9.6: Lust and Intrigue

NOTE: There are a few references, pixelated Sim nudity, some slight "bad" word usage, you know.

   "Now don't think just because we're roomies we can do sunrise yoga together. The class is strictly for my sorority."

   "All I said was thanks for showing me where the gym was…" I paused, wanting to add how wit technically wasn't her sorority, because he technically wasn't in it, but I refrained. 

   "Well you were thinking it!" She pouted, having to be the one who was correct. I didn't bother informing her that I was not, in fact, obsessed with being her BFF sorority sista, like she seemed to believe. "Now, second floor is yoga and treadmills, first is the desk, just have them scan your student ID- it works like a membership- and a few machines, basement is showers, third is the track. Now leave me alone!"

   "Fine." I grumbled, wandering off to the desk to have my ID scanned. "Good morning." I murmured to the attendant, who was rather thin, tall, with silky black hair down to her tailbone. 

   "Ello, come for a program or just a general workout?"

   "General workout."

   "Alrighty, I'll scan ya in." I must have looked puzzled, because she elaborated. "We keep track off how many people attend each class, or are just going for their own purposes, so that way we know what's popular and what we need more of."

   "That's neat."

   "Yep, is this your first time here?"

    "Yeah, I'm a newbie freshman who wanted to explore the campus." I shrugged. "How long does it take you to memorize it?"

   "Took me until November, but I'm horrid at memorization. This is only the second week of the semester; I'd say another two weeks, you'll have it."

   "Ah, thanks." I smiled, then glanced around at the crowded first floor. I wasn't a gym rat; I hadn't ever used a treadmill or weights machine or elliptical, so if I was going to make a fool of myself, I wanted to do it around the least amount of people possible, therefore I decided to head up to the second floor. 

   I slowly walked up the stairs, glad to see that the second floor was much emptier, provided you disregarded the yoga class. Treadmills didn't seem too difficult to use. Press the on button, pick your elevation, pick your speed, press go. I climbed onto the one closest to me, used the default settings, an began running.

   There was something surreal about  stationary running. You were going so far, yet stayed in the same place. It was a bit like the public education system, you could move ahead, be the best in your class, but unless you were in honors courses or AP, no one cared, you were the best regular kid or the best dumb kid, but you were still with the dumbs and the regulars. My thoughts turned from my school to my brother's.

   Anderson excelled at preschool, according to Delilah. He could already count to twenty-six and name nine colors- black, purple, pink, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and white. When he was handed the phone, he sang the cleanup song over and over and over, he said he had friends, two to be exact, Celeste and Benedict, and that they painted together. Tomorrow the class was going on their very first field trip, to the zoo. He was enjoying himself and I was thankful for that, we both loved school.

   "This is easy." I murmured to myself, deciding to speed up the machine. I hit the button a few time, feeling the increase. This was fast, maybe a little too- "Gah!" I screeched, my cheeks turned bright crimson. I'd fallen down, luckily nobody seemed to notice, except for the shirtless man in the corner who was snickering. I rolled my eyes, ignoring him, and climbing back onto the treadmill.

   "I hope yore better at maths than you are at exercise." I hear him call out.

   "I'm afraid not." I said. That was an odd statement.

   "That'll mean a lot of work for me." He sighed. 

   "Huh?" I kept jogging, waiting for an explanation.

   "Aren't you Phoebe from the math study group?"

   "Yeah..." How did he know that, we hadn't met yet. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

   "Asher and I looked at your ID. I remembered your name from the sign up sheet, there was only one spot left and luckily I nabbed it, and figured Phoebe Janes couldn't be that common of a name. Also, we have maths together, along with the rest of study group, which meets tomorrow."

   "You're observant."

   "And you're attractive, lucky for me, so study group should be okay. At least my eyes will have something nice to as I want to stab my brain with a pencil and the overpriced math book."

   "Wait... What? Attractive?" I smiled to myself, not sure I'd fully comprehended the first part of his sentence. 

   "I thought we were stating the obvious." He shrugged. "I'm observant, you're butt's great, we're both bad at math."

