“Um…I was…” Then she shrugged, giving up all pretenses. “So, is he here? Is he still in the steam room, totally wiped out from all the sweaty sex?”
“Yeah, ‘walk home together’ my ass.”
She gave me one of her “so sue me” sigh and shoulder lift combinations, which I had come to know very well in the past month.
“He’s not here. Didn’t show at all. For Andy,” I added, but Jane’s smirk proved I didn’t fool her.
Funny, I had resented her my whole life, without even knowing her. I was prepared to dislike her on sight…and I did. But a month later, I could read her like a book, as much as anyone could ever read Jane.
She read me much better. But then, I was pretty much an open book, whereas Jane had lots of chapters written in foreign languages, where you might make out a word or two, but the whole was confusing.
“Well, shit. I came all the way over here for nothing. I thought even if I didn’t get a glimpse of Mr. Trouble, I’d at least get to see your afterglow.”
“Nope. Sorry to disappoint.”
Jane did stuff on her phone while I showered and changed. I didn’t bother drying my long hair, just toweled it well and brushed it out. It wasn’t cold enough yet to freeze it on the walk across campus. Plus, I had one of the ubiquitous beanies to wear if I needed it.
“It’s kind of creepy in here, so deserted,” Jane said as I packed up my backpack and we made our way to the door. I threw my towels in the large hamper as we passed it, and I thought of Lucas collecting random towels the last time I was here.
“Deserted, yes, but I don’t think in a creepy way. More of a peaceful way,” I said as we made our way out of the locker room, past the empty classrooms where I sometimes studied.
But there would be no studying tonight. It was Thursday, and Jane, Syd, and I only had one class on Fridays, and it wasn’t until eleven. In fact, it was the only class we shared—a Humanities class taught by a visiting instructor.
So, on Thursday nights we got made up—using much effort to create a totally effortless look—and went to some party or another.
“And you’re allowed to swim alone like that? With no one around? Seems like a big liability issue.”
Jane’s father—or sperm donor, as she called him—had made a mint in lawsuits before entering the political world. Much as Jane would hate hearing it, she had a brain much like her famous father. She was scary smart, never needing to study and, though it was early in the semester, it looked like she would four-point.
And, also like her father, there seemed to be a bit of a self-destructive streak in Jane.
Or so I had been told. And that was why I was here, with Jane, as her roommate.
“Technically, it’s an open swim time, and there is someone on duty, but it’s usually a guy and he uses the men’s locker room—obviously. The women who swim here tend to be older—faculty, I guess—and they do it in the mornings. The locker room is pretty much mine after the swim lesson kids leave.”
We walked out of the building and turned toward our dorm. “I guess most students use the newer IM building. I hear that’s packed all the time.” I looked up at the older, women’s intramural building, covered in—you guessed it—ivy. It was much smaller than the new building, and on an inconvenient side of campus, but it had great character, and it wasn’t a bevy of “notice me” students pretending at working out. It had cred, this building.
As we neared the corner, a car pulled up beside us and the driver’s window lowered.
“Hey, little girls, how about some candy,” the driver said.
We didn’t look in their direction, just kept walking, although Jane did flip them the bird over her shoulder.
The car crept along beside us and I heard, “Lily.”
I knew that voice. Even after only meeting once, I knew how he said my name.
I turned, and Jane stopped with me. The driver was Stick, and he was the one who’d made the candy comment, but Lucas was leaning over him from the passenger seat so that I could see him. Or so he could see me.
“Get in, we’ll give you a ride.”
“Umm, that’s—”
“Thanks, that would be great,” Jane said, grabbing my arm and heading around the car to the passenger side.
It was an older car, and, like, souped up or something, though I don’t know much about cars. It was dark, but I could tell the car was candy-apple red and was lovingly polished. It was also a two-door and the kind you got into the back by folding the front seat forward. Lucas stepped out of the car, held the door, and pressed the seat up, motioning me into the back. I climbed in, waiting for Jane to climb in next to me. Lucas held his hand out for Jane. “Hey, I’m Lucas Kade.”
“Jane Winters. Lily’s roommate.” They shook hands, and I waited for Lucas to feel the spark, the fire, that seemed to emanate from Jane. But he held on to her hand and steered her to the front, then climbed into the back seat with me.
