Girl in the White Dress: Sam's Story

by Nikki D. Walker

  Ok, back to Tim. He currently lived a few blocks from campus, which explained why I saw him on my random walk. He was in the market for a dog and asked me if I wanted to go to the pet shop with him. Yes, you heard me correctly. I was aware it was not a date, but I was all for friendship. He was awesome. I was not in the market for a boyfriend, but a person could never have too many friends. That was what I kept telling myself anyway.

  I headed back to the dorm after the coffee non-date. Trinity was waiting for me to go to dinner. “Hey, lady. Where have you been?” she asked.

  “I had my coffee non-date with Tim.”

  “Ooh. That is right. I forgot about that. How did it go?

  “No ooh. We are just friends, first of all. Second of all, we are going dog shopping Saturday.”

  “That is awesome!”

  “Do not get too excited. I am still swearing off guys.”

  “Too bad. He sounds great.” She grabbed her sweater. “Anyway, Derek and Pete are waiting for us.”

  “Pardon? I thought Pete left Sunday?”

  “I know you have had your head in the books the past few days, but don’t you remember? I told you this morning. You said you would go. He decided he could hang around for a couple more days. He is definitely leaving tomorrow, Derek said.”

  “Um, no. I vaguely remember you speaking and me saying ‘mmmfmphed’ because I was still sleeping.”

  “Eh, whatever, come on, let’s go.”

  “Trin…”

  “You cannot not go. I do not want Peter to be a third wheel,” she whined.

  “Oh, but it is ok if you make me feel uncomfortable.”

  “Yes,” she said. “You are my best friend and you will forgive me. I do not know him well and he and Derek are friends.”

  “I’m really not in the mood. I have a ton of homework to do. Seriously, I have a ten page paper due in a week, two tests tomorrow, and a group project meeting Friday.”

  “Ugh, fine. I will see you later.”

  “You are not staying at Derek’s tonight?

  “Nah, his new roommate is having a poker night.”

  “Ok, have fun. I will see you later.”

  “Bye.”

  The rest of the night I spent studying for my tests, Adolescent Psychology and Contemporary American Authors. I flicked on the TV when I was done. My brain was starting to hurt and I was not sure I could fit anything more in there right now. There was nothing good on so I decided to go for a run around the track. It was so much easier than running on regular pavement. My knees hurt much less. I quickly changed into my running gear and jogged down the hill. I was mentally jamming to my CD player and did not notice anyone else on the track. (Side note, I really needed to start paying attention to my surroundings.) Next thing I knew there was a boy running next to me.

  “Hi, I don’t think I’ve seen you over here before,” he said.

  “Um, hi. I, uh, haven’t run over here in a while.” Should I be talking to him? I was not sure I should be talking to a stranger on the dark track. I could hear my mother yelling at me from Pennsylvania.

  “I’m Zac. I am usually here a few times a week. I like to run at night, less people around here, except tonight. You obviously had the same idea.”

  Ok, he seemed harmless, I was sure a serial killer would not be making conversation. He would have knocked me out already. “Sam. I was done studying so I decided to get out of my dorm and get some air.”

  “Running always clears my head. Well, I’m just about done. Maybe I’ll see you around again?” he asked.

  “Maybe,” I smiled. He was cute. I liked the athletic types, clearly, and he had the most adorable shaggy hair. Well, so much for staying away from boys. I was going to have to start running more often if I was going to be meeting some hotties. Maybe I can get Trinity to come running with me… ha ha… ok maybe Miranda or Kiley. Trinity was not such a fan of running or any exercise for that matter. Fortunately, for her, she was one of those people who could eat whatever they wanted and not gain a pound. Secretly, I was hoping the calories would catch up with her someday. I jogged back to the dorm and went to bed. I had to get up early to study some more for my tests. As I drifted off, my mind was thinking of the cutie at the track. Swearing off boys was harder than I thought, especially when they keep coming around.

