Is Life A Lie?

chapter 2

You know how you feel like you're about to drop off to sleep at any minute, that challenging struggle to stay awake during a class, that all vanishes the moment you hear your lecturer dismiss class? It's like magic, I swear. Whenever it's time to leave the lecture hall, I snap awake and forget there was ever a time where I wasn't paying full attention. Shameless, but true. I'm out of my seat like a shot, grabbing my books and shoving them in my bag while racing out of the lecture theatre. Before I make my safe exit however, I was stopped by Eugene.

            With a name like Eugene, one would conjure up a mental picture of a fat geek with braces and wire-rimmed glasses and a whack hair-do. This Eugene, on the other hand, was the farthest thing from a geek. I've always had a secret liking for this guy. He was well-built, tall (although it didn't take much to be taller than me), had deep-set icy blue eyes and dark hair. I loved my men tall, dark and handsome. That was exactly what Eugene was. "Hey Hayley! Plans for the holidays?" His had one eyebrow cocked in question. I found it incredibly adorable. I hadn't made a move on Eugene because he's always had some girl hanging off his arm. I usually went for what I wanted, but if it already belonged to someone else, I wasn't interested. Not that I thought Eugene belonged to anyone. With him, it was more of a case of not wanting to be anyone's.

            "The guys and I are thinking of a road trip somewhere. What have you got planned?" I nodded towards Ruell, Declan and the girls who were trailing behind me. Eugene tugged gently onto my hand and motioned for me to take a seat.

            "Well, I was thinking of going home to Orlando, but I'm open to suggestions. Where are you guys planning on going?"

            "I want to go to LA, but Alex was just there to see her dad. For her sake, we should pick somewhere else I suppose. Orlando any good?" I'm British, I was really asking. I hadn't had the opportunity to travel yet in my two months in America.

            "It's awesome! We've got the theme parks, the rapids, the shopping, the relaxation and of course, I'll be there," Eugene could be a poster boy for his city.

            I stretched in my seat languidly and called out to my mates who were hovering by the door. "Guys, how about we head to Orlando?"

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            Our final week of classes went by too quickly. Usually it was the other way round. This time, though, Eugene had somehow inched his way into my life and we saw each other every day. We went to class together, we lunched together, he watched me play football, I watched him sweat it out on the basketball court, we went out for dinners together. I had to pinch myself a number of times to ensure that this was reality.

            "How come, all of a sudden, Eugene's interested?" I asked for the billionth time. Alex was sitting on my bed helping me pick out an outfit for dinner with Eugene tonight. It was Friday, and I'd been seeing him for four nights in a row. It was also finally our semester break. I dreaded it because it meant having to be away from him, just as we were starting out. "What if he comes back and has changed his mind about me? I can't deal!" I wailed.

            Alex shook her head at me. "Come on Hayley, if he's wanted to see your ugly face every day, there must be something special there."

            I tossed a pillow at her face, scowling. "We haven't even had sex or anything. We just hang out. I'm not sure if we're dating even."

            "Of course you're dating. Go clarify things with him tonight. Don't be needy!" Alex warned as she got off my bed and dove into my closet to do what she came to do. "This is why I don't date men. They're complicated creatures."

            "Are you saying I should give dating women a go then?" I giggled. Alex shrugged, muttering under her breath. She was a lesbian. Not the butch kind—she didn't fit the stereotype. According to her, she was born a lesbian, and had first realised it when she was 12. She had a string of girlfriends, but always dumped them before things got too serious.

            "Aha! This one looks perf." Alex triumphantly held up my deep purple halter dress. I hadn't worn it in ages, and had my doubts about it fitting. It did, hugging my curves smugly, coming down to just above my knees. Alex's reaction told me she was appreciative of the dress. "Thanks for helping me pick it out," I told her as she sat me down and started on my eye make-up. I was hopeless at it. She whipped up her magic and in no time, I looked ready to be let out.

            "Have a good one!" she chirped, grabbing me, kissing my let-down hair, and hustling me out the door.  "Don't come home until you know where you stand with him!" She waved to Eugene, who was sitting in his car. Well, I thought to myself. Here goes nothing.