by Mary Frame
The next day is Monday. Jensen has classes all day, and I spend the day staring blankly at my computer screen, still unable to reach the idea from the recesses of my mind for a viable experiment. Since sitting around doesn’t seem to be effective, I decide to take a walk, hoping the increased blood flow and moving through the chilled air will shake something loose in my mind.
I’m heading home, still no closer to an idea, when my phone rings.
“Hey!” Freya yells into my ear. “What are you doing?” Her voice is a little anxious.
“Walking home from the lab. You?”
It sounds like she’s outside. “I’m just now leaving the law library. Had a study group. Listen, I have to talk to you, can you meet me now?”
“I’m almost home and you’re on the other side of campus. Are you okay? Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she says quickly. “It’s just…ah…dammit.” She pauses and huffs out a breath. “I didn’t want to tell you this on the phone, but I saw Jensen with another girl,” she says the last four words quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid.
I stop walking and watch my breath come out in puffs in front of my face for a second. “So?” I ask. “He’s allowed to hang out with people other than me, Freya. I don’t expect him not to have other girls in his life who are friends. In fact, I’ve met some of his friends that are girls.”
“It’s not like that,” she says. “I saw him hugging a girl. And they were pressed pretty close together and it seemed a bit more than friendly.” She sighs. “I just had to tell you. I know you and Jensen haven’t talked about being exclusive and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t,” I say.
“How do you know?”
“What did she look like?” I ask.
“Blonde, legs up to here, basically your perfect bitch.”
That sounds like Candice.
“That sounds like a girl I know he’s friends with,” I say.
“Okay, that’s not all I have to tell you.” Her voice is pained. “They walked off together and I sort of followed them.”
“Freya!”
“I know, I know, but I couldn’t help it. And…they went back to his place.”
I’m not surprised. Jensen texted earlier and he had mentioned working on Candice’s piece in between classes. I am surprised Freya took the time to follow him on my behalf. It’s actually sort of sweet, in a terribly misplaced way.
Freya is still speaking. “I don’t know how long they were in there together,” she says. “I had to go because mob boss guy caught me hiding in the bushes, but it was longer than twenty minutes for sure.”
“Does mob boss guy have an actual name?”
“Yeah. I think it’s like, Dean, or something. He has this awful habit of catching me at my worst. My ass was literally sticking up and out of this bush when he came up behind me. At first, all I saw was his feet, then when I tried to back out, my hair got caught on a branch. He had to help me get untangled, and by the time that was finished, I had to run to get to my criminal law class.”
“I think he likes you,” I say. Why else would he stop and help her?
“What? No. He definitely does not like me. He’s perpetually grumpy in my presence and he thinks I’m a dumbass.”
“How do you know what he thinks?”
“You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I had criminal law! He was all, ‘Isn’t that a little advanced for you?’ I almost decked him and then…wait! You’re trying to change the subject and deflect attention from Jensen, but it won’t work with me, missy.”
“Freya,” I say. “It’s okay. They didn’t do anything.”
“How do you know?”
“I can’t tell you. I just do.”
“Listen, Lucy, no one disputes that you’re a genius, but when it comes to stuff like this, you have to trust me. This guy is no good. And yeah, I mean, he’s really hot and everything, but he’s obviously damaged from what happened with Chloe and he’s using this time to take advantage of you and who knows how many other girls.”
“Freya, I know they didn’t do anything.”
“How can you possibly know that? You weren’t there.” She lets out an angry groan. “I can’t believe that guy, acting all sweet and shit and the whole time he’s totally playing you. Well, he’s going to pay, believe you me.”
“Freya, no,” I say. I know exactly what she’s thinking. “You cannot hire your mob boss guy to beat up Jensen, I won’t let you.”
“You can’t stop me! Maybe I can get him to make a recorded confession, that way you’ll believe me.”
“Freya!” I sigh. I’m standing on the sidewalk alone. The campus is empty this late at night. I have visions of Jensen strapped to a chair and being coerced into a fake confession. “You know, a confession received under duress isn’t admissible in court.”
“Duh,” Freya says. “But this is for your own good. And trust me, once you realize what an ass he is, you’ll be glad of the bloodshed. Imagine him writhing in pain. It’s not much, but it will keep you happy on those cold, lonely nights.”
I run through my options in my head. I could continue to impress upon her that her proposed actions are unnecessary, but knowing Freya, that won’t make much of a difference. Likely she needs something like this to latch onto to help divert her thoughts from the horrible experiences she had with Cameron.
“Listen, Freya,” I say, finally. “If I tell you something, you have to promise not to repeat it to anyone.”
“What are you talking about?”
Quickly, I tell her about Jensen’s art, how Candice is involved, and how his dad would react if he found out. I realize while I’m telling her that I’ll have to let Jensen know I’ve spilled. He asked me not to say anything, but surely, once I explain what Freya saw and how she was going to have him maimed in some way, he will understand.
When I finish, Freya is silent. All I hear is her breathing down the line and then, “Holy shit.”
“Something to that effect, yes.”
“Wow. I can’t believe it. Man, I am so glad I was wrong about him! And don’t worry, I won’t say anything to anyone, I swear to god! I’m really happy that you’re happy. And that I don’t have to have him beat up now.”
I laugh a little. “Me too.”
“You should really have the talk with him. Tonight. Get it all out there, make sure he knows you’re together and exclusive and all that stuff.”
“I don’t know,” I say, mostly because I’m not really sure what such a talk would entail.
“You should initiate it!” Freya bursts out.
“What do I say?”
“Do it in your socially awkward, confusing way. He seems to like that.”
“Okay.”
We hang up and quicken my pace to get home. My mind has already moved ten steps ahead, and I nervously focus on the night ahead and the talk. I have no idea what I’m going to say, but that’s never stopped me before.
Chapter Twenty-One
You'll never forget your first lover so try to make it someone you won't regret thinking about.
–Dr. Ruth