  Chapter 6

  * * *

  Ok, so I just took my exams. I think I passed. I really really hated studying and tests. Midterms were in a few weeks already. Miranda and Kiley wanted to go to the mall tonight, but I was really not in the mood, which was strange for me to turn down shopping. I still needed to do my lesson plan for Friday and I had my group project meeting in the morning. Ms. Lafferty wanted me to do Math on Wednesdays and English on Fridays. I much prefer English to Math but making a lesson plan was not that easy for either subject. Originally, it was supposed to be just English, but she thought it would give me some extra experience to do Math once a week. I could handle basic addition and subtraction but it seemed like the Math was harder in lower grades now compared to when I was in elementary school. Luckily, she gave me what they had been working on and I had to come up with something related to that. (Fourth graders were really demanding!)

  I headed over to the library to get started on the work. I could easily have gone back to the dorm, but it was so much harder to concentrate when surrounded by loud girls. I jumped in the elevator to the fourth floor, it had a nice view of campus and I liked to stare outside when I got distracted… or maybe I got distracted because I stared out the window, whatever.

  After about an hour, I decided I needed a break. I had a short attention span. I decided to go for a run. It helped me clear my head and just relax. Ever since Matt and I broke up, I had not been myself. I still could not believe he was so stupid. I really did love him and I thought he loved me. I thought we were on the same page. I knew his ex-girlfriend had broken his heart before and I very much did not understand why he would cheat on me with her. Clearly, he was an ass… but my heart still belonged to that ass.

  “Fancy meeting you here again.” I turned around and saw Zack, the guy from the other day.

  “Hey,” I said. “Pretty good, I go from never seeing you here to twice in a week.”

  He laughed. “Well, I’ve been running here about five times a week since last spring.”

  I looked away sheepishly. “Ok, so I am not an avid runner.” I laughed. “But I like it.”

  “It’s ok. You are forgiven. If you’d like, I could be your running buddy,” he offered. “It’s not always safe to run out here alone, especially at night.”

  “Good to know, but I always carry pepper spray, and I happen to have a black belt in karate.” Well that last part was such a lie, but he was starting to weird me out. I did not know why but he was emitting some weird vibes.

  “Good. Girls should know how to take care of themselves.” I decided now was a good time to pretend my cell phone was going off.

  “Ooops, have to run. Roommate in need. See you around.” I ran quickly back to the dorm. Why did he have to be hot and creepy? That was a bad combination.

  * * *

  So, I had been “teaching” at Fowler School for a couple of months now and had a few non-dates with Tim. He was still dating Stacy, by the way. I was a little jealous but it was hard not to like her. She was a sweetheart. It had been a few months and I had started to think they were serious. (Bummer.)

  I went home for Christmas and my mom was still grilling me to find out what happened with Matt. I still did not want to discuss it with her and I probably never would. My birthday was hilarious. To celebrate my twenty-first birthday, Trinity, Miranda, and Kiley took me to Thunder from Down Under. It was awesome. Although, it may have been awesome simply because they kept getting me Cape Codders (vodka and cranberry juice, for all you non-drinkers). They were delicious! The lap dance that Trinity got me was unnecessary, though. It was a little awkward even while drunk.

  Meanwhile, Trinity had
been trying to set me up with every guy she knew. She clearly did not understand that I was all set with guys right now. However, I did agree to a date with her lab partner, Danny. He was a nice guy. I had met him a couple of times but I had never really thought anything of him. Whatever. It was easier than arguing with Trinity sometimes. I had just left my internship and was on my way back to the dorm when my phone rang, “Hello?”

  “Hi, Sam.” I immediately recognized the voice.

  “I told you I did not want to talk to you anymore.” It was Matt.

  “I know but I miss you,” he said.

  “Miss me!? You cheated on me!” I yelled. Someone turned around and stared. Oops, I would have to keep my voice down. “There couldn’t possibly be a way to change that.”

