by Laurie Lyons
The foyer was a wide-open tiled space. The building itself was much older but renovations in the late 60s resulted in an avocado and orange décor that was painful at times to look at. There was a huge set of locked double doors on the one side that led to the cafeteria. All the dorms used the same cafeteria and were connected in a star pattern around it. There was a small convenience store that was connected to the cafeteria for any emergency items the students needed. Each dorm had a small coffee shop like the one Lucy and Nathaniel just left. Lucy walked to the bottom of the huge staircase that went up to the girl's dorm rooms. Each girl in the four-floored building had her own room but shared a bathroom on each level. Nathaniel had his hands in his jeans' pocket.
He motioned to the stairs with his elbow, "Is this where you live?"
"Yup!" Lucy smiled. "On the fourth floor, it's pretty fancy hey?" she added sarcastically. He laughed. "Where do you live?" she asked boldly expecting another rebuff. Instead he paused and thought for a moment.
Then Nathaniel smiled to himself, looked her in the eye and said with all sincerity, "I promise to show you one day." Any other time, any other guy and that would sound creepy and a little strange. At that moment however, in that space, it felt like a real promise. Lucy would get her answers but not today and suddenly she felt like he was worth the wait. She just nodded her head- she didn't want to speak, she couldn't think of a thing to say.
Nathaniel reached out and with a slightly curved hand, ran the back of his fingers down Lucy's cheek. Her face warmed instantly with his touch. A tingle spread from his fingers to her skin and up to her hairline. Lucy felt a shiver go down the back of her neck to her shoulders and arms and goose bumps erupted on her skin. It was such a wonderful feeling that she had to will herself to not lean into his hand and rub against him like a cat. Nathaniel let his had drop but the feeling still lingered for a moment.
"Goodnight Lucy," he whispered.
"Goodnight," she managed to utter while still reeling from his touch. He turned and walked to the door. When his hand touched the handle, Lucy snapped out of her reverie.
"Where are you going now?" she almost yelled in desperation.
Nathaniel stopped, turned back towards her and smiled. "That Lucy, I don't know", he said and walked out the door. Lucy stood alone in the foyer struggling with her urge to run after him. The foyer felt cold and vacant with Nathaniel gone. She turned finally to walk up the stairs to her room, tripping a couple of times because she kept glancing back at the door to see if Nathaniel would come back.
Chapter Two
Crazy
"If we weren't all crazy, we'd just go insane.
~ Jimmy Buffett
Lucy's alarm exploded into her head promptly at eight the next morning. She was never one to linger in the morning and was usually eager to start a new day. Today however she turned off the alarm and didn't get out of bed - instead, she stretched and settled back on her pillow. Sighing, Lucy looked around her room. It was the standard issue single dorm room - a twelve by ten square space. Lucy lay in her futon bed that doubled as a couch during the day. There were two end tables that were constantly littered with coffee cups, her phone and keys. Along the opposite wall were two bookshelves filled to the brim with books except for one shelf that held a small TV. In between the shelves was her desk and computer. The far wall from the door had a large window that opened but was covered in a grate to prevent any college pranks or final exam depression jumps. In one corner was an impossibly small closet and beside the door was another petite bookshelf that held bags for every occasion. Lucy was a bit of a bag hoarder and had a bag for the shower, a bag for makeup, a bag for school, a bag for work and a bag for going out.
While lying sleepily in her bed, Lucy's thoughts immediately went to Nathaniel. Her photographic memory allowed her to recall his face in detail – devoid of any opinions and thoughts that confuse most people's memories. She stared at an image of him in her head. She studied every line and curve of his features until she came to the ultimate conclusion that his face was perfect. There wasn't one flaw to it at all. She wondered if she would see him today. Would she "bump" into him again? Mulbridge was not the biggest University in Illinois but the chances of running into Nathaniel again was slim to none - especially since he didn't even go to the school.
What if she didn't run into him though? What if she never saw him again? Something close to panic invaded her thoughts. What would she do? Lucy had to admit that this was a strong reaction to have towards a basic stranger. He was so amazing though that Lucy had a hard time getting him out of her head. Her thoughts were interrupted when she glanced at the clock and realized that now she was late.
