Chapter 1
There is this air about him that protrudes confidence, arrogance, and that he is a smart-ass. It sucks that he is good looking too! I just don’t understand why girls flock towards him like flies to honey. He wasn’t kind towards me in school! Especially, the people he hangs with are jerks.
I glare daggers at him and his posse. There is this one chick on his lap that he is rubbing her ass, and a second girl sitting on his desk with her breasts nearly exposed: she is not wearing a bra, and her shirt is practically translucent!
I roll my eyes disgusted with the sight before me as I turn around in my seat.
“Jealous, aren’t we,” my best friend, Eric Grant, notes. My cheeks flush red at his accusation. Me, jealous of those girls touching Lawrence Jay O’Connor? No, never. Jealously is the least of my emotions I felt towards them. It’s disgusting they had to put on a show in class. “You still like him? After all these years?”
“Did you bump your head? This is not the eighth grade anymore. We’re in our last year of college now,” I whisper-shouted, trying to clear my name. As disgusted as their public display of affection is, Lawrence is easy on the eyes. In the eighth grade I was crushing hard on him. Plus, that was during the time my hormones were out of whack.
Eric chuckles softly, “I still remember the day you confessed your feelings to him! You were so red after that.”
During lunch, in the eighth grade, may I remind you, I confessed my feeling to Lawrence through a giant sign that said: “Will you be my boy friend,” I had classical music playing in the background on my stereo while I ballet danced in the middle of the freaking cafeteria. And mind you, this was also in front of the whole school of eighth graders.
He just stood there watching me with redden cheeks. I don’t know if he was embarrassed or embarrassed for me, but he said: “I’m too young to have a girl friend,” then ran away.
His jerk for friends came up to me with evil grins plastered on their faces. They dumped their…well, more like threw their food at me. Everyone howled in laughter and then someone in the background yelled: “Food fight,” and the rest was history! I became the target of their bullying all through high school because of that food fight.
“Please, don’t make me relive my past mistakes,” I cover my face in embarrassment thinking about that day.
“I can’t believe we’re still friends after that. I still get secondhand embarrassment from your confession. You even danced in front of everyone,” Eric shakes his head and covers his face too.
It’s not like I’m a bad dancer. So, I don’t know what was so embarrassing about that part. I have done ballet since I was in elementary school and in high school I participated in ballet shows.
To be honest, the only people that remember my confession is Eric and I. Not even Lawrence or his friends remember it because they don’t bring it up. Even when bullying me they don’t make remarks about it. But since the day of my confession that’s when they started bullying me. I know they remember the food fight because everyone talks about the “epic” eighth grade food fight. All I can say is that I’m thankful they don’t mention my awkward love confession.
I sneak a glance at Lawrence again. There is a third girl behind him. Her arms are around Lawrence’s neck and they’re practically making out. Huh, is he polyamorous? It could be true. He does have all those girls around him and they are sharing him. Once the professor arrives all three girls remove themselves off Lawrence.
Thank goodness too! That was too distracting.
“If you don’t like him, why do you keep staring at him? Hmmm…” Eric mumbles.
“It’s just-just that…I don’t know…it’s like the zoo or a car crash,” I mutter, trying to get my words in order, “Girls flock towards him like he’s something special. I just don’t get it.”
“Ah, yes, the signs of jealousy or could it be that you still like him?”
I stuck my tongue out at Eric. It is just that all through college I have not once bumped into Lawrence or any of his friends. I didn’t even know they attended university. In fact, I didn’t know they attended this university. For a moment, I forgot they existed. Then boom! A new school year happens, and on the first day of class his existence is present. It’s like his presence is loud. Like he wants to be known or better yet: seen.
Maybe it was a bad idea to complete my electives during my senior year of college. I wanted my last year to be fun, though! That might change with Lawrence and his gang around.
“Death is one hundred percent! It’s inevitable,” the professor of our philosophy 101 class bellows catching everyone’s attention. The thought of death is scary, and I do not like the idea of it at nine o’clock in the morning! “Everyone dies, but the question is: how will you live it?”
***
I always knew philosophy would be boring, but I didn’t know it would put me to sleep. I was awoken by a thunderous noise. The 500 plus students in the lecture hall all burst into laughter. My cheeks redden for the second time today. The professor had dropped a huge textbook on my desk. As I looked up at him from my sleepy state, he had a mischievous smile.
