Page 7

Danielle

F riday came faster than I expected. Between that sociology paper and the baseball game in the middle of the week, in addition to my regular classes and a few shifts at The Blue Crab, I have been busy. It’s a long drive to Virginia Tech, which gives me a lot of time to think. I downloaded the audiobook of Great Expectations and it’s playing now so I can get some of my reading done for British Lit on the way. I should be thinking about Jake and the weekend ahead of us, but my thoughts keep drifting to the baseball game.

I can’t remember the last time a guy gave me his phone number, which very well might be because it was never. Honey already has the phone numbers for every family in North Bay, and it’s not like I’m going to clubs and picking up men very often. Mike’s M&M’s move was smooth, not to mention sweet. I saved the candy for a road trip snack and I’m munching on them now.

Yesterday I contacted Mike for the first time. Texting with him was surprisingly easy and fun. The memory of our text chain brings a smile to my face.

Me: This is Danielle. Thanks for the M&M’s. Peanut is in my top three flavors.

Mike: Glad you liked them. What are your other favorites?

Me: If we are just talking M&M’s, then my top three are the pretzel, peanut butter, and peanut, in that order. You?

Mike: Can’t say I’ve given it much thought. Usually stick to original.

Me: Smart. Can’t go wrong with a classic. Just keep the cold brew flavor away from me.

Mike: Why? Not a coffee lover?

Me : I love chocolate, and nothing against M&M’s, they’re fantastic, obviously. But coffee in general is the devil’s bathwater. Blech.

Mike: Haha. I see. Well, I’m headed to practice. Talk soon.

We left it there, and neither one of us has picked up the conversation yet, but I may have read over our exchange more than a few times since.

I shouldn’t be thinking so much about Mike. I don’t have time for a silly new crush. Jake needs me today. My attention should be on him and this charity event.

Jake lives a few minutes off campus in a townhouse with three other guys. Thankfully, parking is easy to find along the street, so I turn off the engine and send a text to let him know I’ve arrived. He replies right away.

BND: Don’t move. Be right there.

While my phone is in my hand I can’t help pulling up the messages from Mike one more time. I’m so absorbed rereading our texts that the soft knock on the window startles me. I sit up and turn to see a familiar face looking down and chuckling. Jake opens my door and wraps me in a bear hug as soon as I exit the car.

“There she is.” He squeezes me tightly with his now fully-inked arms. Has he grown? My head is pressed against the center of his chest, and I swear he seems bigger. He must be working out more because I don’t remember his pecs being this defined or his abs this hard. I pat his back and step back out of the hug. As he lets go I inspect his arms more closely. The left one has been covered in a full sleeve depicting a battle from The Lord of the Rings for two years, but now the other arm is completely tatted in what appears to be a scene from Harry Potter.

“Yep. Here I am. Love the new ink.” I lean into the car to grab my bag off the passenger seat, ignoring a little pang of nerves when I realize my butt is in the air. I catch myself wondering if he’s looking. Of course, I know he’s watching, but is he looking looking? Ugh. This is so dumb. I don’t know what this weekend is supposed to be for us, and I don’t know how to act. Unfortunately, my default in unfamiliar social situations is awkward as hell.

“So...” I straighten up and rock on my heels, duffle bag now on my shoulder, as I turn to face him.

“So?” He pauses and waits. After a beat, when I don’t say anything else, he fills the silence by offering to take my bag. I let him, and he motions for me to follow him back to his place.

I’ve been to his house before. Alice and I have driven together a couple of times to visit Jake on a Saturday and attend a football game. For all her grumbling about him, she has never turned down the chance to party on a big college campus. This is the first time I’ve decided to come alone. Just me, Jake, and no Alice. It feels weird not to have her here as a buffer to stop me from doing things I might regret. Boy-girl, friendship-altering things.

