The College Life

by Mercy Amare

  “Had. And yeah, I know.”

  “You’re so unlike anybody I’ve ever met before. I’m so used to everybody in my parent’s circle being spoiled and annoying.”

  “I’m a little spoiled,” I say.

  “Trust me, you’re not.” When we stop at a stoplight, he turns to look at me. “I think I’m going to like having you around.”

  “Umm... thanks,” I say.

  Micah is a lot different than anybody else I know. I think I’m going to like him, too.

  A little diversity is nice.

  4 p.m.

  Carnivore.

  Vegan food isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. And Micah is a lot of fun to hang out with.

  After we finish eating, he asks me if I want to hear his band play.

  HIS BAND.

  Yep, he’s a musician.

  So, of course, I say yes.

  “What instrument do you play?” I ask on the way there.

  “Guess,” he says, giving me a sideways grin.

  I tap my chin as I look at him. “You have a lot of energy, so I would say drummer, but you’re also really laid back, like a bass player. But there is something about you that screams look at me, so, maybe you’re a guitarist or lead singer.”

  “Wow. You’re good,” he says. “I actually play all three of those instruments, but in the band I am the lead singer and guitarist.”

  “That’s awesome. I wish I knew how to play.”

  “It’s easy. I’ve been playing since I was six years old. They tried to get me to learn the piano, but my teacher quit after three lessons. She said I had too much energy and wouldn’t sit still. She recommended my parents buy me a drum set. They did. I learned very quickly. When I was ten, I decided to pick up the guitar. After taking guitar lessons for a few years, I taught myself how to play the bass. The bass is very simple after playing guitar,” he says.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to school for business,” I say. “You have so much passion. Way too much to be sitting behind a desk, working for your dad.”

  “Just because I am getting a business degree doesn’t mean I have to use it for him. Maybe I’ll start my own business.”

  “What would you do?” I ask.

  “I don’t know, yet. But that’s the beauty of life... not knowing,” he says. “After having my parents plan out my whole life, it’ll be nice to finally wing it.”

  “Maybe you’ll be a rock star.”

  “I don’t want that. I just want to play in a band for fun. I’ve lived my whole life under a microscope. Every detail about my screwed up family is put on display, and I just want to be normal.” He pauses. “Well, not completely normal. I want to live an extraordinary life. But I don’t want to be defined by money or fame. And when I die, I want people to say that I made a difference.”

  “I think that is all anybody can hope for,” I say. “My mom was one of the most wonderful people on the planet. Not just to me, but to all of her students. She was voted teacher of the year ten years in a row by the students at the high school where she worked. Looking back, I wonder where she would be if I hadn’t been born so early. She was only nineteen when she got pregnant with me. It took her twice as long as it should have to get her degree because she had to work a full time job, support me, and pay for college. I don’t know how she did it, but I never heard her complain. She always told me that I was the best thing that ever happened to her. I just hope that someday, somebody looks at me like I did my mom.”

  “She sounds awesome. I wish I could have met her.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “So, you don’t want to be a teacher like her?” Micah asks.

  “No way. I barely made it through high school. I couldn’t imagine being a teacher. I don’t have the patience.”

  Micah brings the car to a stop in front of an older house. It’s a one-story brick house, and it reminds me of the house that I used to live in with my mom.

  We both get out of the car. Micah walks to the trunk of the car and pops it open. His guitar and amp are sitting inside. “We practice in the basement,” he says, as he grabs his stuff from the back. “Our drummer lives here. It’s kind of hard to move a drum set around all the time.”

  “Cool. Does he go to Berkeley too?” I ask.

  “She. And no. She is going to a community college,” he explains. “She lives here with a couple of other girls. They both work during the day so we practice here when they’re gone.”

  “A girl drummer? That is awesome,” I say, feeling excited. I’ve known a few guy musicians, but I’ve never met a girl who can play.

  “You’re funny,” Micah says, grinning at me.

  We walk up the wood steps and onto the small front porch. He doesn’t knock; he just walks right in. I follow behind him, feeling a bit awkward. I don’t know these people and I hope it’s okay that I came.

  I also hope they don’t suck. Because then, I will have to smile and pretend that I like it.

  Then I think about Ty. The first date we ever went on was to a concert. We saw a really awesome band. Their lead singer kind of sucked, but their music was great. That was also the night I got my first kiss.

  As we walk down the stairs, I pull my phone out of my pocket and see that I have a text from Ty.

  Ty: Hey. Where are you? I need you ;)

  Me: I’m hanging out with Micah. I’m going to listen to his band play. He’s pretty cool. If his band doesn’t suck, you should come next time.

  Ty: Oh. You’re with Micah. Like a date?

  Me: No. Like a friend.

  Me: I was just thinking about our first date.

  I slip my phone into my back pocket.

  “Hey, everybody, this is Kihanna,” he says. “Kihanna, this is Simon and Chelsea.”

  Simon holds out his hand and I shake it.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Simon says.

