Walking the Crimson Road

by Perrie Patterson

  “Be good. I’ll text you later,” he says, still smiling at me.

  “Be safe.” I blow him an air kiss as I get out.

  I grab my bag, walk up the steps, turn, and look back as his car drives away. I take the elevator up and walk into the writing lab. At a large table I spread out my papers, books, pens and my computer. Sitting down, I adjust Lane’s scarf around my neck. I’m never taking this off.

  I get to work compiling the names of each show by most popular and place them into a graph on my computer. After compiling the shows by vote and designing the graph, I decide to break it down further and do a top five guy favorites and a top five girls favorites. Then I add the top ten all around Netflix favorites. Once I have the graphs entered and lists created, I decide to walk down the hall and grab a cup of tea or a Coke, whatever I can find. Two girls I recognize as editors are standing near the counter talking when I walk in. I turn on the Keurig and look around for some cups. They’re talking about SGA elections. Eavesdropping on their conversation is too tempting.

  “It’s such a scam. They think they can do anything on campus they want. I want to call them out and expose them. They shouldn’t be allowed to be so secretive.”

  The other one responds, “I know it should be run as a fair election, not some bought and paid for candidate that wins just because all the Greeks voted and dominate the entire thing.”

  I slowly place my cup under the machine and hit the start button wanting to stick around longer and hear more of this. The taller one notices me and says, “Hey, aren’t you in my creative writing class with Professor Brigg?”

  I look over at them and answer her. “Yes. I’m in that class. My name is Rebecca Brant.”

  “Right, I read your article on Homecoming in the Crimson White. You did a good job on that. What are you working on now?”

  “An assignment for my creative media class. I have to submit an article to Alice.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “I took a poll on campus to gauge the top Netflix binge watching shows. It asks the question is binge watching good or bad?”

  Her eyes light up, and she turns to her friend and says, “I have the perfect idea. We should have Rebecca write an article for the Crimson White on fair SGA elections and call out the machine on not allowing the student body to vote their choice. They’ve dominated elections since the beginning of time. Even run business owners in town out of business and funded and controlled state elections. What do you think Rebecca?”

  I stumble around with my words, not knowing how to answer her. She walks over to me and sticks out her hand for me to shake.

  “I’m Olivia.” She points to her friend. “This is Beth.”

  “It’s nice to meet you both. I recognize you as editors for The Crimson White and from class.”

  “So, what do you say? Do you want the job?”

  I quickly say, “I don’t think I should be the one to write on that topic I’m only a sophomore. I think a serious article like that should probably come from a senior or junior writer, at least.”

  I add a smile to let her think I like her idea, and I’m hoping she takes my advice and thinks of someone better suited.

  “You know you’re right. A senior would be good. It is a serious article and needs to be taken that way. I also think it needs to come from someone who’s Greek.”

  I smile at them and say, “I just came to get a snack. I’ve left my computer and my things spread out on the table. I need to get back to work.”

  I wave bye and dash down the hall. I’m breathing heavily and feel a little light- headed after that shocking revelation of information. I’m part of the machine now. I know that’s what the secret society’s been called by Independents. I try to put it out of my mind and get back to work on my Netflix article, but I make a mental note to tell Lane about it sometime later when I talk to him. I put the graphs into the layout program on my computer, add a title and a few photos. I make room for my copy and click save. I need to work on this again tomorrow and get it finished and submitted. I think I’ll be able to complete it by tomorrow night. I need to squeeze in time on Wednesday to pack and be at Coleman for the fan meet-and-greet.

  I pack up my papers and computer, put them into my bag and walk out of Phifer, down the sidewalk toward Phi Mu. I walk in the front door and see Amanda talking with someone in the living room. As I pass through the hall, I wave. Now I can see who she’s talking to. It’s that girl, the one I’ve seen with Lane. I bump into a table, looking at them and not watching where I’m going. I yell “OW!” Amanda and the girl laugh.

  “Be careful, Bex, we have to dance the day after tomorrow. I don’t want you tripping and injuring yourself.”

