Mean Girls Missing

36

August 14

6:24 pm

Monica

Tonight was the night. This was my first date with Dewey ever. We had never ventured outside of our bedrooms; therefore, we were rarely seen in public together. In a university this small, word got around about who was dating who. Eyes would be burning through us, rumors churning through the brains of petty college girls.

Speaking of girls, the female population spent way too much time getting ready to impress boys. I noticed it on other girls and swore to myself I would never do that. I didn't need to cake on makeup or buy an entire new wardrobe. Despite my own efforts, I found myself doing that exact same thing hours before my date.

It wasn't even a date. In society's eyes, going to the library to help a junkie pass a class that wasn't even in session was not romantic enough to count. Did it matter? Not to me. Since it was a library I would have to keep my attire appropriate, especially since it was also my job. The scalding hot summer had faded away just as quick as it had approached. In exchange the temperatures never rose above seventy and the sun had disappeared for rainy, grey skies to take over.

I spent over an hour fixing my outfit and my hair and my lip gloss and my eyebrows. No matter what I did, my brain contorted my mirror and I kept finding problems with how I looked.

After my closet had transferred to the floor, I decided on an outfit. Clothes were scattered across my bed and the desk and carpet was no longer visible. Chunky sweater with my favorite fall colors: red, taupe, and orange. Comfortable leggings that matched the taupe in my sweater. For a bonus, I found heeled boots that gave me two inches of height and kept the taupe color scheme going.

I decided to be as natural as I could be. Fresh faced if you will. The only makeup I applied was lip gloss. I kept my short hair straight, only brushing through it and letting it flow the way nature intended.

All of my efforts to look cute just for Dewey to show up in basketball shorts and a hoodie. It was the brief reality check I needed to remember that men didn't really care what you looked like at the end of the day.

He greeted me with a long kiss. His hand snaked around my waist, using the small of my back to press me against him.

I pressed my hands on his chest and pulled back after a minute. "You ready to study?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah."

I could already see girls whispering to their friends. They stared us down. The kiss was all we needed to signify that we were something. Even if Dewey and I didn't know exactly what we were, the college gossip would decide for us.

Dewey opened the door and I led the way through the library. I gave a half wave to Randi, who was relaxing in the chair with her feet on the counter. Her jet black hair had been dyed a patchy blonde and green mixture. To my surprise she hadn't quit on us.

I brought him to a table towards the back. The camera was blocked by a tall bookcase that was full of information on any history topic you could think of. Considering Dewey had failed basic US History, it was the perfect place for us to be. If he got handy we wouldn't be caught by my boss. She openly expressed to me that she loved to watch the cameras to see what shenanigans us college kids got into these days.

The last thing I needed was for her to see Dewey's tongue down my throat. And possibly somewhere else. It was Dewey. He was unpredictable like that.

We started with the easiest information for anyone who had graduated high school.

"Who was the first president?" I asked.