“Damn, I’m jealous, girl, but so happy for you. You’re finally there, fulfilling your dreams. I need to visit, stat. How’s that roommate of yours?”
“Mable is… definitely her own person. But we have fun together, and she takes school seriously, you know? It isn’t all partying and boys.”
“Good, you don’t need someone bringing you down. You’ve got places to go and people to see, girl. Is your writing better?”
“Yes, the cafe Mable took me to is perfect. I was about to lose my damn mind.” After Mable showed me Cafe Amore, along with Levi taking me back for a coffee, I’ve gone there almost every day. At first, I people watched, drank too much coffee, and tried to relax. Make this space my own.
When the words started flowing, I almost jumped up and did a happy dance. It felt so freeing as the words flew out of me, a weight lifted off my shoulders.
“How’s Levi?” Lori asks, and I freeze. Just his name makes my heart beat hard.
“He’s…amazing,” I gush like a girl with her first crush, but that’s how I feel. It’s fucking nuts, but my feelings are there, in my face, and hard for me to ignore.
“Wait, did you see him again and not tell me?” Lori half whispers, and I shake my head at her dramatics.
“No, I would’ve told you, Lor. Just… I can’t stop playing that night over and over in my head. My lips tingle every time. It’s crazy, right? Tell me I’m fucking crazy.”
“Rai, you’re not crazy. I wish I was there with your drunk ass. I can only imagine. But I know you know just how consuming love can be. Have we not watched enough chick flicks or read enough sappy books?”
“You never expect it to happen to you, and when it does, it legit feels crazy. It didn’t feel this way with James.”
“James was a loser anyway. But you were smitten with him. It may not seem that way now, but things got pretty intense between you two.”
“Intense meaning I lost my virginity to him, and he broke my heart.”
“I know, girl. How does Levi feel different?”
I sit up and scratch at my chest, my heart rate easily felt under the tips of my fingers. “When we kissed, it was… it was like fireworks, Lor. Not the first time, when I drunkenly kissed him like a fucking idiot, but when he walked me home and kissed me outside my dorm, it was…it was like everything they talk about in the movies. Complete with a leg pop.”
Lori bursts out laughing. “Leg pop. I love you.”
“You know what I mean, though? Like heart pounding, palms sweaty, walking on air type of shit. And it’s not only the kiss. But our connection. We talk for hours, the conversation flows, and his passion for music matches my own.”
“He sings, doesn’t he? Oh fuck, Rai, you’re in trouble.”
“Yep, lead singer, plays guitar, writes his own lyrics.”
“You guys could so totally collaborate on a song. Or he could sing your lyrics… swoon.”
“Right? Swoon city. He plays piano too, Lor. Just drive a spear through my heart right now, okay? Save me the pain later.”
“Who says there’ll be pain? Enjoy it, girl. People you connect with don’t come around too often, not this type of connection at least. See it through, enjoy the adventure, and you never know where it just might take you.”
“Wow, Lor. You studying inspirational memes again?”
“Oh, shush you,” Lori snaps before we both dissolve into a fit of giggles.
“You’re right, though. I miss you, girl. I wish we were walking these streets together. Someday. Even if I have to drag you here by your hair.”
“Ha! Trust me, you won’t have to drag shit. I’d go in a heartbeat.”
“I know. Now it’s your turn. Still fucking around with your sexy neighbor?” I lie back down against my pillows and pull a blanket over my legs.
“You know it, girl. Fucking hottest sex of my life. Let me tell you about the other night…”
I close my eyes and listen to Lori’s story.
It makes me miss her, my friends and family, my home.
Most of all, I miss my brother.
My phone is hot when I finally disconnect with Lori. Time to shower and sleep. Tomorrow is Friday, and my seven thirty a.m. class is too early. But Friday means it’s the weekend, and who can complain about that?
I put my phone on the charger and gather my things for the shower. My stomach rumbles, and I remember I never did eat dinner. Ah well, there’s always noodle soup in a cup. Or ramen. The college food staple.
The door bursts open, and Mable stumbles in. The stench of alcohol and cigarettes fills the room, and I almost lose my appetite. Damn, she stinks.
“Rainnnaaa!” Mable slurs and throws herself on me, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning all her weight on me.
“Damn, girl, have a good night, did you?” I try to support her, but she’s like dead weight. I walk her over to her bed and help her sit, but it’s no use. She flails her arms and falls back against the bed, then rolls off onto the floor.
Covering my mouth, I giggle. “Where the hell did you go? I thought you had class.”
Mable stares up at the ceiling, holding her hands up as she makes different shapes with her fingers. “Do you know”—hiccup—“how many different shapes your hands can make?” Hiccup.
“No, but probably a lot.”
“Raina!” Mable half shouts and sits up abruptly. “I have to tell you something.”
“About where you got drunk? Let’s start there.”
“Noooo, well…” Mable taps her finger on her chin. “I ditched class with a couple of girls. They took me to some dude’s apartment. I don’t know, it smelled funny, but the drinks were so good, Raiiii.” Her words slur and blend.
Her story leaves an uneasy feeling in my gut. Who are these girls, and what apartment did they take her to?
I sit on the floor next to her. “What kind of drink?”
Mable licks her lips. “It was fruity and yummy and oh! They knew Levi!”
My breath catches, and my heart stops. “Oh, really?” I act calm, hoping to pull some details out of her. “How?”
“There were sophomores at the apartment, and I mentioned how we went to band tryouts and met Levi and Drew but—” Mable stops and moves closer to me. She takes my warm hands in her ice cold ones. “Listen, Rai. Look at me, okay?”
The smell of alcohol on her breath is nauseating, and I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Okay,” I answer with hesitation.
“They said Levi is bad news.” Mable whispers the last two words.
Bad news?
What the fuck does that mean?
“What kind of bad news?”
“His reputation. Most of it is typical college guy shit. Partying, blowing off classes, and sleeping around.” Mable slurs, her speech slow. “But they said he’s been in jail before.”
My breath hitches.
My mind spins with new information.
“Jail?” I repeat, the word feeling foreign on my tongue, “why?”
Mable grimaces and my stomach twists. “They didn’t know.”
Sleeps around? Jail?