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I glanced at her sideways. Pretty… Crimson, slightly plump lips parted slightly, tousled hair falling in large curls on slender shoulders. Long, full lashes nearly casting shadows on her pale cheeks. High eyebrows, a neat little nose, sharp cheekbones… My eyes moved down involuntarily, resting on her chest that was rising and falling with each breath. The plunging neck top made the sight devilishly enticing. I swallowed audibly and tried to look away. It was difficult, but oddly enough, I managed.
“Nice sweater,” I blurted out and regretted it. Good Lord! What am I saying?
And out loud too!
Sabrina slowly turned to stare at me with her beautiful ultramarine eyes full of indignant surprise. And there it was, what I had feared. Her eyebrows knitted together ominously. She took a deep breath and was about to open her mouth to say everything she hadn’t had a chance to say in all her twenty-three years, when Professor Stone literally stormed into the classroom.
“Take your seats!” he barked. “Silence in the classroom!”
Oh, Mr. Stone! You just saved my life! Literally!
Trying to ignore Sabrina, I casually opened my notebook and began doing what all normal students usually do in lectures. Namely, doodling .
Sabrina snatched the notebook from under my hand before I could even finish my masterpiece. I turned and glared at her. The girl was writing something down feverishly crossing stuff out, then writing it again. She pushed the notebook back towards me. Couldn’t she use her own? There was a single sentence on the page.
“What did you just say?” it read.
I glanced at her. “Have you gone deaf?” crossed my mind, but now there was genuine surprise in her eyes.
“I said your sweater looks cool,” I wrote down.
Sabrina frowned, and snatched the notebook again.
“You don’t actually like the sweater, do you?” she quickly wrote. I stared at her again. Does she really think I’m going to write a heartfelt confession that I had spent a good chunk of time staring at her chest? Yes, they do say there’s a blonde in every woman…
“But I do, I also love Nine Inch Nails, ” I scribbled.
She snorted and kicked me under the table.
“Come on, you primitive creature!” Sabrina wrote. “Back off, please,” I think my response was quite concise. Then followed a written exchange that resembled more a fencing session than a civilized dialogue.
“Jack, did you break your fingers? Can’t you write better?”
“You’re such a pain!”
“Just answer me and I’ll leave you alone.”
Should I risk it and say what she wants to hear? Or she’ll drain me.
“Yes.”
“Yes as in..?”
Not only deaf, but also dumb. Unbelievable!
“Yes, I think you have a beautiful chest,” I wrote down and placed a period in bold to signal the end of this ridiculous exchange.
The girl glared at me, then smiled. Not quite what I was expecting. Sticking a pen into my knee cap was more in line with her character. Instead, she leaned back in her chair slightly and began to examine me with curiosity, as if seeing me for the first time.
“Stop it,” I mumbled, feeling uncomfortable under Sabrina’s intense scrutiny.
“Jack, you just gave me such an idea! ”
“An idea? ”
“Well, yes… umm… a small but brilliant idea.” I pulled the notebook from under her hand. She suddenly looked distant as she contemplate something. I couldn’t help but glance at her enticing chest again. Yeah, it gave me ideas too, no doubt.
Well, there was something else I could say about it, but decided against it.
She looked at me again and smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. I felt slightly sick. She clearly stirred up a storm of emotions in me that didn’t quite match with our endless bickering.
She leaned closer and whispered in my ear. Her warm breath and the smell of her skin mixed with a gentle perfume caused my head to spin.
“You know, the thing is, there’s this… ummm… a guy who just won’t leave me alone! For two weeks now, I’ve had no peace. He keeps asking me out, confesses his love for me… In short, he annoys me! Even more than you do! Can you imagine? Stalks me to work and sits at the bar throughout my every shift! ”
“So what? Go on a date! You might be fated for each other…” I grumbled, causing her to promptly stomp on my foot.
“I told you, he irritates me.”
“What’s so bad about him anyway?” I asked unenthusiastically.
“He’s just like Scott.”
“Ahh, I forgot. Nice guys don’t attract you. Right? Okay, that may be the case, but what’s all this got to do with me?”
Another smile. Is she trying to murder me? Right here, in front of everyone!