We enter the house straight into the living room, where all his roommates are sitting on the couch playing a video game. I recognize the one named Connor from my last visit. He looks up from the racing game they are playing, which causes his imaginary go-kart to smash into a wall. Accepting defeat, he hands the controller to the guy next to him and stands to greet me.

“Damn, is this Jake’s friend Dan-Dan From Home that I see before me? Girl, you’ve had a glow-up since the last time you were here.”

“Hi, Connor, right? It’s Danielle.” I point to myself.

“It sure is.” He scans my body.

Alice really did work her magic. I felt a little ridiculous when she suggested this fuzzy cropped sweater and high-rise leggings combo, but once I put it on, I saw how much it works for me. It doesn’t show much, but the sliver of skin between my top and my pants is more of my midriff than I’m used to exposing. Normally, when I wear leggings, I pair them with a shirt long enough to cover my butt. This time Alice insisted I needed to embrace my curves, so they are on full display. I slept with my hair in loose braids last night after the shower and took them out this morning, so now there are beachy waves falling around my shoulders. Alice also insisted on applying my makeup herself before I left. I have to admit, I do feel pretty. Connor’s attention makes my cheeks heat up and I laugh, not sure what else to do.

Jake clears his throat and pulls on my elbow. “Well, I’m taking this one up to my room.”

“Eager much?” Connor teases him. “She’s barely in the door and you’re literally dragging her to your bedroom.”

Jake glances down at his hand on my arm and loosens his grip, but doesn’t let go. He just glares at his friend. Connor laughs and holds up his hands in mock surrender as Jake guides me away, up the stairs. When we get to his room, he lets go of me and closes the door behind us. I kick off my shoes and sit on the bed, which is covered in the same plaid comforter he used for years at home. I arch an eyebrow and he knows I’m silently asking what gives.

“Sorry about that,” Jake mutters. “I’ll talk to him.”

“About what? Nothing happened.” I flop back onto his pillow and curl onto my side. I’m tired after the long drive. Maybe I can squeeze in a nap before the events start.

“The way he was looking at you was disrespectful.”

“Ha. Was it, though? Felt pretty normal to me. You act like a guy has never hit on me before.”

“Not in front of me they haven’t.” He crosses his arms over his chest. Why is he being weird?

“That can’t possibly be true.” I yawn and let myself sink further into the pillows.

“It is.” He’s serious.

“Don’t be silly. You know Connor didn’t mean anything. He knows I came here for you. He was joking. Besides, it was kind of flattering. It’s not like I’m going to be hearing that kind of stuff from you, right? A girl needs to get her confidence boosted where she can.” I put a lilt in my voice, trying to lighten his bizarre mood shift. He is still scowling, so I roll my eyes. “Fine. I promise not to run into the living room and boink your friend who I barely know and with whom I have spent a grand total of forty minutes over the course of the last three years. Does that make you feel better?”

He grunts and an expression I can’t read crosses his face.

“Just come here, dude.” I pat the space on the bed next to me. “Show me this new tattoo. And then tell me what to expect tonight.”

He takes a breath before joining me on the bed. He’s sitting on the edge of the mattress. I’m curled up closer to the wall, facing him but not touching. I reach my leg out and poke him with one toe.

“Didn’t realize I was going to be getting Grumpy Jake when I got here.”

He shakes his head and morphs back into the guy I came to see. “You’re not. Sorry. I have some school stuff on my mind, and Connor being a dumbass isn’t helping. But it’s nothing you need to worry about. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

I jerk his arm closer and he shows me his new full-sleeve Harry Potter tattoo. It’s done in the same style as the The Lord of the Rings battle he has detailed on the other side, but this one is the Battle of Hogwarts in shades of black and grey with a few patronuses floating through in white ink. Only Jacob Gibson can balance looking so badass with being a complete nerd.

“I want to know everything your fraternity has planned for the next few days so I can prepare myself.”

He pulls up an itinerary on his phone.