  I smile and say, “I’m good. See you later.”

  With a slight wave I run up the stairs into my room, close the door, toss my bag onto the bed and slide onto the floor. I sit there with my knees up and my back against the bed, trying to think what to do. I’m freaking out because Amanda seems to be friends with this girl, and she was the one who warned me about Lane. This is the girl I’ve seen him with on more than one occasion and once with her hands wrapped around his arm. My mind is racing a mile a minute. I want to call Bella. I look at the clock to see what time it is to determine if she’s still driving or if she’s home yet. I get out my phone and call.

  She answers with a hardy, “Hey, roomie.”

  “Hey, are you home?”

  “Yes, I got home a couple of minutes ago, so perfect timing.”

  “I’m freaking out here, and I need to tell you something.”

  “Oh no! Bex, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. But Amanda is downstairs talking with a girl I know I’ve seen Lane with, and I’ve seen her several times at the DKE house during parties. The first time I saw her with him she had her arms wrapped around him, and they were walking into Innisfree the night we were there with Grant. That same night Lane texted me he wasn’t dating anyone. I never mentioned seeing the girl that night because I was with Grant, and I wasn’t dating Lane or anything remotely close. When I saw him walk in with her, I gave him a dirty look, and I know that’s why he texted me he wasn’t dating her. He wanted to assure me I had nothing to worry about. After that text we started talking about our feelings toward each other, and the truth came out about how he felt about me and how I felt about him. You know the rest of the story.”

  I remind her of the last home basketball game when we were walking through the parking lot to meet everyone at Heat Pizza.

  “Remember we saw a big group of DKE’s together, and you guys waved to Jack and Patrick and that caused Lane to look over and wave at us?”

  “I remember that.”

  “I saw her with their group then. But the only time I saw her with him when it really looked like they were together or at least thought they were together was the night they walked into Innisfree.”

  “If you’re worried that Lane is dating this girl or maybe has dated this girl, you should be upfront and come out and ask him.”

  “I don’t want to do that. I don’t want him to think I’m suspicious of something he has already cleared up weeks ago. I don’t want to bring it up with him again. I was a little freaked out seeing this girl downstairs when I got home, and she seems to be friends with Amanda. She warned me to be careful with Lane and told me she thought he was a total playboy. My imagination is running wild. Maybe this girl dated Lane, and they broke up?”

  “You may want to do some snooping.”

  “Okay, I could try to fish something out of Amanda and get details from her.”

  “It’s probably nothing to worry about. Your imagination is just running crazy. It probably has to do with everyone leaving campus for the break, and everything will be back to normal once school starts back.”

  “You’re probably right. I may be overthinking this.” But in the back of my mind, I’m scheming a plot to interrogate Amanda. “I’ll call you later, Bella.”

  I s
et my phone down and as soon as I do, I get a text. I look at my phone and see that it’s from Lane. His text is so sweet.

  Hey beautiful, I’m in the Big Apple surrounded by millions of ppl, but I’m lonely without u. My heart pounds and skips a beat at reading his text. I’m lonely too, but I’m really alone. There’s hardly anyone in the house tonight. I wish I could be with u. I add a heart emoji. He sends a kissy face emoji.

  My mind has forgotten all about the stress I was feeling from the encounter with the unknown girl downstairs, and I decide to go in search of dinner.

  When I get down the stairs, I hear the TV on in the living room, so I walk in to see who’s watching it. It’s Amanda, that girl, and two other senior Phi Mu sisters, Kate, and Caroline. They’re watching The Office on Netflix.

  Amanda looks at me and says, “Hey, Bex, we just ordered two pizzas if you want to join us, they’ll be here any minute.”

  “Sure, Thanks.” I plop down onto the couch like everything's cool, but I’m back to freaking out about who the heck is this girl. As soon as I think that, it’s almost as if Amanda read my mind.

  “Bex, this is Ashley, my old roommate from my freshman and sophomore years. We roomed together at Tutwiler.”

  “Hello, nice to meet you.” I smile a friendly smile at her.

