Carnelian

by B. Kristin McMichael

  Sitting surrounded by excited college students, my nervousness faded a bit. The game went exactly as Ty predicted. He was the standout freshman that everyone was cheering for, beyond the star quarterback, Seth. Their names were repeated enough times, I would be dreaming about them playing football that night. By the time the game ended, I was ready to meet up with Ty and get that pizza he promised. The crowd thinned as we waited down by the field as Ty had instructed us to. I tried to get some of Sim’s excitement that we were going to the team after party, but I my nerves were coming back full force. People milled around us as they waited. I tried not to look at all the waiting faces, but I couldn’t help it. Would the ex-girlfriend show up for Seth? I didn’t see Melissa waiting around, but she had to be somewhere. From what Ty explained, she wasn’t about to give up on Seth.

  Ty was amazingly quick at changing and was one of the first guys out of the locker room. My nerves were just about shot, but walking away from the crowd helped a lot. Ty held an arm out for each of us. We were off to the pizza joint with Ty and away from all the fawning girls, waiting for football players.

  Surprisingly, the pizza place was already packed by the time we got there. Not many players had arrived, but tons of other people filled the place. Ty walked through the front door, not even waiting for the person to ask his name. Toward the back, he found a table, and we slid in while he stood and shook the hands of the people congratulating him. After fifteen minutes, he was finally free.

  “I’ll get that pizza I promised.” Ty winked at me before walking away.

  “You didn’t seriously come for just pizza?” Sim asked. She stared around at the people milling about in awe. She obviously recognized faces that I had no clue about. I didn’t come from a sports family, and was even more removed just from not being from the area. Everyone around here seemed to know the players by name.

  “Um, yes,” I answered. Sim swatted at me from across the table.

  “You didn’t seriously just say that.”

  “Yes?” I replied.

  Ty joined us at the table and sat next to Sim, leaving an open chair beside me. I didn’t think anything of it until I saw who was following Ty not too far behind, Seth. Seth joined our table and sat beside me. Behind him, Melissa followed like a puppy dog trying to get someone’s attention. I watched, and Ty was right. The girl was more desperate than anything. Her shirt was as low cut as could be to still get through the doorway and not be sent away for indecency and her shorts barely, just barely, covered her butt. Personally, I thought she was crazy as I was in jeans and a t-shirt. It was cold outside. It may be fall, but here fall included cool weather.

  “Great game, guys,” Sim complimented the boys, and they both grinned. Obviously, they like being told that.

  Melissa stood at our table as Seth sat. She didn’t look at any of us but Seth, as if she was waiting for him to finish up and join her.

  “It was a good game except that missed catch by Dee in the second quarter,” Ty replied.

  “Hey, that wasn’t my fault,” Dee complained, joining the table by standing beside Melissa. She didn’t even notice him, but he surely noticed her as he stood beside her with a good angle to stare down her top.

  “It wasn’t mine,” Seth replied. “The ball was exactly where I said it would be.” Seth didn’t even notice Melissa as she impatiently waited for him. “Did you enjoy the game?” Seth asked me. He waited for my answer nervously. How was I to respond? I wasn’t much into football, but it was fun. Did I really want to admit that to Seth?

  “She had a great time,” Sim replied, saving me from having to answer. I kicked Sim under the table, and she smiled sweetly at me. I wasn’t going to admit to Seth that I had a great time.

  Seth smiled widely like he was just told the best news.

  “Did you see that play in the first quarter?” he asked excitedly.

  “Sethie,” Melissa complained, keeping me from answering again. I would have thanked her later if I liked her any. “We should go see Matt and Ellen. They’re saving us a place at their table like always.”

  Seth stood and stepped a few feet away from the table with Melissa. I tried to ignore them, but it was kind of hard to. Seth said something that Melissa didn’t agree with, and she yelled back her response. Too bad the place was too full of people and noise. We didn’t get to hear what she ranted on about. I really was curious what such a shallow girl could say in response. Seth replied as he leaned closer to talk to her. She turned to glare at me over what he said. Without another word, she stomped away from Seth. He joined us back at the table.

