Roxanne giggled as Stacey paced around the living room, her hands on her hips.
"I can't believe he didn't recognize me!" Stacey said, alarmed. "Me?!"
"Maybe he was just, I don't know. Tired?" Roxanne said, trying to calm her down, but found it hard not to enjoy the situation.
"He was in my first class! He should know I'm here by now. I'm sure Max has already said something to him." Stacey said, throwing herself on the sofa. The large sun hat she was wearing fell to the floor beside her.
Roxanne sighed. It had been a whole week since she last saw Max. It was Monday, and she was to have to her first class in the afternoon. She had seen him pull up from the hospital a few days ago, sitting on a wheelchair and looking miserable. After that, she hadn't seen him at all. She felt bad for not going over to talk to him at least.
She didn't want to deal with Jasmine again. She had held her temper well during their first encounter, but she knew the second time wasn't going to go so smoothly.
"Bobby was never, bright." Said Roxanne, shrugging.
"Uh huh." Mumbled Stacey.
"Did you talk to him?"
Stacey sat up, shaking her head. "I freaked out."
Roxanne covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
"Ugh! That's it. I'm going to march on over there to the Theta Chi house and demand Robert to-"
"To what?" Roxanne asked, grinning. "Remember his first love?"
Stacey grabbed a pillow and threw it at her before breaking out into a fit. She began to laugh, and then slowly Roxanne noticed that tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Stace- Stacey. Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Roxanne ran up to her friend, who had begun to cry into her hands. She placed her arms around her and patted her head. "Honey, what happened?"
Stacey didn't say anything but burst into tears. She shook her head and wiped her face with the sleeve of her arm. She looked at Roxanne, her mascara running.
"I know how you feel now. About Max I mean." Stacey said, hiccupping. "Ugh, I could have sworn I was over Robert."
Roxanne didn't know what to say. The whole time she had been worried about how she was going to make it in school with Max living so close to her when she had forgot that Stacey had left Bobby behind for her, too. Bobby was Stacey's first boyfriend, and when Roxanne left, Stacey followed, leaving Bobby behind.
"I'm sorry." She managed to say, hugging Stacey harder. "I should have realized."
Stacey smiled, her face swollen from the tears she had just dropped. She shook her head and took a deep breath.
"He was flirting with some other girl. That's why he didn't see me. I sat in the front of the class for a reason, but he sat in the back, with some blond girl." Stacey sniffled, and then her face got serious. She stood up, taking Roxanne by surprise. "If he thinks that I'm some crybaby, well. I don't want Robert."
Roxanne didn't know what to say. Stacey walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. She came out with a glass of water, which she chugged quickly before walking over to the window. "When's your first class?"
"This afternoon." Roxanne said, feeling awkward. Did Stacey not want to talk about it?
"Oh, look. Max is finally getting out of the house." Said Stacey, quickly. Roxanne gasped but then caught herself. "And he's with Jasmine."
"Is he on the wheelchair?" asked Roxanne, curious. She couldn't help but feel her face get hot when she heard Jasmine's name.
"Mhm." Stacey nodded. "He doesn't look too happy."
Roxanne shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wanted to get up to see him, but knew it was best to move on with her life without having to spy on Max.
"I think I'm going to go get a head start today for class. I want to stop by the library." She said, getting up. Stacey turned around.
"Aren't you curious at all about Max?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. Roxanne shook her head.
"He's fine." She managed to say, knowing Stacey wanted a response from her.
"If you say so. I honestly don't think it's healthy for both of us to still have feelings for our exes after so much time has passed. And yet here we are. MISERABLE. For what?" Stacey said loudly.
"Stacey-"
"No, Roxanne. Look at us! We're pathetic! And here I was thinking that this wasn't going to happen to us. We'd come back from France and life would continue as it should." Yelled Stacey, closing the window shut. "But none of us have really enjoyed ourselves have we? No. Because we're stuck here, hiding like little rats."
"Okay, that's enough," said Roxanne, surprised Stacey was acting this way. "One we are not rats and two we will get over this. Please. I know I haven't been the best lately and I'm sorry. I should have realized you were going through something as well. Look if you want to tell everyone we live here, I'm all for it okay. Let's make the best of our last year." Pleaded Roxanne. Stacey walked up to her and nodded.
"You promise?" asked Stacey.
"Yes. I promise. Enough is enough. Truce?" Roxanne extended her pinky out. Stacey interlocked her pinky with her and they hugged.
"I'm sorry Roxanne. It's just been one hell of a week. Sneaking around so no one sees us. Talking to nobody." Said Stacey.
"I know what you mean. All we can do is read and watch television." Laughed Roxanne.
"Speaking of television. We should hold a party! We can meet more people that way." Stacey said, excited.
"Haha, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. A party does sound like a good idea. Let's put that on hold. I still need to get to the library." Roxanne said.
