scijessreads

On to the next chapter installment. I have re-numbered chapters in my document, so here I’m going to start using the chapter titles instead, so the numbering doesn’t get too off track or I get confused. For the previous chapter, you can read it here. There is a bit of dual-timeline and occasional dual POV, and this one is a “past” chapter with a brief second POV at the end.

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September, 1st Semester of College

“I’ll have a quad shot caramel macchiato, hot.” I juggle my keys to dig out my meal card so I can swipe it over the payment pad. It’s 11:30 at night, and the campus cafe is starting to close down. I had sprinted here from the library to grab my caffeine fix before the doors closed. All around the cafe students were packing up their bags to head out. We really needed a 24-hour coffee place on campus. 

“I don’t understand how your heart hasn’t died yet” Xavier mutters. He’s running the register today, and I am very much a regular around here in the evenings, so he’s familiar with my coffee orders. 

“Me neither. But I’m going to ride this stimulant train until the wheels come off” I laugh. “Honestly, at this point, I’m afraid to stop and face the inevitable withdrawal symptoms.”

Xavier shakes his head, the flop of auburn waves that reach toward his shoulders moving side to side. “They need to study you in a lab. Hell, you need to study you in a lab, aren’t you a biology major?” 

“Yup. Maybe that can be my senior project in three years.” Chris reaches around Xavier to hand me my giant cup of sugary caffeine. 

“Here, take this you addict. We’ll see you tomorrow” he winks at me as he turns to start cleaning up the coffee bar. 

“Thanks, guys! You are lifesavers. Now I just need to smuggle this into the library so I can finish studying for this horrible chemistry test.” Both of them wave as I head out the door and across the lawn that separates the round student center building from the main administration office. The library sits behind it, hidden in a copse of trees. Our campus is covered with trees, and it makes it feel a bit more like a park, rather than a school. As I walk, I hear the faint vibration of my phone in my backpack. Whoever is messaging will have to wait. I take a sip from my drink and sigh in happiness. Coffee will fix everything. 

After unpacking my laptop and notebook, I settle into the study nook nestled in the back of the third floor of the library. Up here there are mostly old politics books, and it is a quiet corner if you can claim it, right next to a huge picture window that looks out over the trees that lead to the campus chapel. When I pull out my phone to check the time, I notice the message icon. I had forgotten that it had buzzed on my walk over. 

Drake: Hey, you up late again? Or finally asleep like you should be?

Me: Up late. Again. College is hell on my old lady sleeping habits. 

Me: I have a chemistry test tomorrow. I hate chemistry. 

Drake: You, the science queen, hate chemistry? That sounds like blasphemy ;). 

Me: Hey, we all have a weakness. Mine is apparently atoms. And their bonds. And the math that is involved in studying atoms and bonds. 

Drake: I’m going to start making a list of these so-called weaknesses. 

Me: Why? For blackmail later? 

Drake: For my own personal edification. 

Me: Ooooh, pulling out the SAT thesaurus words… 

Drake: Don’t you know it. You’re the only one that would appreciate the expanded vocabulary. 

Me: So, not that I don’t love this little distraction, but why are you texting me again? Is something up?

Drake: …

Drake: I just wanted to talk to you. If you’d rather I not I can stop. 

Me: No! I like talking to you. Texting you, I mean. But it seemed to come out of nowhere, based on how much we talked in high school. 

Drake: Yeah, I know. Sorry. I just…

Drake: I feel like I never really got to know you in high school, and I wanted to. So I thought, maybe this could be us trying to be better friends? 

Me: As random as that sounds, I think I like that idea.

Me: But I do need to study, so we are going to have to table this conversation. Again. 

Drake: Sure. Maybe I can actually call you next time? When are you free?

Me: How about Sunday afternoon? My roommate usually goes to visit family over the weekend since they are nearby, so I should have the place to myself. 

Drake: Awesome. Talk to you Sunday.

I tuck my phone into the side pocket of my backpack and pick up my notebook. I’m still not entirely sure what is going on with Drake, but I have too much to worry about with this test to dwell on it for much longer this evening. I tuck my earbuds in to listen to the YouTube video review for class and push all thoughts of Drake out of my mind. 

Drake

Friends. In the moment, after Jade asked why I was texting her, that was the best response I could come up with. Luckily, it was close to the truth. Not the whole truth, but close enough that she wouldn’t freak out and stop talking to me. 

I had thought that moving away, that her moving even further than I did, would sever the strange ache in my chest that still tugged at me whenever her name came to mind. But not even a month into college, I couldn’t let her go. Which was stupid because I never really had her in the first place. 

I flop my head back onto my pillow and groan, running a hand over my face. What the hell was I doing? Even if we did start talking more, and actually become friends, I doubted that would be enough. We were in different states. I was willing to make anything work to have a chance with her, but I knew Jade would be a tough sell on having any sort of relationship, let alone a long-distance one. To her, I was some random friend of Tay’s that she used to hang around with.

My roommate softly snores from the top bunk. I blink into the darkness of our closet of a dorm room, letting out the breath that I didn’t realize I was holding in. Maybe I should talk to Tay. Or Amy. Definitely Amy, she knew Jade the best. As quickly as that thought came to mind, I shoved it away. No. Jade would run away even faster if I brought someone else into whatever this was that I wanted to happen between us. I was on my own with this. I closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep. But the only thing I could think of were images of Jade, her fair, tanned skin, rounded hips, and gorgeous hazel eyes that crinkled when she smiled. 

Fuck.