  “No, I know there is not, but I would really like to see you and talk to you.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to see you.” Actually, I did miss him and wanted to see him but I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that. He had hurt me. He was the reason I could not give any decent guy a chance. He was the reason I still cried myself to sleep some nights. I know we broke up a few months ago but it still hurt. A lot.

  “Sam, tell me you don’t still care and I will leave you alone.” Oh, crap.

  “I can’t tell you that, Matt. Of course, I still care. But you broke my heart and it is still not fixed.”

  “I know, baby girl.” Ouch. “Please go to dinner with me? Just to talk?”

  I did not know what to do. He was Matt. My Matt. “I can’t. I have a date tonight.”

  “Ok, tomorrow?” He was persistent, the bastard.

  “Fine, but just to talk,” I agreed. Grrrr…

  “Ok. Thank you. Do you want me to pick you up?”

  “No,” I said quickly. Trinity could not know about this. I would never hear the end of it if she knew about this. “I’ll meet you there. Just call me with the address.” I hoped I would not regret this.

  “I will see you tomorrow, Sam.”

  “Yeah, tomorrow.” What was I thinking?

  My heart still hurt. I still loved him and those feelings did not go away overnight. I knew if I told Trinity she would try to talk me out of it. Therefore, I would not tell her for now. There was nothing to tell anyway. It was just dinner. Just two old friends talking. I had to remind myself not to drink. Bad things happened when I drank. Ok, good things but bad things. I cannot lie. There were a couple of drunk hook ups in the past couple of months. Meaningless, trysts that I immediately regretted. Oh well, no sense in dwelling on the past. Oh crap, I thought, I still needed to get ready for my date with Danny.

  I rushed back to the dorm and nearly knocked over Kiley on my way in.

  “Hey, Sam. What’s the rush?” she asked.

  “Danny will be here in thirty minutes and I have to get ready ASAP!”

  “Ooh, he’s a cutie. Have fun. Miranda and I are going to the mall. Macy’s is having a huge sale.”

  I laughed. “They always have a huge sale. Have fun and try not to spend too much!”

  “You have fun on your date. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She winked.

  “Never!” I smiled back. Kiley had made a name for herself as the partier of the group. I scanned my closet and picked out jeans and a cute top. Just because I was not interested did not mean I should not put some thought and care behind my appearance.

  Danny arrived just as I spritzed my perfume. He did look quite adorable in his jeans and button down shirt. Maybe I judged him too soon. “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey to you. You look great.”

  “Thanks.”

  He held out some daisies. “These are for you.”

  “Aw, thanks. They are my favorite!”

  “Yeah, Trinity told me.” Cheater!

  “I’m just going to put these in some water.” I dug out a vase from under the sink to put the flowers in. “Ok, let’s go. Where are we going anyway?”

  “Eight ball.” Eight ball was the pool hall down the street that Trinity and I had gone to a few times. It was a nice place.

  “Sweet. Did Trinity tell you I love pool, too?” I teased.

  “No, actually my brother owns it. We both love pool. I’m trying to save money to open up a second one on the other side of the city called Nine Ball.”

  “Awesome. I guess that means you’ll give me a run for my money.”

  “Absolutely!” he smiled. Not off to a bad start.

  I could not help but like him. He was just so laid back. I felt bad for pre-judging him. I really needed to stop doing that. When we got to the pool hall, it was jamming and it was only about seven. “Is it always this busy?” I asked.

  “On Fridays, yeah. It is karaoke night and the bar is usually packed full. Do you sing?”

  I laughed. “In the shower. I don’t think you want me to clear out the place.”

  “You will tonight,” he said matter of factly.

  “Clear out the place? Thanks,” I laughed.

  “No, silly. You’ll sing.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yup.”

  “How can you be so sure?” He was very confident that he would get me to sing. I, on the other hand, was sure I would not.

  “You’ll see.”

  “Should I be scared?”

