Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1)

by Barry Chaison

  The lobby was an absolute madhouse. Students and faculty were scattered everywhere, with some rushing in and out of the bookstore to our left, while others were standing in line at the campus Credit Union on our right. The information desk, which was centered at the base of the staircase, seemed to be the most crowded place. A larger woman was rushing back and forth between taking questions and answering phones. Why there wasn’t another person there was beyond me. Past the information desk was the mailroom, where thousands of small mailboxes lined up and down the walls.

  “I always love checking the mail on my birthday,” Steph said dreamily as we approached our mailboxes. “I bet you’ve got tons of goodies waiting for you in there.”

  “Yeah,” I laughed uncomfortably, knowing full well I’d be lucky if there was more than a single card lying in the box. Steph had vanished as she turned the corner towards her own mail slot.

  I bent down and opened up my box, hoping there would be something from back home waiting for me. My heart lifted as a small, yellow package slip rested inside, with my name and box number written out on it.

  “Someone’s got a birthday package!” Steph sang from behind me as a pair of football players passed by us. My cheeks blushed up in embarrassment as they glanced our way.

  “Will you keep it down? I don’t want the whole world to know,” I hushed. “Besides, it’s probably going to be something boring like new clothes.”

  “New clothes? Boring? I don’t think I’ve ever heard those three words in the same sentence before.”

  “Ha-ha,” I mocked. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but there are much cooler things than clothes on my list!”

  “Yeah, right, what’s a better gift than new clothes?” Steph replied, as we got into the long line for package pickups.

  “For me? I hope it’s some new books, or even better, some more of my mother’s paintings. That would be the perfect gift!”

  “Paintings?” Steph asked. “You think a painting makes a better gift than new clothes? You’re crazy!”

  “Maybe,” I shrugged. “But, you’ve seen those paintings in my room. They are phenomenal, right?”

  “Yeah, but for a birthday gift Zoe? Your mom can paint you a picture anytime!”

  Any elation I felt from receiving a package for my birthday fizzled immediately. Steph’s comment brought the image of my parents standing next to my first ever bike back into the forefront of my mind. Every muscle in my body appeared to give out as my shoulders slumped.

  “Are you alright?” Steph asked, sounding concerned. “Did I say something?”

  “Zoe?” a new, but familiar voice said from somewhere in front of us. “I thought that was you!”

  “Oh, Simi, hey!” I said, as both Steph and I turned on the spot. She was walking away from the front of our line, carrying a rather large package that covered a good portion of her short frame.

  “How’s it going?” she said sweetly, pulling me into a friendly hug. “You look great!

  “Yeah, still alive,” I joked. “How is your semester going?”

  “It’s a piece of cake. But, I’m much more interested in hearing how you’ve been doing so far. You look good, but that doesn’t tell me everything I want to know!” she said with a joking attitude as she put one hand on her hip.

  Steph made a soft coughing noise next to us, bringing me out of my trance. “Oh, Steph, I’m so sorry!” I stuttered.

  “Simi, this is my friend Stephanie Loveless. Steph, this is one of my, um, Orlies, Simi Miller.” I cringed at the sound of my own voice saying the word Orlies.

  Steph and Simi each took the other’s hand and shook it rather quickly. Simi had her soothing smile on her face while Steph looked somewhat reluctant.

  “I, I’m sorry Zoe, but I forgot that my Econ class starts in five minutes, I’ve really gotta run. Happy Birthday!” Steph muttered in a hurry as she suddenly ran off.

  “I didn’t know it was your birthday!” Simi cheered while my eyes lingered curiously at Steph’s abrupt departure. “Happy Birthday!”

  “Yeah, thanks. But it’s just another day, no big deal.”

  “No big deal?” she asked quizzically. “It’s your day! What you say goes! That’s what makes birthdays so great. How about I buy you some breakfast before your next class, get your birthday started on the right foot and catch up a bit?”

