Crissa's Mate

Chapter Sixty-Six

Crissa tried to keep her composure as she re-entered the dorm room. She found David now wearing one of her terrycloth robes and sitting at Trisha's desk trying to explain Julie's seemingly insane behavior. Trisha was sitting on her bed and had totally changed her flirtatious demeanor. She appeared to be in a state of shock. David was explaining as best he could, a believable, rational reason why Julie had reacted so violently toward Trisha. Crissa could see she was more devastated by being physically accosted than sensing what both Crissa and David knew had happened.

"I've never seen a girl act so . . . aggressive," Trisha said, still bewildered and angry. "And did you hear those freaky sounds she was making . . . after she attacked me? Totally out of control!"

Crissa was now relieved that Trish did not detect, as she herself did up close, the profound and rapid changes in Julie's her body hair. Nor did she seem aware of the early signs of an altered morphology, which Julie developed more pervasively outside the room.

"Yeah, Trisha. I'm really sorry you had to see her like that," David continued. "You have to understand what had happened to her a while back. She's just never gotten over it."

"Well I don't give a damn," she said looking over at Crissa. "What ever happened to her. There's just no excuse for assaulting me like that!"

Crissa nodded her head, sympathetically. She could not help but think what could have happened to Trisha, in light of Julie's attack upon the professor, resulting in his brutal, flesh-tearing death. It was an event David was still not even aware of."

"Trisha, Julie is a destroyed person right now. All because of being . . . abused . . . psychologically, physically and probably sexually by someone whom she trusted."

For the moment Trisha was quiet.

"For some reason, she felt super threatened again . . . "

"Well, I didn't put that pressure on her . . . I just told her she couldn't stay the night again."

"Well, it did get pretty heated in here," David responded, subtly, and in Julie's defense.

"Yeah . . . and then the bitch threw me on the floor!"

"Look, she's gone, Trish. I'm also sorry it happened to you . . . but she won't be back."

She looked furtively over at David.

"We can promise you that."

"I just can't believe you two are friends with . . . something like that."

David's sensitive look caught Crissa's eyes once more.

"It's been difficult, but we've both supported her," Crissa said quietly.

"Are you OK, Trisha?" David asked her. "I can see that was a shock to you."

"I don't know . . . I'm still shaking . . . more out of anger I guess."

"These things have not been easy . . . for any of us," Crissa added, sighing and moving back toward the door. "I'm going to get David's things out of the dryer."

While Crissa was out, David stood and went into the bathroom. Trisha got off her bed and followed him there,. She stood in the doorway, seemingly want to talk more to him.

"So . . . you and Crissa have been together since your trip to Germany?"

"Yeah, that's right," he said, picking up a hairbrush and combing his wet hair.

"She's a sweet girl."

"Yeah. I'm pretty lucky. You don't find people like that every day."

"And . . . Well it's pretty obvious you were her first guy. I mean, you know"

David refused to field the question or look at her. He tied to keep his eyes on the mirror and the mess he was making of his hair.

"I guess you could say . . . we've been good for each other . . . in a lot of ways."

Trisha just smiled and waited for him to look at her. But he did not.

"That's cool," she finally said. Her eyes then perused his body from his neck down to his legs in the tight-fitting robe.

Just then the front door opened and then closed, causing Trisha to nervously affirm it was not Julie. Seeing it was Crissa with the laundry bag and soap, she didn't leave the bathroom doorway but instead playfully called over to her roommate.

"Crissa, I think this bad boy could use some clothes . . . and a hairdryer."

Crissa was not amused by the observation. She walked over and peered herself into the still steamy room.

"Look. David and I are leaving for the weekend, Trish. If my mom calls, just tell her I'm at the library, OK?"

She reached in to hand David his clothing, warm and folded.

"Sure. So where are you two lovebirds really going, then? It's a full moon, starting tomorrow night, you know."

Both Crissa and David did not immediately respond.

"Well, I kind of thought the mountains would be nice," David finally said, surprisingly, for Crissa's benefit.

"Right," she answered. "I guess you've seen enough of the sea for a while."

David smiled, and she tousled his hair, while moving Trisha out of the way. She opened the drawer to give him her hairdryer.

Trisha accepted defeat and walked back to her side of the room.

"Guys . . . just tell me what to do if . . . that maniac friend of yours shows up again. I swear, I'll call the police of she does."

"Julie's probably on her way back to Alaska, as we speak," David weighed in.

"Don't worry, Trish," Crissa added. "When she gets like that . . . she generally disappears for days, sometimes much longer."

"True. She won't be back here," David assured her. "Not after what happened between you two."

"I hope I can take your word for that."

"It's pretty certain," David confirmed, appearing now fully dressed and switching on the hairdryer.

"I'm getting some stuff together," Crissa told him, softly. "We need to get to Wallmart tonight . . . to pick up a few necessities."

"I agree," David said, leaning out of the bathroom doorway to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Within twenty minutes, the two were on David's motorcycle, speeding through the glowing city, anticipating the moon and an uncertain journey to the mountains.

* * *