Once February turned into March, it was the beginning of crunch time for New York University students. More assignments had to be done in the coming month before April and subsequent final exams took place.
Isaac was laser-focused on killing his assignments and doing his absolute best in his classes. He had decided to spend his Tuesday afternoon in the library to finish up on a couple of papers and do some readings. DeShawn was still in class, but Felipe had texted him earlier to let him know that Nikita was over at their apartment to hang out and do schoolwork. Isaac didn't want any sort of distractions, so he had been at the library after attending his eight AM lecture and grabbing a quick lunch.
He had been working hard for the past couple of hours without taking a break. The result of his hard work included submitting two papers for two different classes. He sat back in his chair after finishing the second paper with a grin.
Thank God I'm done with that, he thought as he grabbed his phone out of the pocket of his blue jeans. Once I do these readings, then I'll head home. Or maybe I'll go to Lexi's.
Isaac: Hey, what's up?
Lexi: Working on a few papers at home. Nikita's gone for the day. Wanna come over later?
Isaac: Love to. I'll come at 5?
Lexi: See you then!
Isaac checked the time— it was just before two PM now. He had been at the library since noon. He grinned just thinking about seeing Lexi later. Bur first, he needed to work on his readings. Putting them off any longer wasn't an option.
He looked up from his phone to see Cassie saunter away from his right. She didn't see him, but he immediately knew who had strolled past him. She was on her way out of the library when a guy he didn't recognize approached her from off in the distance. They chatted for a couple of minutes before the guy left the library alone. Cassie stood at the entrance with her head hung.
Isaac frowned, wondering what could have possibly happened between her and the mystery man. It wasn't his place to stick his nose in her business, and he wanted to respect her privacy. But Cassie seemed more upset than usual, and that left a bad taste in his mouth.
Isaac: Hey, you okay?
Cassie: I'm fine, why?
Isaac: I saw you talking to a guy and you seem upset.
He watched Cassie turn around to find Isaac sitting at a table just a couple of feet from the library's entrance. He had a clear shot of what went down, meaning that Cassie couldn't deny it. She strolled over and sat in the empty chair across from him.
"Was that dude giving you a hard time?" Isaac asked.
Cassie vehemently shook her head. "No, nothing like that happened. His name's Johnathan. He's a guy from my program that I get along with. We've done a bunch of projects together in past classes and I've always enjoyed talking to him."
"So...what happened between you two? Unless you'd rather not talk about it."
Cassie groaned. "He asked me out."
Isaac raised his eyebrows at her stressed-out demeanour. "Is that a bad thing?"
"I turned him down 'cause I was 'too busy' to go out," Cassie revealed while adding air quotes. "It isn't true, though."
"Why did you lie?" Isaac asked, frowning with newfound confusion.
Cassie's sigh was heavy. "I haven't dated anyone in a few years, so just the idea of going out with anyone scares me. I like Johnathan as a person and as a friend, but I don't know if I like him more than that. But I also can't lie and say that I don't enjoy the flirting and how it makes me feel 'cause I do. I just don't know if I should take that chance. Ugh, I sound so fucking pathetic."
Isaac stared at her in disbelief. She seemed genuinely torn on what to do or how to feel about this Johnathan fellow. He didn't know how to help her— or if he should even try to help in the first place. Here he was, having moved on long ago whereas Cassie hadn't tried to do the same much at all since their break-up.
He remembered hearing about her going on a ton of dates shortly after their relationship had ended. Isaac had had a feeling that she had done that to try and hurt him, but it hadn't bothered him much at all. Now she was trying to figure out if she should date someone seriously.
"May I tell you something?" he asked cautiously.
"Of course."
Isaac took a deep breath before responding. "That feeling you're feeling now...I had that before I asked Lexi out the first time."
"You did?" Cassie asked, clearly stunned by his admission.
"Yeah, I did," Isaac confirmed with a nod. "I was terrified to ask her out 'cause I was scared she'd say no, and that could've ruined our friendship. I cared about our friendship so much that I didn't wanna ruin it at all. I had to work up a hell of a lot of nerve before I approached her. And even when we were on our first date, I was a nervous mess."
Cassie blinked hard. "I didn't expect you to say that, considering the fact you two were such good friends."
"I think that's why I was so nervous," Isaac remarked. "I didn't want to mess it up by asking Lexi out."
"That makes sense," Cassie replied before looking at the ground.
Isaac felt a pang of pity for the woman sitting in front of him. She was no longer causing problems, so he didn't have his guard up like he used to. Seeing her so withdrawn was strange, considering everything that had happened over the past few years.
"Are you worried about hurting my feelings by dating someone new?"
Cassie snapped back to attention with wide eyes. "I'm sorry?"
Isaac sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. "Cassie, I don't want you to think that you shouldn't date someone to spare my feelings. Don't worry about that, okay? I'm fine."
"I..." Cassie paused to mull things over. "I don't know if that's also the case."
"Look, I want you to be happy with someone too," Isaac said in a calming voice. "I want you to be happy, period. That's all I've ever wanted for you, to be honest. Even when we broke up and through all the fights and issues we've had since, I've never wished bad things on you. I want you to be happy because you deserve it, especially after all the shit you've dealt with."