  “Sim, do you need to go to the bathroom?” I asked, sliding out of the seat. I didn’t want to sit there next to Seth. He would make my life impossible. It’s hard enough to turn down the cute player when you don’t know him. If he truly turned Melissa away, I had lost my latest excuse to turn him down.

  “Sure,” she replied, pushing Ty to make him move. Seth frowned at our sudden departure.

  Sim hooked her arm through mine and led the way to the restroom. Once inside, Sim headed for a stall, but I really didn’t need to use the restroom. I waited for her by the sink. Another person entered, but I didn’t think much of it until Melissa appeared behind me with tears dripping down her face. She glared at me.

  “This is all your fault,” she complained to me as she washed her mascara eyes. Two more girls rushed in to care for Melissa. They dabbed her eyes and fixed her makeup as if she were their queen. “You just had to be different. Every other time he found a new girl, he always came back to me. Now he doesn’t want me around. You’re such a bitch.” My eyes widened in shock. I didn’t even know this girl.

  “I’ll see you at the table,” I called to Sim as the toilet flushed. I wasn’t staying around to hear more of what Melissa thought of me.

  I hurried back out the door, but heard Melissa following me as she continued to talk. Instead of going back to the table, I turned into the restaurant and around the corner. I watched from my dark corner as Melissa left along with her girls. She was scanning the crowd, probably looking for me. Sim followed not too far behind. I couldn’t wave down Sim without Melissa seeing, and consequently I stayed in my spot. Sim would forgive me, and I’d find my way back soon.

  As I stood in my corner, I felt the tingling in my hand start again. I guess with all the noise and vibrations from the music being played over the speakers by our table, I didn’t notice it before. But it was still there. Seth had to be close. I turned into my corner and waited. He must have been heading to the men’s bathroom. I’d just wait until he walked away to leave my spot.

  “Hiding in a dark corner isn’t exactly safe these days,” Seth said right next to my ear, making me jump at least two feet into the air. “Don’t you watch the news? There are some guys playing pranks around here and scaring girls they find alone.”

  “Would you be one of them?” I asked, though I knew the answer.

  “Are we on talking terms again?” Seth smiled. I guess it was the first time I had talked to him in a week. I clamped my mouth shut at his question. No, we were not on speaking terms. I had to remind myself mentally of seeing him kissing Melissa right after spending the evening with me.

  Seth smiled wickedly. “I guess you forgot how much you dislike me for that one moment. Doesn’t that mean something? Maybe you don’t hate me as much as you pretend to.”

  “Seth, I don’t hate you,” I replied. Forget about the ‘no talking’ part.

  “Then why are you ignoring me?” Seth answered.

  “I make it a policy to not get involved with guys that are still attached to their ex, and I don’t date guys that are seeing how many girls they can get to fall for them. Two strikes against you.” I crossed my arms in protest as he didn’t move away from me, even when I spoke with a bit of hostility. In fact, he leaned a bit closer.

  “Good thing I’m neither.” Seth balanced with one arm one side of my head.

  “Then what do you call kissing Melissa a
fter CRUSH?” He had to be delusional.

  “I didn’t kiss her,” Seth answered. “She kissed me and I told her that nothing was between us, just like I told her tonight. You’re the only girl I see.” Seth leaned in close, bringing his face close. “You’re the only girl I want.” His face was right next to mine as he whispered his last words. His breath sent chills down my arms. I couldn’t respond with anything coherent. The tingles in my hand had spread throughout my body. I ducked under his arm and used the quick moment to compose myself to intelligible words.

  “Good luck with that,” I said, hastily trying to get away.

  Seth’s arms snaked around me, keeping me from leaving as he didn’t touch me, but the wall beside me. I was trapped between his arms and he kept them lower this time to make sure I wasn’t ducking under them.

