The Freshman

Chapter Four - The All-Nighter

"Yeah... that was really... fun?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was. I... I don't just usually do stuff like that."

"Oh, me neither! I mean I -"

"Don't worry. I know. I guess the bigger question is... what happens now?"

"I'm... I'm not sure. I keep thinking about last night, and everything else... I have so many thoughts in my head, I'm afraid I'm going to explode."

"Sounds like you could use a break. You want to step outside and talk for a bit? We can talk about last night some more, and... I have some things I want to say to you, if you'll hear me out."

"Chris, a talk sounds great. I have some things I want to say too."

Chris and I stepped outside onto the roof of the dorm. The night is quiet and cool. "It's nice to get some fresh air after being inside for so long."

"Tell me about it. It feels like I've been copying Vasquez's dumb book my entire life. On the other hand, we are making really great progress. I didn't think it was possible, but we might just get the whole thing done in time. And it's all because you and everyone else stepped up to help me."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You organized and encouraged everyone."

We smiled at each other and lapsed into a comfortable silence. After a minute, I cleared my throat. "So... You had something you wanted to say?"

Chris turned to me, his eyes softening. "I do. What I want to say is... I feel something between the two of us. And not a small something either."

"Chris..."

"I'm sorry, Emily, I know I'm dumping all of this on you at once. I just wanted to say something while I still had the chance. I've also been wondering how you feel about all of this. What is it that you want?"

"I want to be more than friends. I think there's something special between us..."

"So do I... I just... I promised myself that I wouldn't do this... that I wouldn't get serious with someone again, and -"

"Listen. Don't stress about it. At this point, I'm not even sure if I'll be able to stay in school. It doesn't exactly seem like the right time for a 'Define the Relationship' talk."

"Sure. I understand."

"Chris, I..." I leaned forward and put a hand on his chest. I looked up into his eyes. "I really do care about you. But everything is still so new, and so up in the air..."

"Let's just say we're both... exploring our options. But hopefully, once things settle down for you, we can talk about this a little more."

"Sounds like a plan." Chris took a deep breath and exhaled, looking up at the night sky. "And about last night... It was pretty... intense. But whatever happens next, I don't think we should let it get in the way of our friendship."

"That's a relief to hear. I wouldn't want anything to jeopardize that. Whew, I feel a lot better now that we've talked things over. Thanks for hearing me out."

"Thanks for coming to talk to me instead of just brushing it under the rug or blowing me off or something."

"Never. Like I said, Emily, I'd never want to do anything to jeopardize what we have. Even if neither of us really know what that is right now..."

Another long moment passed as we stood across from each other. I felt something almost magnetic, my body drawn to him in a way I couldn't explain. I shook off the feeling and sighed. "We should... We should probably head back."

I started to head inside when I felt Chris's hand catch my shoulder. I turned toward him, my heart thudding loudly in my chest as I looked up at him. "Emily..." I stepped into his arms, circling mine around his waist and squeezing tightly. He seemed surprised for a moment before he folded his arms around me in return, resting his chin atop my head. "Your arms are cold..."

"And you are... amazingly warm." He chuckled, and I felt the vibration rumbling through his chest and into my bones. We stood like that, intwined together, for a moment longer before I finally, painfully pulled myself away. "Is it weird that I feel super energetic even though it's four in the morning?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? My hugs have the energizing power of six batteries."

"I guess that makes you some kind of superhero, huh?"

"It sure does. From now on, you can refer to me as Super Typist! Able to type whole pages in a single second!"

"Then I guess we should get back in there before this energy boost wears off for both of us."

Chris and I headed back downstairs and rejoined our friends. "Hey... everything okay?" Zack asked.

"Yep! Just, uh... psyching myself up to get back to work!"

"Right on! Time for one last push!"

7:30AM

"That's... that's the last page!" I exclaimed.

"We did it!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Group hug!" Zack exclaimed.

"Okay. One hug. Then I'm headed to bed. But... good luck, Emily. I hope you get to stay here," Abbie said.

"Me too..." I said.

A Few Minutes Later...

"Let's see here... better spot check a couple of scenes... no typos so far..." Professor Vasquez said. "Congratulations... you completed your task. The manuscript looks... adequate."

"Adequate?" I asked.

"What do you want? A gold star for finishing a basic assignment?"

"Actually, never mind... It's fine... totally fine."

"Passive-aggressive and self-centered. That's an ugly combination. But then... I guess your entitled attitude is why I hired you. You see... my new book is centered on a group of college students in the modern age... And I need a firsthand account of what it's like to live that life. Your actual first assignment is to write a detailed summary of everything that happened last night. Was there any drama? How did your friends react when you ensnared them in my little test?"

"Wait... are you saying that the whole 'Type up a 1,000 page novel' thing was just a... test?"

"Of course it was! Now start writing up the details of the experience. And when you're done with that, I've got your next assignment ready... One of the characters in my book is a football player. I'll need you to go find out what that's like through some firsthand research."

"I... I do have one friend who's a football player, but..."

"But nothing! I need you to go talk to him in-depth about his life!"

"After the talk I had with Chris last night, I -"

"Less complaining. More working. Get to it!"