  Simon is tall. Not quite as tall as Micah, but much taller than I am. He has on a pair of dark-framed glasses and his dirty blonde hair is slicked back. It looks good on him, but he uses way too much product. He’s wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a button up, white t-shirt and red suspenders. Maybe he would be the definition of the word nerd, but he’s kind of cute. It might be his blue eyes or the big goofy grin, but something tells me he has no problems getting a girl’s attention.

  “You, too,” I say.

  “Micah has never brought a girl,” Chelsea says, shaking my hand.

  Chelsea has long blonde hair. It’s currently pulled up into a tight ponytail on top of her head. There are faded strips of pink, blue and purple in her hair and a little of her dark roots are showing. I actually want to see what her hair looks like when it is freshly done. I wish I were brave enough to put color in my hair.

  She also has a nose ring. I wonder for a second what I would look like with a nose ring, but I’m pretty sure my dad would kill me. Plus, I’m kind of scared of needles. There is no way I would do it. But I respect her for it.

  Chelsea has on a pair of hot pink leggings, a short denim skirt and a black t-shirt that says ‘Carnivore’. I’m guessing she did that on purpose, considering Micah is wearing a ‘Vegans rule’ t-shirt.

  “You’re ruining my bad boy image,” Micah says to her. “By the way, I am going to break into your house and burn that shirt.”

  “Too bad, I wear it to bed every night,” she says, then looks at me. “Please, tell me you’re not a vegan.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes!” She claps her hands.

  “She’s not, yet,” Micah says, then winks at me.

  “Stay strong, my carnivore friend,” Chelsea says dramatically, then wipes a fake tear from under her eye. “Stay strong.”

  “Are you two going to fight again or are we going to play?” Simon asks, putting the strap of his bass over his shoulder. “I have to be at work by six and I can’t be late again because of you two.”

  “Let’s play!” Chelsea says, excitingly. She spins
on her heel and bounces over to her drum set.

  Micah pulls his guitar out, plugs it in, and puts on the strap.

  I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, but I don’t want to be rude. I figure it’s just Ty anyway. I’ll see him when I get back to campus later.

  Chelsea starts counting down the song. “Three... two... one...”

  They all start playing together in sync and I’m actually surprised. They’re very good musicians.

  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Micah seems like the kind of guy who is good at everything and he makes it look easy while he’s doing it. I watch him as he plays the intro on the guitar. He’s got a huge smile on his face and he looks so in his element here. I can tell that this is where he belongs, not at some rich party in a suit and tie.

  I look at Simon playing the bass. He literally can’t stand still as he plays, which I think is awesome. He’s playing like he would play in front of a huge audience and not just an audience of one.

  Chelsea is in her zone. She has so much energy and she gives it her all when she’s playing. She’s not joking around anymore. I can tell that this is what she loves. This is her escape. And that is what makes her awesome.

  I pretty much need to be her friend.

  Because, seriously.

  Micah starts singing, and my attention is turned back to him.

  And his mouth. He has a really nice mouth, which sounds weird. But his teeth are perfectly white and straight. His lips are the perfect size too.

  I wasn’t expecting him to sound like he does. He kind of reminds me of Adam Levine in a way. I could seriously listen to him sing all day, and not get tired of his voice, because he is amazing.

  And what a relief that his band doesn’t suck.

  They’re really good. Like, I would go see them play. And they complement each other on stage. They have so much chemistry. I can tell they’ve been playing together for a while, because it seems like they know exactly what the other person is going to do. I enjoy watching them.

  Once the song comes to an end, all three of them look at me.

  “What did you think?” Chelsea asks, holding her drum sticks tightly in her palm.

  “You guys are amazing,” I answer truthfully. “I can tell you have been playing together a while. You have so much chemistry. And Micah, your voice, oh, my God it’s amazing.”

  “Actually,” Micah says, grinning big, “we’ve only been playing together for about a month now. And you’re the first person we’ve ever played for.”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nods.

  “Wow,” I say, not sure what else I can say. “That was incredible. I assumed you guys had been playing together for years.”

  “She can stay,” Chelsea says, smiling at me.

  “Yes. And if you ever get tired of Micah, call me,” Simon says, winking.

  Micah punches Simon’s shoulder playfully. “Don’t scare her off before we’ve even had a second date.”

  Date?

  What?

  Is this supposed to be a date?

  “I hope you’re not counting this as a date,” Chelsea says. “Taking a girl to see your band play isn’t a date. A date is romantic. And preferably at night time. Maybe some candles and a nice dinner.”

  “Or a trip to Paris,” Simon says. “Chelsea, you’re forgetting, Micah is freaking rich.”

  Micah looks at me. “Do you want to go to Paris?”

  I laugh, because surely he’s joking. “I’ve never been to Paris.”

  His eyes widen. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’ve been to Greece, and Tahiti. That’s it as far as leaving the country goes,” I say.

  “That’s it. We’re going to Paris,” he says. “This weekend.”

  “I can’t just go to Paris.”

  “Why not?” Micah asks.

  “Because,” I say. “I don’t even know you. I literally just met you.”

  “Your dad and mine go way back,” he says. “Just talk to him.”

  “I’m not going to Paris this weekend. Even if my dad knows you, I don’t. That would be... awkward.”

