Yes, I’m saying good night to Lane downstairs now.
Looking at Lane, I say, “My roommate just texted me. Its midnight, and I’m about to turn into a pumpkin.”
He smiles and presses his lips to my forehead. We stand, and he takes his jacket. We move toward the door. He reaches for my hand, kisses it lightly before walking out. I pick up my bag and float to my room.
“Hey,” I say, quietly to Bella.
“Did you and Lane have a good time?”
“Yes, we went to Evangeline’s for dinner. It was perfect,” I say, slipping out of my shoes. “After he dropped me off, he kissed me. I get lost in him when he kisses me, and I whispered that I think I’m falling in love with him.” I sit on the bed and cover my face with my hands, embarrassed that I actually admitted it to Bella.
She rushes over to me. “Oh my God, Bex! What did he say?” She sits next to me on my bed.
“He just whispered my name and started kissing me again, but way more passionately, almost out of control passionately, but then you called me and interrupted us.”
“Oops, sorry.” Bella looks embarrassed and walks back over to her bed. She pulls back the covers and turns off the lamp. “I set the alarm for 7:30. I was waiting until you were home safe before I fell asleep. You’re home now, and I’m tired, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And you have another surprise on your pillow.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I muse in a sarcastic tone.
I turn around and see an envelope and red rose on my pillow. I flip on the flashlight on my phone, tear open the seal and use the flashlight to read the card. It’s an invitation to the “Undertaker’s Ball” at the DKE house for next Sunday. It says dress is formal and my escort will be Lane Kennedy Townsend. The writing is very elegant. I place the rose in the vase with the other two, which are now dried and wilted. I lay the invitation next to the vase and quickly change into something comfy and drift off to sleep, dreaming of fancy parties and Lane in a tuxedo.
25
#Noregrets
The alarm goes off. I hit snooze. The second time it goes off, Bella mumbles something about turning it off. I open my eyes and squint at my phone. Bella turns on the Keurig. She has the speaker quietly playing “Never Enough” by The Hunna.
“Hey, Bella, turn that up.” The song gives me enough motivation to pull myself out of bed and start the day. It’s going to be a baseball cap day, for sure. I mosey to the desk and grab a mug to make myself some tea. I notice Bella has an invitation similar to mine.
“Hey, Bella, did you get an invitation to the Undertaker’s Ball?”
“Yes, both Lexi and I got one yesterday. We were invited by Patrick and Jack. It’s invitation only. Someone came last night and delivered them to four girls in the house. We’re two of the lucky four.” She looks at me with a hint of smugness, trying to impress upon me the fact that we’re going to something exclusive at her favorite fraternity house.
“That’s great. It will be a fun event, I’m sure.”
“We’ve got to go dress shopping this week,” she says as she walks out the door for class. “Have a great day, Bex.”
“Bye, Bella.” I grab my bag and my tea and scurry out the door to begin my day.
Since it’s the first week of December, we have about a week before exams and dead week. All of the professors will be giving out pre-exam sheets. It tells us the date and time of the exam or if we even need to take an exam for that particular class. The prep paper also tells us our standing grade and any upcoming assignments or study links to help us prepare. Exams and dead week are the worst, even nightmarish. Studying up to five or more hours in a day can leave you feeling like you’ve lost all contact with the outside world. It might be good to vlog about… How to survive dead week, ugh, the thought of it sucks, but since it’s a college necessity, survival tips are useful.
My visual journalism class is first this morning. I get my exam prep paper and see that I have an A in the class but still have to take the exam. I know when we get our prep papers tomorrow in creative writing, it will show that our writing assignment will be our exam. About my intro to media production and my documentary storytelling class, I don’t know yet. I already know I’ll have Spanish and math exams.
Later in the day, I get the best news I could possibly ask for. The article I wrote for Alice magazine will be used for my final grade for my documentary class, and since my story for creative writing will be used as a final grade for the semester in that class, I only have four exams to study for. After class I wander back to the house for lunch. Lexi’s in the kitchen, so I scoot in next to her.
