FOUR
The morning sky was still dark with a fresh roll of thunder echoing and booming from mountain peak to earth, rumbling the ground slightly. One could easily think today was the perfect day to hit the snooze button and roll over, tucking the blankets up to make a cocoon against the biting pre-dawn chill. Like a jealous lover, November had looked at October’s fling with summer weather and broken things off, leaving nothing behind but damp and drear, with low black clouds that split and scudded.
Sophie drove her car right up to the yellow-striped unloading zone in front of the dorm. The campus was as silent as a tomb. Everyone in the sticks apparently partied hardy on Halloween night and was still passed out or sleeping it off. Shocker. At 4:15, she popped the trunk and put her suitcase and cello in the car.
A screech of brakes made her turn as she headed back inside for the next load.
Another little black car. Barreling toward hers.
She stifled a scream as it stopped a foot from the bumper of her Civic.
“Sophie?” Jesse stuck his head out of the window.
Sophie shook her head at him, unable to produce words. Well, intelligible,sanewords. “This is all your fault!” and “I can’t live like this!” were probably not good conversation starters.
“What’s going on? Are you going home?” He slowly exited the car.
A nod.
“For the weekend?”
Opposite of nodding.
“Oh. Longer?”
“Why do you care?” Sophie suddenly demanded, her voice a guttural, tear-choked growl.
“I— I thought we hit it off, that’s all.”
“You’ve popped up two times. You’re not a friend.” Anger made her reckless. She could feel something replacing her usual anxiousness and dread. Fire. Molten heat in her stomach, pinching the hollows behind her eyes, poisoning her glance.
“I know. I’m sorry.” He looked sorry. Also, quizzical.
The tilt of his head reminded her too much of a puzzled puppy. The anger simmered, not yet boiling over. “It’s not just you. It’s not you at all. I thought I was used to people insulting me. I can’t believe, in this day and age when we’re all supposed to be so enlightened and diverse that it’s still an issue, that people still say shit right to your face and or right behind your back when—”
“Are you sure they do?” Jesse blurted, cutting off her rant.
Okay, this was beyond the pale, pun totally not intended. “How the hell would you presume to know what happens? Why question me about it? Just move your car out of the way!”
“I will. I just... I haven’t been around much for a good reason. I don’t presume to know anything, but... But, come on! You know there’s something about me that you recognize.”
“I never met you before this fall, dude.”
“Welookthe same. Have you ever seen anyone else like me and you?”
