by Andra Lake
My fellow herbivores scattered, some finding places to hide, others taking off deeper into the forest. I looked down at myself and sighed. If I’d known hiding in a forest was on the agenda, I wouldn’t have worn a white shirt. It was going to be pretty damn hard not to stand out unless I climbed a tree. To my surprise, someone to my right was doing just that.
I started jogging to the right, not knowing where it would lead me or what my plan was. Close to the bottom of the mountain, I found a large, fallen log and jumped behind it. The ground was lower there, offering me more coverage than I’d expected. If I pressed my body close to the ground, I could even peer under the log and see what was coming.
About five minutes passed where nothing happened. My breathing grew louder as the anticipation grew. There was no sign of anyone. Had I passed the boundary? Just as I was about to stand up, I heard a yell and then the thudding of distant footsteps on the forest floor. Two guys raced past not ten feet from me. The chaser saw me and did a double-take, and for a moment I thought he might stop and go for me—easy prey. Luckily, he looked forward again kept running.
Relieved, I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I saw her. A female face was watching me about twenty feet away. My breath hitched and for a moment, I wondered if she was another hiding herbivore like me. She looked large-eyed like me. Just as I was about to offer a smile, she jumped to her feet and came barreling toward me.
I ran.
I didn’t pay attention to where I was going, I only ran. I leapt over fallen branches, twisted through trees, the wind whipping in my ears. The footsteps behind me grew louder, more forceful, and I pushed harder. But still the footsteps continued behind me. I was a strong runner, stronger than the average female—how had I not lost her already? The air seemed to shift and I could feel someone’s fingers reaching out behind my neck, stretching out to tag me...
Then I tripped on a root, tumbling in a somersault along the path and onto the grass, my left shoulder hitting the ground hard. The person chasing me cried out and then strong hands rolled me over onto my back. Cursing, I grabbed at my winded stomach.
Sunlight shining through the tops of the trees blinded me so that all I could see was a silhouetted face above me. I tried to push up but a hand on my shoulder held me down.
“Don’t move, Lex. Are you hurt?”
I tensed. It wasn’t the girl that had spotted me. It was a guy.
I moved my head slightly and my view shifted. Now I could see him, that dark hair across his forehead and those bright green eyes looking down at me and filled with worry. Ian Crawford was kneeling beside me, one hand on my shoulder and the other on my left thigh.
“I’m okay,” I said, catching my breath. “I feel fine, except that I was supposed to be a carnivore.”
“So you picked up on that.” He grinned down at me, his eyes twinkling. “Why didn’t you call me out?”
“It didn’t really matter until I was getting chased through the forest. Why did you do it?”
“Because…” His gaze moved from my eyes to my lips, his eyes darkening. “I wanted to catch you.”
I inhaled harshly, my heartbeat ratcheting up a few levels. Ian was still looking at my lips. As he did so, his tongue licked his own bottom lip, wetting it.
I sat up quickly, forcing him to sit back on his haunches.
“Take it easy for a minute,” he said, looking up at me from the ground. “That was a bad fall.”
“I’m okay.” I paced around with my hands on my hips. “It didn’t hurt really.”
A branch cracked loudly and Ian jumped to his feet. About fifty feet away, a girl was chasing a guy—another poor herbivore. The guy raced past us but the girl stopped. She was another RC wearing the telltale red sweatshirt.
“Everything okay?” she asked Ian breathlessly.
“She tripped. I’m going to take her in and make sure she’s okay.”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I tripped but nothing’s hurt.”
“I think we should take a break,” Ian said, giving me a look I didn’t understand. “I’ll buy you a coffee or hot chocolate. It’s the least I can do after tripping you.”
The girl rolled her eyes and took off again.
I bit my lip. “Thanks, but I’d rather play the game with everyone else.”
His eyebrows shot up like he hadn’t expected that response. “I’m studying Medicine. Well, premed. It would be irresponsible of me to let you play again.”
Now I was just annoyed. Sure I wouldn’t exactly say I’d been having fun, but I didn’t need to be treated like a charity case and dropout either. Plus I somehow doubted his intentions were honorable.
“Thank you for your recommendation, doctor, but I’m going to return to the game now. I don’t need special treatment. Or maybe you’re just looking for an excuse to quit yourself?”
“Very well, we can follow the rules.” Ian shrugged, but his jaw was tight. He wiped his hand on his jeans and then casually inspected his nails. “But I caught you, which means...you’re dead.”
My mouth fell open. “So what—I’m out of the game?”
“’Fraid so.” Still looking at his nails.
“Fine.” I stomped away in the direction of the field. He didn’t call out or follow me, and I didn’t expect him to. Somehow I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and see if he was still there.
When I reached the edge of the field, it became apparent that more than half of the herbivores had been caught. They all sat or stood in a group in the spot where we’d started, their orange fabric wrapped around their heads, waists or arms. Beside them was a group of omnivores in green. Funny how the two groups remained segregated even after the game was over.
I spotted Carly and went to her.
“Do we have to stick around?” I demanded, still fuming.
“I think so.”
