So I edited this chapter, and changed the ending. I had written myself into a bit of a whole, and had to go back and change a couple things. So the ending is different, which will allow me more room to write.
*
Three days had passed. Alceo thought she was acting crazy, but Galynn knew better than to think that Jasmine would just let sleeping dogs lie. After all, Galynn had been her roommate for more than a year and had seen the girl go postal on other girls who thought they could just 'step on her turf and get away with it'.
Alceo was convinced that because Jasmine hadn't shown up at his room threatening to break down the door with her tiny fists, that everything was fine between Galynn and her soon to be ex-roommate. But, Galynn knew better. With a smile, Alceo had offered to go with her back to her dorm. But what would that look like? It would look like Galynn couldn't handle her own business. So, with that same smile on his face, Alceo watched as Galynn squared her shoulders and marched from his room with purpose. She was going back to her dorm.
The closer Galynn got to her room, the uneasier she began to feel. Jasmine was insane, a crazy person, and here she was marching back over there like there wouldn't be any consequences. In her mind, she began to think of all the things Jasmine could and possibly did and most likely will do to all her stuff.
Alceo kept telling her that he wanted her in his room, but wasn't that too much too fast? She loved the thought of being with him all the time but wouldn't he get sick of her. Or worse yet, would she get sick of him?
As her feet carried her closer and closer to her imminent death, she tired to determine what Jasmine's next move would be. Sure, she didn't try to break down Alceo's door, but that didn't mean that any of her stuff was where she left it - or that she had anything left for that matter. Galynn's stomach soured as she thought about the time Jasmine cut a girl's tires for driving a guy home that Jasmine had made unwelcome advances toward.
Galynn had been sitting at the desk in their room tying to type a paper, her eyes nervously flitting from the clock to her computer screen. She shouldn't have waited until the last minute, and would have turned the damn thing in on time if Jasmine hadn't come into the room covered in dirt. When she saw Jasmine's face, she stopped.
Galynn has asked her roommate what was wrong, and why she was dripping mud all over the place. To her utter horror, Jasmine simply replied, "I cut the bitch's tires. She won't be driving anyone home, anymore." The smile on Jasmine's face had turned Galynn's stomach, the girl was nuts. Galynn took solace in the thought that Jasmine was kidding. That was at least until Jasmine began to change her clothes and excitedly tell Galynn about her afternoon.
"What a dumb bitch." Galynn said nothing. "She thinks she can mess with me? And to think at one point I called her a friend. Well, I made it very clear to her that there would be consequences for her actions." Jasmine's clothes were hitting the floor with an audible "plop" as she pulled them off.
"Are you talking about the girl that drove that guy home?"
Jasmine turned to Galynn, eyes burning. "Listen, it wasn't just some girl that drove some guy home. It was Melissa, one of my best friends. And the guy is Jeff. She knew how much I liked him. I told her so. She knew, and she was driving him around anyway. What nerve? What made her think that I would just overlook this? I mean, besides her being one of my best friends, Melissa, as well as everyone else, knows that all of the top athletes are mine, unless I say otherwise. And with Jeff, I definitely did not say otherwise."
"Okay," Galynn said slowly. She didn't want to make any sudden movements, or say the wrong thing. So, as Galynn was carefully weighting her words, Jasmine turned around to continue changing her clothes. "Well, why are you soaked in mud?"
She heard Jasmine chuckle. "The dumb bitch parked her car in the lower student lot by the Jefferson Building. You know how bad it rains down there. If she thought that a little mud was nothing to worry about, wait until she sees her car."
"Well, okay," Galynn said cautiously. "But, didn't anyone see you. I mean, I'm sure that she will find out that it was you. You had to walk pretty far with mud all over you."
"You think I give a shit if she finds out it was me?" Jasmine was shouting now, and Galynn felt more than uncomfortable. "I want that skank to know it was me. I want her and everyone else to know that you can't just take what's mine." Jasmine took a deep breath, said she was going to take a shower and walked about of the room.
Galynn sat staring at the door as it closed behind her. Galynn had told herself she would never get on Jasmine's bad side - not after that. Well, it was too late for that, wasn't it?
--
The door was locked when Galynn finally got to her dorm. In the elevator, she was sure she was going to throw up, but she had been smart about this. Well, at least as smart as one could be when dealing with a sociopath. She picked this time to rush over to her room because she knew that Jasmine had class now. Not that that meant Jasmine had actually gone to class, but still. It seemed like the best way to go.
When the elevator doors opened, the hall was quiet. She could hear someone on a cell phone in another room, but that was it. She stood still in the hall, irrationally thinking that Jasmine was going to jump out and attack her. When Jasmine didn't appear, Galynn smiled.
See, there is no reason for me to be worried. I'm sure that Jasmine has matured and is a perfectly rational adult.
As she said this to herself, she couldn't help but finger the cell phone that was nestled in the sweatpants Alceo had given her. She didn't need him to protect her. Nope. She was just going to get some clothes, and then she would be on her way. No harm, no foul.
