse’s hot breath on my ear. Shivers run down my back, and goose bumps cover my arms. Damn you, traitorous body!
“My name’s not darling. It’s Maisie,” I whisper.
“Well then, Maisie, save me a seat tomorrow. I like sitting next to you.” Then he’s off down the hall, and I’m stuck on the spot. My legs won’t move! I can’t keep letting him affect me like this. He’s such a cocky jerk and thinks he is God’s gift to women, by the looks of it. Well, I’m going to have to show him that I’m not all women. I will not fall for his charm, and he definitely won’t be sitting next to me tomorrow.
Jesse
When I stepped into my English lecture this morning, the last person I expected to see was the girl who has been playing on my mind all weekend. I woke up this morning with a plan of keeping my distance if I ever bumped into her again. It’s not in my nature to be thinking about a girl for forty-eight hours straight. I’ve turned into a pussy, and I don’t even know her, but when I saw her sitting there looking all sexy, that plan went right out the window!
Sitting next to her for ninety minutes was torture. I kept getting whiffs of strawberry every time she moved. I just wanted to sniff her neck for hours on end, and I would have had it not seemed creepy. I was entranced by the smell of her. I noticed that when she was confused, she scrunched up her nose. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen! Oh God, now I’m calling her cute. I need to get laid pronto.
When class finished, I was going to go straight to football practice, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to say something to her. I knew my speaking into her ear had affected her the minute her skin got covered in goose bumps. Maisie is what she said her name is. It suits her; a sweet and innocent name for a sweet and innocent looking girl. I know I should just turn around and forget all about her because I will just end up breaking her heart, but every time I think about letting her go, I feel like someone has kicked me in the gut. Not good, Jesse. Love is a disease, remember? Look at what happened to your mother. Do you want to end up like that? No, so forget about her. It’s easier said than done, though, isn’t it? She’s a challenge. I never give up on challenges.
I tried harder during practice today than I ever have in my life. I battered myself, but Maisie only escaped my mind for a few hours.
Deciding on an early night, I fall asleep picturing the darkest pair of brown eyes I have ever seen.
Chapter 3
Maisie
Two weeks have passed since I started at CSUF. My life has become pretty routine. I wake up in the morning, get dressed, go to my classes, then come home and do my assignments. To say my life is tedious is putting it mildly. But I’m happy with it. I don’t want dramatic. I want peace. I’ve not seen much of Chloe recently, either. She’s made a lot of new friends, ones who actually want to do the whole college experience and party. We still hang out in our room, or go to Cafe Blanc, but it’s not as often as we used to. I know I can’t hold her back, so I don’t mention that I wish we spent more time together.
I haven’t spoken to Jesse since he sat next to me. When I next had English, I made sure to arrive just before the professor and get a different seat, so that he couldn’t sit next to me. It’s childish, but something about him affects me. Also, the guy just screams trouble! I don’t need my broken heart to be broken even more.
It’s Saturday, and I promised Jake that I would attend his party tonight. Chloe is ecstatic that she finally got me to accept. I, on the other hand, would rather be watching boring reality shows all night than hanging around a bunch of loud drunk people that I don’t know. I didn’t bring any clothes with me to wear to a party, so right now we are on our way to the shopping mall. The girly side of me is bursting out of the seams. I love shopping. Chloe and I used to go and spend all of our money on clothes of the latest trends.
Venturing around the mall, the first shop we stop in is Hollister.
“We need to find you something that will make you look hot to trot, baby girl. How about this?” Chloe holds up a k
nee length lilac dress with a round neckline. I shake my head then carry on looking through the racks.
“Look, I know you don’t want to come tonight, which I understand. I really do, Mais, but this will be good for you. Forget about what happened last time. You don’t know anybody here, and you need to get out there and make friends. This party is the perfect place. So, stop looking at granny clothes and find something sexy okay?” she says with a sad smile on her face. She’s right. I do need to forget about what happened and move on with my life. This is what the new start was about, so I need to start living.
“Okay.” I smile a true genuine smile.
“Well, that was easy.” We both laugh. “Let’s find you something to wear then!”
