by Bruce Thomas
"Don't call me that," she fired back. Damn she was annoyed. She glared up at me with those clear blue eyes that made the saying eyes were the window to the soul, seem realistic. The blue seemed to cloud over and she closed herself off. She had her guard up and that made me wonder if she was just as messed up as me.
I shoved that thought aside with annoyance and watched her lips as they opened then closed again as if she was trying to think of a good comeback.
"Thought you were going to the bathroom," I presumed, putting her out of her misery and mine considering my little slip. "Excuse to not kiss lover boy..."
I could still picture Dakota's face when Bruce told him to kiss Anna. His eyes all wide and he didn't even try to hide his excitement. "What are you talking about?" She asked while tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. Nervous habit, I noted.
Was she really that oblivious of the guy or was she just stupid? He was practically ready to pounce on her when he saw her come through the door. I wonder how they met.
She kept arguing with me but I wasn't listening to anything she was saying. I was too focused on the color in her cheeks as she got angrier. Her forehead was creased and her nose sort of scrunched up. She resembled something of a bunny scolding me. She looked liked she couldn't hurt a fly. In fact, she looked sorta cute. I couldn't stop the laughter bubbling inside me because of the sight.
"You're funny when you're mad," I commented once she stopped talking and her arms were calmly back at her sides instead of flying out around her like a madwoman. I swear her mouth hit the floor. "You're face gets all scrunched up--" Before I could demonstrate what she looked like while yelling at me, she pushed past me doing her best not to touch me.
I watched her retreating body hustle back to her friend. Her hips swayed with purpose until she turned the corner and was out of my sight. When I was through pep talking myself mentally on how well I thought that all went, I went back in the main room with the rest of the crowd. If anything, the apartment got more crowded. My eyes went straight to Anna and noticed how she now had Elmer's girl draped around her.
There was nothing more disgusting than a girl who couldn't hold her liquor.
She smiled timidly at everyone before her and Anne left the dorm.
A small pang spread through my chest that she didn't even look back at me before she left. Man, I had too much to drink.
I went on my conquest in finding the petite brunette who was waiting for me by the pool table. =================
5
I practically ran across campus with my backpack and books in hand. Janet turned my alarm clock off before I woke up because she thought I set it for too early. "This is college. Wake up, throw up your hair, and go to class," she told me the night before. But I wasn't worried about looking good to class. Heck, I barely ever brushed my hair. I was worried about getting a good enough seat so I could take decent notes over what the professor had to say.
Considering I was paying almost twice as much as anyone else because of out of state tuition, I was going to get my money's worth.
Well, thanks to my untroubled roommate, I was now late to my first lecture. I had woke up with only twenty minutes to spare.
I jogged past the large fountain where students scattered themselves by the water on this hot August morning. I rushed through the doors of the immense building and made my way to the lecture hall. I sighed with relief to see that the professor wasn't up in front of the room yet. I could only imagine the embarrassment of walking in late on the first day in front of everyone considering all the seats were filled in the back of the room, leaving a few randoms in the center.
The room was quite large and held many seats that were already occupied with people. I found the first empty seat towards the front of the classroom and sat down feeling tired. I barely slept last night because I was so anxious about navigating my classes.
Taking out my laptop, I placed it on the little desk connected to the seat, mentally preparing myself. When I looked back up to the front
of the room, the professor was standing behind the podium preparing to speak. "Good morning," he spoke. He loosened his tie around his closed buttoned up collar. The temperature in the room was cool from the air conditioning but with the number of bodies in the closed spaced there was no concealing the sticky air on the other side of the windows.
"Welcome to Art Appreciation. I'm sure many of you are here to learn and bask in the beauty of what man created and evolved, while the rest of you ingrates just needed a humanity credit. That's right I'm looking at you, Mr. Dalton." A boy wearing a cut off and baseball hat leaned forward in his chair and gave the professor a sly grin. Clearly he has taken this class before.
Laughter filled the room causing the professor to shake his head. I looked down over the few rows to where the boy was sitting to find him playing tic-tac-toe with himself on the back of his class schedule. The class returned to silence as the professor began to speak again.
While he was going over the guidelines of the class I felt something soft hit the back of my head. I reached my hand up to the back of my hair to feel where it hit and turned to look behind me when I felt nothing.
A small girl who was gifted with extremely straight hair even in this humidity bent down to her feet to retrieve a crumpled white piece of paper. "Here you go?" She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. I smiled up at her, apologizing.
I opened it as quietly as I could manage while turning back into my seat. I waited for someone to oppose that the paper was
in the wrong hands and meant to hit someone else before I read it. After a few moments, I scanned the paper filled with slanted words written in pen. Question. Is your hair always that messy or is it sex hair?
Heat spread over my face as I read the words a few more times. These words, that seemed almost threatening in a sense, jumped out at me all too familiar.