   "I…" I wanted to feel offended and joyous at the same time. I'd very rarely received positive statements concerning my body from males, yet I didn't know him. A stranger had been staring at my low back. I turned off the treadmill and climbed off, turning to face him. "I…"

   "I know. I'm so hot I leave the hetero woman, homo men and whoever else is attracted to men speechless."

   "You're not at all vain." I sarcastically replied. He was attractive, his muscles were very defined, he had a cunning grin, and a direct approach that I couldn't determine if I appreciated or not.

   "I'm only like this when I'm trying to pickup woman."

   "You're trying to- me? I-I, sorry. I don't want a boyfriend."

   "And I don't want a girlfriend."

   "But you-" He, Asher, if that was his name, was rather befuddling. "Oh. Friends with benefits? Really? Me? You? Two strangers who just met? Are you really suggesting that?" I tried to sound cool as I blushed, hoping my virginess wasn't obvious. My mind turned to Xavier, he was a kind, sweet man, and I felt a certain degree of caring ness when I was around him, around he man is just met, Asher, there seemed to be this wanting I didn't want to admit existed.

   "Think about it. That's all I'm saying... And not friends, really, study group members, more. The offer's open." 

   "If I every become that type of girl, I'll let you know." He smiled, about to turn around, before I thought of something. "Just because we're in study group you asked?"

   "I picked a study group girl because it was my first time trying I convince a hookup. I figured might as well pick one who cared about we education."

   "Got it…" He left, leaving me pondering the offer. I'd never considered myself to ever, ever do something like that. It would be oddly casual, where was the commitment? The romance? I wanted something grand and glorious, not whatever Asher, from the gym had to offer. I felt an odd feeling, as I glanced at him using the weight machine, sweat glistening off his abs, his rock hard abs, his silken hair, his- Perhaps it wouldn't be so odd; this weird feeling, this overwhelming horny lust, needed to be satisfied.

______________

   "So, are we all here?" A girl wearing glasses asked, I think her name was Yasmin.

   "I think so." A guy, Ross, with ridiculous facial hair replied.

   "Good! I just want to get started." Claire Hannibal exclaimed. Claire was the leader of the group, I decided. She was trying to keep us all together, on track. We'd had our first quiz, an unexpected pop quiz, today and I was feeling rather nervous about it. "So how does everyone feel about the quiz? I think we should cover quadratics and finish the essay about how you solve and graph them together."

   "That was the bulk of the quiz." Asher interjected. "And the quiz was easy. Right, Phoebe?"

   "I…"

   "Ignore her guys, a side effect of y handsomeness is the freshman being speechless."

   "So you two have met, outside of class, I mean?" Yasmin asked. 

   "We chatted a bit, nothing much." I said. "So, first meeting, we only have five people?" I quickly altered the subject, not wanting to linger on the conversation I'd had with Asher.

   "Small's better." Claire said. 

    "That's what she said." Asher muttered.

"You're all freshman, right?" Ross asked. There was a chorus of yeses, which he greeted with a, "Dammit."

   "No foul language in study group!" Claire shrieked.

    "Chill, Clarissa." Yasmin rolled her eyes. 

   "Claire."

   "Sorry, chill Claire."

   "Now, on topic, what do you guys want to cover?" Claire repeated. "I think quadratics-"

   "We heard." Ross said. "I don't even know why I'm here; I was hoping for some older babes, but…" he sighed, looking at the over anxious, overly prepared, overused of day planners Claire, the plump, much more relaxed, glasses wearing Yasmin, and me, the quiet, nervous, blonde who just wanted to pass her math class. "What the hell, might as well stay."

   "Bad word!" Claire squealed.

   "What, hell? No it isn't."

   "Yes it is. Right?" She looked at Asher, Yasmin, and I for confirmation.

   "Dunno." I shrugged.

   "I agree with Phoebe." Yasmin said.

   "Hell, hell, H-E-double hockey sticks, hell." Asher shouted. "Everyone still alive?"

