Chatoyant College Book 2: Initiates

Chapter 15: A Rescue

Corrie ducked through the crowd, trying to catch up with that other runner before he vanished. She wondered if she was absolutely pathetic literally chasing the guy like this, but she wanted to get at least a better look at him. Just knowing another runner would be great, even if they didn't date or anything. Anyway, she couldn't move very quickly, at least not without shoving people. She finally got out of the building, where the crowd expanded, and looked around to see if she could figure out which way he'd gone.

"Corrie!" someone called.

With the irrational thought that it could be the guy she was chasing, and the more rational thought that it was probably somebody she'd like to speak to, she spun around, a smile on her face. The smile vanished, though, when she saw who it really was. "Paul, I told you to leave me alone!" Anger warred with pity. He was being a pathetic jerk again, but she couldn't stop caring about him, even if she didn't want to be his girlfriend. It was frustrating. Why did he have to follow her here? If only they'd gone their separate ways, she could have put him out of her mind, and he probably would have gotten over her.

He made his way through the thinning crowd toward her, smiling hopefully. "What are you doing over here?" he asked, acting as though he hadn't heard her at all. "You knew I'd be here, didn't you?"

She crossed her arms and tried to scowl, though her expressions never seemed to get as angry as she wanted them. "I was in this building because I have a class. That happens sometimes." Was he going to accost her every time she came out of her biology class? Well, there was still time to drop it and take something else...

"Well, I'm glad I ran into you, anyway." He reached toward her, but she took a step away. "Want to go get something to eat? I'll pay."

Corrie sighed. "Paul, no. Don't do this. I'm not going out with you again. It's over." She didn't bother to point out that on campus, meals were free under a meal plan and buying lunch was meaningless. That wasn't the point, anyway.

His smile faltered, but didn't vanish entirely. "Please, Corrie? Just spend some time with me."

"No. You need to get over me, and if we hang out like we're friends, that won't happen. And we're not going to be a couple again. You know that." There was nothing to be gained by standing there and arguing with him. She started to walk away, back toward Gilkey, following the paths.

He stood there startled for a moment, then jogged to catch up with her, putting a hand on her arm to try to stop her. "I'm not going to get over you!" He'd added a pity-inducing whine to his voice.

She shook his arm off. "How do you know if you won't even try?" She wanted to start running--she knew she could outrun him if she tried, despite his longer legs--but she couldn't hide in her dorm room forever. Besides, that would draw far more attention than she was interested in. Maybe as they approached the center of campus, where more people were gathered, he would get embarrassed and leave her alone.

He kept following her, though, and he kept talking. He was being awfully persistent after the way she'd told him off a few days ago. "Come on, don't treat me like this!"

"I'll respect you when you respect me," she said through gritted teeth. "Until then, just leave me alone."

He put his hand on her shoulder again. "Corrie--"

"Hey!" came another voice, this one unfamiliar and deep. The hand came off her shoulder. "She said to leave her alone. Didn't you hear her?"

Corrie turned around to see another guy gripping Paul's arm and staring him down. Paul was tall (with her height, short guys didn't even try), but this guy was even taller, and bulky with muscles where Paul was thin. Her eyes widened as she took in the physique and curly black hair. She couldn't believe her luck--that was the other runner! And he'd come to her rescue?

Paul finally looked down and mumbled something. The runner just stared at him. "I think you should apologize."

He looked somewhere in the vicinity of Corrie's feet. "Sorry, Corrie."

"That's better." The guy let go of Paul's arm, and he slunk away, back toward the science building. Her rescuer looked up with a smile that transformed his expression from that of a stormcloud to that of a clear spring sky. "You all right?"

"Sure." She smiled back at him, inwardly squealing at how cute and, evidently, gallant he was. She knew Paul would be back if he got a chance--a physical threat wouldn't scare him away any more than her mother's had--but this guy didn't know that, and it wasn't his fault. "He's not violent or anything, just really annoying."

"How long has this been going on?" The guy glanced back in the direction Paul had gone. "You couldn't have been on campus more than a few days."

She sighed, wishing she could cover her face. It was probably irrational to feel embarrassed, but she did anyway. "We dated in high school. I didn't know he'd be following me to college until we got here."

"Ugh." This time the glance was full of disgust, but he looked back at her and smiled again. "Corrie, right? Want me to walk you back to your dorm?"

She grinned. Now how could she pass up such a perfect opening? "Sure, as long as you tell me your name."