"Nope." Addi shook her head. "I am going to New York."
"Wrong stupid answer." Sky got up. "I still think you are the worse yet."
Addi grinned. "I have a feeling by the end of the semester when you find a boyfriend and you get obsessed you'll be asking who is Addison again?"
"Not likely." Sky muttered. "Not at all likely."
Chapter Three
January 1996
"Heard they replaced old Dr. Mathers this year. There goes my easy A in International Marketing." Emma, her old roommate and now classmate said as she sat beside Sky. "The man was blind as a bat, and slightly senile. The university should be ashamed of themselves for letting him go for as long as he did."
Sky laughed.
"So who is the new teacher?" Emma grunted as she slapped her knapsack on the desk. "I hope it's another senior citizen with sight problems."
"Don't know." Sky yawned and pulled her hoodie over her hair and crouched down further in her chair. "One Dr. Jefferson or something. Wake me up when he is done."
Emma chuckled. "Too much partying in the old year, huh?"
"No." Sky cracked one eye opened. "Well... a little. My cousins came from New York and I was very instrumental in planning my neighbors wedding. The bride is a dressmaker and we thought that we should do an elaborate dress. She looked gorgeous. It was fun."
"Good for you." Emma grimaced. "I flunked three courses last semester...have to take them over this year. My mother spent all Christmas talking about it. You would believe that I had murdered someone or something the way she kept carrying on."
"You were a little wild last year with the constant partying." Sky pointed out gently.
"I was not wild. I was a totally normal teenager with an unusual amount of freedom and like thinking friends." Emma huffed, "I don't know how you took ten courses."
"By not partying." Sky smirked, "and having zero social life. I want to get out of here. Not prolong the pain."
"You didn't fail any of the courses did you?" Emma asked hopefully.
"No." Sky shook her head, "A for every single one. Sorry to be so good at the school thing."
Emma snorted. "Yeah, you are forgiven. So where are you living this semester?"
"Off campus, in the town. A relative of my mother's has an apartment there. It's empty so I got the go ahead to live there and drive her car too."
"Cool." Emma widened her eyes. "Super cool. I wish I had a set up like that."
Sky nodded. "It's a nice place—two bedrooms. Each of them with their own bathroom. Bungalow style. Each apartment has a view of the pool at the back."
"That's totally wasted on you." Emma sighed, "I would have parties every weekend. Pool parties."
Sky shook her head. "No parties, unless it's okayed by the other residents. I am afraid it's not a place that's party friendly."
"That's totally your speed then." Emma straightened up when the classroom door opened and then widened her eyes in disappointment. "He's young and disabled!"
She spoke so loudly that the man who had wheeled himself in the classroom looked up to where they were sitting and nodded.
"Yes. I am disabled. Thank you for that observation Miss...?"
He was looking at her. Sky sat up straighter. "I er...It wasn't me."
"Okay, Miss It Wasn't Me."
The rest of the class chuckled.
He moved around to the desk putting a stack of books on it and then introduced himself. "My name is Travis Jefferson. I am sure I will get to know your names by the end of this semester."
Sky didn't dare make eye contact with him. She was feeling embarrassed. All through the first hour she kept her head down.
Emma leaned in to whisper to her near the end of class. "This guy is fine. It's a pity he is in a wheel chair. How old do you think he is?"
"I don't know," Sky mumbled. "Stop talking."
Emma wasn't listening though. "Seriously Sky, he looks a little like an Indian Superman, don't you think? A dark honey Christopher Reeves with brown eyes. Look at the cowlick and the jaw line. We have ourselves an undercover superman."
"Shut up!" Sky growled a bit too loud.
Travis Jefferson looked up at them from his place in front of the class and then spun closer to the edge of the dais. "You have something to say to me, Miss It Wasn't Me?"
"No er..." Sky swallowed. He was pegging her for a troublemaker; Sky could see it in the narrowed gaze thrown at her.
She groaned inwardly. This was not going to be an A class for her. Superman hated her.
She vowed not to sit beside Emma for the rest of the semester. Maybe she would sit farther in the back.
****
Travis wheeled himself to his van, maneuvered himself on the ramp and secured his chair to the driver's side of the vehicle. He always felt a tinge of thankfulness when he thought about the freedom of driving a car for himself, living on his own and pursuing a career. A decade ago when he was bed ridden, all of this was not an option.
A tap on his window had him winding it down and staring at the teacher outside. One year ago he would have eagerly wound down the window and smiled at her. Today he didn't, Amelia Perkins was on his list of persons to avoid.
"Hi Travis," she smiled at him. Her smile perfect. "We are having a get together at my place. It's a back to school kind of thing and a meet and greet for the new lecturers in our department. It's at eight. You remember where my place is don't you?"
"Yes," Travis nodded, "but I am afraid I can't make it. I have other plans."
"Are you in pain?" She asked concerned. Looking him over, pity in her eyes when she looked at his lifeless legs.
"No." Travis gritted his teeth. "Rich cripples can have plans too."
She gasped. "Travis, when are you going to allow me to forget that silly conversation from last year? I didn't mean it when I called you...a...cripple."