   "Wha-you-I-rules!" Claire, flustered couldn't complete her sentence. "We need to get things done."

   "I think we established that we can say hell without the world imploding. That's something." Yasmin interjected. 

   "Well, I have to get good grades! I'm not sure about you, but I like my full ride scholarship. Maybe you guys can afford to go to college and good off, but I care."

   "I care!" I glared at her; how dare she assume I didn't, just because we wanted I good of a bit.

   "Well, Phoebe, I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Asher. I know his parents are dirt poor and he's only here because of a scholarship and his parents had to work two jobs each to fee him. He should care… Or maybe he doesn't give a hoot about his parents." Asher paled an called his fist. He looked like he wanted to explode, but he didn't, instead he calmly stood up, gathered up his belongings, and looked her dead in the eyes.

   "My family's financial situation isn't your business. Now, I have class to go to, isn't you, Yasmin, Phoebe, and Ross, as well?" We all nodded and stood up, leaving Claire sputtering behind.

   "Who is that girl?" I asked, once we were out of the library and standing by the fountain. 

   "My dad is friends with her's, so we kinda grew up around each other. She's an overthinking, filterless person, but not a bad person. She just thinks belittling people will make them do what she wants."

   "Phft." Yasmin snorted. "This time it obviously didn't. Now I dunno about you guys, but I don't have any classes, wanna go do something? Go study someplace else?"

   "Sure. Minus the study part." Ross said.

   "We could go to the pool. Skinny dipping is always entertaining." Asher smirked, glancing at me. "What?"

   "The pool's closed. And really? Skinny dipping? Are you that desperate to see me naked?"

   "You're attractive." He answered, not denying, or explicitly confirming anything.

   "I…" I blushed once more.

   "I vote we go to the pool." Ross interrupted. 

   "Might as well." Yasmin shrugged.

______________

   "The pool is closed." I sighed, as Yasmin, Asher, and Ross stood befuddled, looking at the no trespassing sign. "Remember? I said that."

   "Eh." Yasmin shrugged. "It's only closed so the college has their butts covered in case someone drowns without the lifeguard on duty." 

   "I vote we swim anyway." Ross said. 

   "Alright, if you can find a way in." I gestured to the brick wall, feeling butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I'd never gone skinny dipping, not had I ever seen another person without clothes on. I wanted to be spontaneous and take chances, but at the same time, I'd have a fairly modest, if not borderline conservative, upbringing.

   "Hey look at that gate!" Asher exclaimed, pointing at the rusty metal gate, that was locked. "Bet I can jump it."

   "I know I can." Ross puffed out his chest, as if to prove he wasn't bluffing. He stood back a little and began running, barely able to jump it, even though it wasn't that high. "See?"

   "Unlock it." I asked, as he complied. The three of us who hadn't jumped filed in after him, as he stripped, leaving his clothes in a pile, before shouting cannonball and jumping into the water. I tried to avoid looking at his, ehem, lower parts, but I caught a glance, feeling my face flush. The first time I'd seen the thing outside of a  textbook in sex ed. Asher followed suit, as Yasmin stood, looking from him to Ross.

   "I think I'm going to hookup with Ross."

   "What?!" I exclaimed, looking at her, as she pulled off her sweater.

   "He's got that new age, skater boy, hot thing going on. It's appealing. Now are you going to strip or what? C'mon, have fun, let loose." She smiled, as she climbed into water, baring all.

   I looked down at my feet, Asher's clothes were to my left. Hm... This would be spontaneous. I discreetly bent down, picking them up, then I began walking towards the archway that led to the showers and vending machines.

   "Hey! Phoebe's got my clothes." I heard him yell, as I took off running. I heard him running after me, streaking. I glanced back and started laughing; he was hot and he was hilarious, trying to catch me. I stopped once I'd reached the building and smiled, triumphantly, as I dropped his clothes onto the floor.

   "Is this part of your plan to separate me from the group and seduce me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because if so, kudos."

   "It isn't." I smirked. "But I though about your deal and, I suppose maybe-"

   "Ohhhh! Babbbyy!" A groan from the pool interrupted me. 

