Page 53 of Palm South University: Season 2

“It’s Spring Break, bitches!” Jess screams, blasting the music at the highest volume. Skyler lets her head fall back with a loud battle cry and Adam laughs, nudging me. When I don’t move, partly from the unwanted shock of his skin on mine, he grabs my wrist and throws my hand into the air, waving it around with his own. My eyes are still trained on him, his dark eyes hidden behind black Ray Bans, hair disheveled and blowing in the wind, white t-shirt hot against his blazing tan arms. He joins in with the screaming, moving my arm more frantically, and I can’t help it, I burst out laughing and thrust my other arm into the air with a yell, which makes all of them hoot louder.

It’s Spring Break.

It’s myfirstSpring Break.

And something tells me the KKB girls are about to take me on the ride of my life.

IT’S ONLY ABOUT A FIVE HOURdrive from Palm South University to Key West. The first little bit is highway, but then it turns into the two-lane US 1 that runs all the way down the Keys. Skyler and Jess traded spots with Adam and me in Key Largo and passed out soon after, the long night of packing finally getting the best of them. This was after copious amounts of Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and Britney Spears, of course. Still, sleep caught up with them in the end.

I, on the other hand, am wide awake — mesmerized by the bright blue and sea green water surrounding both sides of the highway as we drive. Adam is drumming his right thumb on the steering wheel while the left rests comfortably on the door, a wide grin on his face.

I’ve been to the beach plenty of times since my move to Florida for school, but this is the first time I’ve seen water this clear — this beautiful. It never gets old. Every clearing of trees exposes a new patch of bright water that I can’t keep my eyes off or capture with my camera phone.

“So, how awkward is this? Be honest.” Adam rolls the dial between his fingers until the music is only playing softly. I turn to the backseat, expecting it to be Skyler or Jess he’s speaking to, but they’re both passed out — Jess’s head on Skyler’s shoulder while Skyler leans hers back against the seat. Both of them have sunglasses on and headphones in, their music now louder than the tune coming from the Mustang speakers.

Is he really asking me to rate the awkwardness of being in the same car with him after what happened at the Fratalina Wine Mixer?

What’s the correct number for somewhere betweenconversation with old, distant relativesandwaving back at someone who wasn’t really waving at you in the first place?

“What do you mean?” I ask, facing Adam again.

He shifts to hold the steering wheel with his left hand and drops the right to the console between us. “I don’t know. I mean, she begged me to still come — swore it wouldn’t be weird — and I guess I’m the only one making it that way. It’s just like the closer we get to Key West, the more I wish I would have fought her on it.”

Blinking, I push my sunglasses up into my wind-blown hair. “What are you talking about?”

“Me and Skyler?”

“What about you and Skyler?”

“She didn’t tell you?”

My frustration climbs and I huff. “Tell me what?!”

Adam laughs a little, shaking his head. “Sorry, I just figured she would have by now.” His smile fades. “We broke up the other night.”

I try not to let the words slam into me. I try to run from them, brace for them, take them as a small wave — but they crash into me all at once. “Oh.”

He runs his right hand through his hair, his shaded eyes still on the road ahead. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We both agreed it was best.”

I don’t know why I have no idea what to say. There are millions of words out there, yet all I can do is face the windshield again and mutter the same one. “Oh.”

Adam chews his cheek, silent for a moment. I almost reach for the radio dial when he speaks again. “Listen, I’m sorry about the party. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you what to do. I learned my lesson on that last semester at semi-formal,” he adds with a chuckle, and I blink at the thought of him warning me about Clay that night. I didn’t listen to him then, and he ended up being right. “I don’t know, I just saw how drunk you were and I’ve never seen you like that before. I was worried. And I know you’re with Grayson and he can take care of you. I was out of line.” He turns to me for just a moment and I scan his face, looking for a hint of jealousy, a molecule of dishonesty. I don’t find either. “I was. I admit it. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I breathe, just barely over the music. I watch as he finally takes a breath.

“Can we just start over?”

I laugh. “You’re so cliché.”

“I’m serious.” His hand finds mine and he gives it a firm squeeze — a friendly squeeze — but for some reason my heart still stammers. “I really do care about you, Cassie. I just want to be there for you, however you need me to be. And I’m sorry I ever… I’m sorry I confuse you.” His tongue jets out to wet his lips just as one of the Omega Chi vans speeds around us. I let my eyes follow it just so I have somewhere — anywhere — to look other than at Adam. I almost forgot I admitted to Adam that he confuses me.Stupid alcohol.“I never intended to. For what it’s worth.”

“Gah,” Jess yelps as she wakes, startling us all. “I need to piss and then we need to crack some roadies.”

“Oh my God, J-Love,” Skyler smacks her. “You scared the shit out of me!”