Travis grimaced. "I took no offence to that Amelia. It's the truth. What I took offence to was you inferring to your friend, Sandy, that I could be dateable because I am tied to the rich Jefferson's.
"You said, and I quote, 'Travis has two things going for him, the fact that he is good-looking at least from his waist up and his family's millions. Ooh, those millions, I would date a cripple to get close to those millions."
Amelia closed her eyes in mortification. "That wasn't a conversation I ever, ever wanted you to hear. We were just girls having fun saying stuff."
"I know." Travis nodded. "It's amazing the things you can hear when people don't know they are being listened to."
He wound up the window in her face and started the vehicle.
There was no denying it, he was still smarting from the overheard conversation. He backed out of the parking lot and wondered when he would stop feeling the twinge of hurt he felt when he heard Amelia discussing him with her friends so crassly.
To her it had been last year, something to be dismissed. To him it was just six weeks ago. And he was feeling particularly bad about the whole conversation because he had feelings for her.
He had been prepared to let her in, to trust her, to consider a relationship with her. That was a huge step for him. He hadn't had those thoughts about anyone for years.
He had thought that his heart had died with his legs. But it hadn't died; he had just chosen the wrong woman to consider offering it to.
He backed out of the parking lot and headed home to his apartment. He hadn't been lying to Amelia when he said that he had plans. It was his mother's birthday; he had to give her a call.
It was also his fifth year anniversary of being an independent adult. It had taken him years to convince his overprotective mother that he could live on his own.
Better than convincing his mother was convincing himself that he was worthy of the opportunity to be alive, because he shouldn't be alive. It was his fault that he was in this wheelchair.
He often thought of his wheelchair as punishment for his sins. His prison.
All of the things that he h
ad taken for granted before the wheelchair he was so appreciative for now.
He had not thought that his legs were a blessing until he lost the use of it. Just the simple act of running, of wriggling the toes in warm sand of exercising and feeling his leg muscles burn.
Just the very thought of feeling his legs.
He turned the car into the apartment and greeted the security. Someone was parked in his parking place.
His space was right before his apartment, it was wider than usual so that he could maneuver his chair out of the van and straight to his door. He had chosen the corner apartment for that reason.
He didn't want to blow the horn; it was six in the evening. It would be inconsiderate to the other residents in the building.
But who would be so stupid as to park their car in the furthest spot from the rest of the parking spaces.
Who would be so utterly foolish that they would park in a space with an obvious disabled sign... he felt himself getting angry and then calmed down.
There were twelve apartments in the compound. Eleven of them were currently occupied. The apartment to the right of his was usually empty. For the five years he had been living there he had met the owner once. A fast talking lady named Corvette or was it Yvette?
The door opened and a girl stepped out in a short shorts and a slouchy blue sweater.
He wound down the window. "Is this your car?"
She jumped and then turned to look at him like a deer caught in headlights.
"Yes," she nodded vigorously, "it is."
"Can you move it?" he asked impatiently. "It is in my parking space."
"Oh, sorry. I am so sorry, Sir!" she said a mortified tone to her voice, she moved closer to his side of the car and he saw that it was his student from today.
The pretty one, the loud one that he had called Miss It Wasn't Me. What was she doing here?
He hoped that she wasn't going to be living beside him. He didn't like having students in his space. They were usually noisy and untidy and didn't know how to respect boundaries.
And this one, he couldn't remember her name was obviously one of the popular outrageous ones. She had legs that went on for days, a smooth honey complexion and curly brown red hair that was perched on top of her head in a casual topknot.
She probably would have a boyfriend coming over at various hours of the night and an assorted batch of girly friends crowding the swimming pool where he took his morning swim.
He watched as she backed out of his space and then he drove in. He waited for the ramp to be lowered and then he wheeled himself out and headed to his door.
She was parking in the proper designated area for her apartment. He waited for her to come out of the car.
Curiosity was getting the best of him. He had to find out if she was going to be his neighbor. If she was he had some ground rules to lay down. First one was not to park in his parking space.
She came out with a box in hand, slammed the car door and armed it.
"Sorry again Mr. er Dr, Jefferson. She wasn't making eye contact with him. She fuddled with the door and almost dropped her box.
He wheeled closer to her. "Let me help you with that." He indicated for the box and she looked at him half scared.
"It's okay," he held out his hands. "I won't drop your box."
She reluctantly handed it to him and pushed the key into the door and opened it after two tries.
"So you'll be my neighbor?" He asked the obvious question. He had taken a look in the box. It was filled with cleaning supplies. She had probably just moved in.
"Yes," she said shyly. "My mom's cousin Yvette owns this place. She is gone to Italy for a while."
"I see." Travis nodded. "What's your name again? I had four new classes today. Quite a few names to remember and since you are going to be my neighbor I can't keep calling you, Miss It Wasn't Me."
"My name is Skyler Porter," She said smiling at him. "I really didn't mean to..."
"That's okay Miss Porter. Apology accepted. I hope I won't have any problems with you being my close neighbor. I hate loud noise and parties, the walls are not as thick as I would like."
"Oh no, I don't do parties," Sky said hurriedly, "I study a lot. I really don't have a social life."
