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The College Years (Chapter 18)
By Vader
THE COLLEGE YEARS
Entry II: A Student Who Loved Me
Continued from Chapter 17 . . .
CHAPTER 18
The raging storm that had blanketed the city for the past few days had now fully passed, leaving a trace of puffy white clouds in the distance and a gleaming sun that showered Mesa’s campus with bright rays. Everything seemed somehow renewed within a short period of time, and concurrently, my mourning over Rachel had all but melted away, like a faint cicatrix remaining after a healed gash. I hadn’t forgotten about what happened, and I still regretted it, but I attempted to move on, to not fixate on the past as if I could change it.
My appetite, which had been nonexistent for the past few days, eventually returned, and once coming back to school after my rather uneventful weekend, I stopped by the cafeteria to grab a slice of pizza and take a seat at one of the booths. Once having a moment to myself, without anyone to talk to, a girl’s face returned to my mind, bringing with it the recollection of the time we’d shared together. We’d helped each other through a difficult period, and in the aftermath, I couldn’t get my mind off her.
“Jack!” I heard, glancing up ahead to see Luke coming around the corner with his newfound lover under his shoulder, the image of them together not paining me as it had the week before. “What’s up dude?” he greeted, reaching out and shaking my head, then turning to his girlfriend, introducing, “Tria, this is Jack.”
“Nice to meet you,” she replied with a nod.
“So I’ll see you after class then,” Luke kissed her on the cheek, sending her out of the cafeteria, and giving her a smack on the rear in addition. My gym class-mate took a seat across from me, draping his arm over the chair beside him, and leaning backward casually. “Well, you look better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I quipped.
“Nothing. Just seems like you’re a little more . . . chipper than you were last week,” he grinned, espying my change in attitude. “What happened?” I sighed, looking downward, folding my hands in my lap.
“You were right about the girl I loved,” I divulged, shaking my head. “How could I have been so stupid to think that she would feel strongly about me when I abandon her for months? I didn’t have time for her . . . and it looks like I’ve been replaced now.”
“Jeez, that’s harsh. I would expect you to be more upset.”
“I was, believe me,” I chuckled half-heartedly, the dreams I’d had the night of my depression showing themselves. “It was hard. But . . . I think . . . I think that someone else feels for me.” Luke squinted, his pupils moving right and left. His trademark giant smirk revealed itself once he figured out what I was alluding to.
“You hooked up with Erin didn’t you?” he laughed.
“No, not hooked up. Just . . . we have a really great connection. Her and I have both been through the same thing just recently, and, you know, we’ve been able to really confide in each other. She seems really interested in me . . . and I have to admit that I’d like to get to know her better.”
“Look, if you like her that much, and she likes you, why not ask her to the Winter Party?” The idea should have occurred to me earlier, but now that it had been suggested to me, I snappily decided that would be definite. “Did you notice that she’s right outside?” he asked, hitting my shoulder and pointing to the table located in the center of the outdoor courtyard. Sure enough, there was the iridescent beauty, reading her textbooks. “Ask her before someone else does.”
Not even a tinge of nervousness affecting me, I got up from my seat, wiping my mouth with a napkin and took a step outside, heading in her direction from behind. Sitting down across from her at the table, I evoked her attention. She glanced up at me, beaming brighter than the sun itself, reaching out and taking my hand. “Hi!” she enthusiastically greeted. “I missed you over the weekend.”
“Me to,” I said, a tad of flirtatiousness in my voice that couldn’t be prevented.
“Have your-” my classmate was cut off when all of a sudden, the ring of a cell phone was detected from inside her purse. “Oh, darn, I thought I turned it off. Sorry - just let me check who it is,” she apologized, letting go of my hand and digging into the bag to reach it. “I guess I should just be glad Sim isn’t here, right? Otherwise, I’d have to buy a box of donuts!” she joked, pressing the button, and raising the phone up to her ear. “Hello? Who? Oh it- . . . What is it? Kevin . . . I thought I told you to never call me on here again. No, I told you a hundred times, no. Stop calling,” she irritably answered, throwing the phone back into her purse after turning it off.
“Who was that?” I inquired out of surprise, feeling like an idiot afterwards. “You know, never mind. That’s none of my business,” I shook my head.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind telling you.” The splendor of her aura glazed a bit, dimming, as she prepared to speak. Realizing this was something touchy, I wished to abandon any discussion of it, but she began talking just as soon. “Do you remember how I told you about that person I’d cared about . . . who abandoned me?” I nodded gently. “That was him.” The young lady paused, bowing her head. “He abandoned me for another girl he’d been cheating with when we were together. She dumped him just recently, and he wants to get back together with me. He keeps badgering me over and over . . . I can’t get him to leave me alone and quit calling.”
The hurrying of the wind surrounded us in our moment of dead silence, the distant footsteps and chattering of students becoming the more audible because of the quiet. I was at a loss for words of exactly what to say when hearing such a thing, because it was so unexpected. “Don’t worry about it,” she finally mustered some words to break the calm of dialogue. “Once he hears ‘no’ enough times, he’ll stop,” she forced a chuckle, starting to bite her fingernails but stopping herself within a second. “He always was like that,” she made an effort to reduce her edginess.
“Okay,” I told her, trying to appear unworried about it, but, in fact, feeling the opposite. To get both of our minds off it, I decided to change the subject, leaning forward to grasp her hands once more. “Hey . . . I was thinking we could go to the Winter Party together. What do you say?”
“That sounds great,” she emoted, the sparkle returning to its natural beauty as she squeezed my fingers tenderly. “I look forward to it.” Without trying, I winked, only realizing I’d done it afterwards. That unmistakable gut feeling of worry and guilt over Erin replacing Rachel recurred in a dull way, and was soon diminished by splendor. There was something intensely indulging about our relationship, as if spending time together were the best moments of our day. And I hadn’t felt that way in so long . . . so long. It was something I wanted to feel at the reunion with Rachel, but found it painfully absent. And now, I was feeling it with someone I never would have guessed. I was the happiest I’d ever been in weeks, and something deep down told me . . . ‘this is it’.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
(More to come)
1/20/2003 11:29:48 PM
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