  “Nah, come on. Let’s grab a table.” There were not many tables open. I hoped there was not going to be a wait. I hate waiting. Patience was a virtue I did not possess.

  “Ok, it’s over here. I reserved a table. Having connections can be good sometimes,” he joked.

  We headed for table twenty-three. Danny went to get our cue sticks and a couple of drinks. I was surprised at how much fun I was having already.

  “Alright. Coors light for the lady,” he set my drink down on the table. I took a swig. Delish!

  “Ok, nine ball or regular?” You had to love my pool lingo.

  “Why don’t we warm up with some eight ball? You break.”

  “Ok, but you’re going down!”

  “I’m shaking in my sneakers,” he said. Smart ass. I loved it!

  “You should be.” I chalked up the top and took my shot. Crack! Two ball corner pocket.

  “Not bad.” He looked like he was trying not to be impressed.

  “I know,” I said. What? Confidence was sexy. “I call solids.” Crack! Six ball bank shot. Crack! Four ball corner. Crack! Boo, I missed. Danny just stood there in awe.

  “Sheesh, I was wondering if you were going to let me play.”

  “Eh, I thought about it. I played a lot in high school.” He did not need to know it was with Jay. It was never a good idea to bring up and ex-boyfriend while on a date.

  “I guess so.” He took his shot. Fourteen and twelve balls in. Crack! Nine ball in. Crack! Then he missed. He was not so bad himself. Obviously, he would be good if he planned on opening his own pool hall. It would only make sense.

  “Ok, let me show you how this is done.” I cleared the rest of my balls and called the eight ball. “Corner pocket,” I pointed with my cue. I lined up the shot and missed. “Damn!”

  “Sucks to be you,” he said with a smile.

  “Yeah yeah.” Danny took a couple more shots and it was my turn again. “Eight ball side pocket.”

  “We’ll see,” he took a few steps closer and was about two inches from my face.

  “Can I help you?” I asked. He was very close.

  “I just wanted to observe the master.”

  “Uh huh.” I leaned down to shoot and got a strong whiff of his cologne. Wow, he smelled amazing. It was somewhat distracting. He was sweet, spicy, and intoxicating. I took a deep breath. (Focus, Sam. You relish in making boys cry at pool.)

  “Something wrong?” he said right in my ear. I was going to kill him.

  “Uh,” I tried to collect my thoughts. “I am just aiming.” Damn. I took the shot and fortunately, it went in. “Ha! In your face!” Yeah, I was a sore loser, too.

  “Whatever. I want a rematch. I was dist
racted.” He was distracted? Ha!

  “Uh huh, by what?”

  “You.” He took a step even closer. He was doing the whole gazing at me thing. Panic set in. I stepped back.

  “I’m going to get another drink. Want one?”

  “Sure.” He looked disappointed. I felt bad but I originally went on this date as a favor to Trinity and, unlike the guys in the past, I was starting to genuinely like Danny. I got the drinks and headed back to the table. Danny was talking to someone when I got there. “Hey, Sam, this is my brother, Tim.” I stared at him for a minute, speechless. Yes, it was that Tim.

  “Brother?” I asked. I nearly dropped the drinks. Really? What were the odds? Was fate against me?

  “Step brother but he was only three when our parents got married, and then divorced five years later, but we’ve always been really close,” Tim explained.

  “I’m confused. I thought your parents were together.”

  “They are now. They got back together awhile after my mom and Danny’s dad got divorced.”

  “Interesting. And you own this place?” I asked

  “Kind of. Austin, my best friend from way back, wanted to start the business and needed some financial help. I like pool so I figured why not.”

  “I see.”

  “Well, I don’t.” It was at that moment that I realized we were both totally ignoring Danny and the very confused look on his face. “You two know each other?”

  “Yeah, we work at the same school,” Tim said. “And we’ve hung out a few times.”

  “Oh,” he shot Tim a look. I was an only child. I clearly just missed something important because Tim said he had to go.