  It had been a month since I’d seen her, and I’d almost forgotten how charming and warm she truly was. Her physical appearance was still hard to ignore, but she had such a way with words that it was impossible to deny her.

  “Um, sure, that sounds great. My Philosophy class doesn’t start until noon, so that should give us about an hour. Just let me grab my package before we head out.”

  “Go ahead, I’ll just be over by the bookstore,” she said, as she turned and walked away.

  After another minute of waiting in line, I reached the window and handed a pimply-faced guy my package slip. It took about 30 seconds for him to return with a medium sized, but thin box that I could already tell would barely be able to fit into my school bag. My hands reached out and took the package, which had Mark and Marie’s address posted on the upper left corner. A smile lit up my face as I jammed the box into my bag and headed off for a late breakfast with Simi.

  The Pit was in its peaceful span of time between the breakfast and lunch rushes as only a handful of students were scattered at different tables throughout the enormous room. Simi and I sat at one of the tables against the wall of windows that overlooked Spartan Stream. My hands were shuffling through a fresh new batch of club advertisements that had been placed on our table. Simi sat there quietly, sipping her coffee and watching me closely.

  “So, tell me about your semester,” she finally said, putting her cup down and folding her hands together.

  “There’s really not much to tell,” I said. “It’s been pretty low key.”

  “How about your classes? Anything exciting?”

  “Yeah, I’m enjoying them for the most part. Some are a little more exciting than others though.”

  “Which one’s your favorite?”

  “I’d probably have to say my Religious Studies class.”

  “Whose your Prof?” she replied, taking a bite out of her cherry scone.

  “I’ve got Professor Woodward.”

  “He’s the best professor on this campus, hands down,” she said immediately. “I absolutely love him! I’ve taken a class with him every semester since I got here two years ago. The man just flat out knows how to teach, don’t you think?”

  “He’s pretty good,” I nodded, taking a bite from my own cold and stale cinnamon roll. “I have him as my advisor too, so I’ll be seeing quite a bit of him over the next few months. From what I’ve seen so far, I really like him too.”

  “Well, stay with Professor Woodward and you’ll be declaring your major any day now. That’s what happened to me. When I first came here, I was sure I’d major in Biology. I loved it in high school and knew it was what I wanted to do. But then, when I got here, Professor Woodward was my advisor too and I declared Religious Studies by Thanksgiving my freshman year.”

  “Good to know,” I laughed. “It’s definitely piqued my interest, so we’ll see.”

  “What about extracurriculars? Have you had a chance to explore any of the clubs on campus or maybe some of the intramural leagues? I remember you seemed interested in exploring some new options.”

  “Unfortunately, I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy with my school work,” I said. “I’ve thought about it though. Maybe next semester?”

  Simi nodded approvingly. “Had the same problem my freshman year. I came in similar to you, shy and overly studious. It took me an entire year to find my niche. All I wanted to do was study and maybe hang out with a few friends I knew, but that was it.”

  “But you’re in a sorority!” I said astonished. “I can’t imagine you being shy.”

  “Trust me; I used to be really bad. But, eventually I came
out of my shell and went to a Rush event. I gave it a chance and absolutely loved it. It was the best decision I’ve made here, and all it took was a leap of faith. Sometimes taking a leap of faith can change the entire complexion of your life. Try keeping that in mind as the semester moves along.”

  “Wow, you sound like Annie with that whole leap of faith thing,” I laughed. “She’d be agreeing with every word you’ve said if she were here.”

  “Speaking of which, how is she doing? I’ve been terrible at my job this year, not keeping in touch with you guys like I promised. Is she holding up alright?”

  “Oh yeah, she’s doing great. I haven’t seen her as much lately, but from what I have seen, she’s been staying on top of her classes and homework. I’m actually really proud of her.”

  “Wait a minute, back up… You haven’t seen her as much? Why not? Don’t you guys live together?” she eyed me suspiciously.

