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“I don’t know, but it’s pretty bad. Like a mile a gallon. That beast is personally responsible for the hole in the ozone layer.”
Emily laughs again, and then pulls her long dark hair back into a ponytail. It’s jet black, but I think she dyed it because her eyebrows are so light, blonde almost. “A bunch of us are going out later. Do you want to come?”
“Where are you going?”
“Does it matter?”
“No.” I pause, and after a second add, “Hey, you’re not just asking me because you need a bus driver, are you?”
“I call dibs on the seat next to the rodent.”
“You can have the rodent.”
“I might take you up on that.”
After figuring out where I’m supposed to meet up with Emily later, I head to my room. I need to change and unwind before I lose my mind. Lucky me. Roommate is in there. “Hey,” I offer before I flop down on my bed, face first into a pillow.
“You have a package downstairs.” She points a manicured nail toward the desk we share. There’s a UPS call slip.
I wonder why they didn’t bring the boxes up, but don’t ask. Roommate is being nice and I don’t want to spoil it. Pushing off the bed, I cross the room and grab the slip. I don’t want to walk downstairs, but I want my clothes. That’s what’s in the boxes. I shipped them because I didn’t have time to pack up my room before I left. I didn’t plan on coming to college here and it was a three-day drive. By the time I decided to come, there wasn’t enough time, so my parents threw my clothes in boxes and shipped them the cheapest way possible. I’ve been living out of a suitcase for the past week.
After walking down the stairs, I go to the girl at the desk and ask where my boxes are. “Let me see your paper.” I hand her the call tag. She snaps her gum and points out the doors. “This is going to be in the student center by the mailboxes. Go to the window and ask them.”
Damn it. I don’t want to walk across campus and get them. There are seven boxes and I bet each one is heavier than I am. Taking the slip back, I thank her and start my walk across campus. By the time I get to the mail window, it’s about to close.
“Wait!” I yell and run the last few steps. The woman in the window looks like she’s going to shut it anyway, so I lunge the call slip at her and slap it down on the counter. “I need these.”
She picks up the slip and looks it over before disappearing into the back. As I wait, I glance around at the other students. They all seem like they have friends and that they know what’s going on. No one looks lost or like they feel the way I do. It’s nearly dinnertime. I see Carter push through the doors with a bunch of other guys that I haven’t seen before. I nod my head at him, wondering if he’s going to blow me off or say hello. To my surprise, he walks away from the man pack and heads my way. “Hey, Kerry.”
“Hey, yourself. My boxes finally got here.” I rub my palms together and smile at him.
“Boxes?”
“Yeah, my cheap-o parents mailed all my stuff after they threw my butt on a plane. I’m lucky they didn’t buy me a seat on the livestock flight.”
He smirks. “I’m sure.” He pushes his hands into the pockets of his jeans that are two sizes too big.
The woman returns with a blank look on her face and no boxes. “Honey, you need to call the number on this slip.” She shoves it at me and reaches over her head to close the window.
“Wait, why? Where are my things?”
“From the looks of it, this entire lot was shipped to Guam.”
“What?”
She says it louder, like I didn’t hear. “Guam.” And then she pulls the metal screen down and disappears from sight. I’m still staring blankly at the closed window when Carter reaches in front of me and picks up the paper.
“Come and have dinner. We can get your boxes back. I can even call if you want. It’s not a big deal, Kerry.”
“You’re just saying that.” I smile a tiny bit and look over at him.
“Yeah, but it made you smile. Come on.”
Carter is on the phone for a long time and I don’t say much. Emily interjects that I got a new car, but stops talking when I slam my heel down on her toe under the table. She didn’t really feel it, thanks to those military boots she’s always wearing. Tonight she has on a studded black collar, a tight black top layered with a leather jacket, and a pleated blue and black skirt with rocker stockings—the kind that look like a cat clawed them before they were sent to the store and put on the shelf.
“So, where are we going?” I ask, changing the subject before they hear about my bus. My plan is to deny ownership and hope to God that someone is stupid enough to steal it. Or that the raccoon starts a fire, because he looked a little crazy if you ask me. Those tiny paws could pull off arson. Maybe I should throw some matches in the back later.
“There’s a club in the city that’s really cool. It’s like a club, a coffee house, a poetry reading, and an art show all in one place.” The guy speaking is named Noah. He’s barely said two words to me before now. He’s rail thin and tall, with a mop of sandy blonde hair and a nose that’s too big for his face. “It’s cool. You’ll like it.”
