I took one final look at myself in the mirror, critiquing my appearance, just as there was a knock on my door. I looked myself up and down, looking in disgust at my khakis and polo shirt. “As always, this is as good as it’s gonna get...” I said softly as I smoothed an imaginary wrinkle out of my top. The knock came again, slightly insistent this time around. I took my time walking across the room and opening the door. As I pulled it open at a snails pace, Kyle’s smile grew as I came into view.
“Hey you,” he said as he stepped into the doorway. He leaned over to kiss me, but I made no movement to welcome this gesture. His lips lightly touched mine for a split second before he pulled away and looked at me with concern. “You okay?” He lightly touched my cheek as he spoke. I nodded as I moved from the room, locking the door behind me. I cringed as I felt his palm on the small of my back, guiding me through the hall and to the back doors of the dorm where I knew his car would be parked. As we stepped out into the warm and sticky night air, I turned to him. I suddenly had a bad feeling about going to this party at Katie’s.
“Hey Kyle...” I turned to face him. “Do we have to go to this party? I suddenly don’t feel very good.” I lifted an eyebrow in question.
“You’ll be fine... you just have butterflies because you know this party is going to be awesome!” Kyle exclaimed as he gently pushed on my back prompting me to walk to his Mustang.
“Yeah, I guess that’s it,” I said quietly as he pulled the passenger door open for me. I climbed into the car and waited as he shut the door and walked around the front of the car to get in himself. I debated just getting out and walking back into the dorm, not letting Kyle force me into going to this party when I so obviously didn’t want to. I went against my intuition and slumped down into the seat, crossing my arms over my chest. When Kyle climbed in and shut his door, I turned my head, looking out the window.
In the short drive to Katie’s apartment from my dorm, neither of us spoke. I stared out the window, watching the passing scenery. Kyle concentrated on the road, singing along to the radio to certain parts of the song that was playing. I reached over, silent, and turned the radio off. Kyle stopped singing and just looked over at me, silently questioning why my attitude was so bad. I ignored the look and went back to staring out the window.
Kyle made a left turn and we were greeted with the street being packed with cars surrounding the duplex. Katie and her neighbor had decided to combine both their individual parties into one, so people were milling around everywhere, various kegs surrounded by people were set up on the patios, music was blasting and every inch was filled by hot, sweaty, dancing bodies. I took a deep breath as Kyle expertly parallel parked in between two other cars and turned the engine off. “You know, we don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
I sighed. I knew that he really wanted to be there. In fact, earlier in the day when he picked me up at the airport, the entire ride home, he kept talking about how awesome this party was gonna be. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.”
“Great!” Kyle exclaimed as he opened his door. Not waiting for him to open my door for me, I did the same and stepped out onto the warm pavement. He rushed around the car to me and took my hand into his, practically dragging me up the small incline to the group of football players that surrounded the keg on Katie’s patio. “Guys, you know Briley, right?”
The group fell silent, as none of them recognized me from the last “get together” that I had attended with Kyle. One stared at me as if searching for a clue to who I was, before saying, “Oh, you’re the smart chick that speaks really good French in my Spanish class...”
“No dumb ass, I’m the...”
Kyle interrupted me before I could insult him. “Brian, she’s in our Spanish class, you know, que pasa?”
“Oh, yeah, whatever dude.” Brian grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with the gold colored liquid and handed it over to Kyle. “Do you want some Brandy?”
“It’s Briley,” I corrected him. “I’ll drink some only if I’ll be as smart as you while drinking it.”
“She’d love some,” Kyle intercepted before Brian could reply. Brian in turn filled a cup for me and pushed it into Kyle’s hands, who then passed it to me. Kyle grabbed my arm and pulled me away. “Briley, what the hell was that? What is your problem?”
“Kyle, this isn’t my thing. I don’t know why I’m here, but I shouldn’t be. This isn’t my scene, these aren’t my friends, I don’t belong.”
