The bathroom was the best place to examine the phone. I locked the door, turned the water on, and sat on the side of the bath, holding it gingerly.
It looked just like an ordinary latest-technology-touchscreen phone. It obviously had a password lock, because I couldn't get it to do anything.
I could understand why a famous rock star with millions to his name could, and would, have a taser function added to his phone, but how had he materialised in front of me like that, twice, and the second time through walls?
I didn't know anything about illusionists, so I supposed there was a whole host of things I wouldn't be aware of. I mean, if a man could make a jet disappear, and get people from one box to another without an audience seeing how he did it, then maybe what Nathan had done was something similar, right?
"Cathy, what the hell are you doing?"
I gasped and the phone fell to the floor. Zama's voice sounded extremely loud from behind the door. She followed up her question with a few heavy thumps.
"Are you still alive?" she asked. "The varsity security guys are here to ask you some questions."
I picked up the phone and slid it into the waistband of my sleeping shorts again. I pulled the plug out, and left the bathroom to the sound of several litres of water gurgling down the drain.
"Did you even bath?" Zama asked, looking me over. "You look exactly the same as you did when you left the room."
"I - er ... " I paused to think of some excuse.
"Don't worry, I know," Zama said, putting an arm around me. "You have Nathanamania."
"What?" I asked blankly.
"What you get when you're near that damn fine piece of man-steak called Nathan Jake," Zama said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe that he actually came and helped us. And the way he leaned over you, and said he'd see you soon ... No wonder your brain is all scrambled to hell."
It was a relief to finally tell the truth about something.
"Yes, it's because of Nathan," I said. "I ran my bath water and forgot to get in."
Zama laughed and opened the door to her room.
After the security representatives had asked us questions about the night before, I decided that I had better hide the phone somewhere that Nathan wouldn't think of looking, if he broke into our room later.
The kitchen cupboard had several boxes of biscuits in it, and I slipped the phone into the one nearest the back. It was filled with terrible-looking whole wheat crackers, which looked less appetising than the box they were in.
No one would be opening those in a hurry.
"Wear your best outfit," Tenley giggled as we got ready for breakfast. "Nathan is sure to come and see you."
Aldytha laughed. "Nathan Jake won't come within a mile of us," she said. "He exists on an entirely different planet."
I chose a brown dress from among my other brown dresses, and decided to ignore her comment.
If it were up to me, I would have spent the day in the room. The others decided that they hadn't quite had enough pancakes the day before, and that pancakes were the perfect breakfast to have after the rough night.
There was no way I was staying in the room alone, after having witnessed just how easy it was for Nathan Jake to get into the res without a key card.
We took the pancakes down to the park, and found a patch of shade to relax in. Even though it was only nine a.m., the sun was already trying to boil everyone in sight.
"This is great," Tenley said, taking a huge bite of her fragrant pancake.
"Oh my gosh!" Zama gasped.
"What?" Aldytha asked, giving her a puzzled look. "Something wrong with your pancake?"
Zama rolled over to face us. "Look who's coming up the hill," she whispered.
"Who -" Tenley started to say, then froze.
I froze as well, when I saw who they were looking at.
He was wearing a brown and white checked shirt and blue jeans and was strolling oh so casually, in our direction.
"I think I'm going to faint," squeaked Tenley.
I thought I was going to faint too. Aldytha and Tenley gasped audibly as Nathan lifted his hand to greet us.
"Hi-ya there," he called. "Can I join you?"
Zama managed to stammer an affirmative, and the entire park of people stopped talking and stared, as the rock star sat down on the grass next to the group of Fine Arts weirdos.
"Hey," he said, smiling. "Did you manage to catch some zees after I left?"
Tenley nodded vigorously.
If I hadn't been in those woods, and knew nothing about Nathan other than what I had read on the internet, I too would have been feeling surreal at that precise moment.
People like Nathan didn't happen to people like us. We hoped that they would, and we liked to think that they could. Deep down though, we knew that they wouldn't.
He turned away from Tenley, who seemed to have lost the use of her tongue, and turned to me. I resisted the urge to run away as fast as I could. He had been a track runner in his elementary school, and I knew that with my puny athletic ability, I stood no chance against him.
What I wouldn't have given to be this close to him forty-eight hours ago ...
"Cathy, would you like to go to a movie with me today?" he asked.
Aldytha spluttered as her pancake went down the wrong way.
If only this were real. If only I could say yes, and know that he wanted to be with me because he liked me, and not because he was trying to fix the mistakes he had made the day before.
I had to say something, even thought my heart was breaking into tiny, sad little pieces inside me. I had to refuse him, and he would never ask me again. I would have blown my one chance with him forever.
Maybe it was worth dying for one date with Nathan Jake ...
"No thank you," I gasped.
No date with any man was worth dying for.
"It would be such an honour if you came with me," he said.
Zama made a strange sound in her throat, as if she was trying to speak but didn't know how to.