“I’m excited that we’ll be going to the Undertaker’s Ball together on Sunday night,” I say, sipping my Diet Coke.
“I know, right. I’ve heard that party is pretty exclusive. Bella wants us to go dress shopping this Thursday. What does your schedule look like on Thursday or Friday?”
“I’m free. I only have a home game on Wednesday night this week, and the next one will be in January.”
“That’s good. You get a little break.”
“A small one. I’ll still have practice. We’re working on a new dance that we’ll need to have ready for the January and February games. I need to leave for practice in a few minutes.”
I get a text from Mom. How was your first day back from Thanksgiving break?
Good. I have my exam schedule. And I got invited to the Undertaker’s Ball on Sunday night.
Ok. I’ll Venmo you some money for a dress, but be thrifty in your choice pls.
Sweet. Thx Mom, Love u.
Next a text from Lane pops up. Hey cutie. Hope ur having a good day so far. I have something for u. He sends a photo of an advertisement featuring our SGA candidate that we’re promoting. It’s very impressive, a full-page color ad. It lists all his achievements and philanthropy. Facilitated the V Foundation Event for Delta Chi Fraternity, helped raise 3,000.00 for the V- Foundation’s Cancer Research, created the Gallettes Supports Vets event, Holds a 3.9 GPA, Phi Beta Kappa, Gamma Beta Phi, Young Life Leader and Mentor for Tuscaloosa High School, UA Honors, Business and Finance major. The caption at the top is his name and, “Your SGA Candidate.”
I know what Lane wants me to do with the photo. I say a quick goodbye to Lexi and run up to my room. I get out my computer and log in to the untraceable site. I post the photo then go back and delete Laine’s text from my phone. I change the passwords for both secret accounts. Done. Not sure what I’ve gotten myself into, but I did want something exciting to happen, and this is definitely on the thrill level.
After dinner we have our regular Monday night chapter meeting. Tonight’s meeting is all about finalizing our plans for our snow themed Christmas event. It’ll be at Gallette’s on the 15th at 8 p.m., which is the last day of finals before everyone leaves for Christmas Break. This is one of many parties that night. Ours is a date night event. I smile to myself with a happy thought of Lane and me together. The SEC Championship game is the next day in Atlanta. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to go to that before he leaves for Aspen.
After the meeting ends, Bella and I head back to the room. I go about organizing my pre-exam papers and make a few notes and set an alarm for the morning. Bella asks me again about going dress shopping on Thursday.
“We need to go somewhere where there isn’t men’s cologne,” Bella says, laughing at her own joke.
“Too funny.” I give Bella a sideways glance.
Of course, I think Lane smells awesome, and I think he is awesome, but more than that, there’s something mysterious about Lane that intrigues me beyond my control.
26
#Hotoffhepress
The next morning, I spritz on a little perfume, grab my bag, stick my phone into my back pocket and gleefully walk out the door and head to my creative writing class. In the grand foyer there are stacks and stacks of the Crimson White newspapers on tables everywhere. The front-page is a full color ad. It’s exactly what Lane sent me yesterday. Grabbing one, I wa
lk into the lecture hall.
Lane is already in his seat. He leans over and kisses me on the cheek.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“It is a good morning now that I’m with you,” I whisper, leaning closer.
“I like your scarf,” he says, with a sheepish grin.
“I’ve worn it, I’ve slept with it, and I guess you may want it back?”
“You can keep wearing it. I like it better on you.” His bright smile is radiant.
“I’m impressed with this front-page, full-sized ad on our SGA candidate. Also, the fact that the Crimson White seems to be front and center downstairs in the foyer today.”
He just smiles his beautiful smile and doesn’t reply.
Professor Brigg walks in and begins talking about an online quiz that’s due at the end of the week. He explains that we’ll do great on this quiz as long as we’ve been good note takers in class. The quiz will test our note taking skills as journalists. We end up getting out of class fifteen minutes early, and Lane suggests we walk together across the quad before we go our separate ways.