“Good.” I stomped past her. “Then I’m leaving.”
Chapter Two
Instead of going back to residence, I decided to explore campus. The bookstore was amazing—all shiny and new with multiple floors to explore—and had an immediate calming effect on me. On the bottom floor, I found nerd heaven: shelves and shelves of textbooks organized by subject and course number. One of the classes I was most excited about was A History of Music. It was a full year course and I still couldn’t believe that it actually counted toward my degree! How cool was it going to be to learn about all the artists I loved and admired? I bought the books my professors had chosen and carried them back to residence, where I immediately sprawled on my bed to read.
A few hours later, Melissa came home and told me that following the game, everyone had returned to the Quad where they served drinks and snacks. I couldn’t help but wonder if Ian had noticed I wasn’t around. He’d probably find it amusing that I left in a fit.
“Why did you take off anyway?” Melissa asked. “Carly said you were in a pissy mood.”
Before I could respond, a guy appeared in our doorway, startling us both. He had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes and was wearing a skateboarding T-shirt. “Hey girls, I’m Kent.”
“Hey Kent,” Melissa responded quickly. “I’m Melissa and this is Alexis.”
“Cool. I live on the top floor. Some of us are going around collecting requests for a liquor run. Gonna be a party in the lounge tonight.”
“Nice! I want a bottle of Vodka,” Melissa said and Kent lifted his cell to type in the order. “Anything you can get with this.” She passed him a wad of bills.
“No prob. And you?” He turned to me expectantly.
“Um...” I had no idea what to ask for. I hadn’t gone to many parties in High School. So I pretended to think. “What do I feel like...”
He smiled kindly. “How about I just get you one of those 4 packs of coolers girls like? Ten bucks should cover it.”
“Sounds good.” I pulled a tenner out of my purse and handed it to him.
“Cool, we’ll bring all the alcohol to the lounge at
9. See you then.”
But we didn’t need to wait until 9. By 8 the guys had already cracked their beers and were pumping music so loudly, we could hear it on the fourth floor. The girls down the hall started coming out of their rooms and Melissa and Carly grew antsy to join the party before someone grabbed their drinks. I knocked on Lena’s door but no one answered, so I followed everyone down.
The lounge was a modern and very basic rectangular room with a wall-mounted television on one wall, a window on the wall beside it, and a kitchen with cabinets that spanned the other two. The sink was filled with ice and beer and the unopened alcohol was sitting on the counter.
“I got these for you,” Kent said and passed me a 4pack of Smirnoff Ice.
“Oh sweet. Thanks.”
He pulled out a bottle and opened it before handing it to me. “So what degree are you working toward?”
“Bachelor of Arts. You?”
“Engineering.”
“Cool. What kind of Engineering?”
“Civil.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Not sure yet.”
He didn’t return the question. Instead, he started looking around the room, most likely checking the girls out. Or else I’d just bored him that much. No one wanted to talk about school at a party.
I looked around for Carly or Melissa, but I couldn’t spot any of them in the crowd, which seemed to have grown in the few minutes since we’d arrived. And not all of the people were from our building. There was a girl sitting alone on the couch. Grabbing a second drink, I made my way over and sat down.
“Hey, I’m Alexis.”
“I’m Jess,” she said softly. So softly I had to lean inappropriately close just to hear her talk.
“Would you like a drink?” I asked, holding out my second cooler.
She shook her head.
Having a conversation with her turned out to be harder than with Kent. I drilled her with questions, which also weren’t returned, and sipped my drink faster than I’d intended until I gave up and we just sat together awkwardly. I kind of wondered why she was even there. She wasn’t drinking and didn’t seem at all interested in getting to know people.
So far this party wasn’t turning out as expected.
When she excused herself and left, I felt like a real loser. Now I was that girl alone on the couch. I was about to go search the crowd for my friends, when the back of my neck prickled. Without knowing how, I knew I was being watched.
Trying to look casual, I glanced over my shoulder to see Ian standing beside two guys. He looked casual in a long sleeved grey shirt and jeans, leaning against the wall with the sole of his right foot pressed against it while he sipped his beer, staring at me. I swallowed. He was staring right at me with this intense look, almost as if he was studying me or…angry. Just as I was about the turn away, however, he raised his beer to me and gave me a small smile.
I smiled back and he pushed off the wall, started toward me. The guy he’d been talking to shot him a look that clearly said, What the fuck?
Shit. I instantly faced forward again. There was an entire room of hot girls, but no, he was coming to talk to me. What was worse, she was here now—the girl of the blowjob rumors. She was standing at the counter talking to a friend and surreptitiously glancing in Ian’s direction. Double shit. This wasn’t going to be good.
Ian lowered himself onto the couch beside me. “Are you old enough to drink, Miss Watson?”
“Are you?” I shot back.
“I started late. So yeah, I’m 21.” He smirked. “How old are you?”
I sank further into the couch. “Seventeen. Eighteen at the end of October though,” I added quickly.
He whistled under his breath. “Wow—you’re jailbait. I shouldn’t be talking to you, let alone letting you keep that drink.”