“Are we awake now, Miss Lin,” how does he know my name? There are hundreds of students in this lecture! “If you find my class too boring, I suggest you drop it.”
I straightened up in my seat smoothing down the front of my shirt. This is so embarrassing as hell! I had never fallen asleep in lecture until today. It feels like eighth grade all over again. Why didn’t Eric wake me up? I turned to my left to find an empty seat that once had Eric. Where did he go?
How could he ditch me or not tell me where he went? I searched for my phone in one of my jean pockets. There was a message from Eric.
It read: “Steven,” in all capital letters.
Of course it had to be him. Steven is Eric’s kryptonite. Steven could snap his damn fingers (if he had any fingers), and poof Eric would be there in a heartbeat. Steven was currently at the veterinarian clinic for a respiratory infection. Apparently, Eric over did it with the humidifier causing his red-footed tortoise to have bubbles coming out of his nose or something like that. My best friend loves his tortoise to the moon and back! He’s had him since we were in the second grade, and that dang tortoise is still going strong after all these years.
From what I recall, the day he got Steven was on Christmas. Typical time to get a pet. My family was over at his place having dinner, when his parents surprised him with a plain brown box with a red bow on the top corner of it. Eric opened the box and Steven’s baby tortoise head popped out. Cute, right? No! That freaking tortoise glared me down to claim Eric as his own. He stole Eric’s heart at that moment. From that day on, anyone who didn’t get along with Steven had no place in Eric’s life. I tried my best to get on well with Steven, but the tortoise kept biting me and attacking my feet. I even have scars from his bites to prove it! But Eric claims they’re Stevie’s “love” bites. And has reassured me that Steven has no malicious intent towards me. We do not see eye to eye, but I do tolerate Steven. Because of my tolerance, Eric has kept me as his best friend.
The professor let everyone leave class five minutes early. Out of the other electives, this class didn’t require a presentation. Philosophy 101 only requires a mid-term and a final paper, which seems simple enough! I would rather do this than stand in front of class to do a speech. Plus, a lot of students on Rate My Professor said this class is an easy “A,” which sounds amazing to me! But the downside is that I cannot, for the life of me, keep my eyes open during lecture. The class is just too boring, and I do not know if I will survive!
The girl that was sitting on Lawrence’s lap at the beginning of class taps me on the shoulder.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Not my name, rude. She says this in a sing-song tone, as if we’re best friends or something special.
“Um…hi,” I tentatively reply. What does she want from me?
“So, my friends and I were like wondering if you would like to you know, you know?”
“No, I do not know,” if this is an orgy she is inviting me to, count me out!
“Like you know. Our study group, silly girl,” she’s giggling while twirling her hair as she’s looking at guys pass by us with a smile.
“Um… thanks, but Eric and I have our own study group. I hope you understand.”
“Oh, you can invite this Eric too. You’re both welcome to join us. Like the more the merrier! Ya, know,” she flips her hair to the side. “Please, please, please join our group. I mean like Lawrence insisted you and your friend join us.”
“Lawrence,” I say in disbelief.
“Yeah. Don’t worry, we’re just like good friends, nothing serious,” she giggles again and flips her hair again.
What is with the giggling and hair flipping?
“Yes, I get it.”
“Like, I’m all about women empowerment! I need no man and ain’t looking for anything serious. Ya know. Men are like pigs. They’re just so gross, but like sexually I need them. Yummy. Hey, tiger,” she meows to some semi-good-looking guy that passes us in the hall.
This is too much information.
“Um…yes, feminism!”
“Oh good, you get it. So, please. Join us tonight at my place, and bring this Eric guy too. And we are going to study the night away!”
The girl, whose name is: MaryAnn, and I exchange numbers. She texted me her address for the study group. Which happens to be at a sorority house. Go figure! I do hope it’s genuinely a study group, and not some orgy-cult-fuck-thing. I have great grades now, and I’m worried that joining this study group will bring my grades down. I really don’t want to join them, but I’ll see what Eric thinks.
Personally, sex without love is a no go. I get attached to easily, and it hurts too much being treated like an object.
***
Eric meets me at lunch after the veterinary visit. We go to our favorite diner that is four blocks away from campus. It’s a cozy spot and a lot of people come here to study or when they have a hangover. It’s the best burger place in town, and their milkshakes are to die for!
