Five Steps | Chaelisa

Chapter 16

Roseanne's POV

I've spent the last hour trying to keep busy, cleaning and reorganizing my dorm room, refolding my clothes and color-coding the shirts hanging in my closet. It usually calms my nerves, but this time it's done little to nothing to help get my mind off whatever Lisa has planned for this evening.

I received a mysterious text from her earlier.

Meet me on the Cathedral steps at 6:20.

She wouldn't tell me why or what we are doing. The only thing she said was to "dress comfortably." I'm not sure what that means, but to be honest, it's Lisa, so it must be about Suzy. I decide to wear something on the nicer end of comfy.

I slip on my sneakers and head out into the quad.

Across the street, the Cathedral glows in the golden light from the sun, hanging low in the sky. As I get closer, I spot Lisa sitting on the upper railing, legs dangling over the side. She's got on a shirt with chain saws popping out of a cereal bowl, and her usual skinny jeans have been swapped for black running tights.

"What the hell are you wearing?" she asks, looking down at me. "I told you to dress comfy."

I look down at myself, jean shorts and the same shirt I wore to the party, but in a different color. I even have on a pair of sneakers. "I am comfy," I call up to her. She swings her legs around to the other side, hops off, and jogs down the steps to meet me.

"I meant comfy like shorts and a T-shirt," she says, her eyes darting down to my chest and quickly back to my face. "A sports bra at the very least, Roseanne!"

"Well, you should've been more clear," I say, turning back toward the quad. "But it's fine. I'll just go change."

"There's no time. We're gonna be late," she replies, checking her phone.

I don't even have time to reply. I practically have to jog to keep up with her long strides.

"Late for what?" I ask as I catch up. I look down as we head around to the other side of the Cathedral of Learning, and that's when I realize her wrists and fingers are completely bare. She always wears her rings. "Is this the step in your plan where you tell me I need to get in shape and then we hit the gym? Because I have to tell you, I'm not big into exercise, and—"

"What?" She stops walking and looks over at me, her facial expression all twisted up like I just offended her big-time. "No. Why would I ever tell you something like that?"

"Seems exactly like something you'd say," I reply, shrugging off her overreaction.

"You know what, Roseanne? I know I'm fucking pretty, and yeah, I like to flirt maybe a little too much, but I'm not the self-absorbed, shallow bimbo that everyone thinks I am. That you seem to think I am."

"Okay," I reply, taking a step back. I've never seen her show any... real emotions before. I didn't even know it was possible to offend her.

"I actually thought that you and I could be real friends, but if you think I'm such a jerk..." She pauses. "Roseanne, I've never said anything about your physicality ever, because there's nothing wrong with it. So don't put words in my mouth."

"Okay," I say more firmly, realizing maybe I'm the one who's being the jerk this time. Who's judging her. "I-I'm sorry. Really."

I didn't mean to treat her like that.

She takes a deep breath and for a second I'm scared she's going to leave, but then she keeps moving, leading me down the back steps.

"So then, why are you dressed like that?" I ask, hoping we can get past this.