Devyn pulled herself off the couch around 4 AM and ambled towards her own bed. Now, at 6:30, she was yawning as the alarm pierced the silence in the room causing her to stumble out of a bed. Devyn quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a large sweatshirt and attempted to brush her hair back into a ponytail. She walked into the living area of the dorm to check on Nick and found him fast asleep on the couch, oblivious to the annoyingly early reality. “Nick,” Devyn said, lightly shaking Nick awake. Her efforts were pointless as Nick didn’t even show any sign of life. “C’mon Nick, we didn’t study our asses of for nothing…”
Nick shuffled around on the couch and pulled the blankets over his head. “Come back in an hour,” Nick said coldly. “It’s too damn early.”
Smiling to herself, Devyn grabbed one end of the blanket and pulled. Nick, who was completely wrapped up in it, spiraled onto the floor. “Okay, I’m up,” he stated with his eyes half open. With that, Nick headed towards his bedroom to get ready to go.
“How’d you think you did?” Nick asked, still yawning.
“Horrible,” Nancy sighed. “I can’t remember the formulas even if I try.”
“What about you Dev?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know…I guess I did okay. You?”
Before Nick could answer, Nancy butted in coldly. “Of course you did okay. Hell, you probably beat all of us, again.”
“It’s not like it’s a contest Nance,” Devyn said, taken aback.
“No kidding Nancy,” Nick said, coming to Devyn’s aid. “Lighten up. It’s just a test.”
Nancy just sighed again and the three of them continued walking in silence until Devyn reached her Accounting class and said good-bye.
Nick was just about to take a bite of his turkey sandwich when he heard a key click in the door. “Hey Dev,” he said as Devyn walked in a tossed her bag on the counter. “How was Spanish Lit?” he laughed.
“We started a new play, something about the fiery darkness…I dunno, I couldn’t really translate the title. Why didn’t you go?”
“I got a call from Brian about the tour and so I had to get back here and figure out the details.”
“So the Backstreet Boys are going back at it, eh?” Devyn sat in the chair across from Nick and began shuffling through the mail piled high on the table.
“Yeah, I guess so…”
“When?” Devyn asked, trying to act as natural as possible even though inside she knew that she would miss Nick if he left soon.
“It’s a spring/summer tour so it’s gonna start next month. Management already has it set up.”
“So in a month, Mike and I will be rid of you? Wow, who knew it was that easy?”
“You were already going to be rid of me. The end of the month is almost here Dev…or had you forgotten?”
Devyn thought for a second. She really hadn’t noticed that Nick was getting closer and closer to being out of the dorm. In fact, she was starting to consider Nick as a roommate rather than a problem. “I’ve been counting the days Carter, don’t you worry,” she lied.
“You’re not the only one,” Nick laughed.
“Oh I’m so sure,” Devyn said, stealing a potato chip from Nick’s plate. “You’re probably gonna throw one hell of a party when you get out of here, huh?”
“Yeah...you’re not invited.”
“Oh, so you’ve put some thought into this.”
“Everyday.” Nick said smiling.
“Well, I gotta go,” Devyn said, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter. “Art History is calling my name.”
“Hey Dev?”
Devyn turned towards Nick but did not say a word.
“What is a Pre-Med doing taking Art History...? It seems kinda dumb to me.”
Devyn laughed. “Well you seem kinda dumb to me...” Devyn began playfully allowing her sentence to drift off. “No, um...well, I don’t know really. It just looked interesting I guess.”
“Well go enjoy learning about dead artists and crazy ear-less painters.” (AUTHOR’S NOTE: Vincent VanGogh cut of his ear and gave it to a prostitute)
When Devyn was gone Nick dropped the pile of mail back onto the table and finished his lunch. At 3:30, Nick was stuffing his Music Theory notes into a backpack when the phone rang. Nick cringed at the name on the Caller ID. It was Eric.
“Hey Nick,” Eric began. “Is Devyn home.”
“No,” Nick answered in a near-rude tone. He the corrected himself, realizing that it wasn’t Eric’s fault that Devyn liked him. “Um, I haven’t actually seen her since lunch.”
“Okay, well, can you just have her call me when she gets in?”
Nick agreed although he had to keep himself from throwing the written message in the trash before he left for class.
Nick walked through the door to his Music Theory class just as the professor was entering the room. After taking a deep breath and organizing his notes, Nick couldn’t concentrate on anything his professor was saying. Instead, he focused on the feelings of jealousy and resentment which had surged through his body the moment Eric’s voice was heard over the telephone. “I have to get over this,” Nick told himself. “Devyn and I would never mix well...and even if we did...it wouldn’t last...” That thought caused Nick to drift further away from reality and into a deep rooted feeling of unworthiness. Trying to regain control over his mind, Nick shuffled through his jacket pocket for a stick of gum only to return with a folded sheet of paper and a ripped envelop. Confused, Nick opened the paper to discover that it was a hand-written letter from the United States Adoption Recovery Program stationed in New York City:
Dear Ms. McPherson,
After extensive research into your case because of grants sent from an unnamed source and DNA tests sent from Columbia University, it has been determined that there is a possible match between your DNA and that of Professor Donald Lockwood. Further research is necessary to confirm this idea, however, in my opinion as a DNA Analysis Technician, these results are as conclusive as they could be. Please call my office to schedule a blood work appointment. Both parties much be present for the results to be considered final.
Theodore Martin
DNA Analysis Technician
(204) 283-7346
Chills ran down Nick’s spine but that feeling couldn’t even compare to the thoughts he had next when his eyes traced over another side note below the closing of the letter:
I should be mad, but for some strange reason I’m not. Thank you Nick, I owe it all to
you.
-Devyn
Chapter Nineteen
Back to the HL Index
Back to the Katie's Stories Page
Back to the Main Page