2nd step…Carolyne-Ah!
Sadieville Community College was
nicer than Alex had originally thought.
She wasn’t the observant type and, normally, she just passed through
rooms without taking stock, but when she locked her key inside of her dorm room
one day, she had to wait in the commons for Ellen to return. It was larger than she remembered, with a
high ceiling and a stairway leading to the upper halls. Two couches were set in a V on the first
floor, both pointed at the big screen television mounted on the wall. An empty bookshelf was on the far wall for
decoration.
It was
early enough in the morning that no one else was out there to bother her, which
was a small comfort. The idea of
interacting with total strangers made lunch with Ellen seem palatable.
Alex hoped
that Ellen would return soon. Their
classes started roughly around the same time, so she assumed Ellen would return
at the shortly. When Ellen did return, Alex had every intention of returning to
her room and sleeping until the evening without having to talk to anyone for
hours. Unfortunately for her, plans have
a way of going awry, and all of her fears came true in the form of a petite
woman with short blond hair and large green eyes.
“You have
beautiful hair,” the woman said in a voice that made Alex think of fog on
water. She had a boyish appeal and a
silky smile. She wore earth-tones, dark
greens and browns. A large bag hung over
her shoulder, nearly to the ground.
There was
something about this girl, something Alex couldn’t quite explain. The sight of her made Alex’s heart pump fast
and hard in her chest. “Leave me alone,”
Alex meant to say, but it came out as, “Uh…Thanks.”
The woman
stepped in. She reached into her bag and
produced a hair brush. Her fingers were
small, delicate. Alex stared.
“Mind if I
mess with it for a while,” the woman asked.
Not
trusting her mouth, Alex just nodded.
“Hell
yeah,” the woman said triumphantly, and she did a mellow little victory dance
before settling beside Alex. “By the way, I’m Carolyne.”
Alex turned
her back to Carolyne. She could smell
something on the girl, something she would later find was called
patchouli. It was spicy and strong, and
Alex liked it immediately.
Carolyne
brushed her hair. It felt nice and safe,
reminding her of time spent with Shana, of home. It was a bittersweet moment where her heart
wanted to let go but she wouldn’t let it.
“So, what’s
your name?”
There was
something about Carolyne, something alluring.
Alex wanted her privacy, yet she settled in on the couch, made herself
comfortable. Without thinking, she
responded. “Alex.”
“Alex? Cool
name.”
“Uh,
thanks.”
No comments:
Post a Comment