I stretch with a yawn as I wake up. My heart stutters when I realize I am alone in an unfamiliar room. I sit up from the bed with a gasp before remembering last night. Zeke. Oh, God. I slept with Zeke! My gut twists. Kristen! I slept with my friend’s ex. That had to be a violation of some friendship code. What was going on with me? I didn’t do things like this. I was the relationship type. I didn’t even consider going so far with a guy unless I was sure we had a chance at going long term. Hell, I dated Kirk for almost four months before we slept together.
It is nearing seven when I reach what is suppose to be Henry’s house. I check the address again to make sure I have it right. This couldn’t be the house. The house in front of me could easily fit into the category of a small mansion. I hesitated before shutting off my rental car. The mechanic told me that my old car had a cracked engine and was now nothing more than a huge paperweight. I crane my neck to look over the place. What kind of money did a person have to make to live in a place like this?
The morning was nice so I decided to go sit on the stone picnic benches in the University courtyard. I am about halfway through a chapter of my psych class when a shadow falls over the book. I look up, surprised to see Fletcher. “I heard you wanted to talk to me,” he says with a tone that suggests he is bored.
I was so angry at Fletcher that I cleaned my whole apartment until it sparkled, except for the carpet. The stain remained but it wasn’t all that noticeable after a whole hour of scrubbing. I sat at my desk, happy to have a pristine apartment but frustrated that I am not any closer to finding out how to get my notebook back. I didn’t know anyone’s number but Henry’s. I doubt he would have Fletcher’s number. I scowl and decide to continue studying what I was yesterday before Fletcher acted like a thug.
I glare at Fletcher, standing in the hallway of his seedy apartment complex. “I am not here to flirt with you Fletcher. For the record, I loathe cocky, bullying, bad boy wannabes.”“Is that what I am now? I thought I was dark, mysterious, with a resentment of authority,” he replies.
As soon as I get inside my apartment, I toss the keys on my desk and pick up my phone. I take a few breaths to try and calm my nerves before I call Zeke. I pace nervously as I hear it ring.When he answers I say, “Hey Zeke, it’s Olivia.”
Zeke and I sit at a small table in a busy Italian restaurant, waiting on our orders. Hopefully, the food was better than the movie we had just seen. There was an hour and a half of my life that I would never get back.“So what did you think of the movie?” Zeke asks.
It takes me a while to get up from where I sat by the door. I can’t believe Kirk did this to me. Was he always this much of a jerk or was it something new? Finally, the tears stop and I get up from the floor. I feel exhausted and my head hurts. I dry my face as I walk to the bath to take a shower. I’m hoping the hot water will help ease my headache. I had cried and felt sorry for myself, but I am done with that. I am not a damsel in distress.
“Have you tried talking to him?” I ask Betha after she mentions her problems with Matt.“He’s a guy Olivia. Anytime I try to talk about anything emotional or involving feelings he practically gets hives.”