Second Lanark

Thanksgiving - Part 14

"Turkey drop weekend." Tricia rubbed her hands together and grinned at me. "Do you think she'll drop him?"

"Not a chance," I said, throwing the last of my things in a weekend bag. We were only going for three days, so it hardly seemed worth packing. A seven-hour drive there, a seven hour drive back - really only one day. I thought I was a little nuts.

"Thanks for giving me a ride," Tricia said.

"It's not a big deal," I said, zipping up my bag. "Toronto is on the way home, anyway."

Lark threw open the bathroom door between the two rooms and dropped her bags. "I'm staying in here until Jill is gone or until my parents' friends come pick me up."

She sat in the lawn chair that Tricia and I had grudgingly purchased this week when it seemed like Lark was going to be in our room more often than her own. There was still a distinct chill between her and Jill. I was hoping that a little bit of distance over the weekend might thaw the two of them out a bit. 

"We're just about to head out," Tricia said, putting the last of her clothes in her backpack.

"Don't worry. I'll lock your door and then go back through the bathroom to leave here," Lark said, pulling her dark hair back into a messy ponytail. "I cannot be in the same room as her. I can't."

I wondered if Jill still thought we'd both gotten lucky. We weren't even at Christmas break yet and already they were fighting this fiercely. I was glad that Tricia was usually pretty easy going, like me. I wouldn't have been able to deal with the daily tension that both Lark and Jill were currently experiencing.

"What are the Brits doing for the weekend?" Lark asked, looking at me.

"No idea. I haven't talked to Rob or Tom," I clarified. 

"That whole thing has cooled off a bit, then? You two seemed pretty cozy a couple weeks ago," Lark said.

The memory of sitting with him on the couch was bittersweet. Every time I looked over at it, whether it was empty or piled with people, that night came rushing back. I knew why nothing was happening between me and Rob, but at the same time, I didn't. I would never be able to explain that contradiction to anyone. 

"I think he must just be a flirt," I said, hoisting my bag over my shoulder and grabbing my keys.

Tricia was silent, all too aware of how much I liked Rob from our late night chats in the dark. After Thanksgiving weekend, I needed to find someone else to crush on because I hated this roller coaster of emotions in me every time I talked to him, every time I saw him talk to another girl, every time I walked past his door and wondered if it would open. It was exhausting. So what if Anil said he couldn't stop talking about me? He didn't seem to be capable of acting on it.

Tricia followed me out of the room and we rushed down the hall. I wanted to get out of there before traffic became too bad. It was early in the morning for us, but everyone else on the floor seemed to be eager to get out of there, too.

As we were walking past the common room, Tom and Rob came out laughing. As soon as they saw us, they stopped in the doorway. 

Tom spoke first. "Where are you ladies headed so early in the morning?" he asked.

"Home," I said, not keen to stop and chat.

"Where's that, then?" Tom asked.

Tricia answered, and I hoped she sensed my unease. "It's about seven hours from here. She's dropping me off on the way."

"Blimey. Seven hours? I could fly home in the time it takes you to drive," Tom said. He laughed and looked at Rob, but he wasn't laughing. Undeterred Tom said, "We're going white water rafting. Neither of us can swim very well."