  Ashley says, “Hey.” And turns back around to finish her conversation.

  She totally ignored me. I guess this can be a positive thing at the moment. When Ashley’s done with her dramatic story, she turns and looks right at me.

  “You look familiar, have I met you before?” she asks.

  “No,” I say curtly.

  As soon as I say that, Amanda blurts out, “You know you’ve seen her before, she’s on the dance team with me.”

  “Oh right.” Ashley shrugs.

  I breathe a deep sigh of relief and feel safe again. The doorbell rings and Amanda jumps up to get the pizza.

  “I’ll get us some bottled water,” I say, as I spring off the couch.

  I give everyone a water and sit back down. Amanda hands me a plate and says to grab a slice. I take two slices, and we continue chilling out, laughing and eating pizza. We watch three more episodes of The Office. After the third episode ends, I tell everyone goodnight and walk upstairs to bed.

  I take a shower and throw on a sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants then crawl under the covers and text Bella the info on Ashley.

  Hey, Bella, I went downstairs earlier, and the girl was still here watching TV. I met her. Amanda introduced me. She’s Amanda’s old roommate, her name is Ashley. She’s a Kappa Delta. I pull out a notebook and start working on the copy for my article. A few minutes later, my phone dings a text from Bella.

  So, they’re friends? How does she seem?

  “She’s a little snobbish the way she talks and acts.”

  Bella sends a laughing face emoji and adds, She’s a KD. I text back IKR. Then I tell her that I hung out with her, Amanda, Caroline and Kate, and we ate pizza and watched several episodes of The Office.

  Did u find out anything else about her? Do u think she and Lane dated? Is she pretty?

  She’s gorgeous and a total diva, but IDK if they dated or not. Maybe I’ll find out more 2morrow.

  After writing copy for my article, I close my computer and think about texting Lane again. I send a quick Goodnight text with a pink heart emoji. I don’t need to set an alarm, so I set my phone down and snuggle up with Lane’s scarf and close my eyes. I fall asleep and dream that I’m at work on an episode of The Office in a cubical next to Ashley, who’s being a total bitch diva to everyone.

  22

  #Fam

  My eyes pop open, and I glance at the clock, feeling happy to have slept late. I sit up, unplug my phone, and scroll through Instagram. Lexi has a cute post. It looks like she’s having fun at her grandparent’s house baking cookies and pies. I keep scrolling and liking a few more pics when a text from Lane pops up.

  Good morning, I hope u have a great day. I’m thinking about u.

  Just woke up, ur the perfect person to talk to first thing.

  I just woke up, too. U were the first thing on my mind.

  I am beaming with a smile from ear to ear, giddy and happy.

  Miss u 2, I send a kiss emoji.

  I meander downstairs to get breakfast. Caroline is in the kitchen eating a bagel.

  “Hi, what’s for breakfast?” I ask.

  “There’s cereal, bagels, donuts, and some fruit in the fridge.” She points to a tray on the counter.

  I poke a bagel into the toaster and put some strawberries into a container and take it back to my room. I open the article I’m working on and add the copy I wrote last night. After working on it for an hour, I click save and close my computer. I turn on the Keurig and make myself a chi tea. After a long hot shower, I throw on comfortable leggings and a hoodie. Trying to decide what I should take on the trip, I hang up a few dresses and blouses on our decorative hooks and leave them there until I can gather the motivation to get out my suitcase and pack. A text from Mom pops up.

  We’ll see you tomorrow morning, and we plan to take you to lunch.

  Okay, as long as I’m back at the house by 1.

  I make my bed, fluff the pillows, and pick Lane’s scarf up from where I slept on it. Wrapping it around my neck puts a smile on my face and in my heart. I pack up my notebook, papers, and computer and walk over to Phifer. It’s almost deserted in the copy room. Awesome, no interruptions.

  I finish the copy, double check it and re-read everything six times. Then I hit submit. I email the link to my professor and include a note saying it’s been submitted to the editor for Alice. I know if there are any changes needed that the editor will email them to me, and I’ll be fixing those while I’m gone for Thanksgiving. I close my computer and tuck it into my bag. When I get back to the house, I don’t see anyone around.