  “Fine. You’ll just have to get to know me so we can go later.”

  “Enough flirting,” Chelsea says. “Let’s play some music.”

  Micah winks at me and then they start another song.

  I really, really hope that he is just joking.

  8 p.m.

  Let’s go to Vegas.

  When I get back to my dorm room, Ty comes over.

  And he doesn’t look happy.

  “So you hung out with Micah today?” It’s the first thing he says to me. He crosses his arms as he waits for my response.

  “Yeah.”

  “Why?” he asks.

  “Because he’s nice,” I answer. “Actually, Micah is a pretty cool guy. We ate vegan food and hung out with his band. They’re really good. Micah plays the guitar and sings. He sounds like Adam Levine. And the drummer in his band is a girl. She is awesome.”

  “So you went on a date with him?”

  “No,” I say. “We are friends. We hung out. That’s it.”

  “You didn’t kiss him? Or anything else?”

  I look at Ty to see if he’s serious. “Come on, Ty. You don’t really believe I’d do something like that, do you? I barely even know Micah.”

  “I don’t think you would,” he says, not looking at me. “But you won’t commit to me. How do I know what you want to do? You could date him, Kihanna. And there is nothing that I can do about it.”

  I never should have agreed to be friends with benefits with Ty. I’ve seen enough movies, and read enough books to know that friends with benefits relationships never work out. I don’t know why I thought Ty and I would be the exception.

  I sigh. “Maybe we should stop having sex.”

  “What? Why?” Ty asks.

  “Because I’m not ready for a more serious relationship.”

  And because maybe, just maybe, today was a date with Micah.

  There is nothing wrong with dating. I should date. I mean, I’ve never really dated before. I’ve always had to be in a relationship before. Right now, I’m just having too much fun being single. Who knows, maybe I’ll even date multiple guys.

  “I can wait,” he says. “I just... don’t want to stop what we’re doing.”

  I kind of don’t either. I like the physical side of our relationship. But I can see that it’s hurting Ty. I don’t want to do that to him. I know that he is putting on a brave face for me, but this isn’t what he wants.

  Ty deserves more.

  “I think we should just be friends. No benefits,” I say. “I think I want to start dating.”

  “Dating who?” he asks.

  “I don’t know,” I answer. “I am just... tired of relationships and commitments. I want to go on dates and have fun. I want to... go to Paris.”

  I do want to go to Paris. Maybe not with Micah alone, but maybe I’ll take Andrea and Carter. I want to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I don’t want to have regrets because I held back for a guy.

  “What if I want to date you?” Ty asks.

  “Okay,” I say.

  “Okay, as in you will go on a date with me?”

  I nod. “Yeah. As long as you understand that we are not committing, and you don’t get mad if I happen to go on a date with somebody else, I don’t see the harm in it. In fact, you could date other people.”

  “I don’t want to date other people. Just you. Only you.” Ty finally meets my eyes, but I can see the pain in them. “I feel like I am never going to get a second chance with you. I screwed up so badly before, but I’m not that person anymore. I wish you would give me a second chance.”

  “I am,” I say. “I just want to be single for a little bit, Ty. I realize now that Gabe held me back. So did Brian. And I just... want a chance to figure out who I am before I commit to another relationship.”

  “Okay,” he says.

  “So, let’s be
friends. No benefits. We can date. We can hang out like we always did,” I say, then look at the bed. “Well, maybe we should hang out outside of my dorm room. We can do fun stuff.”

  “Like what?” Ty asks.

  “A weekend road trip.” I literally say the first thing that comes to my head. “Maybe we can get a group together and drive to Vegas for the weekend. That would be so fun.”

  “It’s a ten hour drive. Why not fly? It would literally take an hour and half to get there.”

  “That defeats the purpose,” I say. “The point of a road trip is to be in a car. I want a playlist that is so long that we literally don’t hear the same song twice. I want to drink energy drinks, and eat junk food. I want to drive barefooted.”

  Ty laughs. “Road trips really aren’t that fun.”

  “I know,” I say. “My mom and I have been on them before. They always start out fun and by the end, you’re just ready to get where you’re going. But that is the fun of it. The excitement. I want that. And why not do it now when I literally have no responsibility?”

  “So, you want to go to Vegas?” he asks. “I mean, we’re not even old enough to do anything there.”

  “Then we’ll go to Seattle, instead. Or Vancouver. I’ve never been to Canada before. I’d love to add it to my list.”

  “Your list?”

  “List of places I’ve been,” I explain. “Tahiti and Greece are it as far as world travel. It would be cool to add Canada to that list.”

  “But it’s cold in Canada,” Ty says.

  “So what?” I ask. “We will go this weekend, before it gets too cold. It will be fun.”

  “Fine. Let’s go. This weekend.”

  I grin. “Yay! Oh, my gosh, I can’t wait. I am going to start working on the playlist now.”

  Ty rolls his eyes. “You’re such a weirdo.”

  I go over to my bed and open my laptop. “So are you. It’s why we’re such good friends.”

  “One request,” Ty says.

  I look up at him.

  “Please, don’t make all the music chick music,” he says.