   "Are Yasmin and Ross-?" I began to ask, glad when Asher interrupted me so I didn't have to finish.

   "It appears so."

   "I'm going to c-"

   "Oh gawd." I rolled my eyes, feeling embarrassed for the two of them. 

   "So..." Asher paused, looking me in the eye. "What were you going to say?"

   "I, I, nothing." I was going to tell him how I was a hormonal, virgin mess who wanted to let loose and maybe hookup with a stranger, however after the groans from my other study group members, I didn't feel like proposing we do such a thing in such a public place. Perhaps later; there would always be later, wouldn't there be? "Just, uh, I think, maybe I am, you know, that type of girl."

   "Really?" His face lite up, then he quickly tried to act nonchalant. "Alright, cool. Also, I'm sorry if I came off as a jerk at the gym. Afterwards, I realized how rude the whole encounter must have seemed."

   "Don't worry." I smiled, glancing at my feet, my eyes straying towards him. Apparently I'd gotten his hopes up. "Er, I think I should go."

   "Study group tomorrow?" 

   "Sure." I shrugged, keeping my gaze upwards, towards the very fascinating signage that stated the rules. "Goodbye." Was I in lust or just excitement from this new sensation? Was it Asher or just the fact a guy was interested? Thoughts swirled through my mind, as I walked away towards my dorm... I had wanted to let loose at college, forget about the past for a bit...

9.5: A Roommate Named Luna

   Today was the first day of my freshman year; I just needed to stay calm. Delilah, her friend Hannah, and Xavier, who had come to help me set up my dorm room, had just left. I was officially on my own, a real college student. I was nervous about attending college in North Dakota; it was so different from the warm and sunny LA or the Virgin Islands, the only places I'd ever lived, but so far all the campus staff seemed friendly enough. The weather was a refreshing change, if bought a few long sleeve shirts I could actually wear because it wasn't seventy-five degrees in October.
   "I wonder who my roommate is..." I mumbled. When I'd unpacked, he hadn't been in there, but her half, or three-quarters, if I wanted to be more accurate, was already decked out in pink frills. She had to be a girly girl.
   I stepped back inside my residence hall, as I glanced around at all the other freshman who were in a tizzy, trying to get set up. Nineteen years of age wasn't an awkward age to be a freshman in college, considering the amount of students who decided to take a year off, then apply. My parents didn't attend college, however my dad always stressed the importance of enriching your education, because looks fade, but intelligence lasts a lifetime. Something felt right about attending, it was like I was honoring his memory. I opened my dorm's door cautiously, I didn't want to appear over enthusiastic, in case my roommate was an upperclassman who disliked chipper, naive freshman.