“You, it seems to me, don’t give the impression of a good guy… Well, looks wise, at least. Maybe you could help me out? ”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“Holy cow!!!” Honestly, I didn’t expect such a turn of events.
“Jack, I’m begging you…”
“Look, don’t make this a habit. And stop stepping on my feet. They might still come in handy.”
Sabrina kept boring into me, conveniently ignoring my last remark.
“Well, please,” Sabrina murmured in my ear, taking my hand. I remained silent, feeling a cold rage building up deep within me.
“Jack!”
“Can’t Eric do it?”
“Everyone knows Eric is my brother, and I need a boyfriend! Plus… I wouldn’t trust Eric with anything … not yet.”
I couldn’t disagree with that. There was still a chance that at the sight of a bottle Eric would lose control and go off the rails again. It had only been a week since he joined the ranks of teetotalers.
“You’re a tough nut to crack,” Sabrina hissed and turned away, snapping me out of my state of self-induced stupor.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“What was that about being a tough nut?”
“I said you wouldn’t have the guts to play the part.”
“Me? No guts?”
“Exactly.”
“Sure about that?”
“One hundred percent!”
“Wanna bet?”
“What on?”
I pondered.
“If I manage to drive that freak away, you’re going to tell everyone for a whole week how hot I am in bed and how much you love me.”
“And if you don’t, you buy me a new Flippy.”
I smirked; that was unlikely to happen.
“Deal?”
“Deal! Where? When? What time?”
“I’m working the night shift tomorrow. So… I think he'll be there.”
“Any preferences?” I asked.
“No kisses or hugs.”
“But we’re supposed to be a “couple.”
“We’ve been fighting.”
“Ah… A familiar scenario,” I mumbled. Sabrina glared at me.
“What’s the loser’s name?”
“Jim. Short, brown eyes, dark hair. You’ll know him. He’s always sitting near the bar, staring at me,” Sabrina said with disgust.
He must have really gotten on her nerves if she’s resorting to such radical measures.
“I’ll be there,” I assured. And she smiled again.
The life-saving bell rang and I hurried out of the auditorium, and then out of the university building itself. Weird and wonderful things were happening outside!
The weather had cleared up, and the sun was bathing the street in luminous warmth.
I lit up and remembered how only five minutes ago I had agreed to be the
“boyfriend” of a girl with whom I’d been at war for as long as I can remember myself. And even if it was just for one evening, this thought somehow warmed me much more than Louisiana’s fickle September sun.
“Hey, you!” a familiar voice called from behind.” “Can I have a cigarette?”
“Eric, when will you start buying your own?” I asked, reaching into my pocket for a pack. Eric grinned widely and shrugged.
“When they get cheaper. Which means never,” he replied with a smirk and took a deep breath. “I quit!”
“Well done!” I rejoiced, patting my friend approvingly on the shoulder.
“I’m gonna go check on Betty…” Eric announced suddenly.
“Again?”
“Yeah, I want her to be happy for me too,” Eric chuckled and headed towards the university office.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one having a good day. I smiled and headed back to the campus. I needed to draft an article for “The Guardian” and I thought I’d do that during the remaining classes.
Then I noticed Sabrina. She was telling Claire something enthusiastically, with Claire widening her eyes and gasping in surprise. They were probably discussing something extremely important and terribly girlish.
I felt my cellphone vibrating in my pocket.
“We’re waiting for you at our place. 6 PM. DON’T BE LATE!"
My mood took a deep plunge. Mom was commanding me to come for dinner…
With a heavy heart, brooding, I headed towards the parking lot. Then I stopped.
“Sabrina! What’s wrong?” Claire’s cry brought me back to reality. Hearing her familiar voice, I instinctively turned and looked in their direction. And then I saw Sabrina crouch down, clutching her stomach. Her face was unrecognizable. She shut her eyes, breathing rapidly, apparently trying to overcome a sharp pain. I was at Claire’s side in an instant. She was confused and horrified by the sudden development.
“What’s wrong with her, Jack?” Claire asked, genuinely concerned.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled.
She was absolutely fine not more than half an hour ago in our history class.
There were no signs of illness or discomfort.
“Expired yogurt,” Sabrina mumbled.