Lucy leapt out of bed, grabbed her makeup bag off her shelf and ran out the door and down the hall to the communal bathroom. When Lucy opened the door she was assaulted with steam, smells of hair products and loud female chatter. She smiled. This was the way she started her day. Having missed the morning rush, there were only two girls in the process of getting ready. One of the four showers was running full force with billows of steam pouring above the stall. The other girl was at the sinks, her hefty makeup bag propped on the tiny shelf below the mirror.
"Hey Lucy!" yelled the one at the sink. She was petite with iridescent blond hair, big eyes, and a bright smile. She was applying mascara with a heavy hand. Her name was Paige Marston but she usually introduced herself as, 'The Trouble from Tennessee'. Paige loved the fact that she had the exact same measurements as Marilyn Monroe and worked every inch of it.
"Hey Paige," Lucy replied smiling. There was another yell from the shower.
"Morning Lucy!" Lucy recognized the soft soothing voice of Suzanne Upton. Originally from Maine, Suzanne was tall and so thin she looked as though she would blow away at any moment. In fact, everything about her was thin; her legs, her neck, her hair and her lips. Her voice was especially thin as Suzanne was painfully shy but little by little as the year had passed she had opened up to her dorm mates.
"Hey! Suzie Q!" Lucy yelled back over the shower sounds. She grabbed a spot beside Paige at the communal mirror, "What's the story ladies?"
"Paige has decided that the boys are having a party tomorrow night." Suzanne's voice floated smoothly from the shower. Lucy pulled her soap out of her bag and started washing her face.
"You decided?" Lucy glanced at Paige while throwing water on her face. Paige grinned mischievously. Lucy dried her face and pulled out her toothbrush and manically began brushing her teeth.
"She's decided that Nick will today decide to have a party tomorrow night," Suzanne explained, as her long neck stretched over the top of the stall. Paige and Nick had been dating since September and were deeply in love.
"It's been too long since we had one" Paige explained while shamelessly adjusting her cleavage. "I simply have to plant the idea."
"Inception!" Lucy yelled with her mouth full of water in the sink.
"Do you think that Simon will be there?" Suzanne asked with her innocent eyes wide. Suzanne had an immense crush on Simon MacFarlane but was so shy she could barely do anything about it. She had been dropping vague hints since September but so far she hadn't gotten anywhere with the equally introverted Simon.
"Yes sweetie," Paige said lightly, "Since Nick and Simon are best friends and roommates, I think we will see Simon at the party."
"It would certainly be awkward if he wasn't invited," Lucy grinned and then whispered to Paige, "Can you talk to Nick to talk to Simon. Make this," she motioned he head towards Suzanne's shower, "happen? She's dying inside." Paige grinned back and nodded.
"Nick isn't a problem," Paige said loudly while glancing meaningfully at her rear end in the mirror, "it's the pit bull I can't figure out." The girls knew whom she meant. Markus was Nick's resident advisor and the senior took his job far too seriously. Dorm rules stated that; no more than five students may be in a room at one time, students of the opposite sex were prohibited past ten o'clock at night and loud music was not all
owed at any time day or night. However, most RA's were lenient, remembering what it was like when they were freshmen. The girl's RA Vanessa was a ghost that simply yelled from behind her door. Lucy didn't even know what Vanessa majored in. Her lack of attention suited the girls well. All eight on the floor had adjusted reasonably well to college life - none were failing, pregnant or anorexic and that made Vanessa's life easy.
Markus however enjoyed patrolling the hallways at all hours monitoring his jurisdiction. He carried his cricket bat on his shoulder and would knock on doors and yell things like, "Ladies it's ten o'clock time to get your beauty sleep!" or, "That music is too loud; I don't want to write a report now!" It was unfortunate because the girls liked hanging out at the boy's dorm. The boys shared two to an apartment and because of that had living rooms, small kitchenettes and more room.