He sighed before looking around. “All you need to do is make an effort. Talk to people, make my friends your friends. Their great. You’ll love ‘em. And then, loosen up. Drink up.” He lifted my hand that was holding the cup of beer toward my mouth. I cautiously lifted the cup higher and took a small drink of the beer. I made a face as I tasted the bitter liquid, forcing myself to keep my gag reflex at bay. “Thata girl,” Kyle said with a smile as he took my hand and lead me into the apartment. He stood in the doorway of the living room for a moment before pulling me further into the room, leading me to a couch where Katie was sitting with a few other people. “Katie!” Kyle exclaimed.
“KYLE!” Katie squealed as she jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. I tried to preoccupy myself by looking around the room, studying the people dancing.
“Katie, you remember Briley, right?” At the sound of my name, I turned back to them, seeing Katie with a huge smile.
“Kyle, I got her number from you just two days ago.”
Kyle looked lost for a minute, before recognition passed over his features. “Oh yeah, I remember.” He shook his head absentmindedly. “Anyway, Katie, I need to touch base with Matt about something... take care of my girl... help her loosen up.” Kyle patted my arm as he squeezed by me into the mass of people. I noticed that he turned and looked at Katie, giving her a smile and a wink as he left. I ignored what that could have meant.
“So, Briley, how are you?” Katie asked as she grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the couch to sit down.
“I’m okay,” I said with a forced smile as I looked for a way to escape.
“You seem quiet. Everything okay?”
“I’ve just got alot on my mind.” My cell phone began to ring in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the caller id on the face and contemplated answering the call. The number read out as being JC’s cell phone. Without answering it, I turned the ringer off and slipped the phone back into my pocket.
“Oh, Briley... you’ve gotta meet my girls... this is Kristin...” Briley motioned to a girl at the end of the couch who’s clothes were a goth fashion, but who’s makeup and hair made her resemble one of those Japanese anime’ characters. “... Kacy...” The next girl on the couch reminded me alot of myself. Quiet, and a total prep. However, in her hand was a cup filled with beer and stacked under that were three other empty cups. “... and this is Julie.” She motioned to the last girl on the couch, who, not to be judgmental, but looked like a slut. Her makeup was elaborately done, and her dress was so short that it barely went to the top of mid-thigh. I’m sure that once she stood, her underwear would barely be covered.
“So, Briley...” Kristin shifted on the couch so that she could see me better. “I see that you came with Kyle. How’s he doing?”
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him,” I said, cringing at the sarcastic undertone that I couldn’t help.
She nodded slightly, taken aback. “Can I give you a piece of advice about that one?” I shrugged as if to tell her to go for it. “Stick with him. He’s worth it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, suddenly interested.
“Wait until the first time you two mess around. He is so good in bed.”
“You don’t say...” I mumbled as I settled back in the couch. I bit my lip in thought. “So, he’s worth it...”
“Oh yeah. He brings whole new meaning to the word multiple...” Kristin sighed happily in remembrance. I lifted the cup that was still in my hand and downed the rest of the beer in one big gulp.
“Okay, for those of us who haven’t screwed around with Kyle and who aren’t planning on it...” Katie began, turning to flash me a smile. “... what do you say we help Briley loosen up a bit?”
Kacy jumped up and ran to the kitchen where there was yet another keg. Moments later, she returned with two more cups, which she handed to me. I raised an eyebrow as Katie stood and pulled something from her pocket. I quickly drank one of the cups that I held in my hand as I watched her pull three small white sticks from her pocket. “Oh my god,” I said quietly as recognition washed over me. I didn’t know what to do, so I just lifted the second glass and quickly drank what was in the glass, making a face at the taste again. I then watched as the next few moments passed by in what felt like slow motion.
Katie reached over to the end table and grabbed a lighter before lighting one of the marijuana cigarettes and lifting it to her lips, only to deeply inhale. She closed her eyes for a split second in what could only be described as a look of ecstasy. “Oh, this is some good stuff... not like last week’s batch.” She handed the stick over to Julie who inhaled also.
“Wow...” she mumbled before passing it along. Katie lit one of the other two that she held in her hand, inhaling before handing it over to me. I held it in my hand, not moving.
