Maybe she caught mono from her coworker. I should check up on her before she takes some expired meds or something.
I head over to Howell Hall. On the way, I run into George from the polo club.
He gives me an amused grin. “Hey, what did you do to get those two morons to streak like that?” He isn’t the only one who’s curious. A few others, who feel they’re close enough to ask, have already gotten nosy.
“Ah, they just lost a bet. Nothing serious,” I say, relieved that Will and Heath satisfied their honor without telling everyone why.
“Must’ve been some bet. It was hilarious.” George laughs. “You shoulda seen them.”
“I had class.” Not to mention that two guys running around in the buff isn’t something I’d go out of my way to watch. “Anyway, I gotta go.”
“Yeah, me too. See you this weekend?”
“For sure,” I say. We have a game.
Howell Hall comes into view. I slow down when I see that the window to her dorm is dark. It’s disappointing, but she could be taking a nap. She slept a lot when she was sick before. And she’s been working extra shifts since we came back.
I go inside and knock on Aspen’s door. No response.
Come on. I knock again, but still nothing. I look for Suyen, who seems to be in the lounge every time I bring takeout to share with Aspen. But she isn’t there. I blow out a frustrated breath.
–Me: Hey, are you okay? Where are you? I’m getting worried.
I wait a couple of minutes, then call again. My phone log makes me look like a stalker. But until I know how she is, I can’t stop.
Aspen still doesn’t answer. This isn’t like her. She said she wanted to hang out. Maybe something came up, although I can’t imagine what.
I go back to the lounge and end up waiting for hours. Reading the news on my phone passes the time, but it doesn’t make Aspen show up.
My worry is turning into alarm. Too restless and freaked out to sit still, I go out and walk around campus looking for her. I wish I knew where she usually parks so I could look for her car. After spending over an hour wandering the campus, I go back to my dorm, shut myself in my room and call her and text her for the rest of the night. I wish I’d asked for Kat’s number when I was at their home. Aspen hates worrying her grandparents, but this is an emergency!
The next day, I go to Culture and Music in History and sit in the seat next to the one she normally takes.
“You don’t have to sit there by yourself,” Sadie calls out. Bronte and Tanya giggle.
I ignore them and stare at my phone, willing a text from Aspen to appear. She doesn’t have to say much. Just a simple “I’m fine” would suffice.
Actually, that isn’t true. I want to know where she is, what she’s doing and why she isn’t talking to me. I want to know if she’s okay, if she needs my help, if there’s anything I can do to make her feel better. My gut says something’s gone very wrong, and my gut is always correct.
Sadie takes Aspen’s seat. “Hi,” she says perkily. She flutters her lashes, but instead of looking sexy, she looks like somebody desperate to get rid of something stuck in her eyes. Maybe she’s the female version of Joey, because she’s really irritating the shit out of me.
“Go back to your friends.” I hate that she’s in Aspen’s seat. It makes it feel like Aspen’s not coming…and her place is taken.
“Why? She isn’t here.”
“She will be.”
Sadie snorts. “Look. She probably ditched you after you gave her the Hermes.”
Jealous bitch. “She isn’t like you.”
“True. She isn’t that special.”
I ignore her and send Aspen another text.
–Me: Tell me you’re okay. Please?
“I had to room with her for a year. I know exactly how she is.”