****
Twenty minutes later, we are in the changing room with armfuls of clothes. Most of the clothes I try on aren’t right for me. I have one outfit left to try, and I love it. It’s perfect for tonight, and I could wear it during the day as well. I’m wearing a black leather faux skirt with a black crop top covered in gold studs. Twirling in front of the mirror, I smile at my reflection. I’d forgotten what it felt like to get dressed up. I don’t look trashy or too done up. This outfit is just the right amount of dressy, and I don’t have too much of my flesh on display.
“I think this is the one, Chloe. I love it! I’m never taking it off!” I laugh to my smiling best friend. “I just need to find some shoes now.”
“You look amazing!” Reaching up, she wipes a tear off her face.
“Why are you crying, silly girl?”
“Because I finally have my best friend back! I’m so happy right now. I thought I’d lost you forever...” Chloe looks down at her feet. I draw her in for a hug, telling her I’m sorry over and over until we are both in tears.
It’s a while before we are all out of tears. “Come on. Let’s buy these then go get something to eat. I’m starving.”
Chloe decides to get the lilac dress. It looks beautiful with her blonde hair.
****
We sit down in a booth at one of the diners in the mall, and the waitress comes over to take our order. We both order cheese burgers and fries with a diet coke; our usual. I know I should start a conversation and ask Chloe what’s been happening in her life recently. I’ve missed out on a lot because I’ve been in my own little world filled with books and homework, but I honestly don’t know where to start. I decide to start with the guy she met in the coffee shop.
“So how’s Ryan?”
“I wouldn’t know. We haven’t spoken for a few days. He turned out to be a douche. I mean, we were only hooking up and sometimes hanging out, but he never once told me he was in a long term relationship. I found out he has a girlfriend back home, so I ended it, but then he couldn’t understand why. I feel sorry for his girlfriend. She doesn’t have a clue.” I feel proud of Chloe in this moment for ending things, not being a home wrecker.
“I feel for his girlfriend. I’m glad you ended things with him, though.” I smile at my best friend. “So how are your lessons going?”
“Oh, they’re really good! My art teacher, Professor Longhorn, is a genius. I’ve learned so much already. I’m glad I went with Art instead of business, like my parents wanted. I would have been miserable. Can you imagine me being in an office nine till five? It would drive me insane.” We both laugh. The image that pops into my head is hilarious; Chloe wearing a suit and carrying files. What a joke! Chloe wouldn’t last two minutes in an office. She doesn’t like to be bossed around, which is why she chose art. This way, she has her own deadlines and is free to express who she is in her drawings.
“Oh God, I have a stitch!” My tummy muscles aren’t used to this kind of strain anymore. I haven’t laughed in months. I calm myself down as our food arrives, so we tuck into it.
“Oooooooh, that was good. I needed a good meal. I don’t know how much longer we can live on noodles, Chlo,” I say, wiping my face on a napkin.
“We have to live on noodles. We’re students, which makes us poor. Most of the time, I would kill for one of Mom’s home cooked meals.”
“I really miss your mom’s lasagne.” I pull a sad face, which makes Chloe laugh at me. “Don’t laugh at me, bitch! I’m really fed up with eating the same thing every day. It’s making me miserable, especially now that I can taste your mom’s lasagne.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.” She’s still laughing at me, though. Her laughter finally subsides after I shoot daggers at her. “Let’s stop talking about what we obviously can’t have right now. It’s not doing us any good. Tell me. How are your lessons going so far? Make any new friends?”
“Yeah, my classes are going surprisingly well. I’m not failing, which is a bonus.” I haven’t spoken to anybody since I started lessons, not if you don’t count Jesse. I wouldn’t call him a friend. Plus, I haven’t spoken to him in two weeks. Maybe he finally decided to stop pestering me and realized I wouldn’t give him what he was obviously looking for. Looking over at Chloe, I realize I’ve taken too long to answer the rest of her question. Oh, what have I got to lose? She won’t tell anyone. It’s not like anything interesting has happened. “No, I haven’t made any friends, but do you remember that guy at the coffee shop who made me drop my latte all down myself?” Chloe nods. “Well, his name is Jesse, and he’s in my English class. After the sidewalk and latte incident, I hoped not to bump into him again, what with the campus being huge. So when he decided to drop his bag down next to me on my first day in English, I knew that the Gods were out to get me. I had to sit next to Jesse for the whole class, unable to concentrate because I’m not blind. He is probably the best looking guy I’ve ever seen, and for some reason, he just affects me, Chloe. No one has affected me except Matt. Jesse looks like he could break someone’s heart with the click of his fingers. I don’t need that in my life. So the next day, I made sure to arrive just before the professor so that I didn’t have to sit near him. I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Chloe looks like she’s trying to process everything I’ve just told her. I don’t blame her. Thinking about all of what I just told her, it’s actually pretty confusing. I made it sound like I have a crush on him. I don’t even know the guy.
