“You’re the one who yelled when he pooped on you!” she said.
He shrugged. “Yeah, it kind of sucks when something poops on you. I do stuff all the time knowing it’s going to suck every once in a while. Doesn’t mean I don’t do it for the awesome parts.” He walked over to where Rampage had plopped down next to the litter box and picked him up. “Isn’t that right Rampage?”
He held the kitten and walked over to Daniela, waving Rampage around like he was flying. Rampage didn’t seem to mind. “Raaaammmmmpppaaaagggggggeeee!”
He tried to set Rampage onto Daniela’s head, still holding onto him, but Daniela shot up and ran away. Hunter chased after her laughing. “Rampage is going to get you!” he yelled then turned to Rampage and softened his tone. “Aren’t you Rampage?”
Rampage meowed and we all laughed. He looked a little annoyed that he was flying instead of sleeping.
Gary came over while we were waiting for the water to boil, then he helped the kittens. Daniela eventually braved the potential for kitten poop and fed one of the cats too. She came away poop free. Gary wasn’t so lucky, but he was a champ about it.
The whole evening ended up being a very pleasant time. Hanging out with the three of them was so comfortable and fun in a non-stressful way. I was beginning to look forward to enjoying the rest of the semester with both old and new friends.
Chapter Fourteen
CUPID
The beginning of February came and went. Before anyone knew it, we were at that dreaded mid-February holiday. I sat at a table by myself on the second floor of the Barnyard looking idly over the railing at the bustle of student activity below, trying not to gag from seeing all pink and red Valentine’s Day decorations around me. I’d finished my lunch and was waiting for Daniela to meet me after class.
I spotted her in jeans and a forest-green sherpa jacket through the fifty-foot glass windows long before she reached the entrance. I waved to her and she came up the stairs with a smile. “Hey girl, what’s wrong?” she said, setting her backpack down and taking a seat across from me. “You don’t look so hot.”
“Yeah, sorry. I’m just allergic to Valentine’s Day.”
Daniela flipped her sandy-blonde hair back and removed her jacket. “I know what you mean. Valentine’s Day is lame.” She put her finger up. “Hold on, I’m starving. Lemme get some food first. Otherwise, my belly’s gonna revolt.” I waited a few minutes and she came back with a tray containing a large cheeseburger topped with all the fixings and a huge plate of fries.
I noticed that we were the only two people in the cafeteria not wearing a shade of red. It was kind of surprising that Daniela wasn’t decked out in hearts and arrows, actually.
“You know Daniela, I was kind of expecting you to be wearing a pink tutu and one of those heart shaped tiara’s on your head.”
She scrunched her face at me. “Meanie. Just because I wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style two years ago doesn’t mean that I feel the same way about it now.”
I raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Really? What’s changed?”
She shrugged, “Valentine’s Day is just a construct of the media-entertainment complex, designed to keep the poor girl down.”
Whatever answer I was expecting from her, it wasn’t that. “Uh . . . what?”
She looked at me waving the fry in her hand for emphasis. “Think about it. The entire day is designed to make you feel shitty if you’re single. It’s even worse if you’re seeing someone, because then you feel obligated to spend money.”
“Um, I take it things aren’t going well with Cody?”
“Cody is old news,” she puffed then rolled her eyes. “Turns out he was a total loser. You win some, you lose some.” She shrugged then dipped a fry into a dish of ketchup.
“You don’t seem too broken up about it.”
“You know how it is, easy-come, easy-go.”
She didn’t seem too eager to talk about it, so I didn’t ask her to elaborate. A few tables behind Daniela, a bulky guy in a tight frat t-shirt was going around table to table with a basket in his hand. After chatting with a group of starry-eyed freshman, he started coming our way. He got to our table and smiled at Daniela, his cheeks dimpling. A red heart had been painted on his left cheekbone.
“Hey, ladies, want to buy some chocolates for your Valentines? P-K-D is raising money for heart disease.”
Phi Kappa Delta? Wasn’t that Gary’s frat?
Daniela finished chewing her mouthful of cheeseburger, before wiping the corner of her mouth daintily with a paper napkin. She looked up at him, her eyes glinting mischievously. Uh-oh. That was her tiger-stalking-her-prey look. I had a feeling I was about to get a demonstration of “easy-come”. I leaned back, looking forward to the show.
“Hey cutie, what’s your name?” she said, batting her eyes at him.
Nice Daniela, real subtle.
The guy licked his lips before answering. “Jeff. I’m Jeff.”
“Hi Jeff, I’m Daniela, and this is Lorrie. Unfortunately, us two ladies don’t have Valentines to give chocolates to. Now I might be interested in getting some chocolates for myself, but . . . I think I’ll need a little extra sweetness with my chocolate.”
He stared at her dumbly. “Uh . . . you can sprinkle some extra sugar on top of them I guess.”
I rolled my eyes and shot a look at Daniela. Was she serious? What could she possibly see in this guy besides his dimples and muscles?
Daniela put her hand in front of her mouth and mock whispered to him, “Put your number on the wrapper and I’ll buy one from you.”
The frat guy scrunched his brow, seeming to consider it for a second, before realizing that he was being hit on. His eyes suddenly lit up in realization, and he nodded quickly with a smile.
“Yeah, oh yeah. Okay.” He scribbled something on one of the chocolate bars before handing it to Daniela. She rummaged a dollar out of her purse and handed it to him with a wink.
After the guy walked away to a different table, we both erupted in giggles.
“Oh my god Daniela, you’re impossible! You were just telling me about how you hated Valentine’s Day!”
“I still hate Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t mean I can’t use it to my advantage.” She picked up her burger again, taking another big bite.
I shook my head still laughing softly. “So are you going to call him?” I asked her.
She chewed thoughtfully. “Maybe, I don’t know yet. I like to keep my options open. Besides, what if someone hotter comes along selling flowers before the end of the day?”
I wanted to say something back to her, but the alarm on my phone played its melody reminding me that it was time to feed the kittens.
“That’s the sound of kittens crying for their Mommy,” I said, turning off the alarm and putting my phone back into my pocket.
“Feeding time at Hunter’s?”
“Yep.”
“Hey you know, what if Hunter was your Valentine? Or if you were his? I know you guys have been pretty chummy lately taking care of the kittens and all.” She nudged me.
I rolled my eyes. “There’s only one problem: there’s nothing romantic going on between us. Also, what happened to you warning me to be careful around Hunter?”