I looked away from him, and focused on a pretty pink flower that was lying in the grass near my right foot. If only he would go away ... forget everything and go away.
"Cathy ... "
I wasn't going to look at him.
"Cathy," more urgently.
I jumped and darted a look at him, as I felt something warm touch my hand. It was his finger.
"Don't touch me!" I gasped.
"Read this ... " he whispered, pushing something white and soft into my hand. Then with a glance at the others, he stood up and left, walking with long easy strides up the hill.
"Don't touch me!" Zama exploded. "Did I really hear her say don't touch me? Girl, are you sick?"
"What the hell's the matter with you?" Aldytha asked. "You blew off Nathan Jake!"
"What did he give you?" Tenley asked.
It was a serviette, folded neatly.
"Maybe it's his phone number," Tenley said.
"Open it Cathy!" Aldytha hissed.
I reluctantly unfolded the serviette.
"I need to see you alone. It's urgent, N." A number was written underneath.
Tenley squeaked. "It is his phone number. Cathy, he wants to be alone with you!"
Aldytha moved out of the way of Tenley's excitedly waving hands. "He really must like you. Celebrities don't just hand out their private phone numbers to anyone."
"Oh this is so freaking awesome!" Tenley shrieked. "What are you going to wear?"
"I - I can't go out with him!" I stammered, feeling trapped.
How was I going to keep him away from me, if my friends were trying their best to get me to be with him?
"Why the hell would you not meet with him?" Zama asked. "This is Nathan Jake, the freaking rock star."
I didn't know what to say. What reason could I possibly give for not having a private tryst with the most delectable man in the world?
"I have a boyfriend. At home," I said, inspiration coming to me. "We've been going out since we were twelve. We promised to be faithful to each other, even while I was studying."
"Aaw, that's so sweet," Tenley said. "Faithful to your first love."
"I suppose that's a good reason," said Zama with a sigh. "I wouldn't give up on my man even for Nathan Jake."
"Come on, is he really that great?"Aldytha asked.
I glanced at her.
"I mean, he's a man," she said. "They're all jerks and losers in the end. You might as well have some fun."
"Aldytha, not all men are jerks," Tenley said.
"Oh yeah, which one of the losers you've been out with makes you say that?" Aldytha asked, stretching out on the grass again. "And Zama, even your precious Thammy doesn't message you unless you message him first."
"True," Zama sighed, joining Aldytha on the grass.
"Oh, my boyfriend is smoking hot," I said. "Totally."
"You're really, really sure," Aldytha persisted. "Because you don't want to blow off Nathan Jake, while your boyfriend is making out with all your friends back home.
"He's not like that," I said. I hoped they would stop bugging me about it. It was hard work standing up for someone I had just invented three minutes ago.
"At least you know you could have had a rock star boyfriend if you'd wanted to," Tenley said.
To my relief, they changed the subject. It had been a brilliant save, I thought. Now they would understand my reluctance to spend any time with Nathan. I just had to keep away from him until tonight, when I would try and run away again.
"I'll just keep this in case," Zama said, folding the serviette with Nathan's number and pushing it into her bra. Then she froze and stared at us in horror. "Oh crap! I'm turning into my grandmother."
She hurriedly pulled the serviette out.
"Why do women store things in their bras?" Tenley asked. "Isn't it uncomfortable?"
"Not to mention it gives them weirdly-shaped breasts," Aldytha laughed.
"Hey, it's the Zulu woman's moon bag," Zama said. "And don't let me do it again!"
I looked down the green expanse to the ocean beyond, and wished for the umpteenth time that I hadn't been sketching that tree.
"So much for you saying that Nathan doesn't want to go out with you," Tenley said looking smug. "I was right. You were the reason he came to help us last night."
"Uh-huh, Cathy," Zama laughed. "There's no denying it now. The boy has the hots for you. Maybe he was stalking you outside our flat when he heard us scream."
So close to the truth, and yet so far.
"I wonder what he likes about you?" Tenley said, a faraway expression on her face.
"Tenley, that's rude, even for you," Aldytha laughed.
"Oh ... " Tenley shot a look at me. "No I didn't mean it that way ... I was wondering what about you made him want to get to know you better. I mean, you're not musical, and he hasn't spent any kind of time with you."
"That's true," said Zama. "Where does he even know you from?"
I found that impossible to answer truthfully.
"Haven't a clue," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
I was sure that there were girls who could walk across campus and be seen by a guy and make such an impression on him in those few mind-blowing seconds, that he would vow to find out who she was.
I wasn't the kind of girl who would inspire drive-by attraction.
"I still can't get my head around this," said Zama, holding Nathan's serviette in front of her. "Nathan Jake actually asked you to a movie! I mean, how many millions of girls are there in the world who would give their left hand to go on a date with him!"
Except in my case, it would require giving up more than a hand.
"Fairy tales really do happen," sighed Tenley, stretching out on the grass and folding her arms under her head.
I joined her, and wished that it were true.