Out of My League

{20} 7 Years Ago, Today

"Lemon, where are you?" I practically begged her.

"Some frat house," she slurred out. "Kappa Sigma?"

"I'll be right there," I said, quickly hanging up.

As Sammy pulled up to the entrance of NYU (I'd sworn off using Ubers for now), I couldn't shake the feeling of dread forming in the pit of my stomach. What if she was in trouble? What if she decided to push me away again?

"If you need another ride, just call me," Sammy assured me.

I nodded. "Thanks Sam, I owe you one."

When I finally arrived at the frat house, a blond girl with highlights met me. "Skylar, thank God!" her eyes narrowed for a second. "Oh, sorry I thought you were someone else. Hi, I'm Chloe."

I shook her hand. "I'm Charlotte."

Recognition crossed the girl's face. "Charlotte Black? As in Lemon's friend?" I nodded in response.

"Even better!" she exclaimed. "I was wondering if you could look after Lem for me. I took her to our dorm, but I'm still worried about her and I have a graveyard shift tonight." 

"I'll look after her," I promised.

"Great! I mean this is so unlike her. I don't think I've ever seen her drink before tonight. Here," she said as she handed me a set of keys. "It's to our dorm." I took the keys and turned to leave. "Oh and Charlotte," Chloe added. "Lemon thinks the world of you."

I turned the keys to Chloe and Lemon's dorm and walked inside. The room was completely dark.  My hand searched the wall, finally landing on a switch. Light flooded the room instantly, revealing a figure sitting on the bed with her back to me.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Chloe?" came a soft voice.

"No, it's me," I answered. "It's Charlotte." 

The corner of Lemon's mouth lifted slightly. "Okay," she said.

"You called me and I was worried," I blurted. "I know you kind of vowed to never see me again, but I couldn't leave you alone, not tonight."

"Okay," Lemon replied again.

"Maybe you should try to get some sleep," I suggested, walking over and unfolding the blanket on Lemon's bed. I placed it in her hand. To my relief, she took it and lay on the bed beside me. I walked to turn off the lights. 

"I'm sorry," Lemon slurred suddenly.

"Why?"

"For abandoning you," she continued. "I'm sorry. I was scared."

"Why were you scared?" I asked, puzzled.

"Because I still love you, Char." 

I looked at her in stunned silence, but she had already fallen asleep. I remembered my promise to Chloe and decided my psychology test could wait. I sat against the wall beside her bed. Unlike my brother, Lemon didn't snore. Of course I already knew that. 

Despite the fact I was in somebody else's dorm the night before a big test, I felt strangely tranquil. As the sound of Lemon's ragged breathing filled my ears, I felt myself start to drift off. 

...

"Char." I opened my eyes to see a dark figure looming over me. As my vision focused, I realized Lemon was standing in front of me. The night's events flooded my mind as I became aware of the fact that I was in Lemon's college dorm. Was it even night anymore?

"What time is it?" I asked as I sat up with some effort.

"Around 3:00 am," Lemon answered. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," I replied, noticing how serious her voice sounded. I quickly tied my hair up.

Lemon grinned at me."I always wondered how you did that. Maybe you should consider a future in hair styling."

"Ha ha," I answered sarcastically. "So what's on your mind?"

As Lemon recounted to me the horrors of her encounter with the publisher I felt my blood begin to boil. 

"We've got to do something about this!" I exclaimed angrily. "He's going to hurt other people!"

"I know, and I agree with you," Lemon continued. "But we need evidence if we're going to actually remove him from his position."

"Well, have you talked to Skylar about it?" I asked, watching Lemon's face drop. "I mean, two testimonies against him are better than one."

Lemon sighed. "I did, but she got suddenly defensive and denied everything."

"Oh," I answered. "That could mean two things: He only targets some of his clients, or she's too ashamed or afraid to talk about it."

Lemon stared at me for a long moment. "Do you think I'm a good writer Char? I know you haven't read many of my stories, but you still know me better than anyone. Please be honest."

"Of course," I responded truthfully. "I was in your English class for three years. Your writing didn't just blow Mrs. Evans away, it blew me away. Lemon, it was partly thanks to your writing that I fell in love with you."

Lemon looked at me in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah," I said. "As you are probably aware by now, I'm pretty competitive. So when this pretty girl kept beating my scores on every single essay, I got pissed," I explained. "One Friday after school, I snuck into our English classroom and read one of your essays."  Lemon looked at me incredulously. "You were so insightful, mature, and gifted already as a sophomore. I envied you," I admitted.

"Seriously?" Lemon asked.

"Seriously."

"Thank you," she said, tears welling up in her light brown eyes. "You seem like you're finally getting things under control Char. I'm really proud of you. And here I am, embarrassing myself in front of you."

I laughed. "That's not even remotely true, but I promise you it will get better."

"I miss her," Lemon whispered.

"I know," I replied as I pulled her into a tight hug. "I know."

"And when I saw how much you were hurting that night a few weeks ago in your apartment, I was afraid of losing you too," Lemon sobbed. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too," I answered. I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. I was suddenly reminded of Lemon's words to me seemingly centuries ago in a car, minutes before my life changed forever. "I'll always be here for you," I promised.