He laughs. “I won’t make you ride my bike this time.”
I snort and smack him on the arm, but the comment is funny. Lane and I are standing together while he unlocks his bike. I notice Olivia walking down the stairs, she gives me a funny expression. I smile at her, but she only half smiles back. She has a copy of the Crimson White newspaper tucked under her arm. Lane and I stroll together across the street and through the quad as he pushes his bike along.
“I have a date for the meet- the-candidate party. It’ll be at Heat Pizza on January 12th, 7-9 p.m., free drinks and appetizers. Info should read “open to everyone and invite your friends.” Wait to post it on January 5th, then post another one a week later and a reminder the day of the event.” He leans in for a kiss. “Bye, beautiful.”
“See you,” I say, as he gets on his bike and peddles away.
When I get to math, I write a few notes about Heat Pizza and the dates Lane gave me in a notebook. I’m glad he trusts me with all this information. But is this trust, or is it something else? There is a lot of secrecy. I guess that’s the point of a secret society. I’m really starting to dig this whole cloak-and-dagger vibe. I stick the paper into my bag and push dreamy thoughts of Lane out of my mind so I can concentrate on math until class is over.
When I get back to the room from class, Bella’s already back.
“What time do you want to go shopping today?” Bella asks, pulling a sweater over her head.
“I thought we could go later, if Lexi has time. I’ll text her and see when she’s free,” I say, setting my bag down.
“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s plan to meet her downstairs. I have three shops mapped out I want to go to. Maybe we could go to Heat Pizza after we’re done shopping,” Bella suggests.
“Great, I love that you have a strategic shopping plan.”
“If for some reason we don’t find anything today, we may need to drive to Birmingham on Friday or Saturday.”
“Let’s hope we all find what we want today. I don’t want to drive all over the state looking for a dress. By the way, I’m going to my tutor session, and then I’m checking out a camera to film my documentary story project.” My phone dings. “Lexi says she’ll be home in about an hour. I’ll meet you guys back here as soon as I’m done.”
Shopping goes quickly. By the third store we’ve decided on which dress we each want. I’ve chosen a black satin fitted dress with a split up the front left thigh. The top of the bodice is beaded with black sequined beads over a lace overlay. The sleeves are long but completely sheer and made of very delicate lace. It’s extremely elegant and form fitting across the bodice. Bella chooses a grey sequined dress that comes up across one shoulder, leaving the other shoulder bare. It’s full length with a sequined sheer overlay. Lexi picked a steel blue satin dress that’s fitted with a sequined collar around the neck and is sleeveless. On the way to dinner, we chat about our hair styles and the shoes we want to wear with our dresses.
While at Heat Pizza, I decide to do a little creative filming with the camera I checked out. As everyone else is chatting away, I get the idea to interview the SGA candidate with a short two-minute interview, since my project needs to be under three minutes in length. It should work as a documentary, and Lane may even be interested in using some of the footage.
Back on campus, Lexi, Bella and I trek up the stairs carrying our long plastic bags with our ball gowns. Bella and I hang our dress bags on our decorative hooks then go down to the living room to hang out and wait for Bible study to start. This Bible study is geared toward exam week. The main verse featured is from Isaiah 41:9-10. I know this verse well, since I have it on a plaque in my room back home.
“Do not fear, for I am with you declares the Lord. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”
Bible study wraps up with a reminder that exams are temporary but seeking and serving God has value for eternity. In other words, we should prepare for our exams and study, but we shouldn’t worry. Easy to say, a lot harder to do.
I text Lane about my film project and ask if he thinks it’ll be okay to do a short interview with our SGA candidate, Adam. I offer that it could be useful for publicity.
He texts back, That’s a great idea.
He sends me his contact information and tells me he’ll give Adam a heads up for me.
Perfect. TY. Have u completed the online quiz yet?
Yes, it’s fairly easy. Have u finished it?
