Carnelian (7 page)

Sim met me for lunch again at the Union.
This seemed like it would become a regular thing. Four days a week
our breaks around lunch were the same. Neither of us had been
outgoing enough yet to meet new people. I had seen the Barbies
around the dorms and campus, but I wasn’t about to bleach my hair
and try to fit in.

“Do not take chemistry with Professor
Manthis,” Sim complained, sitting by me. I had already started on
my Cobb salad.

“Why not?” I had actually heard he was the
best chemistry teacher they had at Morton.

“Do you really think I’ll get anything from
reading a chemistry textbook? He assigned five chapters and will
quiz us next Monday to see what we got out of it,” Sim complained.
“My weekend is going to suck.”

“Join the club,” I replied. “Two of my
classes already assigned four chapters to read, but at least there
isn’t a quiz.”

“I don’t learn anything from reading,” Sim
complained, biting into her sandwich. “I need to do problem sets
and do the math to learn. I hate books and science text is the
worst.” She pouted. “My parents will kill me if I don’t do well,
but this just stinks. Please help me. My parents liked you. You
could talk to them.”

“Then good luck on the whole pre-med thing,”
I replied. Sim’s parents had proudly told me at least two dozen
times that she was going to be a wonderful doctor. I was sure after
just a day with Sim that it was their decision and not hers.

“You know the professors are just trying to
ruin opening CRUSH weekend,” Sim replied.

“CRUSH?” I asked. I hadn’t heard of anything
happening over the weekend and had no clue what CRUSH meant.

“Are you serious?” Sim asked. “Have you not
seen the signs all over campus? CRUSH base teams will be chosen
this weekend. Not that many freshmen make the teams, but I still
want to try. You’re coming with me, right?” Sim’s long braid
swished behind her head as she talked excitedly like it was a tail
on a happy dog.

“To do what?” I asked, looking for a real
explanation. I hadn’t read a single sign on campus yet. I was more
concerned with getting to the correct place, than interested in the
fliers pasted to everything. Leave it to college students to find a
way to plaster paper signs on just about anything.

“You seriously don’t know anything about
CRUSH?” Sim asked, finally getting the hint. I shook my head, and
she sighed. “How could you not know about CRUSH? It’s like the
greatest college game played here for over a decade. The basics are
each dorm, any organization, and the frat/sorority houses can each
make up a team. The core players for each team are picked the first
week. The teams play a variety of games against each other over
several weekends in the fall semester like capture the flag and
such. The winning team gets bragging rights. Mordoch has won for
the past five years. It’s the dorm most of the athletes stay in.
Everyone else can barely compete, but I know this is the year for
Murdley. We may be the studious dorm, but I think we can win it. At
some point brains need to beat brawn.”

I nodded my head, though I had no clue what
I was agreeing to. Capture the flag sounded a bit like summer camp
to me, but I wasn’t about to tell Sim that. She looked excited.

“We compete tomorrow, starting at nine,” she
explained, finishing her sandwich and rolling the wrapper into a
ball. “The qualifying round is always some sort of obstacle course.
I played tennis in high school. I’m hoping something tennis related
is on the course this year.” I just kept nodding. Sim gathered up
her books and stood up. “I’ll see you tonight,” she said as she
began to walk away. Sim had classes that were spread out and didn’t
return to the dorms until suppertime.

I collected my things and headed over to the
library. It would be the quietest place to get my reading done.
With everything already building up after two days, I really needed
to get a head start. The library was perfect for that. After two
hours, I went to my last class of the day. Unfortunately for me,
Seth was waiting outside the door to my classroom. I was early and
still couldn’t avoid him as I was his tutor.

“Hi Seth,” I said, moving to walk by him
into my classroom.

“Can we talk before your class?” Seth
motioned to benches across the hallway. I really wanted to refuse
those gorgeous brown eyes because they were nothing but
trouble.

“Fine,” I replied and followed him over to
sit down. I waited for him to talk. I wasn’t the one stalking
him.

“I think I corrected the situation,” Seth
began. I didn’t have a clue what the situation was, but I didn’t
stop him from talking. “I dropped out of the tutoring program for
the biology class. If you’re not my tutor, you can go out with
me.”

I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly as my
mouth hung open.

