Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Seriously?!”
“Just needed that special touch I guess.” He bends down, scooping up the bags for me, while I peek at his bum. Not bad. Standing straight, he turns to me.
“Thanks. I thought I was going to have to take a chair to the glass next.”
Again, with that smile. “I’m glad I was able to help. My name’s Jake. I’m actually in your Psych class.”
“Oh, hey. Jensen.” I stick out my hand to shake his.
“Yeah. I’ve heard Professor Phillips call on you a few times. She seems to have it out for you, huh?”
Boy does she. “I wouldn’t be very happy with me either if I kept falling asleep in her class.”
It’s also been a full week and I haven’t fallen asleep once, so maybe she should get over it. Speaking of week, it’s been exactly that long since Damien dissed and dismissed me, then had his bulldog escort me off the premises. Not my finest moment, since I turned on the faucets in Damien’s bathroom and put the stopper in before I left. At least I walked out of there with some of my pride intact, knowing he could drown in his own stupid bullshit excuses. Literally and figuratively.
The worst part about the whole situation was I accidentally blew off Christine. When I got home on Saturday, I noticed I missed a text from her saying she waited for me and how hurt she was. She would be at the sorority house if I needed her.
The sad part was I did need her.
I needed to confess everything that had been going on in my life the past week. I needed to get all the messed-up shit I got myself into and everything I was feeling off my chest. Because I was feeling some really fucked up shit. When I called her cell, it was no shock Sylvia picked up. As if she had just been waiting for that moment to throw it in my face. I hung up and spent the remainder of the weekend sleeping or at the library catching up on my reading.
Now being Friday, I’m alone again, about to spend my evening eating vending machine popcorn and watching a movie in the communal rec room. Christine has been scarce all week, but then again, I haven’t tried to reach out. Avoiding her is avoiding Sylvia, and it just seems better this way.
“So…I didn’t know you lived in Tanner Hall,” Jake says, handing me my weekend stash of popcorn. “I’m just across the way in Basinger. We could walk together to class sometime.”
“Yeah. I guess.” I say grabbing for the popcorn. I can’t say I’ve seen him in class. But then again, it’s the same population as a small town. “Well, thanks for the help. I’m just…uh, gonna go eat my popcorn now…” I wave my bags, ready to head back to the elevator when he stops me.
“Hey, wait! So, there’s this party tonight.” Jake has his hands shoved in his pockets. “Any chance maybe you would want to go with me?”
I’m expecting him to follow up with just kidding. A few more awkward seconds pass, but he’s still staring at me, waiting for an answer. “Oh, are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
Well…shit. My first college party. “Yeah, sure. If you want to take me.”
His smile assures me he does.
Well, alrighty then.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you weren’t friends with them,” Jake apologizes for the billionth time since we arrived. It’s not his fault. How is he supposed to know I don’t get along with the bitch Barbie factory?
“Seriously, not your fault. It’s fine.” It’s not fine. If I knew he was taking me to a frat party for a Greek exchange with my besties, the Delta Phi’s, I would have stuck to my five bags of popcorn and movie night. Jake hands me another shot of whiskey, and I gladly accept it. I think he truly feels bad so he’s compensating the guilt with booze. This I actually am fine with. I need it to put up with all the glares I’m getting across the living room.
My one question, though, where is Christine? She doesn’t seem to be with them and she wasn’t in our room when I left.
“Um…don’t kill me, but I think they’re walking over here.”
I turn to see Sylvia and her pack of hyenas. Literally, picture a bunch of snarling dogs making obnoxious laughing sounds. I’m tempted to cover my ears just to block out the nightmares I’m going to have later.
“Jakey,” Sylvia says, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. I want to cringe, and also make a mental note to never touch his cheek again since cooties are real and there’s no way I’m catching the Sylvia plague. She pulls away and glares at me with her beady eyes. She swirls her pink straw around in her pink Solo cup. “I didn’t know it was ‘bring your pet to school’ day.”