  Poking my head into the kitchen, I look around for some microwave popcorn. The microwave dings, and I pour the popcorn into a bowl and carry it up to my room. I want to stay in, and binge watch Stranger Things. Before I start watching, I quickly text Bella.

  “Hey, what episode of ST r u on?”

  five.

  Oh good. I’m about to start three.

  I’ll wait until ur caught up to watch more.

  I grab some nail polish and start up episode three. I touch up the polish on my fingers and toes while I veg out watching my new fav show. When I’m done, I look at my phone. It’s late, but I text Bella that I’m on Episode five. We watch it together while on Facetime. When the show ends, I tell Bella I’ve got to go so I can pack.

  I go through my closet again, and I stare at the clothes I’ve hung on our wall hooks and choose two dresses that don’t wrinkle. I hang them next to my selections from yesterday, then gather my makeup and pack everything into a duffle bag. I get out my uniform for tomorrow’s game and hang that on a hook, feeling confident that I have everything I need. My phone dings a text from Lane.

  I want to b the last person u talk to tonight and wish u sweet dreams.

  I’ve just finished packing and was just about to go to sleep. It’s good to hear from u. I miss u.

  I sleep with his scarf again and make a mental note to remember to pack it in my bag before I leave tomorrow.

  In the morning my alarm jars me awake. I sit up and check my phone. I see a text from Amanda, telling me what time she wants us to leave for the game today. I text her back, shower, and clean up the room. I take my bags downstairs and set them next to the table in the entrance foyer. I go into the kitchen and snag a Diet Coke out of the fridge. As I’m walking into the living room, I see Mom, Dad and Lauren walk through the front door.

  Lauren and I run toward each other. Excited to see her, I throw my arms around her and squeeze. We haven’t seen each other since I left for school late August. Lauren’s a senior in high school and a cheerleader so she’s been just as busy as I’ve been with Friday night football games and busy weekends
. We have a lot of catching up to do. She starts telling me about school, her friends and a guy she likes. Dad picks up my bags and takes them to the car. The four of us walk to Buffalo Phil’s for lunch on the strip. Lauren and I are monopolizing the entire conversation while Mom and Dad try to throw a word in every now and then. After lunch they walk me back to the house to get their car. Lauren says, “Mom and Dad are taking me shopping. I’ll see you at the game.”

  “Have fun, I’ll see you guys there.” I wave bye, then walk into the house and up to my room.

  I work on my hair and makeup, put on my uniform, and pick up my bag with my change of clothes for later. I look around the room and make sure I have everything. As I’m walking over to Amanda’s car, I get a text from Lane.

  Break a leg. I hope that’s the right thing to say to someone who’s about to perform.

  I laugh out loud and text back. That’s in the theater, silly but thank u.

  Amanda asks, “What’s so funny?”

  “A sweet text from Lane.”

  “It seems to be going well with you guys.”

  “Yes, he’s wonderful,” I say cheerfully.

  “I’m glad of that, but I would still keep one ear to the ground. My old roommate Ashley dated him for a while on and off. She was crazy head-over-heels for him. He didn’t really treat her that well, or at least he didn’t like her the same way she liked him. She doesn’t realize Lane is dating you yet. I’ve tried to keep her from getting wind of it. She’s still trying to win him back.”

  I stare at her in disbelief, the smile gone from my face. I’m shocked.

  “Amanda, I had no idea. I saw her with him earlier this month at Innisfree. He was very clear with me that he wasn’t dating her, but I know I’ve seen her around him a lot.”

  “Yes, she wants him back. Just be careful. Ashley’s family is wealthy and politically powerful, just like Lane’s. They’re cut from the same cloth.”

  Amanda turns up the radio and starts singing along to “Your Song” by Rita Ora, and I try to let the music drown out what she just told me and get my head in the game for our performance. But this song makes me think about Lane. At the colosseum, we meet up with the rest of the team and Big Al for photo ops and autographs with fans.