“See you!” Pink hearts filled the screen of Melli’s phone and floated away like tiny balloons.
Before they were even finished, she was already out the door.
Thirty-One
“Oh, there you are!” Amanda threw her arms around Melli the minute the elevator doors dinged and she exited into the lobby.
It was a large space, filled with comfortably shabby furniture, battered tables, and vending machines where students lounged and studied and listened to music and played on their phones and laptops. Melli felt at home there, though the hug from Amanda was kind of surprising. The other girl had certainly never been so affectionate before.
“Hi, Amanda,” she said, trying on a smile. “It’s uh, nice to see you again.”
“No, it’s not!” Amanda exclaimed. “It can’t be nice for you to see me. I’ve been horrible to you, Melli—I realize that now. I was mean to you all through high school and then I was mean to you again when you introduced me to that gorgeous boyfriend of yours. I’m just so sorry.”
Her eyes filled with tears and she looked so sad that Melli actually felt bad for her.
“Aww, Amanda…” she said, squeezing the other girl’s hand. “It’s okay—don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it.” Amanda sniffed and stepped back, swiping at her eyes. “When I think of how mean I’ve been to you, Melli. And I’ve been trying so hard to do better!”
“Well, I forgive you if that helps any,” Melli said.
“You’re so sweet!” Amanda’s tragic face broke into a sunny smile. “You always were so sweet and kind and innocent, Melli! Several of us from high school got together recently and we were all saying how sweet and innocent you always were.”
Melli shifted uncomfortably.
“Well…thanks, I guess,” she murmured.
“And we were all saying how we needed to make amends to you,” Amanda went on. “Because we teased you so bad and were all so mean to you. In fact, I have someone else with me, out in my car, who wants to apologize too, only they were too ashamed to come in with me.” She put her hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please, won’t you come out and forgive them, too? It would mean so much!”
“Oh, I…I don’t know…” Melli stared out into the gathering darkness outside the dorm. “I’m kind of waiting for Liosh to get back. He just ran to get a pizza and he’ll be here any minute.”
“Well a minute is all it will take,” Amanda said brightly. “Please, Melli? We’re all just trying so hard to make amends.”
“Well…” Melli still wasn’t sure this was a good idea but Amanda seemed to take her hesitation as agreement.
“Oh goody—I knew you’d come. You were always so sweet and forgiving!” she exclaimed. Hooking her arm through Melli’s, she towed her out of the dorm’s lobby with surprising strength in her skinny body.
Wow, she must do strength training, Melli thought as Amanda pulled her out the door and into the night. The main exterior of the building was well lighted and so was the parking lot but there were places in between the two where shadows lurked. Melli stared at them uneasily as they walked.
“This way,” Amanda said and began to tug her into a darker section of the campus.
“But the parking lot is that way,” Melli protested, pointing.
“It’s a short cut,” Amanda promised. “Come on, it’ll only take a minute.”
Melli allowed herself to be led, rather unwillingly, the longer grass whispering in chilly little tendrils against her flip-flopped feet. She didn’t know what kind of short cut Amanda though she had taken, but she was glad there were two of them together. She wouldn’t have felt safe out at night on campus in the dark like this without someone else with her.
“Honestly, Amanda, you must be mistaken,” she said at last, when they had been walking quite a long way. The USF campus was huge and they seemed to be almost in the center, near a tall stand of bushes that ran the length of a field. “Where did you park by?”
“Oh, there’s no mistake.” Amanda suddenly stopped and dropped Melli’s arm.
“Huh?” Melli looked around, frowning. “What are you talking about? I thought you said there was someone waiting to talk to me.”
“There is,” a new voice said—a horribly familiar voice that sent a chill right down Melli’s spine.
There was a rustling in the bushes and a tall form stepped out.
“There is someone waiting for you, Melli-baby,” Jason Sykes said, grinning at her. “But maybe we could do more than just talk.”
Thirty-Two
Liosh stared having a bad feeling about Melinda almost as soon as he picked up the pizza—which admittedly, smelled delicious. He paid but he could hardly keep his mind on the large flat box in the front seat behind him.
The worried feeling about Melinda was growing and he wished he either had a cell phone like hers or that he had brought his Think-me so he could call her. Once they were bonded, he would have no need of such devices, but they weren’t bonded yet, which made Liosh feel vulnerable in a way he didn’t like.