Anderson
April, One Year Later
Shit, shit, shit!
How the hell am I running so late for class? This is my last final before spring break and it starts in three fucking minutes. This is what I get for letting Calina borrow my car. Now I’m hustling my ass across campus like a fucking moron.
My girlfriend isn’t the most reliable person, nor does she have any time management skills. Her car is in the shop right now—she put off getting her brakes fixed way too long and now she’s having issues—so she asked to borrow mine to go to her dance class last night.
“I’ll bring it back right after, babe.”
“I’ll be no later than nine. Promise!”
Yeah fucking right. Eleven-thirty rolled around, and I still hadn’t heard from her. Calling her up, she was at her fucking sister’s house, drunk.Per fucking usual. Swore up and down, she’d have the car back to me before my class this morning.
Big surprise, she didn’t.
I love the girl—I really do—but goddamn, she grates my nerves sometimes. So, here I am… running my pissed off ass through the courtyard and into the humanities building, late for my philosophy final. Pushing the up button on the elevator, I pull out my phone, unlocking it, and finding two new text messages.
Calina: Hiiiii babe! So sorry, I overslept. Hope you made it on time. Xoxo
Crew: You’ll be here tomorrow, right? What time?
Ignoring Calina for just a moment, I type out a response to my best friend, Crew.
Me: Yup. Aston, Knox, and I leave first thing in the morning. Be there around noon.
The elevatorfinallydings, the door sliding open for me. Hitting the third-floor button, I type out a response to Calina.
Me: You got some making up to do, baby girl. ;)
Crew responds as soon as I hit send.
Crew: Right on. Can I meet you at your place?
Crew Collins and I have been best friends since before elementary school. We lived right next to each other growing up. He saved my GI Joe figurine from being killed in the storm drain, and the rest is history, so to say.
We’re from Bellingham, Washington—a wealthy, beautiful area in the Pacific Northwest. My dad and his mom work for the same attorney’s office, and have for almost twenty years. Our parents are best friends, so us becoming best friends too was kind of inevitable. We were always inseparable—we had the same hobbies, enjoyed the same movies, shared classes in school, and even played after-school sports together for several years.
Last year, we went off to different colleges on opposite sides of the state, but we’re still extremely close. Some shit went down last year, and our relationship was a little strained, but we’ve worked through it.
The elevator dings and the doors slide open on the third floor. Getting off, I text him back before walking into class.
Me: Of course, man. See you then. :)
Before putting my phone away, I see Calina texted back.
Calina: You know it, baby. ;)
Smiling at that, I put my phone in my pocket, entering the class. Five fucking minutes late. It’s not terrible, but not ideal either. This isn’t a very full class, so finding a seat isn’t hard. My professor gives me the stink eye, but otherwise says nothing.
The hour and a half class flies by surprisingly quickly. I think I did well on the final, but grades won’t come out until next week. Walking into the hall, heading to the elevators again, I spot my twin brother’s boyfriend, Knox, walking toward me.
“What’s up, man?” I ask, punching the down button and waiting.
“Hey, bro. Just finished my psychology final. You?”
“Same, except philosophy. Have any more classes today?”