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Eight. Okay. I could survive that.
The doors opened to the lobby, and the scent of Lysol and fresh coffee fought over my senses as I stepped onto the tile floor. There were a few students out and about, some heading to the dining hall for a late breakfast, and others, like me, up to scout out their professors and classrooms before the school year officially began.
No one said a word to me as I passed by the front desk toward the door, not that they had to—I didn’t recognize any of them. A couple of girls running the desk watched me as I pushed through the door. Glancing over my shoulder, I could’ve sworn I saw a couple of them snicker.
Well, bitches will be bitches. I wouldn’t be surprised if gossip had already made rounds through this stupid love triangle that consisted of me, Eric and Vivian.
The quad was far more energetic than the inside of the dorm. A lacrosse team was meeting at the far end of the lawn, a group of boys sprawled out on benches and blasted music, groups of girls milled across the patios surrounding the grass. A few boys tossed afrisbeeback and forth across the whole landscape while an elderly lady pushed a stroller along the perimeter. I started cutting across the lawn to reach the first building.
Even though I wasn’t alone, there was something calming about being surrounded by tons of people I didn’t know. It gave me space to think, without having to think about what everyone thought of me.
My mind strayed back to Elliot.
Suddenly, I felt the tremors back between my thighs, his hands all over my shoulders and through my hair, the smoothness of his voice.
Seems you only get horny when you’re angry.
I hadn’t been angry. I’d been dead serious.
When I’d first heard his voice at that party, I’d thought I was dreaming. Fifteen minutes. That was all the time that separated me from him, my past, the person I used to be.
It was thrilling. And terrifying.
The first building was the oldest on campus, and also one of the smallest, with brown brick walls, and stone steps leading up to wide, wooden doors framed by a set of white columns. A picture of modest academia. I started up the steps and held open the door for a couple of faculty making their way out of the building before stepping inside.
The door squealed as it swung shut behind me, and the sound echoed throughout the long hallway. It was empty, aside from a student chatting with an adult in front of one of the doors. I checked the room number on my schedule and headed into the stairwell to the second floor.
I reached the classroom, snapped a photo of the door and went back outside on the quad. One down, five to go. The number of people that had been lazing around on the lawn had multiplied by a dozen. A gaggle of girls—had to be freshmen—scooted past me on cruisers, and it looked as if a ten or so more students had made the boys’ game offrisbeeinto a tournament.
My next classroom was located in the building right next door. I trekked toward it, and the group of cruisers steered around me.
“Oh, shit,” one of them called as they sped past.
They glanced at me over their shoulders and continued on without another word. Narrowing my eyes, I peeked behind me. There was no one else there.
Shaking my head, I walked up to the next building. As I pushed through the revolving door, I heard someone let out a whoop from behind me. I turned around just in time to see two boys pointing at me just before I was forced into the lobby.
What the hell?
I stood there, watching the boys through the glass as it rotated to a stop, until they continued on past the building.
Maybe I was imagining things.
No.
Something was wrong.
Instead of going ahead to find the room, I stepped back through the revolving door. I’d probably just put my clothes on inside-out, or something stupid like that. The students here may have been enrolled at a university, but they still had the basic sense of amusement as toddlers.
I crossed the quad again and heard more snickers coming from behind me. Whipping around, I saw a couple students angling their phones at me. Taking a picture, no fucking doubt.
I started to walk faster.
More heads turned in my direction as I passed. Some girls pointed at me, laughing. A couple guys covered their eyes, some fanned the air in front of their noses. I forced my eyes to the ground.
In shorts and T-shirt, was I still too emo for them?
What the fuck was going on?
