Patience. It was one of the traits Morgan Davenport lacked and tonight was no different. Here she was, 9:15and ready to go , and still no sign of Gabrial. She glanced at her watch again and sighed. Relax, Morgan, he said around 9:00. Her gaze fell on the picture taken of her and Gabrial at last year's senior prom. They had both made the decision to make the move from their hometown of Millbrooke, Vermont to here in Manhattan, to attend NYU. There was a knock at the door which broke her of her thoughts. She stood up to answer it, thinking he'd finally come, but when opened the door, it turned out to be Corrie, her dorm- mate.
" Why the glum face?" She asked, glancing at Morgan as she walked in.
" Gabrial's late again...Why did ya knock?" Morgan asked distractedly, looking at her watch.
" Forgot my keys," Corrie walked over to the bathroom and a few minutes later, Morgan heard the shower running. Getting frustrated, she stood up and grabbed her cell phone off her desk. Dialing Gabrial's number, she waited until his voicebox came up yet again.
" Hi, Gabrial, it's me again. I was checking if we were still on for tonight because it's getting late. I need to be asleep by 11:00, I have exams tommorrow, Talk to ya later," She hung up and was about to sit back down again when there was another knock at the door.
" Gabrial Valenci! You said-" She stopped when she realized that it wasn't Gabrial at the door. Instead, there was a tall blonde grinning sheepishly at her. Instant attraction hit her.
" You mad at him too?" The guy said, extending his hand out to her.
" I'm Nick, one of Gabrial's friends,"
"I'm Morgan. I'm sorry, I thought you were him," She shook his hand, noticing how blue his eyes were, then feeling a pang of guilt when Gabrial's face popped up in her mind.
" Can I come in?" Nick asked, his eyes holding a steady gaze with hers.
" Yeah, sure...I don't mean to sound rude but why are you here?"
" Good ole' Gabe told me he had my cd at room 104A. He didn't say such an attractive female was staying in this room, though," Morgan eyed his expression, amused.
" Come on in," He walked in and glanced around the room.
" You have a roommate?"
" Yup, Corrie McHanlon,"
" Oh, I know her, she's in my psych class,"
" Ok, Nick. What cd do I supposedly have?"
" Rage Against the Machine,"
" Let me check if he left it in the stereo,"
" Mind if I sit down?"
" No, go ahead," She opened the little cd compartment and took out the red cd.
" Rage Against The Machine, huh? I like their songs," Morgan said, handing it to him.
" You take psychology too?" He asked, looking at the books on the side table next to the couch.
" Yup, Mr. McKay,"
" No kidding, I have him too,"
" Really? What period?"
" 3rd,"
" Oh, so you have it before I do,"
" Did you guys take that test yet?"
" Actually, no. It's tommorow,"
" Let me tell you, that test is hard as shit and I do pretty well in his class,"
" Oh, great. I didn't even start studying yet. There's so much crap I don't understand,"
" Yeah, McKay's drones get pretty boring after a few minutes. It's a miracle I pass his class, let alone get good grades," He grabbed the book and pulled it open.
" This was-"
"RRRRIIINNGG!" Morgan picked up her cell phone and answered it.
" Hello?"
" Morgan! Hey, listen I'm so sorry but I can't go out tonight. Mathews' lecture took longer than I thought and he just assigned a paper due tommorrow,"
" Gabrial, you could have called me sooner. I've been waiting for half an hour,"
" Relax, Mor, I told you, that lecture took too long. I just left his class. Hey, listen, I gotta go, Babe. Don't be mad, OK?"
" Bye, Gabrial," She hung up and looked over to see Nick watching her.
" Something wrong?" He asked.
" Yeah, Gabrial and I were supposed to go out tonight but he's got a paper due tomorrow," Morgan replied, sighing.
"...Well, at least you can study now," He stated.
" True...I really need to pass that test,"
" What didn't you understand about McKay's class?- You know, you can sit down if you want, I don't bite," Morgan gave a nervous laugh and sat down next to him.
" Ok, now tell me what ya didn't get,"
" Well, I wasn't in class when we had the brain and personality disorders, so I'm completely lost on that stuff,"
" You know what? How about we go to the campus coffee shop and I help you study?" He asked suddenly. She eyed him skeptically.
" Completly innocent, I promise," He assured her, giving her another winning grin.
" Ok, fine. But I'm holding you up to your word, compleltly innocent,"
" Fair enough," He agreed, standing up.
" Let me get my notes and stuff. You might wanna change what your wearing while I'm gone. I'll be back in a few,"
" Ok," She stood up also.
" Hey, Morgan? Where were you guys gonna go anyways?" Nick asked, turning in the doorway.
" To dinner. Why?"
" Just curious, you're just dressed up so I was wondering. Ok, I'll be back," He walked out and shut the door behind him. Morgan walked to her closet and pulled out a pair of really comfortable black pants and a black turtleneck. Slipping on her peacoat, she gathered her psych stuff and put on her boots. Outside, it was already snowing and there was still two weeks before winter break. Thinking about her Christmas giftlist for her family and friends back home, she didn't hear Nick walk in a few minutes later.
" Ready?" She jumped and spun around, startled.
" Jesus, you scared me!"
" Sorry, come on, that place closes at midnight," They walked out of the dorm room and pretty soon they were outside in the winter night...