“Just inhale... like a regular cigarette. It’s not hard to do.” Katie lit the last one and kept it for herself. She intently watched me until I lifted it to my lips, holding it between my thumb and forefinger, and took a deep breath through my mouth. My eyes widened as the smoke entered my lungs and then, made it hard to breath. I pulled the cigarette away and began coughing, the smoke coming back out in small puffs as I coughed. “Figures, you’ve probably never smoked before either...” She mumbled as she took another long drag off hers. She stared at me. “Go ahead, try again. It gets easier.”
I watched as she took another breath of hers before I tried again. I inhaled from the small stick and tried to hold my breath, not breathing in. I then released it, coughing, but not as much as the first time. Without hesitating, I tried again, coughing once more. Julie then reached over and took the cigarette from my hand and it was soon passed down the line. “Do you have any more?” Kristin asked as it finally reached her.
“They’re in my room. I’ll get them later.” Katie took the final drag of her cigarette before grabbing my hands and pulling me to my feet. “Come on... let’s get some more to drink and then we’ll dance.” She pulled me to the kitchen, filled another two glasses, one for each of us, before pulling me to the middle of the living room, which had been transformed into a makeshift dance floor. The lights seemed to get lower as a slower more seductive beat began. Katie grabbed my hips and pulled me closer to her to dance. I jumped back as she began a grinding dance.
“Are you a lesbian?” She began to laugh at me, waving her hand as if to tell me to hold on a minute. “I mean... are you... hitting on me?” I drank my fourth glass as I waited for her answer.
She took a deep breath. “Oh man, Briley. No, hell no! You’re great and everything...” She paused. “Listen, I’m just dancing with you. Who says that women can’t dance together however they want? Why’s it matter? No one is paying attention anyway.” I contemplated her answer for a few moments before I stepped toward her once again. “Good,” she said before linking her fingers into my beltloops and pulling me toward her again, beginning the dance. I made eye contact with her as she began lip syncing to the song playing, R. Kelly’s, ‘When A Woman’s Fed Up.’
As we continued to dance, I began to get light headed, and everything around me became kind of hazy. I set my hand on my forehead for a brief moment, taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heartbeat. I stepped away from her before turning and running from the living room, pushing my way through groups of people, holding my hand over my mouth. I found the bathroom, and as I threw the door closed, I heard Kyle behind me yelling my name. I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet, began heaving, throwing up everything I had eaten or drank that night.
A knock came on the door as I pressed my eyes closed and let my body drop onto the floor, feeling the cold tile against my warm head. The knock came again. “Briley! Open the door!” Kyle yelled, knocking again. I ignored the request before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand as the darkness surrounded me.
I grabbed the sheet that was partially covering me and held it up to my chest as I tried to comprehend what had happened. A movement next to me caught my attention and I glanced over, doing a double take, as I realized that Kyle was next to me, also nude. I still couldn’t remember anything, but from my current predicament, I had a good idea of what had eventually happened the night before. I pulled my knees up to my chest, and rested my chin on my knees and tried to rationalize what had happened. I sat for what must have been at least an hour, before Kyle stirred next to me.
He forced his eyes open before sitting up and putting an arm around me. “Hey my little sex goddess,” he joked. I stayed silent as he stretched, wincing as the skin on his shoulders pulled tight. “Damn,” he said quietly. He tilted his head to the side to look at his shoulder. “I take it you enjoyed yourself.”
“Huh?” I blankly asked. He tilted his shoulder to the side to let me see his shoulders. There were long red scratches extending from his shoulder blades to the tops of his shoulders. “Oh my god,” I said quietly, trying to force the tears from coming. “Kyle, what happened last night?”
He smiled. “Well, you ran by me to the bathroom, and I followed. I waited for a few minutes, knocking on the door, but when you didn’t answer, I just went in, where I found you passed out on the floor. I carried you to the car, and you came to, and started putting the moves on me in the car, when you suggested we come back here to finish things up. And... here we are.” I lowered my head. “Don’t you remember any of that?” I shook my head, ashamed of my behavior.
