I groan, casting looks around me as I fold down the wooden seat.
“Your guy will be fine.” Becca elbows me in the ribs. “I promise you’ll thank me for the front-row tickets, it’s gonna be one hell of a show!”
“What show?”
There’s a twinkle in her eye as she raises her eyebrows, and I frown. I have no idea how a couple of campus clubs can get her all riled up like this. I scour the room again, and just when I’d given up hope, my eyes land on him, and it’s like I’ve forgotten how to breathe. I watch as Kirk strolls down the steps, exchanging smiles with the guy he’s with, falling back into a seat in the middle of the crowd, dropping his bag on the table in front of him, chatting with his neighborand the girl sitting behind him. My heart tightens in my chest. I was hoping he’d look a little more heartbroken. A little less… normal. A microphone buzzes on behind me, somebody sound-checking it with a few taps. Kirk turns to look at the stage, and our eyes meet. I draw in a sharp breath, and the pain is worse than death. He assesses me for a moment. Behind his eyes, I see nothing. Blank. Unsmiling. The microphone crackles once more, and, just like that, Kirk turns away.
“Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations.” A sunny, upbeat voice. “You just survived your first week of college.”
As laughter breaks out, I turn back to face the stage, suddenly overcome by the urge to shout at the speaker to shut up. My mood swings are bubbling up to the surface again, and this time, Lane isn’t to blame. I keep flip-flopping between tearful meltdowns and bursts of anger, and I’ve been taking it all out on my infuriating roomie. Just another side of myself I’m slowly discovering the hard way.God, I hate myself.
“They always start with the finance club!” Becca crosses her arms over the desk. “Like seriously, whodoesthat in their free time?”
The first hour crawls by, and though I haven’t said a word, nothing can get in the way of Becca’s running commentary.
“Knitting now? What a rush,” she sighs, shaking her head.
“It’s supposed to be relaxing,” I say flatly.
Maybe I should sign up. I could knit myself a nice rope to hang myself with.
“Watch out, the ventriloquist club is up next. Nothing says well-adjusted like talking through a dead-eyed puppet.”
“I guess you must know all the groups from last year, right?”
“Yeah, and I’m telling you: Some of them are insane.”
“So why even come this time?”
“It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” she whispers, plucking a pocket mirror out of her bag, checking her makeup, teeth, and breath, before tucking it back in place.
“Meaning?”
“You’ll see, Lois.”
She’s drumming her nails against the worn wooden desk, waiting with mounting impatience.
As the groups segue by, I realize people around us are starting to whisper. And the murmurs are getting louder.
“Why do all the girls look like they’re about to pass out?” I ask, as a leggy redhead in front of me starts fanning herself so hard she almost hits me in the face.
“You’ll see. Once this guy stops boring us with his unsolved-murders spiel!”
As the student packs away his slides and slinks offstage, the mutterings ramp up a notch, a series of yelps and screeches rippling through the crowd.What the hell is going on?
“Becca—”
“Shhh! Here they come!”
The two front rows turn to gaze up at the back of the lecture hall, and slowly but surely, the entire crowd follows suit. I haven’t dared turn back to look Kirk’s way since earlier. Now’s my chance. I swivel in my seat. He’s looking down at his bag while his neighbor whispers in his ear, shaking his head, gazing up at the ceiling, and just as I think he’s about to glance over at me, the room breaks into applause. Girls scramble to their feet, blocking my view of the entrance.
“Who even are these guys?” the guy next to me sneers.
Becca babbles something at me, but she’s so excited, I can’t make out a word. I’m just about to get to my feet, when I finally get it. The chanting. I can suddenly make out what it is.
“Campus Drivers! Campus Drivers!”
No… Oh no, no, no. Please, anything but this.
