It was an unusual feeling--walking across campus with Alex's arm around my shoulder. Everyone was staring mainly because Alex was the "bad boy hottie" as others said around here. I felt odd being the shy and unwanted type girl walking with someone like Alex--who was wearing black sunglasses and a leather jacket. It was interesting as to how different he and Max were, as if they were unrelated in some ways.
"So, here we are." We stopped in front of my dorm and entangled fingers.
"Yeah, are you sure you have to go?" I asked smiling.
"I have football practice in ten minutes babe or you know I'd stay." He leaned in and kissed me on the lips passionately.
"Alright, I'll text you later today."
"See ya," he said and waved as he walked down the hall. I watched him disappear down the hall before entering my dorm. I sighed and collapsed on the bed.
Being with Alex wasn't the same but it kept me fairly distracted for a while. I almost hadn't thought about Mason at all since we started dating but it only took one glance at the tattoo on my wrist to bring back all of the memories. I tried to keep strong but other times that wasn't possible. At this point I didn't really even know what I wanted from my life. I wanted Mason back but I knew it wasn't the right choice. Once a cheater, always a cheater and I have to move forward with my life instead of going backwards.
I bit my lip and decided to go out for a walk on campus by myself for fresh air even though I'd just been out with Alex. I played with the hem of my blouse as I walked outside in the fresh Spring air. I walked around most of the campus and stopped in my tracks by the large campus fountain. It wasn't because I was tired or anything but I had seen Mason sitting on the edge of the fountain, scribbling something on a notepad.
Should I run or casually walk away? But this is my favorite fountain and I walked all this way to enjoy it. No, I can't let him ruin my happiness. I got it together and walked over to the fountain like normal and sat on the other side. I stared at the water gushing from the many holes in the fountain and smiled as I ran my fingers through the clean water.
Mason was visible from the corner of my eye and I saw that he had set the notepad down but I didn't dare make eye contact with him. About ten minutes passed and the only sound was the water sprinkling in the fountain until Mason broke the silence. He cleared his throat at first before he spoke.
"Hey," he simply said with a tired tone. My eyes shot up immediately.
"Hi," was all I managed out of my mouth.
"How are you?"
"Pretty good, just came out for a walk."
He nodded. "Glad to hear that." He paused for a moment and started playing with his fingers. "So, exams are starting next week. Going to be a very tough and busy next few weeks." He spoke about safe topics, not touching on anything else.
"Yeah it's going to be very crazy, maybe." I shrugged.
"So did you get my gifts for your birthday? I hope you liked them."
I nodded. "I kind of figured it was from you since everyone else I knew denied that it was from them." I stopped for a moment and mumbled, "Thanks you didn't have to though."
"I'm just glad that you liked them." He smiled faintly and stood up. "I better get going." Before I could even say goodbye he had already turned around and was walking away. I looked down at my hands and felt like crying for some reason. He seemed more hurt than ever and I only hoped that nothing serious had happened.
Before letting my mind wander to conclusions, I stood up and slowly walked back to my dorm. Once in my dorm, I started on any reports I had to do for the end of the semester and then went to sleep cuddled up in my bed. I didn't feel like talking to anyone else right now.
The next day was a blur like most other days because the day consisted of the same things: waking up early, classes, lunch, homework and sleep. Currently, it was creative writing class and this was the only class where my mind was in order. After the break up I had nearly reached failing grades again in most subjects which is why now I'm stuck with doing extra credit projects for almost every class to boost my final grade.
"So as you all know exams are coming up and you are going to take your exam from my class next week on Friday," Mrs. Harrods announced. "But since most of you need to bump up your grades this is the perfect opportunity for you. I am also assigning a thousand word essay due in two weeks. It must be original and be about your biggest inspiration but I don't want to see thirty essays about how your mom or whatever is your inspiration and end it like that. Think outside the box if you want a higher grade. Oh and it counts for 50% of your final grade so good luck." She grinned and just when she finished her speech the bell rang. The classroom was filled with noise as we all settled our things to move to the next class.
Mason was here today as he had been absent for over a week, claiming that he was sick with a fever which I didn't believe. I watched from the corner of my eye how he packed his things in his bag and walked out of the classroom. Why did this guy leave such a large impact on me? It was like he was my drug.