  “I don’t need luck. I know you feel it, too. There’s something between us, whether you want to admit it or not, and I intend to make you mine. Don’t forget that when you go hugging other guys.” My mouth dropped open, and he pushed it shut with one feather light finger. Seth Sangre had more confidence than every guy I had ever met combined. He leaned even closer with his face only a breath away from mine. I glanced at his lips. He was too close. He was close enough to kiss, and yes, I did want to find out what it would be like to kiss him.

  “You’ll be mine soon,” he said with a sparkle in his dark eyes.

  I spun around him, past his arm that had just been touching my face, quickly before he could kiss me as I wouldn’t be able to refuse him with the tingles growing throughout my body.

  “We’ll have to wait and see about that,” I called back to him as I hurried away and back to my table with Ty and Sim. I couldn’t help but glance back to the shadow. He stood in the dark, but I could still see him. He almost glowed slightly. His smile was brilliant as he chuckled at me making my way away from him. Something was really different with Seth Sangre, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was.

  Chapter 8

  Falling for Him

  The following week went as fast as the one before. Everything seemed the same. English class on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Art History on Tuesday and Friday. History of South America on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and Photography on Wednesday. I was finally getting into the norm with my classes, and the homework load was completely more do-able than the first week. The only difference in this week was Seth. Where I had to avoid him the previous week, it seemed he now was avoiding me. I hadn’t even seen him when I should have where our paths crossed between our classes. It was strange for him to be gone from my sight, almost like he did it knowingly. The thing was I still felt the tingling every now and then, which meant he was around, but just hiding. I had no clue how he planned to win me over when he wasn’t even around.

  By Friday I was very confused. Last week he left at least a note or two a day, and this week nothing. Maybe he was giving up after all. It would make my life easier. Seth Sangre was just a ball of confusion for me. He had equal amount of traits I liked and disliked; I think my overall opinion was actually neutral on him. He was cute. Okay, not cute… gorgeous. All the time we had spent together he was really a nice guy. I actually enjoyed being around him. Still, there was always the negative that he was a player and always going through girls. I was the next on his conquest list, which made me very nervous. I didn’t need to get my heart broken again. That was what my high school boyfriend was for. Then there was the ex-girlfriend he didn’t seem ready to completely tell off. I really didn’t want to date a guy with an ex-girlfriend still hanging around and pining for him. That would be beyond awkward. Melissa didn’t hide her dislike of me from day one, and I didn’t want to go through college looking over my shoulder for her next attack, verbally or physically.

  One more week done of college and the weekend was coming, along with another CRUSH tournament on Sunday. Since I was part of the team, I had to attend a strategy meeting when I normally have lunch between classes on Friday. I attended the meeting but didn’t say a word. The next tournament was a big capture the flag game. I had played it once at summer camp, but other than that, I had no clue to how to win it. I found out why even though Murdley dorm was for the studious students, they never won. It was like too many cooks in the kitchen. It was best to just sit silently and listen to everyone bicker on the best way to win. Every single member had their own opinion of how to do it.

  I finally made it through my classes and tutoring to be completely done for the weekend. I felt Seth snooping around during tutoring, but by the time I was done he was completely gone.

  “And Sim will be here in ten minutes.” Ty checked for the seventh time as he packed his bag.

  “In ten minutes,” I replied, shaking my head. Ty was just like a mother hen in his worry. “She said she’d meet me at six-fifteen.”

  Ty stood and waited, eyeing me over for a minute.

  “Ty, come on man,” Dee complained from the doors. He was already on his way out. “She said her friend was coming.” Ty turned to leave, but paused to look back at me. I smiled and waved, and he nodded in return. Ty was turning out to be a nice older-brother type. I always wanted an older brother.

  “If Sim doesn’t show up in fifteen minutes, call me and I’ll come back,” Ty added before following Dee out the doorway.

  I waved to him. He would have been the protective, older-brother type. I could already see it.