"Can your drug him Suzanne?" Paige asked almost too seriously. Lucy giggled.
"Sorry, freshman nursing student here," Suzanne said as she got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, "No narcotics until I am a senior."
"Well, we can't wait that long now can we?" Paige stamped her bare foot in protest. Lucy had finished her teeth, brushed her hair and was finishing up her makeup with some mascara.
"Markus signed up for the charity row-a-thon tomorrow," Lucy piped in.
"How long does a row-a-thon go?" Paige asked.
"24 hours," Lucy replied. "It starts at four and goes all night and the next day in the gym."
"How did you manage to find that out?" Suzanne asked.
"I read it on the notice board outside the student's union office last month."
"Girl?" Paige grinned at her down the length of the mirror, "You and that memory of yours are a life saver. What would we do without you?"
"Everyone needs a Lucy," Lucy replied grinning, "I have to go, I'm late." She started throwing stuff back into her bag.
"Can you come tomorrow night?" Paige asked, "You don't have plans or anything do you?" Lucy paused. Did she have plans? Tonight? Tomorrow night? She pictured Nathaniel's face again. She shook her head to clear it. This was getting ridiculous.
"I'll be there!" she said heading for the door.
"Don't you have poetry at nine?" Suzanne asked while applying lip balm – her only choice of adornment. "Poetry" came out as "O - e - ty"
"Yes," Lucy rolled her eyes while pulling open the door, "on the other side of campus. I am so late."
She took off through the door and heard Paige yell, "Have a nice run!"
"Thanks!" Lucy yelled halfway to her room.
Once in her dorm room, Lucy threw on her jeans and a t-shirt and took a quick look at herself in the full length mirror on the backside of the door. Her jeans were tighter than her mother would like but in Lucy's opinion, they were just right. On Lucy's feet were the best shoes ever invented, converse sneakers. Lucy loved her strappy sandals and pretty clothes as much as the next girl but for day to day it was jeans, hoodies and converse. Lucy was pretty, or so she had been told but she had never been the high maintenance girl with fake nails and dyed hair. She felt it took far too much work. Her own red curls appeared wild at times but really, so was Lucy so it suited her.
Nodding at her refection, Lucy grabbed a hoodie and her book bag from the floor and blasted back into the hallway and down the stairs two at a time. There was no time for the cafeteria so Lucy headed to the café she and Nathaniel had sat in the night before. She glanced around the packed tables thinking he might be there. Do you honestly think that he sat here all night waiting for you? She chided herself. She didn't look at her watch, she knew she didn't have time to make this stop but there was always time for coffee.
Lucy grabbed a donut and a large coffee. While waiting in line she mixed in her cream and sugars and ate half her donut. When she got to the front of the line she recognized the same greasy clerk from the night before. She half smiled and held up the coffee and half donut for him to see. She tossed the five-dollar bill down that she had been pinching between two fingers.
"Only one coffee today eh?" the clerk asked while handing her the change. Lucy put down her coffee to shove the change in her pocket.
"Um ya," she replied confused. Before she could say anything else he had moved on to the next girl in line. Lucy shrugged and headed to the door. As she stepped out into the bright quad, she was immediately in a crowd of students. There seemed to be something interesting among the trees in front of the dorm. Lucy thought back to the Pagoda Dogwood leaf from last night and was immediately interested too.
"What's going on?" she asked a male student who was much taller than she.
"The flowers," the student answered in a slightly vague tone. He seemed completely hypnotized by the situation. Since she seemed to be getting no more information this way, Lucy pushed her way to the front and immediately, she knew why the guy had seemed hypnotized. Around each tree in the quad were vines of thousands of colorful flowers. Instead of the strong deep brown trunks, the quad was alight in a rainbow of blooms. There had not been flowers there the day before, or ever for that matter. It was both mystifying and deeply beautiful. Nearby, members of the gardening crew stood shaking their heads dumbfounded.
"Grew up overnight I tell ya," one was saying to another, "in all my years I never seen anything like it."