"Which book are you looking for?" the librarian asked, flipping through her catalogue.
"Um, Life of the Cell, by Manuel Mangombe. It's a required textbook for cellular biology." Said Roxanne, showing the woman the syllabus.
"Oh, okay. I found it. You're in luck. We have one copy left. Let me get it for you." The short woman stood up and walked toward a locked room. Roxanne held her binder close to her, nervous. She looked around, scared she was going to run into someone she knew from high school.
The librarian returned, holding a heavy book in her hand. "Gosh, this book sure is complicated."
"What do you mean?" asked Roxanne, curious. The librarian wrote something down on a sheet of paper.
"Lot's of seniors get held back because of this course. I don't understand why. Everyone says it's the professor. At first I thought the students were just finding someone to blame, but with all the seniors I've seen come by for this textbook I'm starting to think it's not the student's fault at all." She responded. "Can I have your ID?"
Roxanne handed her student ID, frowning. "So you're saying there's a chance I can fail this class?"
"Oh, no dear. Not at all." The librarian stamped the book with a bright red stamp and handed it to her. She did not sound convincing. "Good luck. I'll be sending you a letter in the mail before the rental is due. Have fun in class, dear."
Roxanne smiled, feeling the weight of the book in her hands. The thing weighed a ton. She waved at the librarian and began to walk out, her shoulders tensing up. She looked down at her watch. She had a whole hour before class. What was she going to do for a whole hour?
"Hey, excuse me." She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a guy there, holding her ID. "You forgot this."
"Thanks." She managed to say. "That was dumb of me."
"No sweat. Are you new here? I've never seen you before." He said, extending his hand. Roxanne could have sworn she had seen this guy before. His face was familiar. "I'm Bradley. Bradley Uppercrust the Third."
Her eyes went wide when she heard his name. He stood a whole foot taller than her, wearing a collard yellow shirt and jeans. He had his book bag on one shoulder, and in the other she noticed he was carrying the same textbook she had. He smiled.
She had seen this guy many times on television, riding alongside Max in the games. Their freshman year he had exploded the arena they were competing on. Their sophomore year he had flooded the stadium. Last year he had sent another player flying toward the crowd, causing the audience to suffer many injuries. He was infamous. Her gaze landed on a group of guys, all grinning up at her from the bottom of the stairs. Yep. This was Gamma leader Bradley.
She moved her attention back to Bradley. "I'm Roxanne. And yeah, I'm new. Moved back here from France."
"Oh, that's really cool." He said. "I've been there many times with my folks. What part were you staying at?"
"Nice. Cote d'Ivoire" she responded, surprised that he had travelled.
"J'aime Nice. I think it's my favorite place in France, honestly." He responded.
"Wow, yeah, I think so too." She said.
"Are you by any chance heading to Celluar Bio with Professor K?" he asked, glancing at her textbook.
"Yeah, I just got the book and already have heard scary stuff about this class." She said, shocked at how easy the conversation was going. Usually she found it hard to talk to strangers.
"C'mon. I'll give you the 411 on the class. Trust me, it's my second time taking it," he said, taking a step down the stairs. "Unless you have other plans?"
She thought a moment. He seemed nice. And it felt great talking to someone other than Stacey for a change. She nodded and followed him.
"Roxanne, I'd like you to meet the Gammas," Bradley stated, pointing at his group of guys. They waved at her.
"Hello." She said, shyly.
"You guys get back to the house. I have to head to class anyway. Please stay out of trouble. I don't want any injured players before the event this Friday. Understand?" he asked. The Gammas all responded, and in a straight line walked away. Roxanne blinked back in surprise.
"I've never seen that before." She said, watching them as they crossed the street. "It's a first."
"It's the way the Gamma house is run." Bradley said, leading her away. "Do you know about the College X Games since you lived in France?"
She hesitated before responding. There was no way Max wasn't going to come up in this conversation.
"Yeah, I was still a part of the school so we would be able to see the game on a big screen." She said.
"Oh, so you know who I am then?" he said smugly. "I'm just kidding. I'm not the king anymore. That title belongs to some other guy now."
Roxanne didn't know what to say, so she nodded, eager for the conversation to take a different turn. This campus was so big; the odds of having run into Bradley amazed her. And of all places the library. She didn't know the guy but he didn't seem like the school type. That point was obvious. He was retaking a class. She had never had to retake a class.
"But see, I think I have a chance now. The king, Max is injured. Which means he won't be able to play in the preliminaries. Honestly his two side kicks are decent players but I don't think Team 99 is anything without their king."
Roxanne looked up at him. He looked a little too happy about the whole situation.
"Does that mean he won't be able to play at all?" she asked, worried.
"Nah. It just means they're going to be off to a rocky start. These X-games are more lenient about who plays on the team. They don't have to show up in the first rounds." Bradley stated. "But enough of that. I was going to tell you about our class."