   "Oh…" I glanced through the rack of my roommate's clothes, to see a spray tanned, skinny, ginger girl in a bright pink dress that didn't exactly compliment her hair, glaring at me. "From all the blues I thought you'd be a guy."
   "Um, I'm not. Haha, so," we were off to an awkward start. "You know, I don't think North Dakota State University does coed dorms."
   "Whatever. I'm not even suppose to be in a dorm."
   "I'm sorry?"
   "Look, blondie, is that natural? Never mind, blondes never are. Look, let's get two thing straight. One: don't touch my stuff. Okay? My daddy paid lots of money for it and I dot want you screwing with it. The pathetic mini fridge came with the room, so store your cheapo grocery store crud in there if you want, I'm getting deluxe, organic, low carb, gluten free, sugar free food imported. Second thing: don't try to be my friend. You're a freshman, obvs,  and I'm a sophomore,  so yeah. I'm suppose to be in my sorority, but my daddy found out I only showed up to, like, a fourth of my classes and most of them I barely passed with a C, cause I'm pretty and nerds will do my papers for me, anyways, he says Greek life is too distracting and I can't fail, so he won't pay my dues until Thanksgiving break, if I've shown up to two-thirds of my classes and have a B in all of them, at least."
   "Okay. That shouldn't be a problem." I faked a smile, even though every whiting about her, from her glare, to her words, to her tone was insulting. "I'm Phoebe Janes, nineteen, freshman. Majoring in interior design with a minor in business administration."
   "Great, Penelope-"
   "Phoebe."
   "Whateves. What did I say? Don't answer that, it's, what the word? Starts with an R..."
   "Rhetorical?"
   "I said not to answer, gosh! Don't try to be my friend."
   "I'm not, I just figured since we'd be sharing a room for two semesters we should get I know each other a bit, you know find out if there's any quirks that really annoy the other."
   "Talking to me annoys me. Look, I may not be an official sorority girl, I'm still attending the parties, though, but trust me. Soon I will be, I won't have to share a room with you, and we can forget the other.  I've got my friends, you'll probably find some freshman geeks who will tolerate you."
   "Okay…" I sighed. Why did I get stuck with the mega, what's the word, catty bitch girl?
  "My name's Luna, by the way. Luna Smithstoner, my daddy owns Smithstoner Industries, the biggest producer of farm machinery in the southwestern part of North Dakota. You've probably heard of him."
   "Actually I haven't. I'm from California, LA to be exact, so Dakota business mongrels and farming aren't exactly things I'm up to date on."
   "Wait, you're an LA bitch? What the hell are you doing here?"
   "Uh, I try to not act bitchy and NDSU sent me a letter saying if I attended here I get a scholarship."
   "Oh… well, whateves."
   "Do you know where the student union is? Apparently all the clubs are set up-"
   "Skip it. Unless you wanna be an over eager, mega geek. If you're a geek, that'll ruin my rep."
   "I thought it'd be a nice way to get I know people."
   "Get to know people with the same major. Not me. Defiantly not me. Stop trying to friend me."
   "What's your major. I'm not trying to bef-"
   "I don't know. Don't care. In case you missed it, I didn't go to my classes, some nerd did, I partied. The not major I'm into is an M.R.S. In case you're stupid, that's a missus degree, I'm going to find some hot, rich, frat guy. Who gives a crap about my major?"
   "Not you." I muttered under my breath.
   "Huh?"
   "I think I'm going to try to find the student union."

   "But I said-" Before she could finished I smiled, waved bye, and exited. Something about her compelled me to turn and run the opposite direction; maybe it was her rudeness, maybe it was the overpowering floral scent, maybe her   blaring pink dress, either way she told me not to go to the club fair, so I was going to go.

______________

   "Wow, so all I have to do I form a study group is leave a note tacked onto the freshman bulletin board that states my course, the teacher, and my student email?"

   "Yep." I hadn't been interested in glee club, the RPG club, Greek life, non-competitive athletics, or any of the other clubs for that matter, however the study group booth did attract my attention. "You said you had Professor Torchwood for Employee Conduct and Management, right? Find a study group, that class has lots of group work and if you have an official study group you don't get randomly assigned one"
   "Thanks, I think I'll go do that now."
   "Glad I could help."
   I walked over to the bulletin board an left a note that fit all the requirements for both my Employee Conduct class and Algebra course; I'd need liked math as a child, the repetition bored me and there was no creativity in it, maybe a study group would help with that.

______________

   I'd been nervous about my first day, but overall everything had wonderful, other than my roommate situation. After signing up for clubs, I found out where the buildings my classes were located at were, I didn't want to be late tomorrow, then I stopped by the small continence store located half a mile from campus, I'd found a pay by the hour bike rental service and rented myself one, and stocked up on Ramen and peanut butter, the food of poor college students. I was lucky, right now my scholarship covered the majority of my expensive a, but eventuality if need a job. Then, I'd returned to my dorm to find it empty; Luna must be out with her friends.
   "What to do now..." I ponders aloud. It was only ten-thirty, slightly early for bed, maybe I should call home?
   Anderson started preschool today; it was a big step for him and while I was sad I missed it, I knew that it's be alright. I could come home on breaks and birthday weekends, he'd see me frequently enough. Plus, Delilah's friends who also had toddlers offered to arrange weekly play dates, so he wouldn't be a loner at preschool.
   "Hello, Delilah, hi Anderson!" I cooed into the phone, Delilah's cell had rung a few times, she had not picked up, so I was leaving voicemail. "I just wanted to let you know that the first day went well, I signed up for a study group, classes begin tomorrow, and you don't need to worry about me. I met my roommate, she's a sophomore, my age, and rather interesting. I don't want to be too judgmental, but she seems to be a daddy's girl and kinda snooty and rich. Eh, still, she's out trying to snag a husband, so I don't think we'll have I interact much. I love you all, make sure Andy to call me and tell me what you learned! Bye, bye have a great night. Hugs and kisses." And with that I hung up, ready to prepare myself for bed and sleep in my bunk for the very first time.