“We could go out tonight. There’s no game
this weekend, and it’s not like anyone needs extra sleep for CRUSH.
How about I pick you up at seven?” he suggested. That loss of
confidence yesterday was gone. He didn’t seem to think I might have
said no for any other reason than tutoring.

“No, thank you,” I replied, standing with my
bags. “I’m pretty sure I’m not your type.”

“What?” Seth replied. He seemed shocked that
I’d say no, or maybe he was shocked that I wasn’t his type.

“You’re a jock who needs
the bimbo type that jumps from guy to guy. I am neither a bimbo nor
a player like you,” I added, starting to walk away. Seth stood and
followed to keep pace with me, and he stopped me in front of the
doorway. I don’t think he liked
no
for an answer. “I’m sure there are plenty of
other girls lining up to date you that would make you happier than
I would. Good luck finding another number twenty-four.” My last
statement caught him off guard, and he paused long enough for me to
walk by him into the classroom just as the professor
arrived.

I took a seat toward the front, hoping that
Seth wouldn’t follow me into the room. A guy couldn’t be that
desperate for a date, especially when they looked as good as him.
Girls were constantly throwing themselves at him. Seth stood
outside the room for a few minutes before eventually walking away.
At least I hoped he had left. From the look on his face, I don’t
know if he had ever been told no before. I was a bit distracted
from class thinking about Seth, but it seemed like the professor
didn’t want to start the semester yet as she let us out early with
just one assignment for the weekend. All my lack of attention was
rewarded with being let out early. I was cautious, but was relieved
when Seth wasn’t waiting.

I started my ten-minute walk back to the
dorms and got lost in my thoughts. Seth didn’t really seem like a
bad guy. He hadn’t done anything yet that should make me outright
reject a date, but I knew better than to date a player. I was just
another girl to him. After turning him down once, I now was that
impossible girl to get. I really needed to be careful. The best
course of action was to avoid him. How? I really didn’t know how,
but I would try for my own sake.

I made it
back to my room and threw my stuff on my bed. Sim
would be back soon from her class as we had classes at the same
time on Fridays. The only thing was, mine let out early. Even with
the longer walk, I beat her back. I was already hungry for supper,
but decided to wait for Sim to see what she was doing. As soon as I
sat down on my bed, someone knocked. Sim had a key, and I really
didn’t know anyone else at Morton. I crept to the door. I hadn’t
even told anyone where I lived. I peered out the peephole and
stepped back quickly. Seth Sangre was knocking on my door. This guy
was very persistent. I was really beginning to doubt he had ever
been told no before.

As silently as I could, I sat down on my
bed. My heart was pounding loud enough; I bet he could hear it. How
did he know where I lived? I meant, yes, he had to know I lived in
the dorms as he saw me moving in, but I never told anyone my room
number. I only gave him and his brothers my phone number and
e-mail. The knocking had stopped. I waited a few more minutes and
crept to the door again. I peeked out and found Seth sitting
against the wall across the hallway from my door. Crap. I was stuck
now. I had to pass him to go to eat. Hopefully, he wouldn’t wait
long. Soon Sim was back. I jumped back quickly and hid on my bed as
Sim opened the door. She talked to Seth, but I couldn’t make out
the words. She dropped her bag in the doorway, propping it open a
crack. I kept my finger to my lips and hoped she wouldn’t give me
away.

When she finally looked up she screamed a
little girly scream, and Seth opened the door. Sim hurried back to
stop him.

“Something wrong?” Seth asked.

Sim met him and blocked the view into the
room. “Just a spider,” she lied and picked up her bag. That seemed
to convince Seth, and he returned across the hallway to sit. Sim
let the door close behind her.

“What’s going on?” Sim whispered as she sat
beside me.

“He followed me to my class and asked me out
again,” I replied, watching the doorway as if Seth heard us.

“But you told him you don’t date students
you tutor.” Sim was confused. I had already told her about my
meeting the day before.

“He dropped me as a tutor,” I answered.

Sim smiled as she understood. “Then no
problem, you can go out with him,” Sim answered. “Why are you
hiding here?”

“I can’t, Sim,” I replied. “I dated a guy
back in high school. He was wonderful and I thought he was the guy
I would stay with forever. He was always busy and gone on trips
with his family, but I believed him. I thought he was telling me
the truth, but he was just lying to me. I can’t do that again. I
don’t want a guy that’s a player.”