The clock on the table caught my eye and I saw that it was almost noon. I jumped up and began collecting my clothes from the room, pulling them on as I went. I tried to ignore his gaze, feeling dirty over the entire situation. I grabbed my watch and purse and went to the door. “Wait!” He exclaimed, jumping up and putting a pair of sweatpants on. He came over to me and tried to kiss me, but I turned my head, his lips landing on my cheek. “What the hell is wrong with you now? Last night, you were all over me.”
“Kyle, I was drunk and high last night. We shouldn’t have done this. It happened too fast.” I pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall before breaking into a run and sprinting down the stairs and out the front door of the frat house. I didn’t cease my jogging as I neared my dorm, using the backdoor to go inside, praying that no one would see me as I trekked back to my own room.
I was in luck, as I made it back to my own room without incident. As soon as my door shut, I took a shower and dressed in clean clothes, but still, unable to shake the dirty and skanky feel of my actions. I had just sat down to do some studying for the history bowl, having convinced myself to drop Kyle as a tutor, when there was a knock on my door. I narrowed my eyes, sending a silent prayer that Kyle wasn’t on the other side. I slowly pulled the door open, seeing a woman in a 1-800-FLOWERS uniform. “Briley Quinn?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Okay, sign here.” She pushed a clipboard at me and when I signed my name, she pushed a dozen white roses in a vase into my hands.
“Thank you,” I said softly as I took them to my desk and sat them down, just staring at the card that said my name in a neat cursive script. I finally forced myself to pick out the card and open it. As I tore open the little envelope, one small card and a neatly folded piece of paper dropped into my hands. I read the card outloud to myself. “I miss you already. Call me. P.S. I love it when you smile.” I put a hand to my mouth to find that I was, indeed, smiling at the sweet message. I then unfolded the piece of paper to read what else there was. “Baby I wonder if you feel the same as I do. I wonder if you’re goin’ through the things I’m goin’ through. I send you flowers on a Saturday, inside’s a letter with a message and no name. See, I just love the feeling knowing I can make you smile, and I haven’t felt that way about someone in quite awhile. Just listen to these words I have to say, just take a chance. You see, I toss and turn when I’m alone, and I just can’t wait until you get home. Waiting for your call, ‘cause tonight we’re gonna do it all, girl it’s just the two of us. And I’m thinkin’ about you day and night, and I just can’t get you off my mind, when you get a minute baby I was thinkin’ we could hook up, it’s just the two of us, the two of us. ‘Cause in a room full of people you’re the only one around and nothing in this world could ever bring us down. Baby I’ll be there, telling you I care, this I swear, girl it’s just the two of us, the two of us...” My voice trailed off as I finished the letter. I sighed as I placed where I had heard some of those words before. “JC,” I whispered.
I was still sitting and staring at the paper in my hand when Emily walked in, breathing deeply from her excursion outside where the temperatures had already reached ninety-five degrees. “Hey you,” she said with a smile as she dropped onto her bed, throwing her notebook for her Saturday morning class on her desk. “So, what happened last night?”
“I... uh,” I mumbled before she interrupted me.
“Oh, before I forget... Professor Rowland called while you were in New York, Kelly, JC, and...” she shuffled through a stack of papers on her desk. “... Alan, from work.”
“Oh damn,” I said softly as I took the piece of paper from her hand. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“Not exactly. He just wanted to know if you were actually planning on showing up to work tonight because he feels that the two of you should talk.” I nodded slowly, dropping the paper onto my desk. “So, come on. Spill. What happened last night? You don’t come home after going to a party with Kyle Gilliand? I mean, come on!”
I sighed. “Emily, I can’t tell you what happened last night. Quite honestly, even I don’t know what happened last night.”
“What are you talking about? How can you not know what happened?”
“Kyle ended up dumping me off with this friend of his, Katie, and I tried to, I guess, numb myself to what was going on around me. I ended up so drunk.”
“Is that all?”
“And high.”
“How the hell did you get high? Why the hell did you get high?” Emily screeched at me. I flinched from her voice and knew that I should prepare myself. This was the same reaction Kelly was going to give me.