  I gathered my books and packed them away, taking my time as I knew Sim wouldn’t be on time. She never was. When six-fifteen came around, I took out my phone and texted Sim. She had completely forgotten and had already headed home for the night. That was my roommate. I looked back at my phone. It was almost dead… nope, it was dead. Shrugging to myself, I tucked the phone away in my bag and decided to walk to the dorms on my own.

  I crossed the road to the overhead walkway. It was already starting to get dark out. Seth told me not to walk this way alone, but what was I to do? Sim bailed on me, and if I walked the other direction, it would be completely dark by the time I made it back to the dorms with the additional twenty minute walk. I climbed the stairs to the walkway, feeling like Seth was just overreacting to the danger of the fully-enclosed, caged area. I mean, it did have a creepy factor that if you passed a bad person inside the caged walkway there would be nowhere to go, but it was empty. So why all the worry? I gave one last look to my dead cell phone. I’d have felt safer if I could talk to someone as I walked, but there was nothing I could do now. I really needed a new phone.

  I climbed the stairs up to the walkway, and it was empty as normal. Even during the day, you only saw a few students coming this way. Mainly because there was a wooded walkway path on the other side, and the small woods were a well know make-out spot. No one really wanted to see any of that PDA. I began walking through the tunnel. My heart skipped a beat as someone came from the wooded path and began to walk on the walkway. I squinted to see if the person was male or female, young or old, but I couldn’t tell. Maybe the walkway at night was creepy after all.

  As the person down the way came into focus, I could tell it was a guy. Even more creep factor to it. I hesitated and glanced behind me. If I wasn’t too far, I could pretend I forgot something in my bag and turn back around. My hopes were dashed when a larger person climbed the stairway. I didn’t need to see clearly if it was a man or woman, as by size alone it had to be a guy. My choice was try to go back through the large guy following me or ahead with the smaller guy approaching. It was an easy decision since the little guy would provide more of chance to get by if something happened.

  I kept my face down as I walked. I had taken self-defense classes in high school. It was actually a requirement since we were an all-girls school, and the female teachers were big into female power and taking care of yourself. I never had the opportunity to try anything in real life, but I wasn’t afraid to. I was up against two guys. My best chance came in taking the smaller one by surprise, and then I would run. I had to bargain
that I could run faster, or possibly longer, than either of them. If I remembered correctly, there was a police emergency light just beyond the walkway exit on the wooded trail. If they were too close, I’d just keep running. I didn’t have time to worry, and had to just let instinct take over. If I could get across the bridge, I could get help.

  I walked on and felt my as heart rate picked up as the shorter man neared. The larger man behind me kept pace, but at a distance. They could be completely innocent, but something about both men showing up at once, made me think not. As the smaller man neared, I didn’t look up but kept walking.

  “Hello,” the man said in a low voice. His hair was sandy blond and he was in need of a haircut. Easily he could pass as a college student, and who knows, he may have even been one. I still wasn’t going to stop and chat. I nodded my reply and made to pass him.

  “Whoa there,” the man said, grabbing my left arm and pulling me to him. “Not even going to…” is all he got out before my knee made direct contact with his man parts. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, hollering in the process.

  I took off running. I didn’t wait to see how well that had worked. I’d been taught in classes to put your full force behind it. I didn’t know if I put enough, but by the sounds of his continued swearing I’d say it would do the job. It wasn’t long before I heard the man behind me. I could keep ahead of him in the tunnel, but I was more worried about the open ground to the emergency light. The blue of the emergency light peeked out from the edge of the woods. His shoes stomped in rhythm with mine, and he had to be gaining ground being that he was at least a foot taller than me. I let adrenaline take over and kept running. At the end of the tunnel was a half set of stairs. I flew down them in my escape, catching my foot on the last stair. My knees felt the initial contact as I scraped across the cement from tripping, and I threw my hands in front of my face. They took the second impact and burned as dirt went into the wounds.