“Maisie? You do know that you can be friends with a guy without having to date him, right? Just because you don’t want to get into a relationship with him, doesn’t mean you can’t talk. You’ll never make any male friends if you’re always questioning their motives. Not all guys have motives, sweetie.” She’s right, not that it matters now. I haven’t spoken to Jesse for weeks. He’s most probably given up trying to talk to me. I’ll just keep it in mind for when the next guy talks to me.
“You’re right, except I don’t think Jesse wanted to be just friends.” Looking at my watch, I notice it’s getting late. “We need to leave if we’re going to make it to Jake’s party. It’s six o’clock already, and I’ve still got to shower.” We pay the bill, and then walk back to my car.
****
I’d forgotten how long it takes to get ready for a party. I haven’t been to one in four months. I used to party every weekend, but after walking in on Matt and Megan, I hardly left the house, let alone partied. I didn’t want to be humiliated anymore than I had been, and with Matt being popular, everybody sided with him. It didn’t matter that he was the one in the wrong. People who I thought were my friends turned their backs on me. I got told that I wasn’t enough for Matt, hence why he went elsewhere. In the end, it was just easier not to leave the house. That way, I didn’t have to hear what people were saying about me.
Going to this party tonight is a big step for me. I just need to remind myself that nobody here knows who I am. I don’t have a boyfriend, so it won’t be a repeat of what happened before.
It’s just after nine when Chloe and I arrive at Jake’s house. Jake is a year older than me, so he shares a house with some of his best friends just off of campus. I’ve never met any of his friends, but it’s no surprise that they are overly good looki
ng. Jake is definitely a lady’s man. Come to think of it, he’s always got a different girl on his arm, though they have never been girlfriends. Chloe and I make our way over to tell Jake we’re here. When I tap him on the shoulder, he stops his conversation and turns to face us.
“Hey, Maisie,” he says, pulling me into a bear hug.
“Nice to see you too,” I laugh, pulling out of his embrace.
“Why haven’t you been to see me since you arrived?”
“Yo, Jake? Who’s this pretty little thing, and why have you been keeping her hidden?” a guy who I’m guessing is Jake’s friend asks.
“Evan, shut the fuck up, man. This is my little sister, Maisie, so stay away, unless you want me to chop your balls off.” Jake warns, giving Evan a serious look. The other guys laugh, but say nothing. Smart guys.
“Alright. I hear you. Nice to meet you, Maisie,” Evan winks at me. Evan is really good looking, in the surfer boy kind of way. He must be around five foot eleven and has longish shaggy blonde hair, but it suits him. Looking into his eyes, which are the brightest shade of green I have ever seen, I smile at him.
“Nice to meet you to, Evan. This is my best friend, Chloe.” I point to Chloe, taking the focus off of me. She has been quiet since we arrived. I’ll have to ask her what’s wrong when we get a moment. I see Chloe look at Jake, and then turn toward Evan.
“Hello. Would you show me to the drinks please?” Chloe asks, giving Evan a flirty smile. Oh God. Jake must have pissed her off. This isn’t going to end well, especially if Evan flirts back with her. Why do they do this to each other? Either date or leave each other alone. It’s simple really. I give it an hour before Jake has found a girl just to make Chloe jealous, in which case, she will probably end up sleeping with Evan just to spite him. Then, in the morning, when the alcohol has worn off, she will be in depression mode for a few days until her and Jake sort it out again. It’s been the same situation for the last few years. I told them both years ago that I’m not getting involved. I won’t be made to choose between my brother and my best friend. So far, they haven’t gotten me involved, but it will happen eventually, unless they finally decide to give it a shot or call it quits.
