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“Oh, wow, that’s a complicated question for me,” she said, thinking about it. “I mean, first, I have to really like him. Then I have to evaluate if he’s good for me, if we make a good couple and there has to be chemistry, ya know?”
“Chemistry!” dismissed Diamond. “Listen to you. The only chemistry I want is the chemistry in those pants.”
“Jeez, Di!” I exclaimed blushing. “Dial it back, will ya?”
“You’ll miss me when I’m gone,” she vowed. “Since we’re all going home now. I don’t even know how I’m going to get all my stuff out of here. I practically had to rent a U-Haul to get it up here.”
“Wouldn’t you have to do that anyway?” asked Gillian.
“Yes, and I reserved my truck for the end of the semester. Now? You can’t get one. They’re all sold out!”
“Why did you bring your own furniture?” I asked, incredulous. “The rooms had furniture.”
“I’m not sittin’ on that ugly-ass couch!” she insisted. “My room’s da bomb with all the stuff I brought. You know it!”
“It is nice,” admitted Gillian.
“How can I study to be an Interior Decorator while living in a drab dorm room like all of you?” she asked.
“I have an idea,” I offered. “Why don’t you move the stuff to a storage place near here? That way, when you come back, you won’t have to move it that far.”
“That’s a good idea, Trace,” agreed Diamond. “But then I’ll need some furniture for home. There’s nothing in my room at home, now.”
“Plus, we don’t know when this lockdown’s gonna end,” added Gillian. “What if it extends into next fall? Fall’s the worst time to get sick.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “Guess it doesn’t really matter anyway. God, I won’t be able to stand living at home.”
“Oh, wait! I just realized! Aaron Paul’s gonna be there too! Ooo, girl, you have to throw yourself at him,” advised Diamond. “I’m not talking about a relationship, but just to get a little something on the side.”
“For the millionth time, he’s my stepbrother!”
“That’s perfect, no one will suspect!” she whispered. “Shhh.”
I let out a sigh. Clearly, this boy-crazy room was not getting it. Phil was related to me now. Dating family like that would be way too weird for me. Plus, he spent the whole wedding glaring at me, so he was obviously a rude jerk.
I was not looking forward to having to go be around him. Stupid Coronavirus.Chapter Three - TracianneNegotiating a ride home from college was a mess. Everyone was trying to scramble to get home all at once. I mean, during a break it was always that way too, but this time seemed more frantic.
The girl I normally rode with just refused to drive anyone. She was paranoid about the virus, which was understandable. Everyone was doing everything they could to stay safe.
Eventually, my dad convinced me to rent a car. There was this new service where I wouldn’t have to return it and they’d send someone over to pick it up. Normally, I’d find that rather lazy, but during the virus, it seemed to be a great idea.
Unfortunately, the car they dropped off was a Prius. It was hard to jam all my stuff into their little car, but I managed. I had things toppling over on my head during the drive.
I laughed, thinking that I could probably drive in the carpool lane, since it looked like I had other people jammed inside the car with me.
After a long, traffic filled and miserable ride, where I stopped for fast food and got a little sick from it, I finally arrived home. I was half tempted to leave my junk in the car until the next morning, but God forbid if the car guy showed up early to take it back.
Instead, I grabbed an armful of stuff and made a b-line for the sliding doors in the back. Along the way, I cut across some grass and stepped on something. My foot slid out from under me and I fell, dumping a box of stuff across the lawn.
Most of the things in the box had been in my desk back at school. It included a bunch of knick-knacks, change, paperclips and other tiny things. It took about twenty minutes of picking through the grass to find them all!
It turns out I had slipped on a dog toy. What a non-surprise. Phil just let his dog leave his crap everywhere. He really was such a jerk.
After gathering up all my stuff and the rubber bone, I finally managed to get into the house. I was sweating because it was unseasonably warm for March and I was still wearing a jacket.
“Hey, Tracianne,” greeted Daphene, my new stepmother, as if we were good friends. “Do you need help unloading your car?”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, trying not to engage.
