Good luck with that, Stella.
Luckily, I did get a little homework done last night, but I’ve got much more to do. Now, I sort of regret my week of solitude. A lot.
I pick at the blueberry muffin I chose to buy for my lunch. It’s the only thing that looked remotely appetizing, and now that I’ve got it, I don’t want it. Lily’s looking at me with concern. “So, is everything okay? You know, with you and Alex?”
I know she’s fishing. She’s been with Hank nonstop sincethey met. She has to know that Alex and I are no longer together.
“Um, well, I think things are over with Alex,” I say quickly.
“I’m not going to lie,” she reveals, “Hank told me that you dumped Alex.”
“Me? Dumphim?” I scoff. “Well, that’s convenient.”
“Why? What do you mean?”
“I didn’t get the chance to end things last Sunday when I caught him coming out of my bathroom, shirtless with his jeans undone. He saw me and just stormed out of my suite before I got the chance to do any dumping.”
“What? Wait, you were back last Sunday? I thought you just got back this weekend?”
That’s when I confess my self-induced isolation.
“I’m confused. Hank told me that Alex showed up at Chances to party with the team, which he never does, and Brooke was in tow. Anyway, Alex told Hank that you dumped him that day.”
“That’s not even possible. I ran home with Bradley that morning––as soon as I heard my mom was taken to the hospital. I forgot my phone in my room and missed Alex’s calls and texts. I never spoke to him that day. I did get texts and one pretty nasty voice mail from him though. But I didn’t hear those until Sunday afternoon. So, no, I didnotdump him. He’s full of crap,” I say, exasperated.
“None of this makes any sense.”
“It’s over. That’s all there is to it. He made it clear that he wants to be with other, thinner girls. I need to accept that it’s over and move on. I should focus on my degree and forget about men. They’re nothin’ but heartache. Let me tell you. It’s going to take time, but I’ll feel better soon,” I say, trying to give myself courage.
Lily sits, tapping her fingers on her leg. I don’t know what’s going through that head of hers, but she needs to forget it. I’min no way ready or willing to get mixed up in the guy drama again. I couldn’t take another heartbreak, not in this millennium anyway.
The rest of the week is better. I don’t run into Alex, and I avoid Brooke like the plague. I do see Hank, but only naked in my painting class. I pack up my stuff a few minutes before class is dismissed so I can rush out of class. I make it my mission to avoid him because he’ll just talk about Alex, and I donotwant to hear about Alex Emerson. And even though I know Alex doesn’t want me, I can’t help but wonder about him. I don’t think it’s healthy for me to continue harboring feelings for him. On the bright side, I get to move in with Lily in a few days. I’ll use all of my free time to pack up so I can be waiting by the door for my dad to get here. I can’t wait!
The day has arrived.Finally. I get to move in with my best friend. Funny, now that it’s happening, I feel like I’m getting a fresh start with school, with everything. I packed up all of my stuff, and instead of waiting by my door, I lugged all of my boxes down the stairs one by one to the main level. I set them next to a girl who’s studying on the main floor in the lounge area. The girl was nice enough to watch my things as I trek up and down the stairs. Once it was all there, I sent a text to my dad to let him know I was waiting for him in the main lobby. I’m sure I’ve left something behind, but I don’t care. Anything that’s still up there can be replaced, or not—I don’t care. I hope to never see Brooke Clark again. Worst. Roommate. Ever.
Dad shows up, right on time, and he’s super happy to see that I’ve gotten everything downstairs. Being away from Mom is making him nervous, I can tell. So, I jump up, give him a quick hug. and grab my first box.
“Got a parking spot right out front. This will be a piece of cake,” Dad says cheerily. He grabs two boxes, and we start loading up the truck. We make quick work of it and head off to Hinman. After we move all of my boxes up, my dad takes off. I know he wants to help me get settled, but home is where he needs to be right now. Besides, the fun part is setting things up with Lily. We can finally put our room décor that we planned out last summer to good use.
As we unpack, we play fun, fast music to keep us moving. We dance and sing along. When I belt out a song, Lily stops working and stares at me. Slowly, she shakes her head back and forth. “No. Just no, girl.”
She makes me laugh so hard. I need that. “I know. I can’t sing.”
“Oh, no, it’s not that you can’t sing; it’s that youshouldn’tsing. Remember that, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before.” From Alex.
After we’ve unpacked, Lily and I figure out where the closest cafeteria is located. It’s literally been weeks since I ate in the cafeteria, having avoided Shepard Hall’s. I started to go down once, but I ran into Alex in the stairwell. It was awkward, to say the least. I nearly tripped and fell on my face when I saw him coming toward me.
When our eyes met, I could see Alex’s internal struggle through his tense jaw. He was gritting his teeth. He must really hate me. The question is, why? I just stood there staring at him. I couldn’t decide if I should keep walking forward or turn around and head back upstairs. I didn’t need to make that decision because, after a couple of seconds, he nodded, turned around, and walked back out onto the main floor. He went out of his way to avoid me. He probably couldn’t figure out how to squeeze past my fat, ugly face.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ALEX
When I get home from practice, Lily’s sitting in the lounge with Hank.
“Hey” is all I can muster.