“So, what is so urgent that you couldn’t tell me over the phone,” Eric asks with his mouth full of fries.
Gross!
“Please, chew before speaking to me,” as I say this, Eric is glaring me down. I roll my eyes at him because he knows I’m right. “It’s called manners,” He glares at me again while shoveling more fries in his mouth out of spite. I ignore it. “Anyways, the girl that was sitting on Lawrence’s lap the beginning of class invited us to her place.”
Eric shrugs, “don’t know who you’re talking about because I wasn’t being a creep during class staring at people.”
“Basically,” I say a little too loudly. “She’s one of Lawrence’s “good” friends who asked us to join their study group. Please, join me tonight. I do not want to go there alone.”
“You agreed to go,” Eric practically shouted in disbelief! “If it turns out to be something other than studying, count me out!”
“We’ll run the first sign of anything sex-cult like.”
“Deal,” And we shook on it with a spit oath.
“How’s Steven,” I ask as I wipe my hands with a napkin and hand sanitizer.
Eric is still eating, “I spent two-hundred dollars only to have the vet tell me I was panicking for no reason.”
“Good to hear Steven is fine.”
“I know deep down you want him dead.”
“Me? Want him dead? Just because he stole the heart of my best friend. Me jealous of Steven? No-no. You, sir, are mistaken,” Eric is playfully glaring at me with a smirk forming on his symmetrical face.
After lunch, we went back to my place. The study group wasn’t happening until six o’clock tonight, and it was only three in the afternoon. We needed to kill time!
My sister was home; she was curled up with her high school sweetheart on the couch watching TV.
“Hey, Millie! Hey, Clint,” Eric calls out.
“Hey,” they both respond in unison.
The apartment is small but good. When you enter there’s the kitchen on the left, and to the right is the dining area. Then you enter the living room with an amazing view of the river. On the left of the living room is my sister’s room, and on the right of the living room is my room. The best part is that we have our own bathrooms. It may be small, but it takes care of our needed amenities. The only problem is the color choice the landlords made. All the frames are red, and the walls are a pale yellowish color. I wish we could repaint the place, but the landlord said they would take our thousand-dollar deposit for destruction of property. If anything, a new paint job would enhance the place. But since rent is affordable, I guess the landlords wanted to make it as ugly as possible to keep business at bay. Why? So, that renters will choose their pretty but least affordable properties. And Eric is one of those suckers! Ha-ha!
Clint changed the channel to the three o’clock news. On the bottom of the screen was a black bar with words that read: “Breaking news,” and “do not panic,” running across it.
“For today’s breaking news, we want to announce that the president of the United States of America has issued a second lock-down. The head of WHO (World Health Organization) is encouraging people to stay home, to stay six feet apart, and to wear masks. This is not covid but another virus that is going around. If you are feeling ill, please stay home. Millions of people all around the world have been hospitalized, some in severe cases have been vomiting blood. And those in health care are hard at work!”
“For fucks sake! Another lock-down! What is going on,” Clint bellows.
“You and Steven are always welcome here,” During the covid pandemic Eric practically lived with us. And Clint had officially moved into my sister’s room during that time too. Which I’m thankful for because rent was a lot more affordable with their help. “I know you and your roommates do not get along, and they have beef with Steven attacking their feet and shoes.”
“I need to go pick up Steven. Thank you, you’re an angel. Well, Kaia, the good news is that sex-cult for tonight is off!”
“Sex-cult,” my sister yells from across the room. “When did you two join a sex-cult?”
“We didn’t. It’s a study group we were invited to, but the people who invited us is very hands-on. If you know what I mean,” Eric wags his eyebrows suggestively.
“Eric, don’t be gross,” my sister tossed a throw pillow at him.
“Steven and I will not be spending time quarantined alone. So, I will be back, and I will help pay your bills!”
“Why don’t you sublease your room and move all your stuff here. I have a big enough closet for your two shirts and jeans,” I tease.
Eric tossed the pillow at me teasingly, “Ha, ha, but that is a good idea I will set-up an ad to lease my room out. But first, I need to get Steven.”
“Do you need help,” Clint offers.
“That would be great! Don’t worry, I don’t have much.”
“Literally, he doesn’t even have a bed,” I bellow after them as they leave our apartment.
Both boys left for Eric’s place. And thus, marking the beginning of a second pandemic after the covid-19 lock-down.