"We'll see." Travis handed her the box and wheeled himself to his door. "Have a good evening Miss Porter."
"You too, Dr. Jefferson," She said quickly. He heard when she closed the door. He suppressed a laugh—she only studied and didn't have a social life. Yeah right.
Chapter Four
Sky spent most of the first week back at school flitting from class to class without a breather. In the nights she cleaned the apartment room by room. Yvette had not had anyone clean it for what seemed like years. The furniture had layers of dust, the bedding and sheets were musty and the refrigerator, though it looked new was not working.
She had three different repairmen coming by to look at it. The last one, a cocky self-assured guy named Brian, who looked a lot like the boxer Mike Tyson, announced to her that it was an easy fix.
He flirted with her mercilessly and smacked his lips in an obscene manner when he spoke to her. Thankfully he solved the mystery of the refrigerators malady. Though she nodded while he elaborated on the mysterious problem, she had no clue what he was talking about.
All she could think was, why on earth didn't he hurry and leave?
She let him out of her place close to midnight on Friday night, after he tinkered with the back of the fridge and got it working again.
She was very grateful to him for the fix, and even more grateful when she heard what he was charging. She paid him quickly, all the while thinking of all the things that she was deprived of not a fridge for a week.
She could cook and have leftovers and drink cool water and she could have her chocolate bars rock hard instead of room temperature.
"Say, want us to do something tonight?" Brian intruded on her thoughts.
He was standing too close when she let him out of the apartment. Sky hadn't even realized it at the time. The guy had no concept of personal space.
His casual invitation to go out with him was not welcomed. What on earth made him think that she would be willing to go anywhere with him?
"No, I am good," she said briskly.
Brian scowled. "What's wrong with you, don't like blue collar workers?"
"I just don't want to go out with you." Sky scowled back at him. "I had a stressful week at school. All I want to do now is go inside, put my chocolate bar in the fridge and wait for it to harden and then eat it...slowly."
Brian laughed. "I like you."
Sky rolled her eyes. This guy was not going to take any rejection of him seriously.
"I would probably like you, if you weren't coming on so strongly."
"It's my thing, you know." Brian winked. "I see a pretty girl like you I just have to get a word in, make myself memorable."
Sky considered rolling her eyes and then decided not to. Brian looked as if he had a chip on his shoulder a mile wide and he looked as if rejecting him with a no would not cut it.
Sky sighed. "I have a boyfriend, Brian. I can't go out with you."
"Who?" Brian asked crossing his arms over his chest and showing off his bulging biceps.
Sky considered going inside and slamming the door in his face, but she had a funny feeling that this level of persistence would not be solved with a simple slam of the door. She imagined he would keep coming back and hounding her to go out with him.
"Why do you want to know who?" Sky asked frowning. "How is that any of your business?"
"Because women lie," Brian said smugly, "and if you really don't have a guy you are fair game. I like you, I am going to pursue you, wear you down. You'll see what a great guy I am when I am done."
Sky shuddered, and it wasn't from the chilly January night. It was the thought of Brian hounding her, maybe for the next year and a half she would be living in Mount Faith. She wracked her brain for a name. She d
idn't have any single guy friends.
"I don't think I should tell you," she tried hedging, "he's ah..."
"Married?" Brian asked raising an eyebrow.
"No." Sky frowned, "he's ah..."
"Invisible?" Brian was enjoying watching her squirm.
Sky looked out at the parking lot in front of the house in defeat and then she spotted Travis Jefferson's van.
Emma had been going on and on about him all week. She had even found a ridiculous article about people in wheelchairs and sex. "If you live beside him, Sky, you must find out if he's all there, down there. I wouldn't mind dating him. I don't care if he's in a wheelchair."
Sky looked at Brian and smirked. "I'd prefer not to say his name because he is a lecturer at my school."
"Oh." Brian nodded and then laughed, "nice try."
"I am serious." Sky hissed, "he lives next door and he wouldn't like me talking to you so long out here. Now go before he sees you."
Brian chuckled. "Likely story."
Sky inhaled. "Goodnight Brian. Thank you for fixing my fridge." She was about to close the door when Brian put his foot in the threshold.
"Not so fast. I was thinking we could go out tomorrow. Spend the day together. You know. Get to know each other better."
"No!" Sky said firmly, "leave me alone. Now!"
"Or else what?" Brian sneered, "Your boyfriend from next door will come to your rescue?"
Sky felt real fear at the look of determination in Brian's eyes. He was acting way past creepy.
She almost slumped on the wall in relief when she heard the door from next door open. And then she heard Travis Jefferson's voice.
"Sky, is everything all right?"
He had never called her Sky before, always Miss Porter.
"No," she almost pushed Brian out of the way and stood in the corridor,
He was dressed all in black his hair was ruffled more than usual. He looked at Brian with a frown. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing," Brian straightened up guiltily, "I... er... thought that Sky was... er... single. I had no idea she was telling the truth. Listen man, I don't trample on other men's territory. I am a lover not a fighter. This is just a misunderstanding. Goodnight."
Never Say Never (Resetter Series Book 2) Page 2
