“Hmmm,” Kim hummed, angling her neck so I would get the full effect of her accusing expression.
Beth did the same.
Ryan was suddenly uncomfortable, his eyes darting back and forth between the three of us. “What did I say?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I grumbled, shouldering past Beth.
I sat in the chasm between Ryan and Lisa. While everyone discussed their notes and how confused they were, Ryan turned to me.
“Are you taking chemistry? Do you get any of this?” he complained.
“What are you having problems with?” I asked.
He smiled. “You’re not having any problems, are you?”
Feeling caught, I smiled and then erased a line toward the top of his paper. I explained his mistake and started writing it down in my own girlie script. “Do you see how I got there?”
Ryan nodded, still unsure. “I see how you got there, getting there on my own is the persistent problem.”
As the night wore one, I erased quite a bit on Ryan’s paper. We had hundreds of tiny shreds of decimated eraser all over us. His patience and humor made the night go much faster, although I worked on his chemistry and didn’t study the notes I had brought.
“I appreciate you helping me,” Ryan said, folding his paper into his book.
“I’m not sure how much I helped, but you’re welcome. We have study group here twice a week, come anytime.”
Ryan’s face lit up. “I will. Thanks. Uh…some of us guys are going out for drinks this weekend. It’d be cool if you’d come.”
“There are only a handful of places I can get in to.”
Ryan winked at me. “That won’t be a problem.”
It sounded harmless enough. “That sounds fun. I’ll see what the girls are doing.”
Kim looked at her watch and yawned. “Stick a fork in me. I’m done.”
“Nigh, are you ready?” Beth asked.
“Nigh?” Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow.
I grimaced. “It’s a nickname they came up with to torture me. Don’t call me that.”
“Noted,” he said.
Kim and I stood, waiting for Beth to gather her miniature office supply store.
“This is why I don’t bring anything,” Kim said, gesturing to Beth.
“You borrowed my pen!” Beth objected.
“Oh. Right,” Kim said, tossing the pen into Beth’s bag. “All packed.”
Beth rolled her eyes and looked at me. “Will you put some tape on her mouth?”
“I don’t think tape would help,” I grinned.
We walked back to Andrews and Kim waved goodbye, continuing to her room. I collapsed on my bed as Beth gathered her things to head to the showers. As I traced the imperfections of the ceiling with my eyes, my mind drifted to Jared. Not only had I gone from never seeing him to running into him regularly; it was as if I was seeing him at will.
“Ryan asked you out for this weekend?” Beth burst in, towel-drying her hair.
“No. He asked us out for this weekend. I guess some of his friends are going for drinks; he asked us to come along.”
“What did you say?” she asked, suddenly interested.
“I said it sounded like fun.”
“You want to go?” she squealed.
“I guess you do,” I chuckled, rolling my eyes.
“Yes! I do! You wanna go? Please say yes!” she dropped to her knees beside me on my bed.
“I want to go,” I said flatly.
Beth tackled me. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” she cried.
“You’re welcome! Now get off!” I laughed.
The next day was warmer, a good day to take a walk off-campus. Providence transformed from a beautiful crystalline city of white into the soiled, wet mess the cars and mud quickly created. The pristine snow had become a grey-brown sludge lining the roadways and sidewalks. I happily slipped on my black and white fleur de lis galoshes and stomped through the slush in hopes of proving my sheer-will theory concerning Jared.
After an hour of walking, the sun no longer kept me warm. I slipped into the first coffee shop I came upon and ordered the largest size they offered, thawing by the window.
It occurred to me how ridiculous I had become; walking around in near-arctic temperatures to see if Jared would materialize. I was the future savvy CEO of Providence’s premiere shipping company for the love of all things holy! What kind of crack pot had I turned into? Over a boy? An incredibly attractive, intelligent, courteous, well- dressed, fantastically-smelling boy. But he was just a boy. Man. Boy. They were all boys.
When the blood circulated again in my fingertips, I made my way back to the school. It was closer to sunset than I would have liked so far from campus, so I quickened my pace.
Two blocks from the school, I pressed the button at the light and kept my distance from the corner, fearful of the inevitable splashing of the cars passing by. The light changed and I trotted across, noting that the warmth from my coffee was waning.
Before I made it to the half-way point of the cross walk, a car horn blared beside me. I jumped, and my eyes darted to the light. It was still green. I turned to glare at the offending vehicle, but my eyes widened when a black Escalade came into view. Jared waved, quivering from a barrage of laughter.
I wasn’t sure if I was annoyed or euphoric, but the mixture of emotions propelled me to the passenger side of his car. I whipped open his door and climbed in.
“You scared me to death!” I said, slamming the door behind me.
“I’m sorry!” Jared exclaimed, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.
The light turned green and he looked at me. “You want a ride?”
I stared at him blank-faced. “Seriously? I’m in your car.”
He shrugged and pulled forward.
“You look frozen,” he said, touching the end of my nose. That one tap sent adrenaline running throughout my body and I felt nothing but warmth. He reached for the knobs under his radio and twisted the heat to its highest setting.
“I went for a walk,” I said, unable to subdue the ridiculous grin on my face.
“I see that,” he frowned, disapproving.
“Where are you on your way to?”
“To pick up a client.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Are you always this vague?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re full of piss and vinegar today.”
“May I remind you that you honked at me in the middle of a busy street? I could have been killed.”
“Doubtful. The light was on our side.” I dwelled on how he said ‘our’ for a moment.
“Let’s not discount the possible rabid motorists flying through the wet intersection. My hesitation caused by your honking could have led to some serious sidewalk chalk drawings.”
Jared laughed. “Are you sure you shouldn’t apply for law school? You have quite an imagination.”
“So I’ve been told,” I grinned.
“What are you doing this weekend?”
“I’m having drinks with some friends. I would invite you, but I assume you’ll be there,” I watched for a guilty or stunned expression at my comment, but I was quickly disappointed.
“You’re not old enough to drink,” he grimaced, ignoring my accusation.
I leaned closer to him. “We don’t tell the bartender that,” I whispered.
Jared’s expression twisted into frustration. “Am I going to have to make an appointment with you for dinner?”