I moved my cooler away from him. “Why are you talking to me anyway?” The cooler was making me brave, and the bravery was making me stupid.
He frowned like he didn’t understand the question. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, there are a lot of hot girls here.” I scanned the room, my eyes landing on Blowjob Girl. She was still watching us. I tried to smile at her, but she looked away. “So why are you talking to me?”
He blinked at me. “Are you being serious?”
I took a sip of my drink and ended up downing the rest of it. I immediately reached for the other one at my feet and opened it. Ian raised an eyebrow, perhaps still waiting for me to respond.
“I didn’t think I was your type.”
“And what exactly do you think is my type?”
My eyes flicked back to the girl before returning to my cup. How should I answer that? I’d had too much to drink. All I knew was that I couldn’t trust him. I might be innocent, but I wasn’t naïve; reading had given me insight on a world I hadn’t yet experienced, and Ian was without a doubt someone I shouldn’t be mixing with.
So I listed attributes opposite to my own.
“Tall, blonde, and actually has boobs. Maybe tanned too.” I was pretty pale.
He laughed loudly and a number of heads turned to look at us, the females casting us dirty looks. A blush spread over my cheeks and I focused on drinking. Smirnoff Ice was actually pretty good.
“I get it. You’re trying to turn me down.”
I glanced back at him, surprised. Had I been that obvious?
“But for the record,” he twisted in his seat and leaned in, speaking softly, “I like your look. The busty, plastic woman look just doesn’t do it for me. You’re delicate and I like that. It reminds me of a ballerina.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “Except I suck at ballet.”
He grinned. “I didn’t say you were a ballerina, I said you remind me of one. In fact, I think you should dress as one for Halloween. That would be perfect.” He stood then. “Anyway, I know when I’m being brushed off. Have good night, Lex Watson.”
With that, he disappeared into the crowd.
Before I could leave too, Blowjob Girl was standing above me. God, I really had to learn her actual name. Maybe now was my chance.
“Hey, I’m Alexis. Lex,” I corrected. “What’s your name?’
Her scowl melted away and she sighed, sank down beside me on the couch. She didn’t look at me when she answered but stared straight forward. “Vanessa.”
“Nice to meet you.” What an awkward thing to say. What an awkward situation.
“So, I’m sure you heard about me,” she said softly. She was still staring forward. I could see the tightness of her features, the way her jaw clenched as she waited for me to respond. I couldn’t lie.
“I have.”
She looked at me then, smiling with something like appreciation. “Finally someone who will just tell me the truth.”
“Why is it such a big deal anyway?” I asked. “There must be tons of stories like that. This is college.”
“Because it’s him,” she said miserably. “I did something stupid. We were all drinking and dancing and somehow...somehow it happened. But if it had happened with any other guy, I would have been fine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, look at him, for one thing. Every chick wants him and is more than willing to spread shit about anyone else that gets with him. Plus, you do know who he is, don’t you?”
I shook my head, feeling dizzy and slow. Probably time to slow down on the coolers.
“Ian Crawford? During his High School years he was a model, traveled to New York and Europe to do covers for Gucci and big names like that. Did some TV shows too, I guess. Now he’s taking Medicine because he doesn’t want to make a living off his looks or something like that. He wants to be a regular person.”
“Wow that’s pretty cool.” I winced inwardly. She didn’t want to hear he was cool.
She sighed. “Yes, you hear that kind of thing and think hey, this is a guy of decent character—until he has you on your knees in front of a toilet.”
/> Well that answered that question. I tilted my cooler back, draining the second bottle.
“Anyway, he doesn’t tell people about his past, but the rumors still circulate. I asked him about them and they’re all true. I guess he’s from an incredibly wealthy family and his mother wants him to act in Hollywood.”
Huh. “Does he like acting?”
“I have no idea. If I had those looks, I would be all over the idea. Who turns down going to Hollywood when their parents can probably buy their way into an audition?”
It was a good point. Someone with a lot of money and little desire to actually work, or someone who didn’t want to be famous and hoped to live under the radar. Somehow I suspected the latter. People didn’t generally take microbiology for the fun of it.
Beside me, Vanessa picked at the hem of her skirt. “I just wish I hadn’t screwed myself over on the first day. Who does that?”
“People will forget about it,” I assured her. “Some other scandal will seem bigger and better and soon everyone will forget all about you.”
She sighed. “I guess that’s my only other option, right? To be forgotten.”
Now I had no idea what to say. All I knew is that I wasn’t in the condition to therapize her, if that was even a word.
I stood and made an excuse about getting another drink.
I had two coolers left out of my 4 pack, which were surprisingly still in the box on the counter. I pulled one out just as Carly approached.
“Did you see Ian was here for a bit?” she sidled up to me and whispered. “It’s so cool that he isn’t writing us all up for drinking.”
“He left?” I asked, using the sleeve of my sweater to open my drink.
“Yeah. Well he can’t really stick around and condone this, can he? He had to leave the building so he could claim he didn’t know it was happening.”
“Won’t he get in trouble anyway?” For some reason, this screw top was proving harder than all the other drinks.