“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know. It just happened and I realize that it was stupid.”
“Well, now I know why you didn’t remember anything from last night.”
“I may not have remembered it, but I sure got a rude awakening this morning. Literally.” Emily just raised an eyebrow in my direction. “I woke up with Kyle. In his bed. Wearing nothing.”
“Ohh...” Emily said slowly.
“Yeah. He said that it was all my idea, but somehow, that just doesn’t seem like me. I mean, it took me forever to sleep with JC, so why would I jump Kyle after a couple weeks?” I shook my head in bewilderment. “Something is just off about the entire situation. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
Emily exhaled again, not quite sure of what to say. I knew that she was probably disappointed in me and that hurt more than my conscience. Finally, she spoke, changing the subject. “You should get ready for work.” I was right. Her whisper showed the disappointment.
I just stood without replying, grabbing my white waitress uniform from the closet and retreated to the bathroom to get myself ready. Twenty minutes later, I was out the door and on my way to Dallas, knowing I wouldn’t like what awaited me there. I parked and jogged up the huge stone steps to the glass doors. I stepped inside and the host, Chad, glanced up at me. “Girl, you are about to get your ass chewed out,” he said with a slight twist of his wrist to accentuate his point.
“Whatever Chad,” I said, flashing him a smile to show that I wasn’t worried. I hurried through the restaurant and as I was passing through the kitchen, heard a booming voice that scared me out of my wits.
“QUINN!!” I stopped and slowly turned around to see Alan behind me. He motioned for me. “Well, nice of you to join us, wouldn’t you say?” I didn’t answer. “Patrick thinks so too.” I cringed at the thought of the head manager who none of us really talked to unless there was a problem that couldn’t be resolved with the help of one of the other managers or supervisors. “The three of us are going to have a nice chat. What do you say?” He put his hand on my back to lead me away and I freaked on him. I twisted away from his touch and spun around.
“Don’t touch me. Ever. Again.” A scene quickly sped through my mind, almost as if it were out of a movie. I vaguely recalled someone grabbing my wrist and me pulling my arm away from them, yelling at them to stop. I shook my head, writing it off as just jitters of what was about to happen.
“You got it. Sorry,” he apologized as if he didn’t understand why I would suddenly be upset by his touch. He stepped around me and led me downstairs where he knocked on a door.
“Come in,” Patrick’s voice called. Alan opened the door and the two of us stepped into the room. Patrick leaned back in his chair and watched as the two of us took seats across from him. Patrick was young, in his twenties, with dark brown hair and green eyes framed behind glasses. He was one of those managers that any of us could be friends with outside of work, but if he was pissed, you didn’t want to be anywhere near him. The three of us sat in silence for a good two minutes before he spoke. “Briley, Briley, Briley...” He took a deep breath and drummed his fingertips together before sitting up and leaning his elbows on the desk. “Briley...” he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes before replacing them. “Briley, you have been one of my best servers for the past year and a half. That’s why I really don’t understand what’s been going on with you for the past couple of weeks. Your performance has really gone down. I used to get at least one compliment about you a day, and do you know how many I’ve had in the past two weeks?”
“One?”
“None.” Patrick took a deep breath. “In the days you’ve actually been here recently, you’ve sucked. People aren’t getting the right orders, they aren’t getting them fast enough... then, when you aren’t here, you don’t even call us to let us know that you won’t be showing up. Briley, you are a great person, a wonderful server... usually. That’s why it’s killing me to tell you this.” I stayed silent, waiting. “Briley... as much as the Hard Rock family is going to suffer with losing you, you’re fired.”
My mouth dropped. “I’m what?”
“You can pick up your last check on Friday, and when you come in, be sure to bring your uniforms back.”
“Patrick, wait.” I leaned up, determined to fight for my job. “You don’t understand. I’ve been having alot of personal problems lately. I can do better, I promise. Just give me another chance.”
Patrick silently shook his head. “Briley, I can’t. It’s too late to give you second chances. However, if you go now, calmly, we’ll still give you excellent recommendations for future jobs.”
