time. I felt Eric’s eyes on me as I watched the colors.
He cleared his throat and asked me, “Hey, after class, you wanna go to McDonald’s with me? I’ve been dying for a cheeseburger. We could, ya know, hang out.”
“Sounds good to me!” someone else said. Mike. Eric’s creepy friend, Mike, came striding toward us across the wet grass.
“Mike, sup?” Eric said dryly, pushing his hands deep into his track jacket pockets.
“Can I hang out with you and the chicky?” Mike asked.
Eric shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Uh, yeah, sure. You can come, if you want.”
Mike hopped up the porch steps and stood next to me by the railing. “So, Cassie, when are we going?”
“Um, I don’t know if I can,” I lied. “I have a big test tomorrow.” Another lie.
“Don’t be a tease. You don’t have a class tomorrow,” Mike said with a smile as he leaned in towards me.
Eric spoke up, “We have to go now,” putting his hand on my back, guiding me away from Mike and through the door.
“I’ll see you at nine!” Mike called after us as we entered the building.
“He’s so weird sometimes,” Eric apologized for his friend as we walked up the old, creaking steps. I nodded. It’s not as if I could seriously disagree with that. Mike was weird, every time that I saw him.
Our class droned on and on for hours until we were free.
“You never said if you wanted to go or not,” Eric mentioned as he stuffed his books in his bag.
“How did he know that I don’t have a class tomorrow?” I asked Eric.
“I have no idea. Maybe… I don’t know. Somehow he always knows everybody’s business.” Eric smiled a goofy grin, “Maybe he’s a gypsy schedule -reader.”
“Ooh, does he use a crystal ball?” I asked, playing along.
“No, he uses a rolled up gym sock. It works very well. The stench helps with the psychic flow,” he joked. I snorted. “So…?”
“Sure… I’ll go.”
“If I get rid of Mike, right? I’ll try, but he’s a pest. We have to hurry, hopefully we’ll get to the car before he does,” Eric said as he stuffed my books into his bag, too.
We rushed out the building.
“Race you,” I said as I broke into a run through the darkness. Eric joined me and raced ahead a few feet.
“You’re too slow!” he called back as he slowed to a stop. I slowed to a walk, then leaned over, resting my hands on my knees.
“No I’m not, you’re just too fast.” I coughed and began to catch my breath.
“Tired already? Here,” he said as he lifted me off my feet and over his shoulder. It happened so fast that it took me a second to figure out where I was. Eric casually walked out into the parking lot, carrying me easily. I was surprised that I wasn’t embarrassed at all. I was relieved, actually. I hated walking from one end of campus to the other. I always thought I’d die on the way. And I always had to stop so I could breathe.
“Is this better?” he asked.
“Yeah. I think I’ll go to sleep right here,” I replied. Suddenly Eric stopped walking.
“Heads up,” he said as he put me back on my feet. Blood rushed from my head, making me feel a little dizzy. “Um, we’re almost there.”
I looked at him and saw guilt in his face. He had been treating me like a good friend, but I think he thought that I might have taken it as a come-on. It was that whole problem from before, with the party. He didn’t want to give me the wrong idea. Or was there something else? We reached the car and got in, just as Mike stepped up to Eric’s window.
Eric rolled down his window reluctantly.
“Eric, man. Skipping out on me? Taking Cassie by yourself?” Mike asked. There was something odd about how he said that. I could barely see his face in the darkness, but his tone of voice was more than creepy.
“Yeah. Me and Sandy are just gonna go, but I’ll see you tomorrow,” Eric answered, sounding so serious.
“Wait. Are you sure?” Mike asked. “I won’t bother you.”
“Yeah, I’m
He cleared his throat and asked me, “Hey, after class, you wanna go to McDonald’s with me? I’ve been dying for a cheeseburger. We could, ya know, hang out.”
“Sounds good to me!” someone else said. Mike. Eric’s creepy friend, Mike, came striding toward us across the wet grass.
“Mike, sup?” Eric said dryly, pushing his hands deep into his track jacket pockets.
“Can I hang out with you and the chicky?” Mike asked.
Eric shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Uh, yeah, sure. You can come, if you want.”
Mike hopped up the porch steps and stood next to me by the railing. “So, Cassie, when are we going?”
“Um, I don’t know if I can,” I lied. “I have a big test tomorrow.” Another lie.
“Don’t be a tease. You don’t have a class tomorrow,” Mike said with a smile as he leaned in towards me.
Eric spoke up, “We have to go now,” putting his hand on my back, guiding me away from Mike and through the door.
“I’ll see you at nine!” Mike called after us as we entered the building.
“He’s so weird sometimes,” Eric apologized for his friend as we walked up the old, creaking steps. I nodded. It’s not as if I could seriously disagree with that. Mike was weird, every time that I saw him.
Our class droned on and on for hours until we were free.
“You never said if you wanted to go or not,” Eric mentioned as he stuffed his books in his bag.
“How did he know that I don’t have a class tomorrow?” I asked Eric.
“I have no idea. Maybe… I don’t know. Somehow he always knows everybody’s business.” Eric smiled a goofy grin, “Maybe he’s a gypsy schedule -reader.”
“Ooh, does he use a crystal ball?” I asked, playing along.
“No, he uses a rolled up gym sock. It works very well. The stench helps with the psychic flow,” he joked. I snorted. “So…?”
“Sure… I’ll go.”
“If I get rid of Mike, right? I’ll try, but he’s a pest. We have to hurry, hopefully we’ll get to the car before he does,” Eric said as he stuffed my books into his bag, too.
We rushed out the building.
“Race you,” I said as I broke into a run through the darkness. Eric joined me and raced ahead a few feet.
“You’re too slow!” he called back as he slowed to a stop. I slowed to a walk, then leaned over, resting my hands on my knees.
“No I’m not, you’re just too fast.” I coughed and began to catch my breath.
“Tired already? Here,” he said as he lifted me off my feet and over his shoulder. It happened so fast that it took me a second to figure out where I was. Eric casually walked out into the parking lot, carrying me easily. I was surprised that I wasn’t embarrassed at all. I was relieved, actually. I hated walking from one end of campus to the other. I always thought I’d die on the way. And I always had to stop so I could breathe.
“Is this better?” he asked.
“Yeah. I think I’ll go to sleep right here,” I replied. Suddenly Eric stopped walking.
“Heads up,” he said as he put me back on my feet. Blood rushed from my head, making me feel a little dizzy. “Um, we’re almost there.”
I looked at him and saw guilt in his face. He had been treating me like a good friend, but I think he thought that I might have taken it as a come-on. It was that whole problem from before, with the party. He didn’t want to give me the wrong idea. Or was there something else? We reached the car and got in, just as Mike stepped up to Eric’s window.
Eric rolled down his window reluctantly.
“Eric, man. Skipping out on me? Taking Cassie by yourself?” Mike asked. There was something odd about how he said that. I could barely see his face in the darkness, but his tone of voice was more than creepy.
“Yeah. Me and Sandy are just gonna go, but I’ll see you tomorrow,” Eric answered, sounding so serious.
“Wait. Are you sure?” Mike asked. “I won’t bother you.”
“Yeah, I’m
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