9.4: College Conversations

   "Row, row, row your boat, gentle down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream." I hummed, as I whipped up some waffle batter. After tossing and turning all night long, trying to decide how I'd broach the subject of college with Delilah, I decided over breakfast, before she went to work would be ideal. I poured the batter into a pan, then popped the pan into the oven, hoping i wouldn't burn them. The recipe said ten minutes to bake, but with my luck I'd forget and let them bake one hundred. I set my phone's timer, then walked to Anderson's room to see if he needed to be changed. He was potty trained, but still sleeping in nappies at night, to avoid messes.
   "Hi, hi." He grinned. "I up."
   "Yes, you are awake." I cooed. "How did you sleep?"
   "Dragons!"
   "Dragons?" I asked, curiously.
   "I dweaed, I was big and strong and I saved ev'body from dragons."
   "Did Delilah read you a book like that?" He nodded. "I like books."
   "Yay, that's good!" I'm sure he'll love school, when he began. I picked him up, placed him on the changing table, dressed him in a cute pair of overalls, than carried him to the kitchen where I placed him in the swing, that he'd be too big for soon.
   "G'morning, Phoebe." Smiled Delilah, as she sat at the table in a short skirt and sweater that made me wonder whether or not the school she was a teacher at had a dress code, the were waffles on a plate in front of her.
   "Waffles?"
   "I assumed you put them in."
   "Yeah, they have five more minutes, though."
   "The oven was set to five hundred, not three-fifty."
   "Oh." I laughed. "See, I'm no good at cooking." I sat down, grabbing a waffle with a fork. "Can I talk to you?"

   "Sure, I mean considering that you already are."
   "I... I want to go to college."
   "Okay." She said, not looking up from her waffles. "What are you thinking of majoring in?"
   "I'm not sure, interior design? Maybe business?"
   "Cool; you do love drawing interiors, it make senses."
   "Really?"
   "Yeah." She glanced up at me. "Was I suppose to react differently?"
   "Ye-er, no. I just thought it'd be more, I dunno, dramatic."
   "Phoebe, you're an adult, you make your own choices and I'll support you."
   "Thank you."
   "So what college are you thinking of applying to?"
   "Um, I don't know. Some place different, you know. I want the normal college experience, though, so not community college."
   "There are plenty of state schools out there." She shrugged. "Besides, lots of kids take a year off in between high school and college, there will be one school out there meant for you."
   "I just hope I can find it."
   "Oh, you will be; don't worry." I had been nervous about my announcement- I hadn't expected Delilah to be so understanding and relaxed about my announcement. "Oh, speaking of school, I want to sign Anderson up for preschool!"
   "Preschool?"
   "He loved getting to go to the elementary school yesterday; I figured be better capitalize on that love and set him up for success."
   "Alright." I smiled. Anderson and I were both going to be getting extra education; the Janes family was going to go from a bare bones minimum, free, public education family, to a well educated, college degree holding one and I couldn't be more excited.

Author's note: Sorry for the short chapter; it was a needed transition one. 

