The overcast sky matched my mood as I marched to the university cafe. After storming up the stone steps, I swung open the glass door; another student with neon green hair scowled at me from the other side.
I forced an apologetic smile for almost hitting him with the door then, pushed past the crowd of coeds waiting for their daily caffeine fix.
I contemplated standing in line but thought better of it. I'll be waiting all day.
Before anyone else could snag it, I claimed the last vacant table and waited. My legs shook to the sped-up beat of my heart while I scanned my surroundings.
An auburn-haired girl in the opposite corner of the room glared at me from her stuffy booth next to the window. She probably figured I was on something; which wasn't altogether untrue.
Eliot had been making my life both a living heaven and hell for months. Ever since meeting online, we hadn't been able to stop talking or sexting. Listening to his instructions was much more entertaining than doing geometry homework, after all.
I glanced down at my phone; there was no hope of receiving a new, merciful command but convincing myself of that was out of the question. So I sat there, yanking the long sleeves of my sweater over my fists and shaking my leg so hard that China could have felt the tremors.
My gaze wandered until suddenly everything went dark. Someone's hands cupped my eyes and the light laughter behind me gave away the culprit.
"Jesus, Drew," I pulled his hands off of me and laughed. "You almost got me."
"Almost?" He took the seat in front of me. "I felt you jump."
I rolled my eyes while Drew shed his first damp layer of clothing. His hoodie came off with a slight struggle and gave way to his favorite ACDC shirt.
He sighed and glanced at me. "I thought it was supposed to be cold up here."
"It is cold, you're just hot-blooded."
He opened his mouth, and I knew the next thing to follow would be his failed impersonation of a classic. I held up my hand to silence him. "Not Foreigner, you know I love Foreigner."
He scoffed and lifted his chin toward my legs. "Hyper much?"
"Just a bit on edge today."
The irony wasn't lost on me.
"You sure you want to add coffee to that equation?"
My expression twisted. "I'm going to need it to get through the day."
Drew gave me a knowing grin. "Vanilla latte with a double shot and extra foam?"
"You so get me." I batted my eyelashes at him as he joined the line of students at the front counter. The smile he put on my face didn't fade until I saw him leaning into his conversation with the barista. Classic.
Getting coffee together every Monday and Wednesday morning had become a ritual; one I hoped continued beyond my first semester. After a few weeks, we had committed each other's orders to memory just in case either of us was running late.
Then we'd walk and catch up the whole way to class.
By the time he returned, my nerves, and uneasiness had dissipated. I pushed Eliot to the farthest corners of my mind, so I didn't accidentally confess my dalliance to the closest person in my life.
I had hidden my "relationship" with Eliot for over a year and had no intention of coming clean soon.
Even he had clarified that our flirtation began and ended in cyberspace; no real names, phone numbers, or obvious details about our identities were allowed.
Except for our University, which we shared, I knew nothing about him.
Drew, on the other hand, was familiar.
I sipped on my steaming coffee and watched him do the same. He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes, which he always threatened to cut, and met my gaze. The chipped paint on his nails piqued my curiosity.
"Oh my God, you let her paint your nails, didn't you?"
His newest friend was a burgeoning cosmetologist; clearly, he had become test subject number one.
"Yeah, she was bored, and I-"
"Wanted to get into her panties?"
Drew scoffed at my brazenness. "Fuck, Cass. When did you get so-" Dirty? "-nosy."
I rolled my eyes. "What can I say? You rubbed off on me."
"I think I would remember that."
I brushed off his comment, like I always did, and took a large gulp of my drink. What would I say in response, anyway? The doorbell chimed, and I groaned, happy to change the subject. "Guess who?"
Drew turned and snickered. "Hey, you're the one who dated him."
Unfortunately.
"I blame you for leaving me alone in that school." My friendship with Drew was addictive; when he left, I went through waves of withdrawal.
"I fucking graduated." He flicked his spoon at me like a child. "It's not my fault you were a baby and cried about how much you missed me to the first prick who would listen."
I narrowed my eyes. "I didn't miss you."
"Really? Then why did you follow me to this tropical resort where the weather is always gloomy, cloudy, or cold as balls?"
"For the scholarship, dumbass." I threw my wadded sugar packet wrapper at him.
He leaned back in his chair and grinned. "You could've gone anywhere, though."
"Not if I didn't want to be in debt for the next thirty years of my life."
"Right, right," he conceded unceremoniously and took long, dramatic sips of his coffee; which only made me suspicious.
"What's up?"
He half-chuckled. "What do you mean?"
"You're too quiet to not be thinking."
Drew's gaze followed mine as if he could see the gears turning inside my skull. "Don't worry about it."
"Drew-"
"It's nothing, Cassie." I stared at him, but he reassured me. "Really."
I raised an eyebrow, but let him have his secret. Meanwhile, I watched my ex order an elaborate breakfast for two. His wallet was always much bigger than his brain, among other things.
When I found out he cheated on me, I was almost relieved.
I fought the urge to jump for joy when he strolled out of the coffee shop. There he goes, a year of my life down the drain.
Then I glanced down at my watch.
Shit.
I chugged the rest of my coffee, causing Drew to shake his head. "Slow down. You're gonna burn yourself."
His faux concern turned my stomach inside out; which was the last thing I needed before class.
I wiped the corner of my mouth on my sleeve, determined to ignore my nerves. "Well, I can't be late. Ms. Wright is posting the names of the students accepted into the advanced theater program today, and I have to audition for the play as soon as possible."
"You're here on a theater scholarship, Cass. Aren't you guaranteed a position?"
I grabbed my bag before pushing my chair back underneath the table. "Not really, she's old school and insists on hand-picking her 'team' so don't be the little devil on my shoulder," Drew smirked. We both knew I was fighting a losing battle. "just this once. "
He stood up, his body inches away from my own. I pretended not to notice. "Why not? You love the little devil. Hell, you need the little devil."
I rolled my eyes and tossed the empty cup into the overflowing garbage can. "See, that kind of talk right there is why I failed Theology in the tenth grade."
Before he could defend himself, I weaved through the thinning crowd.
Then he stepped in between me and the exit. "You failed because you spent all day staring at that Jason kid's ass."
Do I detect a hint of jealousy?
I pursed my lips and nodded. "Time well spent." He narrowed his eyes, and I slipped past him.
Drew stayed on my heels as I power-walked across the campus. "As far as male asses go, I admit, his wasn't bad, but mine is still better." He half-jogged to keep up with my brisk pace.
In a few more minutes he might have broken out into a sweat, but we arrived at the Arts building before he had the chance.
I reached for the door, ignoring his statement. "See you at dinner?"
"If by dinner you mean cold pizza."
I rolled my eyes and left him standing in front of the brick building, like usual. The doors shut behind me with a thud and the sound of a pitchy flute surrounded me. I ignored the novice musicians and hurried to the auditorium.
But when I made it halfway down the hall, my phone buzzed in my pocket. My eyes widened at the sudden vibrations and I threatened to explode into a million jagged pieces. It easily could have been my online friend, sending instructions for the day. Unfortunately, the chat website wouldn't give me a preview until I logged in.
He'll just have to wait.