Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Hurrying past the union, I make it to the communication building and take the steps two at a time. The building just opened, so there’s no way all cameras have been checked out this quick. Down two hallways, and I knock on the rental office door before twisting the knob.
“Hello?” I call out to the student services staff.
“Oh, hello there, Jensen.”
“Hey, Will,” I greet him with a smile. “Here to check out a camera.” I beam. Today’s gonna be my day.
His smile falls. “Yeah, about that…”
He has to be kidding me. “It’s like exactly seven forty-five. How can all the cameras be checked out?”
He shakes his head. “No idea, but they are. I came in this morning and not a single one is here. I’m sorry. I was even going to hide one for you. I know you’ve really been wanting one.”
Wanting one? He means needing one. I can’t do any of my photography work without one. “Maybe use your camera on your phone. They have some cool apps nowadays. Mr. Harrison probably wouldn’t know the difference.”
He’s trying to be kind, but it’s not helping. I try to mask the disappointment in my face. “Yeah, I’ll try that. Thanks anyway, Will. See you in class.” I wave him off and leave. Go figure the wind has picked up and the rain is coming down even harder than before. The moment I step outside, my umbrella flips inside out.
“Goddammit!” I wrestle with it until it’s lipped back, just for it to get caught in another gust of wind and flip outward again. “Why didn’t we apply to somewhere like California?” I ask myself as I hold my umbrella down with one hand and start to book it across campus. When I finally make it to Haller Hall, I’m soaked. I debate on just blowing off class and going home—getting into warm clothes and sleeping the day away. But I skipped Pysch on Monday, for no reason other than to avoid Sylvia. I need to go today.
I run up the stairs just as my umbrella takes one last pop and the lining breaks. I try to save it, but the wind wrestles it out of my hands. One bad move and it’s gone. “Seriously. California…” I mutter, turning and heading inside.
I’m wiping the rain off my soaked face when I hear giggling. “Oh my God, you’re like a drowned mouse.” More obnoxious giggling. I bring my eyes to Sylvia and her entourage.
“The phrase is actually a drowned rat, but…” I reply.
“Excuse me?”
“The saying. It’s a rat, not a mouse. If you’re going to make lame attempts to insult people, you should use the correct terminology.”
“Seriously? What, did you get that out of your book of nerd facts?” Her posse starts laughing again as if she just said the world’s funniest thing. Ignoring her, I shake my head, trying to get rid of some of the excess water in my hair. I sidestep her and don’t have time to process what happens before she sticks her foot out and my backpack flies off my shoulder and slides across the hall as my hands go out to catch myself before my face meets the ground.
“Wow, Jensen, you really need to be more careful,” Sylvia says, pulling her heel-clad foot back toward her before they all walk past me into class. I’m fighting not to cry as I reach over and grab for my bookbag. Two hands beat me to it.
“Hey, let me help you.” I look up to see Jake holding my bag. Great. “Here, give me your hand. It’s slippery.” I want to tell him to just leave me alone—especially since the last time I saw him, I was deep in a fight with Damien on the dance floor of his sex club.
“I’ve got it. Thanks, though.” I lift myself up, sliding a bit as I steady myself.
“Don’t pay attention to Sylvia. She doesn’t know how to be anything but a bitch.” He hands me my backpack.
“She doesn’t faze me,” I lie. “Thank you. I’ve gotta get to class.” I move to walk past Jake when he stops me with a gentle hand on my elbow.
“Hey, I wanted to apologize for Friday night. I…uh…I should have never left you with that crazy guy. It was a dick move.”
In all the drama with Damien, I never put thought to him feeling bad. I was more worried about how it looked watching us fight like two lovers in a quarrel. “Oh no, it’s cool. No problem. I don’t know what I was even thinking going there.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?”
I offer him a small smile. “Not at all.”
He looks relieved. “Good. So, maybe I can make it up to you? Unless, that was, like, your boyfriend or something. I didn’t know what to think of you two.”