I’m planning to do it tomorrow or Saturday. I have to finish my editing project by midnight on Monday, and I want to get that and the online quiz out of the way so I can study for my other exams next week.
I set my phone down and look over at Bella. “I don’t need an alarm for the morning, do you?”
“Nope, me, neither,” she says, glancing up at me from the book she has her nose in.
“I have a few assignments to finish up before exams that I’ll need to work on during the day. I’ll probably go to the main library tomorrow,” I say, turning off the lamp.
We say goodnight, then I fall asleep dreaming about showing up for one of my exams wearing my new formal dress.
I wake up to a text from Lane. Good morning babe. Adam knows to expect a call from u.
Cool. I’m glad my idea worked out. I’ll call him in a few minutes.
I walk downstairs to make some toast and bring some back to the room for Bella. She’s got coffee brewing in the Keurig. I pour myself a cup while dialing Adam’s number. When he answers, I tell him I’d love to set up a time to interview him. We decide to meet for lunch at Heat Pizza, which was my suggestion, since I started filming there yesterday.
I have several hours to kill before my lunch meeting, so I decide to walk to the library to work on my online quiz. I look around for my notebooks and things to take with me. Bella sets her coffee down and pops her closet door open.
“Hey, Bella, what are your plans today?”
“Mostly studying,” she says, throwing on a hoodie.
“Would you want to go to the library now then drive me over to Heat Pizza at 1:00? I’m meeting someone there. I have to interview him for an assignment.”
“Sure, sounds fun and better than studying in the room all day.”
I pack up my books, grab the camera bag, and put everything into my backpack.
Bella and I find a quiet, out of the way, place in the library. We spread out and study for the next two hours. After I finish the online quiz, I text Lane.
I took the quiz.
How do you think you did?
I think really well. I feel good about it.
Awesome.
I’m meeting Adam for the interview at 1. I’ll call u later.
I glace toward the other end of the table to check on Bella. As I stand, a guy and a girl walk past me talking in an animated whisper.
�
��They found all the Crimson White newspapers stacked in the basement of a building on the edge of campus.”
I freeze in place, listening. They slowly walk past me, and I perk my ears up.
“I wonder why they stacked them in a basement on campus if they were trying to get rid of them? Whoever did that printed out new front-page covers, so why leave the old front-pages where someone might find them?”
“They wanted them found. The machine wants everyone to know they control politics on campus. They’ve got to be the one’s behind the new front-page ad for the SGA candidate”
“Bex, Bex, Rebecca!” Bella snaps her fingers, pulling me out of my daze.
“Are you okay, Bex? You were just standing there staring into space.”
“Yeah, I’m okay, I stood up and got dizzy. Probably from sitting so long.”
“Or too much studying. Let’s go, girl, it’s almost 1:00.” Bella waves her hand in the direction of the door.”
We arrive at Heat Pizza fifteen minutes early and pick out a table. I write down a few questions that I’d like to ask. I see Adam walk in. He’s a very good looking, at least 6’2” African American stud. I wave him over. I recognize him from the ad in the Crimson White and from the last time I was at a Young Life event. He was talking with a group of high school boys before I had my serious talk with Grant. Bella and I introduce ourselves. Bella says she’ll place our lunch order and get some drinks delivered to our table while I conduct the interview.
I set up the camera for filming and make sure I have the right angle and height.
“Adam, I’m going to turn on the camera and begin the interview. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” He smiles and nods.
“Let’s begin,” I say, pushing the button to start filming.
“I’m impressed with your credentials that were listed in the Crimson White this week. You’re a very impressive candidate. Can you tell me about your work with Young Life?
Adam clears his throat and begins. “I was involved with Young Life in High School, and I feel that as a Christian program it has a lot to offer high school students. For one thing, it allows any high school student to be involved with a great group of friends. It may be a social thing they’re looking for, but since it’s meant to lead people to God it becomes more than social. I was invited by a friend. I’ll be honest, I went because I knew there would be girls there.”
Walking the Crimson Road Page 15