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When our parents got divorced, my mother and I moved to a new city and I never saw Peter again. She wouldn’t allow me to keep in touch because she wanted nothing to do with Peter’s father. I’ve always resented her for that. Shouldn’t my feelings have been her priority?
I’ve only grown more bitter about it as I’ve gotten older and been able to see more clearly how selfishly she acted.
And here I thought texting Peter was going to cheer me up. If he was here right now, he’d tell me to put my chin up and keep on swinging for the fences. I mean, I think he’d say that. Unless he’s become a totally different person in the time since I’ve last seen him. I hate that I don’t know.
Sometimes I fantasize about driving back to Buffalo and looking for him, but I don’t even know if he’d want to see me after all this time. Let’s be honest, he’s probably long forgotten about me. I was just some stupid kid to him.
I hurry off to catch up with Heather. A few more friends are walking with her now. I recognize Tanya from Discrete Math and Mark from Organic Chemistry.
Mark waves his arms around as he talks. “So, Trevor was always going on and on about how much he liked Samantha, right? And she finally starts dating him, only for him to dump her a week later.”
Tanya gasps. “No! What an asshole.”
I shake my head. Samantha is a total sweetheart, too. This is why I don’t date. There’s no one worth relying on.
“Rumor has it he’s hooking up with a TA now,” Mark says.
“Ugh,” I say. “Creepy.”
“I bet he’s cheating on tests,” Tanya says.
“Tanya!” Heather says. “Don’t say stuff like that. It’s so mean. You’d feel awful if you started a rumor.”
Tanya snorted. “I wouldn’t feel awful. Trevor is such a jerk.”
I check my watch. I still have fifteen minutes until my next class starts.
If I’d had more leeway scheduling classes, I never would have set myself up for the long walk from University Hall to Wheatley. They’re clear across campus from each other. The best way to make it on time is to take a shortcut through the winding alleys on campus, and then cut across Harborwalk. This last part can be quite a challenge on a bright, sunny day when everyone is outside. Today, though, I’m thinking that won’t be a problem, thanks to the downpour earlier.
The crowd falls away as we walk past a series of classes, the bookstore, the dev center, until finally rushing out into the cool air. On days like this, I hate this part of the commute. With the Harborwalk deserted, the trees take on an eerie presence. It’s as if they’re hiding something, watching me.
I start talking to keep my mind off my nerves. “So, my mom called again earlier today. She wants to know if I’ve failed any of my classes yet.”
Heather rolls her eyes. “Bitch.”
“Hey, she’s not so bad. Sometimes.” I do love my mom. I try to love my mom. She just makes it a bit difficult when she gets in one of her moods. I’m bad at standing up to her, I know that. If I’d been better at telling her off, I would’ve found a way to keep in contact with Peter.
“Emily! I love you!”
I turn around at the sound of my name, but there’s no one behind us. Just an empty stretch of grass peppered with ghostly trees.
A shiver runs through me. It has to be a friend playing a prank. Except…wouldn’t a friend have laughed, or run over here to meet up with us? Maybe I was just hearing things?
I grab Heather’s arm. “Did you hear someone shouting at me just now?”
Heather shrugs. “Sure. You have a boyfriend you’re hiding from us?”
“No.” I fight back panic. “There’s no one behind us.”
Mark looks over his shoulder and frowns.
“Emily has a secret lover-boy,” Tanya sing-songs.
“No, I don’t,” I say, my voice climbing up an octave. I grit my teeth. My heart is pounding. “Did any of you see somebody?”
They look at me blankly, then shake their heads.
I wipe my sweaty palms against my slacks. It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t care. Just someone joking around. Maybe someone followed me from class and thought it would be funny.
