Homecoming

04

"Verne Greenwood?"

My attention snapped to the woman holding a file folder by the office doorway, and I'd forgotten why I was there for a split second. I looked around the waiting room and saw a girl, sitting across from me holding a thick physics textbook, with an annoyed expression on her face for having to wait. Several seats down to her left, were two very young-looking guys playing with their phones.

"Yes, that's me."

I followed her into the office and immediately felt uncomfortable. I had set up this appointment, but I didn't have a clue what I had wanted to do.

"Please have a seat." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk before taking a seat herself.

"So we received your high school transcript, and with your GPA, anything you want to study here is within reach. Or you can get your LERs out of the way and transfer to a four-year university." She put my files down and looked at me. "I know that the last time we talked, you said that you still weren't sure about what you want to study. Is that still the case?"

"Ah, yeah. I haven't thought much about it since we last talked to be honest."

"And that's perfectly fine. It's better to take your time, and consider every angle. It's unfortunate to say, but getting an education today is very expensive, and you have to consider the practicality, along with the passion, of what you want to study." She smiled at him.

"I'll tell you what, you've got roughly two months which gives you a bit more time to think about it until spring semester starts. For the time being, why don't we schedule you to take your LERs since they are required no matter what you decide to study. Sounds good?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

 

Between the looming pressure of going back to school, work, life in general, and several individuals on my case, how soon my somewhat peaceful homecoming became a helter-skelter. I often had to remind mom that I was beyond the age for her to worry. When she wasn't playing the overly concern mother, she was not so subtlety trying to coax information from me about what happened with Tony, or why I was avoiding Kohl Danford as she had heard from Rosie when they met uptown.

Tony had been calling me non-stop; his messages ranging from tearful pleadings of my return, poised requests to contact him as soon as possible, to enraged condemnations. I had ignored all his calls, not for fear of confrontations, but his ability to entice me back to his side. He was a clever manipulator, and I needed to distance myself before history repeated itself.

Kohl had taken to showing up at Cavanaugh's at random times to urge me into spending some time together and catch up. While Kohl lacked Tony's straightforward manipulation techniques, he had the oblivious but surefire charm, and I wasn't immune to that charm either. It was a lost-lost situation.

Working everyday had left me exhausted. Sometimes I worked for twelve hours straight just to fill my empty days and slowly dwindling bank account. The only consolation Tony's calls provided was their ability to quell any desire I had to go running back into his arms to escape my current predicament. I always did look for the easy way out of everything, consequences be damn as long as it provided instant relief.

 

On a particularly busy Friday night at Cavanaugh’s, I spotted Kohl pushing his way through a crowd at the front door. I had ducked and yanked Rosie down along with me behind the counter.

"What in badger's name are you doing? You've got to think about my aging bones here boy!" She started to rise up, adjusting her shirt.

"Shh! Rosie, please. Please cover for me again!" I was near hysterical, but she was not buying it.

"Now listen here, Verne. I'm getting tired of dancing this jig. Why don't you just talk him? What happened between you two?" Her irritated face changed to concern, but her thoughts were interrupted by Kohl's voice.

"Hey Rosie, Verne around?"

"Down here sniveling like a child." She pointed down at my direction.

When Kohl's laughing blue eyes looked down at me, I knew that there was no point in hiding. I stood up dusting myself and muttered traitor under my breath which was met with a snort, and then she went on her way.

"You really hate me this much?" Kohl asked with an amused glint in his eyes.

"I—"

"Excuse me, we need a table. Preferably a booth near the bar. I know there's only two of us now, but we're meeting two other friends here." A young brunette batted her eyelashes at me, no doubt trying to bypass the wait list.

"For a booth by the bar, there's at least an hour wait. Party of four then." I gave her my most alluring smile, and I succeeded in making her blushed. With everything unstable in my life, my good looks was the only thing I'd got going for me. I might as well abuse it once in a while.

"How about you and your friend accompany me at the bar while you wait for your table?" Kohl swooped into the conversation.

"Oh, sure."

He flashed me smirk before they made their way to the bar leaving me dazed. Didn't he want to talk to me? Hadn't he been tracking me down all this time? All it took to get him off my back were a couple of leggy brunettes?

Sadly, the first thought that crossed my mind was why couldn't I have come across this information last week, and then I was furious. Not because of the stress he had put me through for something so frivolous that it was shoved away in an instant.

It was old the memories hidden deep within me coming up to the surface. Memories I'd try so hard to suppress. Another quick glance at them further drove the twisting knife, and I felt my eyes start to sting.

"Rosie! I need a break!" I ran to the restroom before she even gave me the go ahead. With my head under the cold water, I didn't hear Kohl follow me.

"Are you okay?" He placed a hand on my shoulder, sweeping down to my lower back where he continued to rub in a circular motion.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. What do you want?" My tone came out a touched icier than I had intended. I shrugged his hand off me and stepped back, but I could still feel the warmth.

"I'm heading out. I wanted to know if you're free tomorrow night."

"No. Tomorrow is my day off. I don't want to spend it with you." I crossed my arms. "You're here now, why not wait two more hours until I get off and we could talk then." I just wanted this whole ordeal done. Maybe if I finally give him some of my time he'd leave me alone.

He looked baffled, then broke a wide smile. "That's the most you've said to me ever since you've been home. It’s like the old Verne I used to know." He tilted his head a little, still in awe.

"But I can't stay tonight." He looked at his watch.

And everything fell into place. He was leaving with one of those brunettes, or probably both, I wouldn't put it past him.

"I see. That was pretty fast. Don't let me cockblock you. Go on home with your lady friends." I nodded to the door.

A brief flicker of confusion passed through his eyes, but they were gone in an instant. "You're right. I need to get home to my little lady. I'll see you tomorrow though." He left the restroom laughing.

"No you won't." I yelled after him.

Rosie popped her head in not much later and told me to get my butt out there and work. The place got even busier later into the night, so I didn't even notice that the leggy brunettes in question were still there along with their friends.

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LER = Liberal Education Requirements

Story seems slow, but we’ll get there eventually ;)