THIS IS WHAT I hate about people coming and going: they come without any warning and leave in literally five days without any warning. That's actually why I stopped "opening myself up" or whatever the fuck you call it: nobody cares.
I figure I'll add more to that entry later today (it's only 12). I zip up my purse and head downstairs quickly. It's been a while since I saw my mom and, most importantly, my dog. It's been―what?―two weeks all because my mom wanted me to stay the weekend on campus and where did it get me? To cutting myself.
Yeah, thanks, mom. I don't even know why I'm in a hurry to see her. The lady can wait. It's Cooper, really, I'm looking forward to seeing.
I run up to the Acura as soon as I catch a glimpse of it. "Hi," I tease Cooper, who starts wagging his tail. I pet his fur―I forgot how soft it is. From my peripheral view, I catch a glimpse of my mom who apparently is now filming us.
"God. Seriously, Bhanu? Will you stop?" I tell her.
"Hey, you have a dog?" I turn to the source of the voice. 'That's cool." He smiles when I see him and I have a sudden urge to run away.
He extends his hand out to pet Cooper, which he willingly obliges. That's another thing that I hate: how Cooper engages with everyone. He's my dog for goodness sake! He should only be pet by me and mom, dad, and Akash.
"He's so cute! What breed?" He looks up at me and I remain blank―a taste of your own medicine since you're petting my dog. His smile fades until he sees my mom in the car. "Oh. Uh, hi."
I didn't even tell Bhanu that he knows about the cut―I figured that didn't matter; it still doesn't―which explains how dumbfounded she is. "Hi. Hi, hi. Are-are you two friends?"
"Uh." Quinn gives this weird look to me and then back to Bhanu. "Yeah. I mean, I'm the CA here."
"Oh." I can see the hope in my mom's face diminish and I find myself at a loss, but then remind myself that there's no use to having friends: they come and go.
Quinn nearly opens his mouth and then stops. "Well, it was nice seeing you. Aarya." He adds, which I give a weird look at. What does he mean by that? Is that an insult?
"How do you know him?" Bhanu asks as soon as I step in the car (well, two seconds before). The rest of our lunch all Bhanu wants to do is talk about him.
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THE FIRST THING I hear when I make my way to the second floor of the dorm room is this loud thud. I figure it's from the boys bathroom that's―oh right!―right behind me (fuck this shit).
"Oh. Shit. Hi." I roll my eyes. "Hey. Aarya." I know eventually I'll have to look at him. He smiles once I look at him. "So, uh, what did your mom mean by us being friends? You don't have any friends here? I thought you said you're in so many clubs."
"What?" I accuse angrily. "Oh. Oh! Uh, I was just―I thought that's what you were looking for."
He scrunches his eyebrows. "I was looking for the truth. Why did you think you had to lie?"
"I don't know," I shrug my shoulders and open the door, expecting him to leave.
"What are your plans right now?"
"I have a class," I tell him. When he gives me an unbelievable look, I assert, "I'm just getting the stuff for that class."
"Well, do you have any classes after 8?" He has this weird twinkle in his eyes, but I know better than to sink into his trap.
"Why?"
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AROUND THE TIME I flop on the bed, I hear a knock at the door. I heard some cleaning ladies earlier walking around the hallway (kinda creepy if you ask me), so I assume it's them―still I wouldn't open it. And if it was the roommate, she would've had the key. There's no way I'm opening the door for her.
I stare at the door for a long time and eventually, the person who's knocking says, "Aarya, it's me."
I shake my head. This guy actually scared me. I get up from the bed to open the door and he's just standing there, looking as tall as ever, in this hoodie and jeans.
"Hey. Are you ready?"
"For what?" I ask, cluelessly.
He looks at me, confused as hell. "What? I didn't tell you? I texted you on GroupMe."
"Uh, I have my notifications off for that."
"Oh. Well, I mean, you should probably have your notifications on for that. In cases like these."
I remain silent but then remember my point. "Yeah, well, there were a lot of notifications in that app."
He nods his head. "Yeah. I mean, that makes sense. You're totally right." I scrunch my eyebrows at his sarcasm, but then I realize that he's a CA―he probably meant it as a compliment. "Uh, but are you ready?"
"For―um, where are we going?"
He laughs, which I find unsettling. "There's some sort of art activity going on downstairs and I have to go, so I just thought you would come along. You know, if you want."
I know what he's doing and I'm not going to fall for it. "I―"
"It'll be fun. Seriously. And... I'll be there."
✤✤✤
I DIDN'T INTEND for him to actually mean what he said: the whole time we're there Quinn's right beside me. I think he feels pity for me, so I try to shoo him off by walking away discretely, but five seconds later he'll show up standing behind me.
I feel wrong that I actually like it.
I think it's because I know eventually he'll stop caring or whatever, so I try my best to be distant from him―mentally, not physically (since that's failing). At one point, though, he leaves me to go talk with this other goddamn CA who happens to be a girl so fuck me because he probably likes her.
But he's back in a minute and I find myself beaming with joy.
