“Right, so play nice. Was that all you wanted?” I ask, trying to play it cool and not ask a thousand questions about why Travis wouldn’t want them there since they seem utterly inseparable the rest of the time.
“No, Cole has a game Friday. I want you to come.” He moves his weight from one foot to the other, almost like he seems anxious over asking the question.
“Game?” I ask, and he laughs.
“I keep forgetting that you don’t care enough to know shit about us. Cole is the quarterback for Saints U. It’s the first game of the season and it's against our biggest rival in the state. It’s a huge deal.”
I blink at him, shocked. He could’ve told me the sky was pink and I’d have believed that over Cole being a team sports kind of guy. I faintly remember Penn talking about the team taking up his time, but I never would’ve thought she meant football. “Oh.”
He laughs softly, shaking his head. “Yeah, oh. So, will you come?”
I find myself nodding, while screaming at myself internally for my inability to say no to this guy.
“Great, well, I guess I’ll see you Friday.” He waves and walks away, leaving me staring at his back as he retreats.
Well, shit. I guess I’m going to a football game.
*shudder*
* * *
This day can go to hell. Yesterday was almost an entirely good day. I survived my class, even managed to do the reading for today’s. My only blip was the weird thing with Asher, but overall, it was an okay day.
Today, however, Crawford has already yelled at me and fully humiliated me in front of the entire class—twice. If I thought it would make a difference, I’d report him, but all that’s likely to do is draw a bigger target on my back. Which I absolutely don’t want.
I can survive one semester with him.
It’sjustone semester.
I play it like a mantra in my mind as I sip my coffee and read through the chapters for this afternoon's classes again.
Penn and the girls went off campus earlier to go catch an early showing of a new film, but I declined the invite. Crawford’s wrath for ditching didn’t seem worth it, but I’m regretting my decision currently as I pick at the chicken and bacon club I grabbed for lunch. He was in a freaking delightful state this morning, and it doesn’t exactly fill me with hope and joy for the afternoon.
The rest of my classes, so far, seem pretty chill. I mean, Government and Politics with Professor Tuscon isn’t exactly the highlight of my week. Though Intro to Stats with Professor Dotura on a Monday along with Psych as a Profession isn’t how I’d have chosen to start the week either, but nothing is worse than Wednesdays.
So much for happy hump day.
It ticks me off a little, because I was actually excited to study Psych, and two out of three of my Psych classes this semester are taught by Captain Douche himself, which is making it not so fun.
Releasing a sigh, I give up on my sandwich and pull out the sketch pad and pencils I sickeningly splurged on and lean back against the tree I’ve been sitting beneath, trying to enjoy the last heat of the season. I smile at my own thoughts, knowing that this bitch is more than ready for fall to hit full swing.
I set an alarm and lose myself in drawing, not even thinking about what I’m doing, just letting the pencil move across the paper like my hand isn’t even my own.
There is peace in losing yourself in something you love, and this, right here, is the penultimate kind of peace I’ve ever found, outside of reading a book.
Before I know it, my alarm sounds and a part of me almost wants to risk Crawford’s fury because I haven’t felt this calm and centered since I got off the plane from California just over two weeks ago.
I bark out a small laugh.How has it not even been two full weeks since my plane touched down?
I look down at the sketch and realize it’s the horse I rode at the farm I went to over the summer with Dad. I absolutely love horses and Dad took me as a ‘half birthday’ present, since he won’t see me for my actual birthday. It was one of the very few highlights of the entire summer.
Packing my stuff away, I make a promise to myself to at least try to draw once a week. I need this sort of escape from my life and it’s been too long since I’ve focused on my art. Who would’ve thought that it was this privileged existence I’d need the escape from? Back when I was at school and working full time, trying to juggle life and keeping a roof over our head, I never had the chance to escape. I was too busy and despite all the barrels of shit my mom ended up getting us stuck in—be it with guys she brought back to the apartment or debts she racked up—I still felt more in control then than I do now.
Go figure.
If you’d have told me a year ago that I’d be in college with no job, surrounded by these trust fund types… well, I’d have laughed in your damn face.
I stand and pull my satchel onto my shoulder, double checking the time on my watch, and my eyes go wide.