9.3: Run Ins and Chats

   "C'mon, c'mon, work." I shouted at the coffee maker, rather aggravated. When I resided in Isla Paradiso, I'd have the occasional caffeinated beverage, a soda, maybe an iced latte, or energy drink, but I never had a heavy dependence on the substance. Delilah changed that  after a few weeks; she was an avid coffee drinker and while I didn't hate the bitter beverage, I much rather preferred the delicate flavors of tea. Sadly enough, the teas I preferred weren't caffeinated enough to ward off a caffeine headache, so I found myself screaming at the coffee pot every morning. "Finally!" I exclaimed, once my mug was filled to the brim.

   I took the mug, satisfied, and sipped the strong liquid. Supposedly this type of roast had more caffeine than other varieties, but I couldn't taste or tell the difference. I glanced out the window; the leaves were turning a lovely rainbow of yellows, red, and browns, the October landscape was gorgeous. I thought when I moved to the States I'd finally be able to enjoy Autumn and all the clothes and warm, fuzzy things associated with the season. My assumption had being horridly wrong; the high today was estimated to be about eighty-five degrees, right now, at seven-thirty am, my phone informed me it was seventy. I'd never seen snow, real snow, not the fake stuff that was used to decorate the gymnasium for high school dances, or experienced the cold, so I wasn't sure how I'd like it, but I still wanted to try the weather out, have a real winter.
   The last drop of coffee was the best, I'd decided happily as shuffled around the cabinets for another packet of coffee, I need more or I'd get a headache. There was only decaf left- I never understood those who drank coffee for the taste, the warmth- so, dejected, I opened the dishwasher and placed my mug inside, on the top rack. I'd have to buy more detergent and coffee when I went to the store. I opened the fridge, looking for eggs or yoghurt or fruit I could enjoy for breakfast. Coffee was fuel to me, but food was an experience, something take pleasure from. You had to eat; might as well eat what you like. There was nothing of the enjoyable breakfast sort, though; I'd have to buy those from the grocer's as well. I should go to the store today. In fact; I had nothing to do now, I'll go before I start procrastinating.
   I wandered down the stairs, eager to go to the small market Delilah favored. I'd been living with her for a few months and had learned my way around the city fairly well. The grocery store was right next to a quaint diner, down the street was a theatre, coffee shop, artesian perfume vendor, veterinarian, and a book store.

   "Good morning!"
   "Delilah..." I murmered. She was holding Anderson, a rarity, usually she left him sleeping until I could awaken him, and hadn't left for work yet, usually she was gone by six-forty-five. "And Anderson?"
   "Hi, Phoebe!" He exclaimed, smiling a toothy four year old smile. "Delilah takes me to school, yay, yay."
   "School? Delilah what's going on?"
   "It's take your kid to work day." She shrugged.
   "You don't like taking Andy toy your work. On take your son to work day you said he'd not be able to entertain himself."
   "Yes, but each day this week has a theme. Take your kid to school, wear school colors, dress up like your favorite superhero."
   "Sounds fun..."
   "And if the teachers participate in each day, we don't have to chaperone the elementary school football Superbowl."
   "Ohh." That explained it; she hated sports, especially when the players were four feet tall and not very good. "Well, I hope you have fun, Andy."
   "I will! I gets to paints, fun, fun, yay."
   "We're studying impressionism." She shrugged. "Plus, kindergarteners love vistiors. It'll apease them and Anderson, won't it, hon?"
   "Yeah."
   "Okay." I murmured, smiling, glad that Delilah was involving Anderson in something. She loved him and was a good parent, even if she originally never planned to have a child, she helped develop his vocabulary, read to him, took him to children's museums, made sure he did lots of artsy crafts, and made sure his motor skills were fine tuned.
   "Say goodbye to Phoebe."

   "Bye, bye, sis." He said, waving as Delilah exited.
   He'd have fun; he'd never been to Delilah's work before, no doubt he'd enjoy getting to see "big" kids who'd probably be enchanted by him. I suppose her taking him made my errands easier. Instead of hauling him with me, or calling a sitter like I'd planned, he'd get quality time with his step-mom, who he called Delilah or mommy two. I grabbed a reusable grocery bag that had my sketch pad in it and exited,  locking the door. I was off to go have a productive day.