I nodded, realizing it was a lost cause to argue for. I silently stood, turned, and walked out the door. I ascended the stairs to the restaurant and smiled grimly at Chad as I passed. “I’ll get your e-mail address later, okay?”
Chad read my features and combined with the tone of my voice and what I had just said, knew what happened. “They fired you.”
I nodded. “It was bound to happen sometime.” I stepped toward him, giving him a hug, before going to the door. “I’m gonna miss it here.” I pushed the door open and stepped back out into the sunlight. Taking deep breaths, I slowly descended the stairs and walked to my car, getting in and just sitting behind the wheel for a few moments. I bit my lip to keep the tears from flowing down my cheeks before turning the key and listening to the low purr of the engine.
The drive back to Fort Worth was a blur. The second that I arrived back to the dorm, I stripped of my uniform, took a second hot shower, and dressed in a sweatsuit, ready to spend the evening doing nothing... but first, I had some phone calls to make. I dialed Kelly’s number in Ohio, listening to the rings, and then, the clicks as her answering machine picked up. “Hey, it’s Kelly... I’m not here right and won’t be for awhile. I am currently circling the US with five very childish men, and after that, I’ll be dragging one of them to the Bahamas for a much needed vacation. Depending on who you are, you have the numbers to reach me... but only if it’s an emergency! If you don’t have the numbers, leave a message.” The machine beeped in my ear before I slowly replaced the receiver into the cradle. Just as quickly as I set it down, I brought it to my ear again.
I listened to the rings, wondering if I would be greeted with another machine, when I heard my dad’s all too familiar voice. “Hey daddy,” I said softly.
“Briley!” He exclaimed. “It’s been so long since I’ve talked to you!”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy.”
“So I’ve heard. Your mom told me you went to New York this weekend. Did you like it?”
“Oh yeah, it was great. I got to spend some time with Kelly and JC.” I decided not to tell my parents about JC and I’s break. They loved him, so I didn’t think their reaction would be for the best.
“How is she doing anyway? I haven’t seen her since she’s off becoming a world famous doctor.”
“She’s wonderful. She and Lance are doing really great. In fact... they are going on vacation this week. To the Bahamas.”
“The Bahamas? Really? Do you have any way of getting ahold of her?”
“Yeah, I actually can. Why?”
“Well, there’s this liquor that can only be bought in Nassau, that’s one of the islands in the...”
“Dad, I know where Nassau is.”
“It’s in the Bahamas. I use it in this chicken dinner that your mom loves. Would you mind calling her and seeing if she will pick up a bottle for me? I’ll pay her back as soon as she gets home.”
“I’ll try dad. I’m not guaranteeing that I’ll be able to get ahold of her, but I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask.” The line fell silent. “How are your summer courses?”
“Good, I guess. I’m going to be in a History tournament in a few weeks. I have a chance at getting another scholarship.”
“That’s good. When is it?”
“The second week of August. Right before school starts again. And right before Emily leaves.”
“Emily is leaving? Where is she going?” My dad sounded slightly alarmed. He knew how close the two of us had grown.
“Texas A & M. She’s leaving me to be an Aggie.” I pressed my lips together. “She’s leaving just a couple days before the tournament... so, I was wondering... do you and mom think you can come down for a couple of days? Just to get me through Emily leaving and to give me a little support for the tournament?”
My dad didn’t answer right away, and I assumed that he was checking a calendar. “You know Briley, I think we might just be able to swing that.”
I smiled. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that.”
I could practically hear his smile through the line. “Dear, I don’t want to run... but...”
“I know, you have to.” I took a deep breath. “I love you.”
“I love you to. Bye sweetie.” I waited until I heard the click from my father’s line before hanging up my own phone. I pulled my history notes and book out from my desk drawer and prepared to do some studying, but first, made a trip to the soda machine in the lobby of the dorm. I was on my way back to my room when I heard a shrill ringing coming from down the hall. I picked up my pace, recognizing my phone.
“Hello?” I answered breathlessly from my run to the room.
“Hey girl!” I heard Kelly greet me.
