But the man who wrote the essay I’d read, who anonymously donated thousands of dollars to local charities, who quietly paid for the funeral of a student who died on campus, wasn’t at all what the media made him out to be. He may have looked like his father, but he wasn’t tearing through his twenties like his father did almost thirty years prior. But looking at articles from various magazines and bloggers, Aiden as the sexy bad boy captured a bigger audience and got the most clicks and shares online. So, I’d closed my laptop and vowed to get to know him if and when he returned for our senior year. I knew, at the very least, we’d have one class together.
Advanced Creative Writing II was every Wednesday and Friday. When Aiden walked in the late afternoon class, I made a point to catch his eye and smile. He’d smiled back and took the seat next to me. We talked during class and continued the conversation for a few minutes after class. Each time getting to know each other little by little. When he mentioned going to the Pi Rho Omicron party, I mentally committed to going to a party I didn’t want to go to with people I didn’t want to go with. In my mind, even though I was going with my housemates as part of a plot to prank Dakota’s boyfriend, Trevor, I’d been given an opportunity to get to know Aiden.
And it’d worked.
Even as I pumped my arms and dodged low hanging branches, the thought of Aiden’s hand on my skin stole my focus. I’d made it over the makeshift bridge and continued hoofing it around the widest part of the lake. I didn’t realize how distracted I was by my thoughts until I reminisced about our first kiss. All it took was that one second memory to flood my brain and throw me off. I tripped over something and fell hard, rolling into the hefty trunk of a massive tree.
I winced, stifling the yelp through clenched teeth as I pushed myself back to my feet. Hot tears burned my eyes as pain lanced through me. I didn’t care about how much it hurt. With a deep breath, I continued sprinting through the darkness until I couldn’t take it anymore. I was so tired that I didn’t know exactly where I was. As I stood huffing and puffing, I realized I was on the far side of the bell curve of the lake. I was three-quarters of the way around and I knew if I just kept moving, I’d make it to safety.
I couldn’t stop for long. I’d never run so hard or so fast in my life and for me to make it around the lake, I couldn’t take a break. I braced myself against the back of a tree for a moment and every muscle in my body felt like mush. I let my eyes close for a second as I fought the urge to cry. Turning to the lake, my panting stopped as I peered through the brush and looked toward the frat house. Shock flooded my system as I took a step closer.
My heart was racing. The blood rushed my ears, so I never even heard the police sirens as I was running. But the blue and red lights were unmistakable. Even without the sirens blaring, Fraternity Row was lit up with so many flashing lights that it couldn’t be any less than five police cruisers surrounding the Pi Rho Omicron house.
Even though it was far away, I could still make out at least three silhouettes in the backyard. I didn’t know if it was the cops or members of the fraternity, but either way, had I been caught, I would’ve gotten suspended from school, or worse, arrested. My record would’ve been blemished. My future would’ve been up in flames. My life would’ve been over. All because the shitty plan I had nothing to do with went sideways and instead of warning me, they left me to take the fall.
A branch snapped somewhere behind me and that was all it took for me to take off running again. My legs felt like lead, so I was slower than before. But I darted through the woods like I was the female Usain Bolt. My dance background involved endurance training but nothing like what I was pushing myself to do as I hurdled over underbrush, roots, and the unknown.
After what felt like hours, I could finally see Main Street. Gasping for air, I slowed to a stop. Still hidden in the trees, I scanned my surroundings. I ducked down immediately as two cars approached. When I thought the coast was clear, I inched forward, but the rumble of an old muffler caused me to hide again.
Main Street served as the primary road through University Falls Institute of Technology. When I couldn’t see or hear anything in the immediate area, I said a little prayer before darting toward the perfectly manicured campus grounds. The school was relatively small, but it was stretched out over a large piece of land. I felt exposed running through the grass and once I passed the huge UFIT welcome sign, my body shut down.
I don’t have another mile or two in me.
Unable to run anymore, I dragged my tired bones behind the library, where the on-campus apartment complex was located. I wasn’t going to make it much further and I didn’t want to go to the team house all the way across campus on Athletics Circle anyway. Jogging up Building A’s stairwell, I only paused for a second to check the time as I stood in front of my best friend’s apartment.
I knocked hard.
No answer.
I knocked again—harder.
I raised my fist just as I heard the door unlocking. The door hadn’t opened an inch before I pushed my way inside.
“What the hell,
