It wasn’t until I yawned that I even thought about how late it was getting. “It’s almost midnight. I’m about to hit the sheets.”
“Yeah, me too. I’ll walk you,” Terrell replied. When we stood up, he towered over me and I felt safe around him. There wasn’t anyone who was going to try anything with him around. He stopped at his door and watched me until I was safe inside my room.
I immediately lay down and hugged my pillow to my chest. My talk with Terrell got my mind off of my argument with AJ for a while, but I was miserable not being able to talk to him. In one last act of desperation, I called him again. With each pause between rings, I held my breath thinking that he finally answered. When I got his voicemail again, I threw my phone to the nightstand. If he was going to be stubborn and unreasonable, then so was I.
As I showered for school the next morning, I became more set in my ways. It hurt that AJ was being this way, but I wasn’t going to keep chasing behind him like some lost dog either. I became content with this decision and figured that he’d call when he came to his senses.
I was so fed up with him that I didn’t think about him once during class. Ok, that isn’t entirely true. I couldn’t help myself. Only now, instead of being sad or hurt, I was mad. Why would he do this to me knowing that it was hard enough for me being away from him?
My pace was slower than usual as I walked back to the dorm. I was trying to pass it off as fatigue, but I knew better. No matter how hard I tried not to let the situation with AJ get to me, it did anyway. By the time I got to my door, I already had my flip-flops off and my mind was made up that I’d spend the rest of the day sulking. When I opened the door I dropped my book to the floor and gasped as I realized that someone was lying on my bed. AJ stirred a little and sat up wiping his eyes sleepily.
I should’ve been happy to see him, but I was furious. “So, you can’t answer the phone, but you’ll cross a couple states to sneak up on me?” I tossed my shoes to the floor and slammed the door. He didn’t say anything, just leaned back against the wall and stared at me intently while he sat. “How’d you get in here anyway? Don’t you think you should’ve called first?” I asked harshly.
“Does Terrell call before he comes over?” He shot back.
“Don’t be stupid. If you’d listened to me or returned one of my calls then maybe I could’ve told you that he’s just a friend!” I started pacing. “You’re impossible!”
“Yeah, whatever. I wonder how you would’ve reacted if you’d called and I had a girl in my room.”
“There were like six other people in here with us! And Karl was one of ‘em! What was gonna happen?”
He rolled his eyes but didn’t answer.
“I see you have nothing to say now. First, you want me to make friends and have fun, but when I actually decide to do that you have a freaking temper tantrum and blow me off! I need you to make up your mind ‘cause I can’t keep up with your mood swings these days, AJ.”
“You don’t even have a clue what’s going on,” he said without looking my way.
“Tell me something I don’t know! Of course I don’t have a clue, because you won’t tell me anything!” I stared at him as he sat with his eyes fixed on the floor. “Whatever it is……..you’re different. Like…..really different. And apparently I’m just expected to just act like I don’t notice. And you know what’s gonna end up happening? You being so secretive, trying to keep things from me like you have been lately, it’s gonna push us apart. It’s only been a week and we’re already arguing.”