I forced a smile, knowing that I would have to still play the happy girlfriend. “Oh, hey! How’s it going? How’s JC?”
She laughed a little. “JC is just fine. I think he misses you alot.”
I wasn’t expecting to hear that. I knew that the eventual follow up to my decision would be harder if I knew that it was tearing him up. “How do you figure?”
“Because during an interview the other day when they asked the girlfriend question, JC answered it, then pulled out a picture of you to show to the interviewer.”
I forced a giggle. “Oh my...” I decided then that it was time to change the subject from JC to her. “So, you didn’t tell me how it’s going. Gotten laid yet?”
“Briley!” She exclaimed. “You know me better than that.”
“I know, I know...” I grew serious. “So, I take it things are going well with you two?”
“Yeah, looking forward to the vacation.” She paused. “Hey, Briley, remember that plan that I told you about?”
It was my turn to grow silent. “The plan... the plan... oh yeah, the plan. What about it?” Before I left to fly back to Fort Worth, Kelly had cornered me to ask my opinion on a plan that she had come up with to... put Lance to the test, so to speak. Her point of wanting to do it at all was that she wanted to know how much he actually respected her.
“I’m gonna do it.”
“You’re not!” I exclaimed.
“I am. I’m going through with it finally.”
“When?” I asked.
“The first night of the cruise is the night.”
“How? I mean, what makes you think he’ll want to?”
She took a deep breath. “Well, I’m going to do what I can between today and that night to get his sex drive up... that’s all I can do... I’ll just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best.”
“Well...” I smothered a disproving sigh. “I hope it works out for you. I know how much you’ve been looking forward to doing this.” I heard a hollow knock come from her end of the phone.
“Come in!” She exclaimed. “Oh sure... JC is the same... ya know, the entire fatherly thing...”
I raised an eyebrow. “I take it Lance just walked in?”
“Yeah, I’ve been keeping my eye on him for you.”
“This is entertaining.” I gave a genuine giggle.
“Shut up. Anyway, I better go, Briley... I’ll talk to you when I get home from the cruise, all right?”
“Okay... and good luck Monday night!”
“Thanks... I’ll need it! I love you!”
“Love you too Kelly... later.” I hung up the phone. Part of me was wishing that I could have talked her out of her plan. If by chance Lance doesn’t pull through, she had no idea what she was getting into. Like the old phrase said, out of the frying pan and into the fire.
After a couple of minutes, I exhaustedly sat back against the stall door and took a few deep breaths. I felt slightly better so I flushed the toilet, splashed some cold water on my flushed cheeks, and went back to the room. I picked up my scattered notes and was just settling back in my seat when Mr. Rowland came in.
“Notes away...” He picked up the stack of exams and began handing them out. “As always, there are several copies throughout the room... which is to discourage amateur cheating.”
“So, it’s okay then if we cheat professionally?” A male voice in the back piped up.
Professor Rowland raised an eyebrow. “Actually...” he paused. “I don’t think so.” The room grew silent as we all began taking the test. Marking my answers took all of twenty minutes, and I gathered my bag, and walked to the front to hand my test in. As I turned to leave, Professor Rowland spoke. “I talked with Kyle the other day.”
I spun around in shock. “And?”
“He said the two of you are working together really well. He was amazed at how much he was learning from helping you.”
“Is that all?” I whispered, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.
“Oh, and he said that not only that, but that he’s getting a new friend out of the deal. He kept going on and on about how close the two of you were getting.”
Almost as soon as Professor Rowland had said that, another brief mental image flashed through my mind, this time of Kyle hugging my body to his in the midst of sex, obviously from the weekend before, even though I didn’t remember it. This image hit me hard and my eyes filled with tears.
“I have to go,” I whispered to Professor Rowland as I turned and hurried out the door. The second that I was in the hall, I slumped against the wall, sliding down until I was sitting, and buried my face in my hands. I let my tears fall freely from my eyes, not bothering to wipe them away. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but a feeling inside told me that something just wasn’t right. I didn’t have the strength to find out what it was, that much was for sure... so I did the only thing I could do. Cry.