To think that this had anything to do with Nathaniel was beyond foolish but Lucy could not help but wonder if the two things were related. Shaking her head to dismiss such silliness, Lucy looked at her watch as she moved back through the crowd and cursed out loud. She only had four minutes to make it to poetry. She shoved the rest of her donut in her mouth, took a long swig of her coffee so it wouldn't spill through the lid holes and took off at a dead run.
Lucy made it to poetry just in time to hear Dr. Lewis call, "All right people lets settle down now." She was out of breath but celebrated the fact that hadn't split one drop of coffee. She took a spot in the back and pulled out her poetry anthology, a notepad and a pen. The book was just for show but the notepad was a necessity. Dr. Lewis had a habit of not using the board to write things down. This irritated Lucy because then she actually had to watch him while he said it or listen and write it down in order for her photographic memory to capture it. At 9 a.m. this was a challenge. The class was an average fifty students; big enough so most students could remain anonymous but small enough for the keen students to shine. Lucy preferred to stay anonymous. There were no marks for class participation and Lucy really only cared about the marks.
Although Lucy was proud of her gift, she knew it often made other people feel dumb. She didn't like that. She also didn't like the awkward and incessant questions that came with it. One guy in her last semester had asked her in all seriousness if she could see the future. Lucy had replied that she in fact could see the future and he was going to be a moron for the rest of his life. Nope, she was fine with being anonymous, especially first thing in the morning.
Dr. Lewis was starting a new poem; "Ulysses" by Tennyson. Lucy flipped open her book to the appropriate page but didn't look at it. She watched as the other students began scanning the page with fervor. The good thing about poetry especially for English majors was the low reading requirements. Students didn't have to stay up all night reading a novel that was up for discussion the next day. Poems were generally short and could be perused quickly at the beginning of class. "Ulysses" was a longer poem, coming in at a mean seventy lines but most students had gotten the gist by the time Lewis cleared his throat to begin. Lucy opened her mind to her personal library, found the appropriate volume, flipped through it and immediately had the entire verse splayed out in her head. She also opened up any reference materials she had read about the poem in case Lewis decided to branch out. She picked up her pen and took notes dutifully for fifty minutes.
As Dr. Lewis dismissed them, Lucy looked at the clock and her heart sank. It was 10 a.m. which meant her science option and she despised science. Science was the one field that highlighted Lu
cy's weaknesses. Lucy didn't like highlighting her weaknesses. She had never excelled at the sciences, she never cared that a neuron was there, if she couldn't see it, what's the point in talking about it? It never made any sense to her. However, the University insisted upon yearly science options for English and History majors and despite Dr Hannon's good connections and chocolates delivered to the registrar, Lucy was still stuck with Chemistry 101.
It was the option that all the Fine Arts students took because it was purportedly the easiest – coined "scopes for dopes" by the Freshman Class. Lucy wholeheartedly disagreed. She could memorize what happened in each experiment but the problem was that each experiment ended slightly differently. Even if they used the same materials, in the same quantities, it still had a somewhat different result. How could Lucy use her memory when there was no predictor of behavior?
It was so infuriating and her lab partner Janielle just made it worse. Janielle was not your typical science geek. For one, she was beautiful – with layered shoulder length hair professionally died every two weeks, fake nails, fake boobs, a great figure and a tan that could only be bought. Not only did she spell her name with a superfluous vowel (the "I") she claimed her parents had chosen that spelling. No parent consciously intends for her child to spend her life saying, "My name is Janielle, with an I" and have the rest of the world ask, "where?" In addition to her stupid name choice, Janielle had a mean streak to her and her favorite pastime was making Lucy look stupid. It was one thing to be smart, but it was another to be a self-righteous snit about it.
There was more than one instance where Janielle would puff out her fake chest pout her lips and gasp, "oh Luceeee, what HAVE you done?" and Lucy would have to restrain herself from punching Janielle in the throat. Janielle was completely useless at all other subjects and especially at the challenges of life and yet, could predict the outcome of an experiment with unfailing accuracy. Lucy dreaded these ninety minute-long torture labs and as she stepped out into the quad she silently pleaded for a miracle.