My eyes!Oh God, my eyes had lost their ability to see correctly, because I had to be seeing things. A mirage, or hallucination…or something. That’s all there was to it.Because I absolutely refused to believe what my brain was trying to tell me that my eyes seriously thought they saw.No other way could my boyfriend of three years be inside my dorm, naked, with my roommate—also naked—as he gripped her hair hard enough from behind to cant her head back at an awkward angle while he pounded into her ass on, yes, my fucking couch that he’d helped me pick out this summer and haul up two flights of stairs to move into this very apartment.But why would my eyes play those kinds of evil tricks on me? That was just cruel and unusual punishment. Did they hate me for some reason? Had I pissed them off for staying up late one night too many, straining them to exhaustion as I’d squinted at my laptop and furiously tried to finish papers I had due the next day? They thought they’d get their reve
If someone had tried to tell me I’d end up in bed with Topher Nicholl’s girlfriend before the day was over, I would’ve laughed in their face.Then again, this wasn’t quite the situation I would’ve pictured either. I’m sure I would’ve envisioned a scene that involved a hell of a lot fewer clothes, absolutely no tears, and considerably more sweaty-hot groping that took place nowhere near my sister’s dorm room. But here we were, sprawled across Izzy’s bed where I’d carried Haven Gamble—both of us completely clothed—after she’d passed out cold from having a complete, traumatic meltdown in my arms.I swear, I’d never seen anyone cry that hard before. She wasn’t even the open-weeper, let-it-all-out-for-the-world-to-see sort. She’d curled up tight inside herself and burrowed against me as if trying to hide the pain and contain every single tear inside her until they’d simply ripped themselves free, emotionally shredding her apart in the process.I couldn’t blame her for falling comatose af
Haven had fallen asleep by the time we reached my apartment complex.“God, I hate your truck,” Izzy muttered from the driver’s seat as she passed the only available parking spot directly in front of my place.“What’re you doing?” I cried as I watched my building flash by. “There was a place right there.”The idea of carrying Haven’s dead weight more than a block did not appeal.But Izzy growled, “You’re crazy if you think I can actually parallel park this huge monstrosity anywhere that small. I’m going to circle the block, and then I’ll let you out by your front door before I find somewhere easier to park.”I opened my mouth to tell her it wasn’t that hard to parallel park and even offer tips, but the glance she shot me in the rearview mirror had me shutting up.So, I settled for sighing. “Whatever.”Growing up with three sisters and no brothers had taught me well when to keep my mouth shut to avoid getting my eyes scratched out.Once she’d made her way back around the block, t
Fifty-three minutes later, a hard knock sounded on my apartment door, making me shoot up from my seat where I’d been restlessly playing Gardenscapes on my phone.Moments before, I’d been tempted to delete the entire app, because the spreading honey level was pissing me the fuck off. But this waiting-for-Haven’s-parents-to-show horseshit was making me antsy enough that I kept playing the mind-numbing game and matching up three lines of fruit against the damn honey, anyway, batting it back as if I were fighting an approaching wildfire. And dying every round.Tossing my phone down as the honey consumed a leaf and a pear, I strode toward the door. Izzy popped up from where she’d been sitting across the room as me, cross-legged and madly typing on her laptop.I sliced her a warning glance as she tried to follow. “Why don’t you stay back a bit? They’re probably still pissed at me for putting them through the wringer.” I didn’t want anyone’s anger spilling over onto my sister.Rolling her
Issue 2 of “Hopeless Henry”By Alice BennetTaken from the University GazetteCollege was different than I thought it’d be. Harder in some ways; easier in others. One thing I seriously needed to learn was time management.As I stepped from the history department building, my head spun with everything I needed to get done. My professor had just reminded us of midterms coming up and an essay that was due next week. Then I had another paper in my English class to finish, a group project to work on in sociology, and a big lab assignment to start in chemistry, not to mention we had a parade to practice for in band, and another home game to perform at this weekend, and—Well, let’s just say I had no idea when I was going to get everything done. That pretty much summed it up.Turning down a sidewalk that led toward the cafeteria, I swung my book bag over one shoulder just as Rush appeared at my side.“Henry, my man,” he greeted, bumping his shoulder companionably into mine. “So, I’ve b
Seven words. That’s all it took to bring Wick Webster to his knees. Hook, line, and sinker. I could tell from the poleaxed expression on his face that I had him right where I wanted him.I honestly hadn’t meant to admit such a mortifying feeling aloud. I mean, how embarrassing to blurt out such a private thought like that, even though I felt it to be true with every fiber of my being. I did feel instinctively safe standing there, looking at him. The entire aura around him screamed protector. Besides, I knew Topher would never bother me again with a detractor like his nemesis around.But now that I had said it, it ended up exposing his weakness, not mine. The boy really must have a compulsion to keep people safe. And I’d just unknowingly stumbled my way into saying the magic words to get whatever I wanted from him.Silence filled the front room of his apartment as he stared at me as if I’d just punched all the air from his diaphragm.Then I went in for the kill and softly added, “Ho
Grateful that my old roommate and Topher were both nowhere around when Dad and I arrived at Dandridge Hall, we packed my belongings into his and Mom’s van, then into my car, for over an hour until I had all my college possessions completely cleared from Annabeth’s apartment, only to return to my new place and realize the sheets wouldn’t fit the ones I’d had for the single-sized bed I’d used in my dorm apartment.Wick offered to lend me a second set he had on hand, but stubborn, I-want-to-be-independent me resisted. Thankfully, the nearest twenty-four-hour mart was only a few blocks away, so after I shooed my parents out the door and on their way home to keep them from being on the road any later than necessary, I ran out and found myself some queen-sized sheets, trying to look at things on the bright side: I was getting a bigger bed!When I returned, Wick walked me down to the building’s basement to show me where the laundry room was kept so I wouldn’t have to sleep in itchy, new she
The moment I stepped outside, it seemed extra dark and spooky without Wick with me. I held my breath as I approached the steps that led down to the basement, thinking this would be an ideal place for a stalker to hang out while waiting for his next victim to pass by.Great. That vision calmed me down so much.I peeked into the lightened stairwell and blew out a breath when I only found a cat at the bottom, drinking from its bowl. So I clambered down the steps, which scared the shit out of poor Mr. Whiskers, and he darted back into the basement through his swinging cat door.By the time I reached the door myself and pulled it open, the cat was long gone. But I felt a little better, stepping inside the basement and knowing the animal was in there with me. Somewhere. Sometimes, just having another soul around—whether they interacted with you or not—made all the difference in the world.As luck would have it, the spin cycle on my sheets was just slowing to an end when I entered the lau