Cassie had tears in her hazel eyes. "I appreciate you saying all that. And I do wanna be happy. I am happy, to be honest. I spent the past year working hard on finding my own happiness 'cause I've been so miserable. But I know you're right about being happy with someone."
"You deserve it," Isaac repeated.
"Still...I don't know if I should accept Johnathan's offer for a date. How stupid is that?"
"It's not stupid. You're trying to not make a rash decision, which is smart. If you don't like him like that, then don't go. But if you do, then do it."
"But what if nothing comes from it?"
Isaac shrugged. "There's only one way to find out— by going on that date."
"You're right. Thanks for all the advice."
"You're welcome. I also had a similar talk with DeShawn last year when he chickened out telling Mariana how he felt about her. I guess I've gotten better at giving people pep talks."
"I'd have to agree with that," Cassie laughed. "I'm gonna think everything over before I make my final decision. But seriously— thank you so much for listening to me and giving me such good advice. It really means a lot."
"Anytime. I'm always happy to help."
Cassie abruptly glanced at her phone. "Shit! I gotta go now, or else I'm gonna be late for class. See ya!"
After Cassie left in a frantic rush, Isaac smiled with satisfaction. It wasn't just the fact that she had taken time out of her busy day to chat that left a smile on his face. The added fact that she seemed to have listened to him and cared about his words also boosted his mood.
I don't know if she'll go out with that guy or not, but I hope she'll find the right guy for her one day, he thought. She deserves to be happy.
Isaac brushed off the encounter so that he could get his readings done. He wanted to get more homework done before leaving the library for Lexi's.
***
With the first week of March over, Isaac and his friends planned to go out for lunch that Saturday at The Bean's Knees. The group hadn't gotten together like this since January, so it was long overdue for them to hang out.
Isaac stood outside the coffee shop, waiting for someone from the group to show up. DeShawn had stayed at Mariana's the night before, and Felipe had been scrambling to finish a last-minute assignment when Isaac had left their apartment. He now stood outside with the sun beating down on him. Spring hadn't officially arrived yet, but it had warmed up just enough to melt some of the snow. The combination of melting snow mixed with wet grass made the ground muddy, but it was a welcome change from icy sidewalks.
"Hey, you."
A familiar female voice made Isaac spin around in an instant. Lexi had a wide smile on her face as the couple embraced.
"Nice to see you again," she remarked.
"Same to you," Isaac laughed.
The couple shared a kiss before entering The Bean's Knees. It was quarter to noon by now, so the café was filling up quickly with patrons grabbing lunch.
"Looks like the big table in the back is empty," Isaac noted as his eyes darted towards the back.
"I'll go claim it while you place our orders," Lexi offered.
Isaac nodded. "Sounds good."
Lexi strolled over to the empty table while Isaac got in line. He placed his and Lexi's order— a BLT sandwich and black coffee for him, and a garden salad and oat milk latte for her. He made his way over to their table, food and drinks in hand. Lexi smiled as she grabbed her order from him.
"Thanks for getting me my usual."
"Anytime. So, how have you been?"
"Good!" Lexi remarked in a cheery voice. "School's been going well, and so is work."
"Any word on when your book will be published?"
Lexi blushed as she dug her hand into her coat pocket and grabbed her phone. "Not yet, but here's the cover art."
Isaac glanced at the image of a dark-haired woman from the nose down, leaving the rest of her face unseen. The woman held a bloodied knife in her hand and had an evil grin. The background was jet black and matte. The title- Deadly Lolita (Or How I Became Afraid of Man)- was written in bold white calligraphy. Lexi Cole was written above the title in the same font.
"That looks so fucking cool, Lexi! I love it."
"Thank you," Lexi replied while blushing harder. "I just got it this morning. Reaver Publications is hoping to publish my book in the fall, but nothing's been set in stone yet. They've been moving way faster than I thought. The fact that I got my manuscript edited beforehand really helped move things along faster, which is good."
"I'm so happy to hear that, babe," Isaac remarked with a large smile. "Are you gonna tell our friends the news?"
Lexi nodded. "I need to tell them 'cause I can't keep this to myself any longer. I know I've told you and my parents, but that's it."
"I don't blame you one bit," Isaac commented.
The couple shared a small laugh before someone approached them to cut in on their conversation.
"Hey, what's going on?" Cassie asked. Her voice was laced with apprehension as she took a seat across from them.
"Not a whole lot," Isaac replied.
"I have some good news, but I wanna wait 'til the others are all here," Lexi added.
Cassie raised her eyebrows, clearly curious. "Oh, nice! Let's hope everyone else shows up soon. I heard Mariana and DeShawn moving around when I left, so they were clearly awake. Whether they just woke up or not, I don't know."
Isaac nodded. "DeShawn's usually up early."
"Yeah, but Mariana loves her sleep."
Lexi snickered. "Sounds a lot like me. But then again, I'm usually up super late— I'm talking three or four in the morning."
"I only do that when I'm studying," Isaac admitted.
"I used to, but I'm trying to not do it as much," Cassie revealed.
