Condora Crush

Chapter 3

I scoffed down the vegetable soup that I had been given. It wasn't too bad, but I'd tasted better.

"So, what does Connor do?" I ask, trying to be casual.

Lottie almost chokes on her food. "Excuse me?" She asks, after clearing her throat.

I feel myself turn a light shade of red. "Does he have any hobbies?" I reword my question, aiming for the same answer.

"He likes music." She begins. "He literally lives in the music block, with his guitar.". I smile slightly, but that changes with the next words that come out of Lottie's mouth. "To be honest, I find it quite annoying. I try and get him to come out with me for a meal or something, but he's too busy. I wish he'd give it a break or something" she stands up to take her dish away, leaving me speechless.

Does this mean Connor's going to be hard to get?

I decide to quickly leave, before she gets back. Leaving my plate on the table, I sneak out the dinner hall, into the corridor.

I didn't really know where I was going, I just kept walking, looking at all the pictures and work pinned to the wall. There's no way I am going to try to match up to some of these standards. Why should I? I don't even want to be here.

I stop when I see a face through the small window in a door.

Him.

His blue eyes stand out, bluer than I remember. His blonde hair all shaped to the side in a quiff, making him look extremely hot.

I stare, until the door swings open.

"Hey."

He spoke to me!

"Hiiiii..." I say, a little unsurely, not taking my eyes off his.

"You're Lottie's friend, right?"

"Er, yeah. I guess you could say that." I reply, with a slight laugh.

"I'm -"

"Connor!" I finish for him. Whoops! What the fuck did I just do? He's going to think I'm a stalker! You are, Mia! You have just been looking around for him.

"How did you know?" He asks, placing his guitar back in it's stand, and then leaning against the door frame.

"Your girlfriend told me." I tell him. This was my clever way of finding out if he's single or not.

His face turned white, and his face expression dropped. I stand there waiting for a response, but he just stares at me, his eyes slowly beginning to well up with what I made out as tears. What did I do wrong?

"Um, maybe I should leave..." I stutter, awkwardly.

"Yeah, maybe you should." He mutters as he slams the door, leaving me stood there.

I hurry back to my dorm. I only vaguely knew the way. Why did he act like that? Does this mean he did have a girlfriend? Who was she? I realise when I get back I don't have my key. I bang on the door, wanting to just get in there and hide. A couple of seconds later, the door opens. Lottie.

"What's up?" She asks, probably spotting I was upset.

"Nothing." I reply. "I'm just.. Homesick" I say, it being the first thing to pop into my head.

She smiles, reassuringly.

"So, does Connor have a girlfriend?" I ask.

Her face follows the same actions as Connors did. "No-not anymore."

It sounded to me as if maybe Connor and Lottie broke up or something, but then why would she still be kissing him on the cheek? "How come" I ask.

Silence.

"I have to go..." She mutters, but I grab her wrist.

"Please? Tell me?" I ask, desperate to know what's gone on. I sound really nosey right now. But how can I talk to Connor again without knowing what I did wrong?

She pushes the door shut, and sits on her bed, leaning against the wall with her legs up against her chest. "Erica" she says, after a deep breath. "They used to go out. They were perfect together, honestly." She says with a smile, staring into space.

"What happened? Did she move away?" I ask.

Lottie's eyes trail up to meet mine. "She died" she gulps. I could see how hard she was trying not to cry.

I have never felt so ashamed in my life, and I've done a lot of bad things. I wrap my arms round Lottie and hugged her, resting my head on her shoulder as a tear trickled down my cheek.

"Why are you crying?" Lottie sniffed.

"I... I didn't know... And I..." I pause. The last thing I want is her thinking bad of me. "Nothing" I smile. "I need to go and fix a few things up, see you soon okay?".

She nods and I quietly walk down the corridor, begging I wouldn't bump into anyone. Thankfully, it seems everyone was still eating or unpacking.

When I arrived back at the music room, I took a deep breath before slowly walking in.

'I talk a lot of sh- when I'm drinking baby, I'm known to go a little too fast. Don't mind all my friends I know they're all crazy, but they're the only friends that I have. I know I don't know you, but I'd like to, skip a small talk and romance, girl... So all I have to say is baby can we dance..."

Wow. I never knew he'd be that good at singing. He's amazing. I suddenly realise he's stopped singing, and is watching me drool over him.

The rims of his eyes are red and sore, all because of me.

He runs his hand through his hair, waiting for me to speak.

"Connor, I'm so sorry." I apologise. "I had no idea about ... Erica".

"Then why did you mention me even having a girlfriend?" He snaps. He looked hurt, and angry. And I really can't blame him for that.

Yeah. Tell him, Mia. Tell him how much you love him and wanted to know if he was single or not. That's exactly what he wants to hear right now.

"I... I just thought you and Lottie seemed close." I gulp, a tear escaping my eye.

He sighs. "Come here". His arms reach out towards me.

"Aren't you angry at me?" I ask, as another two tears fall.

"A little, but I hate seeing girls cry" he tells me, as he walks over to me and I receive a warm hug. I actually felt safe for once. Cared for. Maybe even... Loved.

"Was she pretty?" I ask.

"She was beautiful." He replies. "You know, you kind of remind me of her"

I feel my cheeks go bright red. Was he calling me beautiful? He pulls away from the hug, and picks his guitar up. I sit down on the couch, wrapping the blanket around myself, and listening to him sing.

"I bet she loved hearing you sing." I smile.

He smiles back. "This song was written to her. It's called Can We Dance. We were meant to go to the prom together, just before she..."

"You don't have to talk about it." I tell him. I could tell this was still a very touchy subject, and he probably didn't want to go into details.

He smiles, and continues to sing.