  “It’s no big deal, she’s just been spending a lot of her spare time over at the Beta house.”

  “The Beta House?” Simi responded. Her smile faded slowly.

  I could feel the mood of our conversation shifting into a downward spiral very quickly. The complete change in Simi’s expression was more than enough to give it away. Just the mention of the Beta house seemed to flip some invisible switch on deep inside her. She sat there for a minute and stared out at a large group of students who were walking over one of the bridges.

  “Uh, is there a problem with that?” I asked, breaking the silence that had fallen on our table.

  “Oh nothing, it, it’s nothing.”

  “Wait, Simi, you’re hiding something. What about the Beta house?”

  Simi’s gaze flashed back outside as her hands fidgeted with the fork she had used to eat. There appeared to be a massive internal battle going on in her head, as though she really wanted to say something, but then thought better of it. I sat there and waited for her as the clock on the wall slowly inched towards noon.

  “Look Zoe, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” she finally said.

  “Okay, does it have to do with Annie?”

  “Yes and no,” she responded hesitantly. “I feel that as one of your leaders, it is my responsibility to make sure you guys stay safe and have the best experience possible on this campus. But, the Beta house has some members in it that are not what I’d consider good guys. They have a reputation for being more of the sleazy, self-centered and sometimes dangerous fraternity guys on campus. You know the stereotypical fraternity guy? Some of the Betas make them look like wimps.”

  “To be honest with you, I’ve actually been over there before. Liam invited all of us to their Toga party at the beginning of the year, and I can definitely see what you are saying about them. I wasn’t impressed at all.”

  “Wait, Liam invited you?” she asked, stunned.

  I nodded. “Yeah, he and Annie are dating now. That’s who she’s been with over there.”

  Simi took a deep breath and stared directly into my eyes. “Zoe, what I’m about to tell you is coming from me as a friend. But, consider it more of a warning than a friendly piece of advice.”

  “Okay,” I said nervously. Simi looked hesitant to continue as she opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally spoke again.

  “Liam is bad news, and Annie would be better off staying as far away from him as possible. I’ve known him for a little over a year now, and spent all summer with him getting ready for Orientation Week. All I can say is that he has absolutely no respect for women, and some of my own sorority sisters have firsthand accounts of how low he can be. If I were you, I’d get Annie out of there as soon as possible.”

  All of my worst fears had come true in one fell swoop. Something deep inside had been screaming Liam was bad news but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to step in and tell Annie what I felt. But if Simi, who knew him a lot better than I did, said he was trouble, there was no other confirmation I needed.

  “I can’t say I’m surprised,” I said, shaking my head. “Thank you Simi, I really appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replied, as a smile slowly came back to her face. “Just make sure you look out for Annie. Liam has a way of warping girls’ minds. It’s a nasty skill.”

  I grabbed my phone and looked at the clock, which read 11:50. The conversation had flown by so quickly, I almost forgot about my Philosophy class.

  “I’m sorry to cut this short Simi, but I have class in 10 minutes. I’ve got to get going.”

  “Oh, time sure does fly when you’re having fun, huh?” she said, as she tore a piece of paper out of her bag and jotted something down on it with a blue pen.

  We both stood up and she put the folded piece of paper in my hand.

  “That’s my number,” she said. “Call me if you need anything. I mean it.”

  “Thanks,” I said, as I folded the paper back up and slid it into my bag. “I definitely will.”

  We gave each other one final hug as I turned and left The Pit. It wasn’t even noon yet, and my birthday had already turned out to be one of the most emotionally draining days I’d had on campus.

  Philosophy and math flew by almost instantly. It was difficult to focus on anything in class as my mind had been torn into two pieces. One part could think of nothing but the most recent dream involving my parents. The vision of my younger face lit up in such an ecstatic smile, while my parents stood over me looking extremely proud was engrained in my memory. A small part of me still wondered what exactly had gotten my mother so shaken up during their private discussion, but the joy I relived outweighed any other curiosities that plagued my thoughts.