“Tonight, there’s a game of flashlight tag followed by s’mores around a bonfire. Tomorrow is hot dog eating.”

Jake says we aren’t required to be at every event, so we decide to skip tag and spend some more time catching up, then we’ll join his fraternity brothers for s’mores later. I’m still not sure how any of this is raising money for charity, but if I can help someone in need by stuffing my own face with marshmallows, I’m here for it.

“Catching up” turns out to be watching two Adam Sandler movies on his laptop. Well, Jake watches. Big Daddy is normally one of our favorites. So many of our inside jokes are from this movie. I actually gave him thirty packets of ketchup for Christmas one year. No one else understood, but we both thought it was hilarious. Today it’s not holding my attention. My eyes keep drifting to my phone and wishing I would see a new text in my thread with Mike appear.

A few hours later, I find myself sitting on the edge of a patio planter and sucking a smear of chocolate from my thumb. We are in the backyard of a four-story brick fraternity house. There are three small firepits in the yard, each surrounded by a few folding chairs. When we got here, Jake handed someone at a table twenty dollars for our cover charge, so I guess that answers how the money is being raised for Planting Hope. There must be at least two hundred people attending this bonfire. Jake slipped off to the bathroom at least half an hour ago, but now he’s nowhere to be found.

We never ate dinner and it’s eleven o’clock at night, so I am starving and shivering in the chilly evening air. My brain buzzes from the hit of sugar from the marshmallows, but my stomach still feels empty, so I stand and wander around the party trying to warm up and searching for something else to eat. Once I make my way past a group of what seems to be hockey players based on their towering height and the snippets of conversation I can overhear, I recognize Jake’s familiar silhouette. He is bent down over a giggling red head, whispering something to her while he runs a hand through his own short black hair. When he straightens, I can see there’s a flush on his cheeks. An unpleasant feeling burns deep in my belly. Either his face is heated because of the alcohol or because of something she said. I don’t have any right to be upset with him just for talking to someone, but it is annoying that he invited me at all if he plans to ignore me all night.

I knew he planned to have a few drinks, but I didn’t realize he’d be drinking quite this much. I saw him have two beers and two shots earlier, and there is another red plastic cup in his hand. Who knows what else he’s had since he disappeared. I abandon my search for food and walk over to where they are standing, surrounded by other loud, giggling classmates.

“Hey.” I reach up and put my hand on his shoulder in case he can’t hear me over the noise.

“Dan-Dan, there you are.” He grins. I roll my eyes. He knows I hate when he calls me that, and he also knew exactly where I was because until now I have not moved from the spot where he left me.

“Having fun?” he asks, raising his cup in a toast to nothing in particular. He’s oblivious to my irritation.

“I think I’m ready to call it a night. Can I get the key to your place?” I lean in and raise my voice over the noise. Little Miss Red Curls doesn’t even acknowledge my presence, she just turns and starts talking to one of her friends.

“Sure.” Jake reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keys for me. Placing them into my palm he tells me, “I won’t be too much longer. I’ll see you back at my room.” His words are coming out slowly with long pauses between them. One of the guys nearby whistles at the mention of Jake meeting me in his bedroom.

Okay then. I know it’s what I asked for, but I wasn’t actually expecting him to hand over his keys. I thought he would take the hint and come with me. Guess I’ll be wandering around campus alone and finding my way back to his place in the dark. Cool.

My mom would never forgive me if I let you take a bike home in the dark . Mike’s words from a few days ago echo back to me.

It might not be fair to compare my lifelong friend to a guy I hardly know, but I think I can be forgiven for not feeling especially generous toward Jake at the moment. I drove for three hours today because he said he wanted me to be here for these events, but he has hardly said a word to me since we arrived, other than to whine about his roommate giving me a tiny bit of attention. At least the guy I don’t know cared enough to make sure I would get home safely, and Mike also didn’t seem to have a problem talking to me in front of his friends or ignoring the pitchers of beer on the table at the crab feast. I can’t say the same for Jacob Gibson tonight.