I turned around in search from where the note came from, afraid of meeting those taunting eyes that couldn't seem to decide what color they were. I have been doing my best at avoiding them since the party.
On Sunday Janet asked if I wanted to go watch a movie with "the gang" as she called them, but I declined because I was too apprehensive about seeing him if he made an appearance. Something told me he wouldn't be there because he didn't seem like the type of guy to have a casual movie day with a bunch of people but, better safe than sorry.
My body seemed to tense when my eyes made contact with his just a few rows up. What was he doing on campus, let alone in a lecture? I thought Anne said he didn't attend school. A slanted smirk pulled up on his lips when he noticed my reaction to him. I wanted to punch myself for being so easily bothered. I slowly turned back around in my seat, trying my best to pay attention to the professor and forget about the note.
But, like I should have predicted, I felt another blow to the back of my head. I heard a few people chuckle at the arrogant man-child's little show. I closed my eyes trying to keep my cool before I reached around and, once again,
took the white ball of paper from the girl, who now held an amused look on her face. I pursed my lips at her.
Settling back in my seat, I picked up my pencil and notebook, stationing it so I could write Annaef notes on what the professor was saying. It would have been so much easier if I actually could pay attention long enough to hear him.
"Hey." A tap on my shoulder made me jump in my seat. The boy sitting next to me rolled his eyes at my sudden movement and leaned further away into his desk. I tilted my face up to the girl, keeping my body stationed towards the front of the room.
"He says to open it," she loudly whispered. Her pushy tone made me narrow my eyes. She moved her body so she could look into my lap where the ball of paper was placed, forgotten. I wasn't going to play along with his little game. And the last thing I want is to cause a scene and get myself in trouble with the professor on the first day.
I scanned my eyes back a few rows to see Fred leaning lazily in his seat with a
pen pressed in between his plump lips. The people in the surrounding area pushed their bodies up to look at the first note laying on my desk.
I quickly crumpled it in my hand and disposed it into my bag. I did the same thing to the unopened piece of paper. Disappointed eyes shot at me. They fell back into their chairs as if I took away all their fun. I turned back around shaking my head.
Anger built up in my chest.
Why was he here making my life a living hell? He didn't seem like the artsy type or someone who knew Van Gogh from Picasso, so why was he here at this lecture? Why was he on campus at all?
I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head for rest of the lecture.
"That's all for today," the professor said stepping away from the podium a long while later. "Please read the chapters assigned before next time so we can have an appropriate discussion."
I jumped up from my seat as fast as I could, gathering my items into my bag and fled for the exit. I kept my head low trying my hardest to blend into the pack of people leaving.
I breathed out a big sigh of relief when I felt the sun blaze on my face, making it out alive and unbothered by a certain someone.
I took the stairs one by one and started heading towards the little patch of grass that held a few benches and a tall oak tree looking completely out of place in the middle of the city. Kind of just like me. Dropping my bag into the grass, I sat down and leaned against the tree. I welcomed the shade that it had to offer.
A few people were splashing each other with the water from the fountain across the court, laughing and leaving for their classes with their clothing wet. I took out a book that was assigned for my literature class that I was supposed to have started in the summer but never got around to it, having too much fun shopping with Katy and going to the river with the twins. I was almost to the spot that we were supposed to be at so I wasn't stressing like I should have been. I was a fast reader and wasn't worried about making the deadline considering I didn't start this class until tomorrow.
"Mind if I sit?"
I
ripped my eyes away from Wuthering Heights at the sound of the deep voice. I silently cursed. Taking a deep breath like I wasn't bothered by his presence I turned my attention back to my book. "No."
I heard his feet padding down the grass as he moved closer, loosening his leather bag off his shoulder.
"No, as in you can't sit here," I objected, continuing to act like I was reading. I read the same line over and over again distracting myself: "If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn't love as much in eighty years as I could in a day."
"Yes," he fought back.
"No," I said more firm this time looking up at his tall frame.
Even from the sun glaring in my eyes I could see his hair ruffling in the breeze and his muscular arms clenching fists at his sides. He looked like a model walking the streets of Manhattan. He chuckled at my stubbornness. "You mean yes." With that he unfolded his body onto the grass next to me. I kept my eyes on the pages of the book doing my best to block him out of my sight. My patience was growing thin under his gaze. I could feel my face getting hot from his eyes watching me but I am sticking with blaming it from the sun.
"Can I help you?" I asked exasperated, letting my book fall into my lap.
"You never answered my question."
I looked at him dumbfounded, not quite getting what question he was referring to. My mind couldn't lace together a single word that has come in contact with me in the past couple of hours. I noticed the little dent in the middle of his chin that
seemed to tense when he clenched his jaw. It could be seen even under the light stubble dusting his jaw line. The breeze tangled my hair making it's strands blow in front of my eyes. My breath hitched in my throat when Fred reached over and tucked the hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered on my earlobe, pinching it lightly making me freeze.
"The hair..." He rubbed a curl in between his thumb and forefinger.
