“Then I guess I should get to studying," I said, sitting up. There was nothing more to say, and I just wanted to be left alone. "Thank you, Brittany."
She smiled, and I was struck at how pretty her smile was. I saw it so rarely, and it actually suited her. I wondered if she shared that smile with Daddy, and I hoped she did. “Don’t stay up too late. Make sure you’re well-rested for your test.”
Brittany left, and I got out of my bed, going over to my little study desk and opening my laptop. She was right. I did have a test, and while I was still emotionally shattered, maybe I could get something else into my mind before trying to go to sleep. I fired up my Mac and went to my professor's course homepage, where the study notes were sitting organized and waiting for us.
I was just reviewing the ways the battle of Agincourt had changed warfare, and to a lesser degree, British culture, when I got a beep on my messenger program. I’d forgotten that I had it set to auto start whenever I booted up, and I wondered who it was. I was encouraged when I saw it was Shawnie.
Hey, Shawnie.
Hey, Abby. I tried calling your phone, but you never picked up. I was worried.
My friend's concern touched me, and I couldn't help but smile. Daddy confiscated my phone as if I’m still a teenager. I'm still not okay, but I'm doing better than when I left The Nook. U?
I had to wait a minute while Shawnie typed out her reply, during which I pulled up the Wikipedia on the Battle of Agincourt. If I was going to cram as much as I could last minute, going through the textbook just wasn’t going to work. Besides, I only needed a B on the test.
Finally, Shawnie's reply popped up. I got home okay. Wish I'd have been able to bum a ride like I'd planned, but the bus was cheap. I was thinking about calling the cops though. He was so mad . . .
It wasn't that bad, Shawnie. And before you start, I know I'm 22, I'm an adult, yada yada yada. I threw in a couple of emojis, a shrugging one and a sheepish grin, then hit enter.
Okay, but it's true. Actually, I had another question for you.
Go ahead, I wrote. I'm just perusing Agincourt.
Good, I hear it's always on the test. Anyway, I'll be blunt. What were you about to say before your dad yelled out? I hope you weren’t going to say that you love him.
It was my turn to sit back, thinking. Finally, I decided it was too late in Shawnie's and my relationship to lie. I don’t know.
Ok. Well, if you need my help, you got it.
Good ol' Shawnie. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. Thanks. But for now, the main thing I need is to study. See you tomorrow morning.
Good night, Abby.
* * *
It took nearly a week, but eventually Daddy started to calm down and relax. I think part of it was when I showed him the results of my History final, an A minus that ensured that I would get on the Dean's List for my last semester as an undergrad. I got my phone back and was even allowed to attend my last few days by myself, without Daddy or Brittany taking me to campus like some sort of junior high school kid.
During that time, I texted Dane three times, the first to say that I was sorry about what happened, the second as a reply to his asking how I was doing, and the third just to see how he was doing. I didn't want my bad luck to rub off on him. I wanted to text more, but more than that, I wanted to hear his voice again. I just couldn't take the risk though, as desperate as I was. I wasn't sure I could control myself if I did.
The fact was, other than when I was studying or in the tests themselves, I was constantly thinking about Dane. I’d just finished my last final, the defense of my capstone project with the head of the biology department when my phone rang and I saw that it was an unknown number. A wild idea flashed through my mind, and I answered the phone, hoping that it was Dane calling from a new phone or something. "Hello?"
"Hi, Abby, it's Chris Lake," Chris said, disappointing me, but at the same time setting loose a wild idea in my mind. "How're you doing?"
Chris sounded like he hadn't heard about my little incident at The Nook, so I assumed that Dane hadn't told him, nor had his uncle. If they hadn't, I figured there was no reason for me to either. "I'm doing okay, Chris. Just finished my last final. How about you?"
I could hear him chuckle, but again, there was that sense of something different that I'd felt when I saw him smile the time I'd given him my phone number. It was like I was listening to a stranger, and not the guy I'd dated five years earlier. Most disturbing, though, was that whoever Chris had become, he wasn't exactly someone I was interested in. "I'm doing well. I just closed a pretty big investment property deal and was looking to celebrate. I was thinking of getting together with some people, and wondered if you'd like to come with me. Nothing major, it's not a date or anything, but just a bit of a party out at the site of the deal."