“Oh.” Sim patted my knee. “You have trust
issues.” I swatted her hand away. It was true, but I wasn’t about
to admit it. “Then just tell him you’re not interested.”

“Tried that,” I answered. “He doesn’t seem
to understand. I doubt any girl has not been interested. Heck, if I
didn’t know I was going to be girl twenty-four, I might have said
yes already.”

Sim looked at her phone quick and stood back
up.

“Wish I could stay and help, but I’ve got to
go meet my lab partner,” Sim whispered. “My good-looking lab
partner. Not quite as hot as the puppy following you, but good
enough to meet on a Friday night.”

I nodded. I really wanted to beg her to stay
and help me, but we weren’t that close yet. I couldn’t deny her
meeting up with her lab partner. Seth was my problem, and a problem
was the best way to describe him right about now.

I waited in my room for another twenty
minutes and scavenged silently through all our snacks, nothing good
enough to be a meal. I checked several times, and he was still
sitting outside my door. The last time I checked, he even looked up
at the peephole and smiled. I was beginning to feel like Seth knew
I was in my room. When my stomach growled for the tenth time, I
just had to walk out the door and ignore him. It was the only plan
I had. Grabbing my keys and ID, I hurried out the door. It was nice
that the doors were self-locking, and I could just walk away. Seth
jumped up and followed me like a puppy, as Sim had called him.

“Not even going to say hello?” Seth asked.
“Do you treat all your friends that way?” Seth teased and followed
close behind me.

“I wasn’t under the impression that we were
friends,” I replied. My plan was to ignore him, but I failed at
that.

“Ouch,” Seth answered. “Why can’t I be your
friend?”

“You really want to be my friend?” I asked,
and he nodded. “Then stop asking me out.”

“Fair enough,” Seth replied. I eyed him
suspiciously. “New friend, would you mind joining me for supper?”
he asked. I shook my head in disbelief. No way he was giving up
that easily after waiting for over an hour for me to leave my room,
but my growling stomach told me I had no choice but to play his
game, whatever it turned out to be.

“Fine,” I replied and kept looking forward
rather than at the cute brown eyes.

“You don’t have to sound excited,” he added
with a chuckle.

He didn’t say anything more as we went into
the cafeteria and got our food. He hovered not too far behind me,
probably afraid I’d ditch him at the first chance I got. I would
have if I had the guts, but since he was offering to play nice,
then I would too. As we exited the food area into the seating area,
I stopped to look around for a free table. Seth stood beside me and
looked as well.

“How about back there to the left?” he
suggested, indicating a small, round table that was completely
empty. I wasn’t thrilled to sit alone with him, but as girls
sitting around stared at me, I was sure I didn’t want to sit near
any of them either. I nodded to Seth and took off, weaving between
tables to get back there.

As I passed a table of all girls, one in
particular was glaring knives at me. If looks could kill, I would
have been dead steps ago. It was the sophomore brunette from the
first day and I was pretty sure the very one throwing herself into
Seth’s arms just a day ago. I looked to go around her table, but
there were students and bags everywhere. Though I didn’t want to, I
was going to have to walk right past her.

“I don’t think your
girlfriend likes us having a meal together,
friend
.” I emphasized the word
“friend”.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Seth replied
again. He kept denying the girl I saw kissing him.

“Then you sure have a strange way of
greeting friends,” I added to myself. I don’t know if he heard me,
but I was going to hope not after it came out of my mouth.

I walked near the table and kept an eye out
for the girls. The first girl I passed pushed her chair back as I
neared. I just walked around her. The next pushed her bag out into
the space between tables. That was easily avoidable also. All the
girls at the table seemed to completely support the brunette. She
was the last one I had to pass. As I neared her I kept my gaze
elsewhere, pretending not to see her. On my last step by her, her
leg shot out to trip me, carrying a tray full of food,
none-the-less. I easily jumped her leg, and for once appreciated
that I was extremely coordinated. Ignoring the group of girls, and
the one that had now stopped Seth, I walked over to the table Seth
had suggested. I sat down so that I didn’t have to see the others
and began to eat my food without him. I was tempted to, but I
didn’t, steal a glance back. He had to deal with his girlfriend on
his own, especially if he planned to two-time her.