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“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Just out for some fresh air. I was thinking about hitting that party, but it looks kind of lame. I got bored working on my painting. I thought I could maybe get some inspiration on a nice walk around. How about you?”
“I just finished mine,” I said. “Now, I’m going to grab a bite to eat.”
“Ah, a bite to eat might sound good,” Frank said. I now hated that I’d given him that conversational thread to pull. “Mind if I join you?”
“I’m taking it to go.”
“Ah, that’s no fun. Sit down and eat with me there. It will be our first date,” Frank said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think so. I have a boyfriend.”
“Ah, but he isn’t here, is he? It’s funny how girls say they have a boyfriend but the boyfriend never seems to be anywhere around them. And I’ve been watching you, so I would know.”
“My personal life isn’t any of your business,” I said. “Goodnight.”
I started walking towards the restaurant. Frank was really irritating me. He gave all the girls in class a weird vibe. There was just something off about him. He was fairly decent looking, clean cut, with a winning smile, but something about the way he presented himself just put you on guard. I could never relax around him.
Frank stepped in front of me. “Not so fast.”
“Get out of my way,” I said.
“No. What have you got against me? You and I could have so much fun together. You do not know what you are saying no to. Hell, I wouldn’t even tell anyone. Nope. I’d keep my lips sealed. It’s a fun way to release tension. What do you say?”
“No. That’s not happening. Now get out of my way,” I demanded.
I started to walk past him. Frank lashed out and grabbed my arm, squeezing hard. He got right in my face. I could see rage in his eyes. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been so scared. But I felt rage rising up through me as well.
“You aren’t going anywhere until I say,” Frank said.
I pushed him in the face with my open hand, jerked my right arm free, and slapped him hard across the face. While he was stunned, I kicked him in the knee cap as hard as I could. I missed it and went a little low, but it was enough to cause Frank to howl in pain and start stumbling around in the darkness.
I turned and started jogging away towards the restaurant. I could hear Frank yelling and laughing behind me. “Was it good for you? You will come around, baby!”
The damn pig. When I got to MoNally’s I was visibly upset as I sat down in a corner booth. The owner Moe came over to me just then. He was a big man, about six feet five and he weighed at least three hundred pounds. He was also a sweetheart and I’d never seen him be anything but nice to anybody.
&nb
sp; “Are you ok?” Moe asked me.
I wiped tears from my eyes. “I’ll be ok.”
“Did someone hurt you? If they did, I’ll take care of it.”
I shook my head. Frank hadn’t actually done anything except grab me and no one had been around to see him do that. Besides, he hadn’t tried to chase me and he was laughing as if it was all a joke. The jerk was probably just messing around.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “But when I leave, could you walk me back to my dorm?”
“Of course. And your meal is on the house. Whatever you want.”
“Thank you,” I said.
I ordered a burger and fries. They seemed to help my nerves, plus just being in a friendly, crowded place. I was safe. I was fine. But I was miserable. I missed Ricky so much. What had I done? Had my own quest to achieve a dream really come between the love of my life and me? Had I done some irreparable damage to our relationship? I wanted to talk to him. I wanted him to be there with me.
I wanted to go home. That was what I wanted most of all. I didn’t really need school. Ricky was right. I was an artist. They couldn’t teach me to do what I was already doing. And I didn’t need stuffy professors telling me what they thought was wrong with my work, just so they could feel superior to me and pretend that they were actually teaching me something. It was all an elaborate ruse and it was all about getting gullible students’ money. That’s what it amounted to in the end.
After I finished my dinner, Moe walked me back home. I thanked him sweetly and once I was inside, I laid down on my bed and tried to relax. I wanted to call Ricky. I wanted to tell him what a bad decision this was. But I felt stupid doing so. After I’d fought to do this so hard, and after the way I’d stood up to him about his disapproval of me coming to school in New York to begin with, it would look weak of me. I didn’t want to come off that way. Plus, I didn’t want Ricky to hear me being whiney or crying. It would only worry him, and he was probably already worried about me. And with good reason. I’d almost been attacked tonight.