My face pulled up in a grimace at the mention of the note, immediately snapping out of whatever trance I fell under.
"You're a pig." I swatted his hand away causing him to laugh again. I hated that that laugh was directed at me. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" I asked picking up my book again, quickly running my fingers through my hair to make it fall in front of my face. I hated the way his eyes seemed to watch my expressions like he knew what I was thinking.
He sighed happily and leaned back into the tree. "Don't you have a class to get to instead of sitting out here?"
"Do you always answer a question with a question?" I earned another laugh from the golden haired boy. The light danced off his head making even the darker hair look like butterscotch. "Touche, Annaanna."
I cringed at the sound of my full name coming in the form of his deep voice.
"I thought you weren't attending classes here." I almost bit my tongue for speaking.
A lopsided grin stretched his lips. "So you asked around about me?"
"No," I snapped. There was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction of my curiosity about him. "Sounds like it to me.
Let's hear what people had to say." He leaned in closer, enough that I could smell his cologne. He smelt spicy and clean.
"I wouldn't know what people think about you because I don't care enough to ask. You sure have a big ego."
"Most women ask about me." He was doing that thing with his eyes again, that intense hold you in captivity thing. I found myself having trouble looking away.
Shaking my head as if that would clear it, I focused my attention on the buildings in front of me, anywhere but him. Students were popping in and out of them, laughing and chatting with friends. People on bikes dodged pedestrians walking to and from class. In the midst of people surrounding me I almost forgot about Fred sitting next to me. That was until he spoke again.
"Do you curl your hair or is it naturally like that--" "What is with you and my hair? Do you have some type of fetish?" I stood up dusting off the back of my pants and bent down to gather my things. My next class started in about fifteen minutes. I figured I should be extra early to this class considering I cut it close on the last one. So much for a few peaceful minutes to myself.
"Where are you going?" He questioned, settling even further into the grass as he watched me gather my things. I couldn't tell if he was seriously wondering or if he was being his normal cheeky self. Either way he wasn't getting to me.
"Class." I swung my bag over my shoulder and stepped outside the limits of the shading from the tree. The temperature seemed to increase dramatically from the sun. "I'm pretty sure it's illegal to sit in on lectures for free."
"Who says I was there to learn?" He challenged placing his hands behind his head. "It's too nice out for you to sit in a stuffy room. Wanna go somewhere?" My knees almost gave out from the shock of his request. What game was he playing? One second he was glaring at me like I murdered his dog then the next asking me if I wanted to go somewhere. No, uhhuh, not falling for it.
"Goodbye, Fred," I uttered turning to head to the next building. "Rain check then, Raine!" He called after me. I noticed a group of girls as they turned to eye me, hearing Mr. Charmer's shout. I shook off their judging looks along with his laughter being carried by the wind of his nicely put wording.
=================
6 The first week of classes went rather smoothly. Fred didn't attend anymore of my Art Appreciation lectures which I was thankful for but I found myself occasionally scanning the rows during the time I was supposed to be listening to the professor, for his intense gaze.
I heard that Fred was known around campus as a lady's man. Or as the girl that sat behind me on the first day, the one who passed me those stupid paper balls with his harassments on them, put it. She stopped me before class on the second day asking if him and I were an item. He was a playboy, she told me.
Also it was brought to my attention he was also very popular at parties even though he didn't att
end NYU. I just found it strange that a lot of people knew him though he did not attend the college. When I asked what she meant she just sighed and continued talking. Apparently I wasn't worth the explanation. When I quickly said no about Fred and myself having anything to do with each other, she seemed relieved. For that I wasn't sure. Maybe she was with him in the past and/or wanted to be in the future. Either way she can have him. The less time he spent intimidating me the better.
"He doesn't date, you know," she said leaning over my desk before class. "Like ever. He's more of the get the job done kinda guy. All the girls are obsessed with him. I think it's his attitude." I laughed in her face at that which she didn't understand, giving me a look.
His attitude? His attitude was crap and any girl that found that attractive needed to get their head checked.
I was walking back to the dorms after my class when I saw Fred standing by the door flirting with some skinny Asian girl, his arm wrapped around her petite frame. I could hear her giggling over something he said in her ear which made me want to gag.
He looked over at me the same time that I noticed him. I raised an eyebrow at him questioning his reason for being on campus again.
With an expressionless face indicating that he was too busy to acknowledge me, he turned back to the still giggling girl. I rolled my eyes and turned back towards my path. I don't know why I even cared about his presence. We weren't even remotely civil towards each other the few times that we have encountered. I knew nothing about him and he about me. I would like to keep it that way.
I was about to turn the corner to start my way to my dorm when I heard my name through the main court. I looked up to see Dakota jogging over to me.
I smiled up at him and offered a hello. It was still a little awkward for me after the whole kiss thing but I was happy he was approaching me first. "How are you?" He asked. "How was your first week of classes?"