"Yeah, I know being up that late a lot isn't healthy," Lexi laughed.
Just then, Mariana and DeShawn approached their tables with their lunches in hand. Mariana sat beside Cassie while DeShawn took a seat beside his girlfriend.
"Morning, you two," Cassie greeted with a small smile.
"Hey," DeShawn remarked sheepishly.
Isaac smirked. "Someone had fun last night."
Cassie began snickering. "I wasn't gonna mention it, but since you did..."
They soon laughed despite Mariana and DeShawn's embarrassed blushing. Lexi shot an apologetic look in their direction.
"Don't worry about it," she assured.
"I'm trying," Mariana replied in between a sigh.
Nikita and Felipe showed up while Isaac and Cassie were still laughing.
"What'd I miss?" Felipe asked.
"They're teasing DeShawn and Mariana over 'having fun' last night," Lexi explained with air quotes.
"You're one to talk, Isaac," Nikita remarked.
Isaac blushed, causing everyone else to laugh. He frowned when he saw Lexi trying hard to suppress a giggle.
"Anyways," Isaac said, desperately wanting to change the subject, "Lexi wanted to tell you guys some good news."
"Oh, I'm super curious," Nikita admitted. "What is it?"
Lexi cleared her throat before speaking. "So, I've spent the past few years working on my debut novel 'cause my lifelong dream is to become an author. This year, I finally got to the point where I was ready to look into getting it published. And...well, I received news a while back that my book will be released by Reaver Publications! I'm hoping it'll be released this September, but the date isn't for sure. But it's happening either way!"
"Holy shit!" Felipe bellowed.
Nikita's eyes widened. "Holy shit is right! That's awesome."
"Congrats!" DeShawn exclaimed with a nod.
Mariana smiled wide. "Congratulations! That sounds super exciting."
"Thank you, guys. I'm super excited and grateful," Lexi said with an equally big smile.
"I'm happy for you too," Cassie piped up. "It's so cool that you were able to write and publish a book before finishing your degree!"
"It certainly wasn't easy," Lexi admitted. "There were a lot of sleepless nights and stressful moments. But it was truly worth it."
Felipe raised his coffee cup. "How 'bout we say cheers to Lexi's coming success?"
Cassie was the first to join in. "Definitely!"
Everyone else cheers to Lexi's good news, including Isaac. He planted a kiss on her head to show how proud he was. He couldn't stop beaming over her achieving such a milestone. Lexi flashed him a smile before turning back to their friends.
"When you become famous, please don't forget about us," Felipe chuckled.
Lexi rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't be silly! I would never do such a thing."
Nikita scoffed at her boyfriend. "Seriously? Lexi would never do that, you moron."
"Thank you for sticking up for me," Lexi remarked with a sincere grin.
"Hey, I was only teasing!" Felipe exclaimed.
Lexi suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm just fucking with you."
Everyone else laughed except for Felipe, who sulked momentarily. But he quickly threw away the act and joined in.
"How the hell are we finishing college in a month?" Nikita suddenly remarked with awe. "I can hardly believe it."
"Neither can I," DeShawn chimed in. "But I got accepted into New York Medical College's Master of Science program, so I'm nowhere near done with school."
"That's awesome!" Isaac exclaimed.
"You're lucky," Cassie said. "I still haven't heard if I've been accepted into my dream grad school program here at NYU, which sucks. But I'm happy for you."
"Thank you," DeShawn replied with a content grin.
"You're gonna get accepted," Mariana declared, giving her best friend a cocky smirk.
Cassie shot her best friend a grim expression "We'll see about that."
"I've already been looking for jobs," Isaac revealed.
Felipe raised his eyebrows. "Oh, wow. Any luck with that?"
Isaac shook his head. "It's hard 'cause I haven't graduated yet, so a lot of places won't even give me the time of day. I think I'll have better luck next month. At least, I hope I will."
"I'm waiting 'til I finish school to start looking," Mariana admitted.
Nikita nodded. "I might just freelance, but I don't know. I'm keeping all my options open."
"That's smart," DeShawn said.
The group continued to chat about upcoming assignments and tests, as well as anything else that came to mind. Some even talked about how excited they were for Reading Week, which was fast approaching. For Isaac, it was always great to hang out and catch up with everyone.
Eventually, everyone began to trickle out of The Bean's Knees. Felipe and Nikita left for the library to do some homework. DeShawn and Mariana were the next to leave. The former headed home while the latter was off to a classmate's apartment to finish a group project.
"I'm gonna head home and do some homework," Cassie revealed.
Isaac nodded before turning to his girlfriend. "What are your plans?"
"You can come over unless you're busy," Lexi replied.
"I'm fairly caught up on my schoolwork," Isaac said. "We can hang out and chill."
Lexi glanced over at Cassie, who was throwing her trash out. "Actually... Could you please wait a sec? I need to talk to Cassie."
Isaac raised his eyebrows. "You do?"
"Yeah, I need to talk to her right now," Lexi remarked before rushing over to the woman in question.
Isaac sat back in his seat with a confused facial expression. What does she need to talk to Cassie about?