"That's right!" Roxanne exclaimed, happy that they had switched subjects. "So why are you taking this class again?"
Bradley rubbed the back of his neck, almost as if he were too embarrassed to speak. "I flunked out. MY fault of course."
They had made it to a small café around the corner, with cute little round tables and big white umbrellas in front of it. The place was busy, students going in and out, carrying their coffees to go. The café was small, made of wood and looked out of place next to all the red brick buildings. Roxanne spotted a couple by the window, arguing. The school year had just started and couples we already at it.
"Would you like to sit down or take it to go?" Bradley asked, pointing at an empty table. "Hurry, decide fast. That table isn't going to stay empty."
She smiled and nodded, walking over to the small table and taking a seat. A light blue vase was centered in the middle of the table, with white daisies sticking out from it. The café reminded her of France, and even though she was back home in America, this campus was foreign to her. The café made her feel secure and safe.
"Good choice." Bradley teased, setting his bag on the floor. "Ugh, all the books for these classes are going to kill my back."
"I know what you mean. This book here weighs a ton." She said, placing her cell book on the table. "This Mangombe guy sure wanted us to know everything there is to know about Cell Bio."
They both burst out laughing at her comment. She was shocked at how well they were getting along. She didn't feel shy or pressured into having a conversation with him.
"Can I take your order?"
Roxanne looked up and spotted the same waiter that she had met her first night here. He smiled, turning red.
"Tony?"
Tony gave a small laugh, taking out his notepad from his apron. "Yep. That's me."
"Wow, you work here too?" Roxanne asked.
"Yeah, I have to get through college right? What will it be?" he asked.
"Can I have just a regular Decaf house coffee? And a strudel if you have some." Bradley said. "I'm Bradley by the way."
"Nice to meet you Bradley, but I already know who you are." Tony said, grinning. "When you flooded the stadium, part of my apartment complex flooded too. I lived on the ground floor."
Bradley looked annoyed, but Roxanne burst out laughing.
"I'm sorry. I just found that funny." She said quickly, feeling her face turn red. Bradley smiled and waved his hand.
"It is funny." Bradley said, "But not for our friend Tony. I'm sorry about that."
"Haha, dude, because of you I was able to move into a more sweeter apartment complex, with no rent for a year. I owe you." Tony said, patting Bradley on the shoulder.
"Not a lot of people have good things to say about me now a days." Bradley said, his face stern despite of his smile.
"Anyways, I'm Roxanne. Nice to meet you Tony." She interrupted, extending her hand. Tony shook it. "I would like café au lait if you have it."
Tony scribbled something down on his notepad and nodded. "Yes we do, I'll come out with your drinks soon. Nice talking to you guys."
Roxanne couldn't help but notice Bradley's change in posture. He had crossed his arms, and the cheerful expression he had earlier was gone. He looked lost in his thoughts. She fumbled around with her hands, waiting for him to say something.
"So," she started, wanting to break the silence that was starting to sink in. "Is something on your mind?"
It took a while for him to react, but when he did, she saw the spark back in his eyes, and his posture changed. He placed his hands on the table and smiled at her. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"Uh, nevermind." She thought it best not to say anything. He was clearly having some sort of moment. It wasn't in her place to ask those types of questions when she had just met the guy.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." He said, tapping himself on the head. "Guess I'm just tired."
"Classes haven't even started yet." She said.
"I've been practicing. I've had a lot on my plate lately." He said softly. He began to pick at the petals, waiting until one petal hit the table before plucking another.
"I don't know you, but I'm sure whatever it is that's stressing you out will come to pass. It always does." She said, feeling sorry for him.
"You know you're the first person that I've actually had a decent conversation with in months?" he told her, looking around. "This campus is full of so many people, yet they make you feel so empty."
She had to agree with him. Everything he had just said was exactly how she felt. It was partially her fault, because she wasn't social to begin with, but at the same time people already had their group of friends made here. Friendships that started freshmen year were only stronger now in their senior year. Stacey was all she had. Maybe that party Stacey wanted to throw wasn't such a bad idea.
"I feel that same way. So does my best friend, Stacey. You know, she was thinking of having a party to get to know some people, at first I thought it wasn't such a good idea, but now I think I wouldn't mind meeting new people. You should come." She said.
"That's a brilliant idea. I'm in," he said. "Like a homecoming party."
"Exactly." She said, excited.
"Here are your drinks." Tony set down their order, careful not to spill any on the table.
"Tony, Roxy and I are having a party soon. Keep your ears open for the invitation alright my man?" Bradley said, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Woah, you serious?" Tony asked. Bradley nodded. "Yeah sure. I'm down."
"Wow, I can't believe we're going to make this happen." Roxanne said, blushing. If only Stacey were here, she would be jumping up with joy.