All About Cherry

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

     D a x t o n ' s  body shook in anticipation as he went into the psychology department of Yale. He matched his sister's confident stride, despite feeling like an awkward bundle of nerves inside. He didn't know why he agreed to participate in this entire fiasco, he was irrationally nervous and couldn't handle the way his hands shook for no reason.

     Daxton was a cool and collected man most of the time, he handled the pressure well, he handled attention and popularity better, reveled in it in some cases. So why could he not be the same when he had to hold a seminar for people who looked up at him with googly eyes? The same people that thought he could do no wrong and placed him on an undeserved pedestal? What if he said the wrong things and upset them? What if he caved in to the pressure for the first time in what felt like years and run out without a word?

     "Dude, are you okay? You're way paler than usual." His sister shot him a quizzical look of genuine concern from beside him. Adele had insisted they went together, after the very long and painful conversation they'd had about a certain somebody.

     Dax nodded at her dismissively. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just nerves."

     Adele shot him yet another skeptical look of hers but didn't press on, knowing she'd likely get nothing out of Daxton even if she tried. They weren't behind closed doors where he could feel comfortable enough to put his worries on display, he had an image to uphold and they both knew it.

     Daxton surveyed the foyer with meticulous gaze, hoping to find Diana waiting for him. Unfortunately, luck hadn't been on his side that day. Students were bustling and buzzing along the hallways,  going on about their days as normal. A few curious, not at all discreet gazes tracked Daxton's every movement and his body involuntarily stiffened in response. He was out of his comfort zone again and he felt his nerves nagging at him in his gut.

     Adele shuffled through her bag beside him before looking up at him, holding out a stick of gum. "Take it, chew on something. Helps me with the nerves."

     Daxton nodded reluctantly before taking the stick of gum from her hands, unwrapping the foil, and putting the gum in his mouth. He shot a thankful look to his sister to which she only nodded in response.

     "Do you want to go out for lunch afterward? I could call down Margot to come and see us, you know if she's not doing something stupid with her friends." Adele asked, hope sparkling in her big hazel eyes. He felt the familiar guilt resurface in his body, just what he needed.

     Dax bit his tongue and nodded in response, shuffling the foil gum wrapper in his hand to keep him distracted. "Sounds good." His voice came out as a croak.

     "Calm down, Dax. Why are you being like this? You don't have issues being out in the public normally, something on your mind?" Adele leaned in closer with a hushed tone. 

     He let a strangled breath out and shrugged because he truly had no idea what was going on with him, he didn't know why he was a step away from breaking into a panic attack. All he knew that he didn't know what the fuck he was doing there, he didn't know how to meet the painfully high and mighty expectations people had for him, he didn't even know what the hell he would tell all those students in his seminar, conference or whatever the fuck it was.

     Just Friday he'd gotten the call from his manager, about this entire deal, now, three days later he had no clue what he signed up for. It wasn't unlike Yale to have poor event organization, it all seemed odd and pointless, what would Daxton blabbing pointlessly for an hour do for those students? How would he motivate them before midterms? It seemed more distracting than helpful.