Turning on my heel, I walk away from the party without saying goodbye to anyone, not that any of them seem to notice. Shaking my head, I type Jake’s address into my phone and pull up walking directions. About half a block into my journey, I hear a voice behind me.

“Dan-Dan, wait up.” Thank God, maybe Jake came to his senses.

Nope. It’s Connor, but at least his face is familiar. “I’m headed back too, I’ll walk with you,” he offers.

“Cool, thanks. Please call me Danielle. Dan-Dan is a weird thing Jake only does because he knows it gets to me.”

“Sorry, he’s being a downer lately. I promise I’ll tell J to get his head out of his ass by tomorrow. He’s not doing well in some of his classes, and I think it’s really getting to him. But he probably wouldn’t want me to tell you that, so just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“The secret is safe with me.” I’m zero percent worried about it. School has always been easy for Jake. Knowing him, “not doing well” most likely means he got a B-plus or forgot to do one homework assignment and turned it in a day late.

Connor is easy to be around and we make comfortable small talk on the way back to the house. He makes an effort to use my real name while we chat about the classes we are taking this semester, and he shows me a few funny memes on his phone. Before long, we are back at their place.

“My boy really likes you, you know.” Connor’s voice is sincere as he tucks his phone back into his pocket and lets us in the front door.

“Jake and I go back a long time,” is all I know how to say in response.

“He’s told me about it. You mean a lot to him, Danielle. I’m glad you’re here. And I’m sorry if I made it weird earlier.” At least someone is glad I’m here.

“You really didn’t. That was all Jake. But thanks, Connor. I appreciate it. And thanks for walking me back. I think I’m going to turn in now. I’m pretty tired.”

“Sure. Goodnight.” Connor heads into the kitchen and leaves me to my nighttime routine. I drag my tired body up the stairs.

Alone in Jake’s room, I set his keys down next to a box of protein bars on his dresser and help myself to one. I devour it in four bites before changing into pajama pants and a tank top. After going to the bathroom and brushing my teeth, I tuck myself into his bed.

I have no idea what time it is when Jake finally stumbles into the room. I wake up to him mumbling to himself and bumping into the furniture before he finally lays his body down with a thud in the bed next to me, the mattress sagging with his weight. He doesn’t even bother to undress or get under the covers. It hardly takes any time at all before the dummy next to me is lightly snoring. I have half a mind to push him onto the floor, but instead I just turn to face the wall and fall back asleep.

In the morning, somehow Jake is already awake and dressed in a hoodie and dark gray sweatpants. He’s standing across the room rifling through a few papers on his desk when I open my eyes.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he teases.

“What time is it?” I croak in my scratchy morning voice.

“Almost ten. Do you want to go to the diner and grab breakfast?” Yes , my stomach screams. Finally, some actual food . But my brain and my heart remember that I’m still irritated with him. Jake crosses the room and sits down on the bed where I’m still wrapped up under the covers. He ruffles my hair and smiles down at me, acting like nothing happened last night. Technically, I suppose nothing did.

“Um, I guess. Is anyone else coming?” I pretend to yawn and cover my mouth, trying to discreetly test my morning breath. Yikes.

Jake takes his hand off my head. “Do you want to invite anyone else?”

Should I suggest bringing Connor if he’s home? He was nice to me yesterday, and since Alice isn’t here, Connor could act like a buffer. Will mentioning him make Jake get all huffy again? Ugh. This is stupid and I don’t have enough caffeine in me to deal with a cranky Jake again.

“No. Just give me a few minutes to get dressed and we can head out.”

He nods and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him to give me some privacy. It doesn’t take me long to throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. I twist my hair into a quick side braid and duck into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

“Done,” I announce as I head downstairs to find him. From the bottom of the steps Jake smiles and motions for me to follow him outside to his car.