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Before I can answer the door whips open, revealing a breathless Courtney standing in a bathrobe and soaking, wet hair.
“Did we catch you at a bad time?” Erica feigns innocence.
Courtney gives us a frown. “No, it’s fine after you scared the shit out of me banging on my door like that, my relaxing bath is now over.” She steps back and opens the door wider for us to come further in. Since she lives in Welsley Hall, she has her own room and it’s more spacious than the other dorms. In addition to her bedroom area, she has a small sitting area with a table and chairs and a place for food with a mini fridge.
I take a seat at the small table and look around. This is the first time I’ve been in Welsley Hall let alone in one of the dorm rooms. I’ve been in some of the other campus housing, but they look nothing like this one. It’s much nicer than the others with exposed brick walls, recessed lighting, and wood floors. I guess this is what being an honor’s student gets you since it’s exclusively open to the honors program students.I wonder if Brad is in the building somewhere right now?Courtney has been a sister in the sorority since her freshman year. She’s a senior and graduates at the end of the semester. Erica knows her from mutual friends and several classes that they’ve had together over the last three years.
Erica walks the length of the floor around the spacious room and then comes to sit down with Courtney and I at the table. “We have a favor to ask. Nikki’s pure happiness hangs in the balance.”
I snort. “Jesus, make me sound a little bit more desperate could you.”
Courtney flashes her eyes to me and back to Erica. I don’t know her well enough to get a good read on her but we’ve hung out several times at sorority events and at the last fundraising eventwe spent the day passing out information about the charity the sorority sponsors. She’s always friendly, talkative with a wicked sense of humor and very smart. The more I think about it, I’m surprised that she joined a sorority but then I think about her love of a good, themed party and I’m not so surprised anymore.
“Like I was saying, we need a favor, in particular Nikki needs a favor. Brad Matthews lives in this building. Do you know which room is his?”
Courtney looks at me and smiles. “You’re interested in Brad?”
See. She’s smart.
“I want to invite him to spring formal as my date,” I explain. I’m surprised at how steady my voice is. I’m not one for gossip or spreading my business so this is completely new territory for me to share and openly say that I like him. I swallow but get the words out. “Yes. I’m interested. I think he’s smart and funny and a good guy.”
Courtney doesn’t beat around the bush at all. “You’re in luck then. He lives on this floor. Last year he was the resident advisor for the floor but this year he passed the torch and we’ve got some clown who’s the music police.”
For a second, I blink my eyes and try to take in what she’s just said. She’s given me so much information in those few seconds. He lives on the same floor as her and he used to be an RA. I had no idea, but again he doesn’t brag about his accomplishments. He’s very humble and it makes him inexplicably even more attractive.
Erica claps her hands together. “Perfect! Let’s go! Lead the way!.”
“No way.” Courtney starts shaking her head back and forth in protest. “I’m in my robe! My hair looks like a drowned rat. I’m not stepping out of this room until I’m dried off and dressed.”She hooks her thumb out and points it to the right. “He’s three doors down. Go knock.”
Now it’s my turn to protest. “No, no, no. That will make me look like a total stalker. Hard pass.” I’m still shaking my head when Erica comes closer and leans into the table to look at Courtney.
“Court. You owe me. Six months ago when you were drunk and fell asleep in that bathtub, I made sure no one took photos of you and you owe me and I’m here to collect.”
I swear I hear Courtney gasp in shock, her face going pale.
In the best whisper hiss she can manage, I hear her tell Erica. “We agreed to never mention that night again! I can’t believe you! What a low blow. You know that I hardly ever drink and I had no clue Grant put so much vodka into those drinks.”
Erica is unflinching and doesn’t even bat an eye as she deadpans: “Time to pay the piper. Get dried off. Get dressed. You’ve got a ‘howdy neighbor just checking in on you’ call to make.”
Courtney fumes silently before she stands, storming down the hall and slamming a door shut. A few minutes later we lock her door and walk down the hall. It feels like a death march.
THE CRAZY SHENANIGAN
April 2005
One thing that baton twirling has taught me is to always trust my gut. I should have listened to it before I found myself knocking on the door to Brad’s dorm room. Technically, I’m not the one knocking. I’m more of a witness to this train wreck than an active participant. I do know if he’s going to say yes—and I do believe he will—these two need to make themselves scarce. How fucking awkward to have my friends with me when I ask a guy on a date. It feels like middle school.
Courtney, much to her credit, plasters a smile onto her face and since she was basically being coerced into this was at least saying something. If it is to say she doesn’t want to ever hear about the night being found in the bathtub. I crack a smile thinking about it as we wait in the hall.
“Are you sure this is his room?” I ask her.
Her reply is a slow blink.Ok.
Before she could give what was sure to be a sarcastic remark the door swung open and there he was. I immediately took in his casual appearance; barefoot, dressed in navy-blue gym shorts anda Dodgers t-shirt, I couldn’t help but smirk. He was always so put together the times that I saw him in class and even at Greek events. Here in his home away from home he was casual, comfy and completely adorable.
A look of surprise quickly flashed on his face before he plastered on a smile. “Ladies. What can I do for the three of you this evening?”
Our eyes briefly meet and I tried to give him my most apologetic smile. We were clearly interrupting his evening. Maybe studying since he did live in the honors dorms. Unlike me, I was living in an off-campus apartment, keeping the minimum grade point average for my scholarship, and spending my night on this crazy scheme.
