“Wai—”
She started to follow me down the hallway, and I turned around. I held my hand up. “I’m worked up, and I might say something I don’t want to regret later. It’s better if I go now. Trust me. I’ll be on the second floor if you want to come find me. If you don’t”—I lifted my shoulders—“that’s fine, too.”
The front desk attendant, Shay’s friend, was there, but I didn’t feel like talking. Thankfully, three girls were talking to her, so she was busy, and I slipped past them.
The library was busy.
That was normal for a Sunday evening. Friday and Saturday were for fun. Sunday was for last-minute studying. After going through the main door, I went through another small hallway that housed a small coffee cart, and then through another set of doors. Four detectors were set up for everyone to walk through. The large front desk was immediately to my left. There was a large computer lab across the main floor with glass doors that separated it from the rest of the library. People could be louder in there, and it was where a lot of people met to work in group projects. The rest of the library was a mishmash of computers, individual studying nooks and crannies, and bookshelves everywhere. There were a bunch of tables set up on the main floors, and each floor held study rooms lined against the walls with similar glass doors separating them from the rest of the library.
When Casey, Laura, and Sarah came to the library, they picked a table in the large computer lab or a table out in the middle of the main floor. It was still the rule to be quiet, but there was leeway given to those tables, and that was why they only sat there. They came to the library to somewhat study, but mainly to socialize or see if they could get answers from any of their party friends.
Kristina was prone to seek out a quiet place for studying, so thirty minutes later when she found me at my own table on the second floor, I wasn’t too surprised.
“Let me guess.” I grunted, grinning with a pen between my teeth. I took it out. “They’re talking more than studying?”
She sighed, sliding into a seat across from me. “They’re still at the dorm.”
“What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Casey felt bad. They were going to stop and get food to bring to you as a peace offering, but some guys showed up, and they went downstairs to study instead.”
My grin was back. “And they wouldn’t shut up so you decided to come without them?”
“I was coming anyway. It isn’t your fault Casey was insensitive, and she does feel bad.” She leaned closer. “I know my friends come off a certain way, but they can be really sweet sometimes. They don’t mean to be mean.” She waited a beat. “Most of the time.”
I laughed, was hushed by someone we couldn’t see, and clamped my mouth shut. “Thank you for coming,” I whispered before picking my pen back up and returning to my notes.
Kristina and I fell into an easy routine.
I was caught up for the week, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t get ahead, and poli-sci was a class I really needed the help. The boringness of it wasn’t exaggerated. Even my eye sockets wanted to be ripped out if I had to go over any more laws.
We studied for an hour before Kristina got up for a bathroom break and to get coffee. When she returned, I went for a walkabout. That was what I called it when I just needed to get up and stretch my legs. I was doing my walkabout past the front entryway, considering if I wanted to get some soda or just go straight for the coffee cart. It was around nine at night, but I had a feeling I’d be up late anyway. My mind made up, I stepped through the detectors when I noticed someone standing just beyond the outside doors. There was a girl there, reading a book. No, wait. She was pretending to read a book. Her eyes were on someone else near her, but when she saw I noticed her, her head lowered back to her book. I looked at whomever she’d been watching. They were on the other side of the library doors, their back to me as they talked to someone else.
Shit.
I averted my eyes instantly. I knew who the girl had been watching, and I started counting down the seconds while I had to wait for my coffee.
I wanted to get it, pay for it, and be gone before Shay came past me.
There were other students behind me in line, so if anything, I hoped to blend in with the crowd, and he’d walk right past.
He was still outside talking when my coffee was handed over to me. I took it, having already paid, and was about to head back into the library when a hand grabbed my free wrist.
“Hey!”
Shay ignored me, dragging me outside at a clipped pace.
“What are you doing?” I asked once we were out there and looked around for whomever he’d been talking to. I was surprised to see no one. “Whom were you talking to?”
He ignored that question and pointed into the library. “You have your books and stuff close by?”
“No. Why?”
“We have a pop quiz tomorrow.”
He wasn’t joking. His face was dead serious, and that smoldering effect was back in place. I ignored the twisting of my stomach. “How do you know?”
“Because the girl I was just talking to saw the quizzes. She was in Professor Muller’s office just now.”
“But that doesn’t mean it’s tomorrow.”
He held his hands out. “Who the fuck cares? Let’s study, just in case.”
“Let’s? As in you and me?” Uh-uh. No way. I turned to go back inside.
“Yes. You and me.” He grabbed me and hauled me back. “And Linde and some of the other guys. We’re all doing a round robin study thing at the house.”
“What house?”
My stomach dropped to my feet. He couldn’t be talking about the football house, not where he and some of the players lived. Where I knew Casey wanted to party because she wanted to seduce Shay. Where I knew she’d keel over in jealousy if she found out I was going there to study, because that was quality time. That wasn’t drunk time. That wasn’t party and less-than-meaningful time.
I swallowed. Oh, Lord.
I wasn’t normally nervous about being around guys, and I was nervous now.
“I’m here with a friend.”
“That girl from the food court?”
I nodded.
“Ask her to come with.”
My neck was so stiff. Why was I doing this? But on wooden legs, I went back inside. I ignored the curious looks of those still waiting at the coffee cart and made the trek to our table. Kristina looked up, saw my near-state of panic, and asked, “What’s wrong?”
I began packing my stuff. “Um.” The computer had to be turned off first. “I ran into Shay.”
“What?”
It was stuffed into the bag. My books were next. I reached for my notebook last. “Yeah. He said we have a surprise pop quiz tomorrow.”
“Surprise?”
“I guess.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why are you sweating?”
“Shay wants me to go to his place and study with him and the guys.” My throat was parched, too. “Would you come with me?”
Her eyes rounded to ovals, and she laughed to herself as she began to pack her own things. “You’re inviting me to a place that my roommate is almost stalking because she wants to be invited to one of their parties, and you’re acting like I’m doing you a favor?”
“You can’t tell her you went.”
She finished and stood, pulling her backpack on. “If I did, she’d be up my ass asking how I got an invite. I don’t even know if she’d believe me.”
I gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
She shook her head, laughing wryly. “You really don’t have to thank me. For real.”
Shay was lounging against a bike lock post when we came out. The girl who’d been watching him was gone, too. His legs were stretched out and his hands were in his pockets. He straightened and gave Kristina a nod. “Thanks for coming.” He gestured to me with his head. “I don’t think she would’ve come, otherwise.”
That same laugh slipped from her, softer. “You’re both thanking me. This is classic, just . . . classic.”