--
The door to her room was locked. That was a good sign. Galynn unlocked the door and pushed her way in, cautiously peeking her head around the door. When the coast was clear, Galynn pushed her way in, and sighed in relief. Jasmine wasn't home.
She stepped into the room as pushed the door shut behind her and clicked the lock. No surprises. She looked around the room - nothing seemed out of place. It was almost as if Galynn has been here for the last three days. All her stuff was just as she left it. Her notebooks were still open on the desk; her jeans were still in the corner where she'd thrown then in her haste to change for Alceo. Everything seemed just fine. Not wanting to push her luck, she pulled the bag from her shoulder and started grabbing the essentials. She rifled through her drawers, got some shirts and a pair of jeans. Although she knew she wasn't moving in with Alceo, she just needed enough so that she could get by for a couple more days without coming back. Just a little more time. That's all she needed to give Jasmine...then Jasmine would see that none of this was a big deal.
--
"So, how did it go?" Alceo had a shit-eating grin on his face, and Galynn was trying to not smile as she watched his lips twitch with humor.
"Everything went fine," she said smiling back.
"Well, I can see that you didn't come back with any scratches, or patches of hair missing, so I'm going to assume that Jasmine calmed down?"
"She wasn't even home, smart ass."
Alceo smiled wider and stood. As he approached Galynn, she couldn't help but marvel at how big the guy was. "Well then, let's see what you brought. I hope there are lots of unmentionables in here for me to steal." Before Galynn could protest, Alceo had her bag on his bed and was rifling through the contents. With her face burning bright, she didn't even bother to stop him. He would like that too much.
"Oh, this would be perfect for tonight."
"Will you put my things back you perv? Wait, tonight? What's tonight?"
"A party."
Galynn's heart began to pound. "A party, what party? You never said anything to me about a party."
"I know that's because I wanted to see how this went first. Now that we are all in the clear, I feel confident in saying - wait, asking you if you would do me the honor of accompanying me to a party tonight."
Galynn's eyebrows shot up. "And what if I had come back with scratches and a patch of hair missing?"
"Then I would have spent the rest of the night rubbing ointment on your scratches and kissing your pretty little head."
"Ointment, really?" Galynn said with a smile.
"Yep, ointment. So, are we going tonight?" Alceo asked as he turned around.
"I guess," she said as he stepped toward her with another million-watt smile on his face.
"Perfect baby, just perfect."
She wasn't sure how perfect it would be, but she would go anywhere with him, she just didn't want him to know it. As for Jasmine, maybe everything was over. That's all Galynn could hope for. After all, what is it that Jasmine could really do?
--
Galynn could feel the pavement shaking before she had even seen the frat house with the bright red Greek letters she couldn't discern. Galynn wasn't nervous until the massive frat house came into view, and she could see people milling about the front lawn, red Solo cups in hand. The closer they got to the front door, the sweatier her palms got, but Alceo wouldn't let her hand go, he just held her tighter.
From what Galynn could tell, the house was packed. She could feel the bass rattling her rib cage, and the fillings in her teeth. She smiled to herself knowing that if it weren't for Alceo, she would never have set foot in at a party like this.
Everyone said hi to Alceo as they passed, while she just got strange looks. A couple people smiled, but most just looked at their joined hands, back up at Alceo and kept it moving. Galynn felt herself begin to relax. Stepping over the threshold, they didn't get much farther than the foyer before the crowd began to crush them. If anything, Galynn liked this better. In the sea of people, she was anonymous. In the sea of people, she felt like she could be more of herself.
Instead of resisting the pull of the crowd, Galynn began to move with it. She was there to have fun right? So, why not? She let the music move her hips, and the crowd sway her body as she let the beats take over.
When was the last time I went dancing? Never,
she chastised herself.
I love to dance. I need to do this more often.
Finally, for the first time in weeks, everything began to melt away. No more fear, no more worries, just really, really good music. Her curly brown hair was down around her shoulders, and when it fell into her face, she didn't bother to push it away. Tilting her head back, she let out a deep sigh. Her eyes closed, and her feet moved her. She felt sexy, she felt in charge. Galynn felt wonderful, and when Galynn felt a pair of very strong hands grab her hips, she felt wanted.
She placed her hands over those on her jeans and let her fingers walk along the backs of those strong fingers. She tilted her head to the side, wanting a kiss from Alceo, when she realized something was wrong. The hands seemed right, but this guy was too short. Straightening her head, her eyes shot open.
Dear Lord, somebody is touching me.
Had it not been for the fact that Alceo was the first guy to touch her in ages; maybe some random guy's touch would have been welcome, but not tonight.
Turning her head, her ear met the lips of the guy behind her. "Don't you look good tonight?"
"Well, thanks," Galynn replied as she tried to move as far away from the guy as she could. She still had yet to see his face. Her eyes scanned the crowd for Alceo. When she didn't see him, she began to panic. What was the protocol for a situation like this? Did she turn around and slug the guy? Did she try to run? She knew in her head she was being dramatic, but the last thing she wanted was to not act the right way the first time she and Alceo went out together.
Now what?
Bodies pushed her and the stranger closer together, and it became harder for her to move, but it did become easier for her to feel something hard pressing into the small of her back.
