“I appreciate that. I do. And I know you guys won’t say anything, but it’s gonna stay in the back of my head. I’m worried that this is only alluring because it’s a secret. What if that’s what’s exciting for her? Sleeping with your professor? But after a while, the fun and sneaking will get old, won’t it?”
“You don’t know that,” Royce says. “If she’s happy and you’re happy, keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Yeah, man. You can only take it one day at a time. Don’t spend time thinking about the what ifs, just live in the now.”
I crack a grin at them. “Look at you two, giving me advice.”
“The tables have to turn eventually. It’s about time you start confiding in us,” Cill says.
“I know. I love you guys. Now, help me with these dishes.”
They pat me on the back, and we laugh as we get back to cleaning up. I feel a thousand times better now that I’ve talked to my brothers about this.
Now I look forward to tomorrow, because I’m already dying to see Nova again.
* * *
My first class on Monday morning feels like it lasts three hours, but that’s probably only because I keep thinking about seeing Nova in the second class. My heart picks up speed at the thought of her, and even though I know we can’t kiss, hold hands, hug, or even stare at each other too long, I yearn to be near her.
It’s a new feeling for me, and it’s scary as hell.
However, she doesn’t come into class early like I was expecting. We don’t get those extra couple of minutes to ourselves.
When students begin to fill the classroom, my eyes keep watching the door, waiting for her to come in, but she never does.
I push through the class, trying to keep myself from thinking that she didn’t come to class because she didn’t want to see me. Or because she changed her mind about this whole thing because it would be too weird or too hard.
I want to ask Lorenzo if he’s seen her, but that’s inappropriate. He’d become suspicious, and that’s the last thing I need.
We never got around to exchanging numbers yesterday. It was always part of my plan to get her number, but we were so caught up in each other, I didn’t think about it. I was lost in the moment, and even that is something new to me. Usually, I’m focused on what’s next. What do I have to do? What needs to be done around the house? What lesson plans do I need to complete? When am I going to go shopping? My whole life is planned out.
With Nova, however, I was only worried about what was happening then. I didn’t want to think about anything else but her and I together. And now I don’t have any way of getting in touch with her. I hope everything’s okay, but now I’ll just have to wait until Wednesday to see if she shows up in class.
34
I decided to not go to school on Monday just to err on the side of caution. Mario could’ve easily found out which college I’m going to if he spent even a little time on Ayanna’s Instagram page. Not only does she have clothing with the university’s name on it, but the location is tagged in any photo taken on campus.
The campus isn’t small, and it’s not like he would know where to look for me, but I didn’t want to take that chance. I’m not ready to run into him yet, which is why I spent time on the phone with the police in both Tampa and Gaspar. They’re both aware of my problems with Mario and that we believe he’s coming to Gaspar if he’s not already here.
The cops here told me to call them anytime I feel unsafe or if I think someone’s lurking around my apartment and they’ll send someone over. The good thing about this town being so small is that these police would actually be here pretty fast compared to the cops in Tampa.
My sister wants me to get a security system, but they aren’t cheap. I can only afford to get these little plastic door and window alarms. If one of them gets opened, it blares a loud siren. It could be enough to scare off an intruder, but it doesn’t alert the police. Better than nothing, though.
I send a text to both Lorenzo and Ayanna, telling them I want to meet up after school. I still plan on going to work this evening, but I think it’s time to let them know a little bit about my past so they know not to tag me in pictures anymore. I hate that I can’t live a normal life, but that’s why it’s time for Mario to get caught.
At five minutes to five, the three of us meet up in front of the library and sit at a picnic table.
“What’s going on?” Ayanna asks, already concerned. “Why weren’t you in school today?”
“I’m fine. I just have something going on, and I wanted to tell you both about it.” I take a deep breath. “So, I transferred here because I was having some issues with an ex-boyfriend back home. It got pretty crazy. He was tracking my phone, sent threatening letters, and followed me around.”
“Oh my God,” Ayanna breathes.
Lorenzo’s brows furrow together. “He was stalking you?”
I nod. “Yeah, and I just didn’t feel safe. I was worried about my sister, too, and we came up with a plan we thought would be best. I’d move, and she’d tell people that I left, except, she’d tell everyone a different state. We knew word would get around, and we hoped he’d find out and know I wasn’t there anymore and wouldn’t bother going by her house or anything like that. The cops were still