  The other, bigger, portion was focused solely on Annie, and what mess she had dove into. Simi’s warning floated in my mind all afternoon, but I was at a complete loss for how to approach Annie on the subject. The way she acted around him was so different than any other guy she’d dated that it was going to be a difficult task to bring up Simi’s warning without alienating her completely. I tried to shake those thoughts out of my head as the apartment came into view, where Annie waited with a birthday surprise.

  I stepped inside the apartment and the door closed behind me. A delicious scent of baked goodness wafted through the air. There was something familiar about the smell, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “Zoe? Is that you?” Annie’s voice yelled from somewhere behind the closed kitchen door.

  “Yeah,” I hollered back.

  “Do me a favor, give me about 5 minutes to finish up in here before you come in? Just hang out in your room until I get you.”

  “Why? What are you doing in there?” I asked loudly, sauntering slowly towards the kitchen through the TV room.

  “I told you to give me 5 minutes!” she snapped as her head poked out of the sliding wooden door. “It’s a surprise!”

  “Okay, okay, calm down,” I laughed. “I’ll be in my room.”

  I walked into the room and threw my bag onto the bed. My body collapsed next to it as I turned on the fan that rested on the nightstand. The smell from the kitchen had followed me, making it impossible to relax with such a delightful aroma filling the air. Without any other options, I decided to unpack my bag until Annie came for me. The package from the Johnsons was the first thing out, so I tossed it onto the bed softly and continued to unpack everything else. After five minutes, a hard knock on the door echoed throughout the room. Annie, singing loudly and wearing a pointy party hat, entered the room carrying something that brought tears to my eyes.

  Resting in Annie’s hands was a full sized rainbow chip cake, complete with frosting and 20 sparkling candles. Once Annie was finished singing, she told me to make a wish before blowing them out.

  “But I’m not 20 yet,” I joked, wiping a tear away.

  “No, but you need one to grow on!” she demanded.

  Just as in my dream, I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about what I wanted more than anything in the world. My mind r
aced through many different things, but I finally realized that there was nothing else, or nowhere else I’d rather have been than right there at that very moment, with my best friend.

  After a minute, I opened my eyes and blew out all the candles in one fell swoop. Annie put the cake down and gave me a big hug.

  “Happy Birthday Zoe, I love you,” she whispered as more tears filled my eyes.

  “I love you too,” I said back.

  “Hey, is that from my parents?” Annie asked, referencing the gift sitting on my bed.

  “Oh yeah, you want me to open it?”

  “Sure, but I already know what it is,” she said with a slight smirk.

  I picked up the box and tore it open. There was a rectangular object that was wrapped up in bubble wrap and tissue paper, which took a few seconds to tear off. After all of the wrappings were off, I flipped the frame over and gazed in wonder.

  It wasn’t one of my mother’s paintings, but instead a simple photo that I hadn’t seen in years. In it stood two young girls, one with curly, golden hair and majestic green eyes, the other with long black hair and mysterious blue eyes. Their arms were around each other and huge, gaping-tooth smiles covered their faces from ear to ear. The Puget Sound was in the background as a beautiful sunset rippled off the water. I looked up at Annie who had an even wider smile plastered on her face.

  “Pretty cool huh?” she asked.

  “You did this?” I asked in awe.

  “I guess you could say that. I called my mom and told her what we should do. She then got out some of your parents old pictures and we went through them on the phone for hours until we found it. It’s my favorite picture of us.”

  “It’s the best gift I’ve ever received,” I said, choking up.

  “Well the day’s not over yet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You may want to change. We’re going out for a drive.”

  Chapter 5: Old Acquaintances

  “Wow,” I gasped in wonder, staring down into a vast pit of power lines and turbine engines. “Annie, you have to come and see this!”

  “I’m good over here, thanks,” came Annie’s queasy voice from somewhere close behind me.