______________

   "Thank you!" I called out, to the grocer. I'd spent a bit more time and money at the store than I'd planned; they'd just received a new shipment of herbal teas, my weakness. Also, Delilah and I were both terrible cooks; anything complex we'd burn or  mess up somehow, so I often bought duplicates of what was needed for certain recipes, so we could practice. Since I'd bought so much, they agreed to drop my groceries off at the apartment around four-thirty, when I knew Delilah would be home and able to help me haul everything to the appropriate location.
  My phone informed me that the time was ten-forty-nine; too early for lunch, most diners in this area didn't open until eleven. I didn't have any groceries at home, so I couldn't cook myself anything, and I was a wee bit peckish.
   "I'll go to the coffee shop." I decided aloud, as I walked down the brightly lit street, enjoying the warm sun on my skin and the quiet midmorning lull.

   I entered the shop, noticing no barista or customer roaming about. I knew after the morning nine-to-five crowd, but right before lunchtime, establishments usually didn't have a mass amount of patrons, yet I hadn't expected to see the barren wasteland that greeted me.
   "Hello?" I called out, seeing no one. Was the place open? I assumed so; the doors weren't locked, normally they opened up at five and didn't close until eleven.
   "Phoebe Janes?" I heard a confused voice call me name.

   "Yes?" I asked, turning to see who it was. Xavier? Xavier Tenant? I hadn't seen him since August when he'd been mugged; I'd been too embarrassed to go with Delilah to any social gatherings. I knew that it wasn't my fault, he'd insisted on walking me home and taking that shortcut, but still my irrational eighteen year old mind was screaming for me to avoid the gentlemanly twenty-nine year old, because I couldn't explain the fluttering sense of joy that occurred in my stomach whenever I saw him.
   "Hey, haven't seen you in awhile. The shop's closed until eleven; whatcha doing here?"

   "Um." I felt my cheeks flush a bright scarlet. "Well, see, the doors weren't locked."
   "Ah." He smiled. "Didn't read the signage?" There was signage?
   "What are you doing here?" I quickly asked, hoping to distract him from my blunder.
   "Training the employees how to use a new computer program to track sales." He shrugged. "I finished early, though, so now I'm free until one, then I've got an across down meeting at the office."
   "Cool." I weakly replied. "So..."
   "So..." He repeated. "How are you?"
   "Good." I glanced at my feet. "Sorry."
   "Sorry?"
   "The mugging... I felt bad, I just, I heard your phone and watch were taken, I can repay you."
   "Is that why I haven't seen you around? Pho, honestly, it isn't a big deal." He shrugged. "I wasn't hurt or anything and I'm the idiot who thought the dark, dank alleyway would be perfectly safe."
   "I'm glad you're okay."
   "I'm glad that you don't hate me for taking you that way. You seem like a difficult person to convince to forgive."
   "Please, as if you couldn't charm anyone into liking you or apologizing." I looked into his large doe eyes, inhaling, as I felt his hand on mine.
   "I dunno. I haven't tried my luck with ladies like you, before."
   "Like me?"
   "Headstrong, artistic, funny, generous." He shrugged.
   "You barely know me, yet you've analyzed my personality?!"
   "Delilah talks about you lots."
   "Really?"
   "Indeed, and Anderdson. she won't admit it, but she's smitten with the kid, I think she likes that he admires her, likes being able to have a student 24/7. Now, could I charm you into having lunch with me?"
   "I think you could." I winked.

______________

   "You pick good restaurants; this is delicious food." I gushed, trying to not inhale my food and actually enjoy the delicacy.

   "Thank you, though really, the credit goes to one of my ex-girlfriends. She use to be a waitress here, so I visited pretty often."

   "Ah." I simply replied, not wanting to venture into the subject of relationships when I'd never had one before. "How's work?"

   "Not bad. It pays the bill and then some." He shrugged. "Like I said when we met, it appeases my parents, so that's good. I'd ideally like to do something more computer and accounting oriented, so I'm using both my bachelor's, but the job market's not the best."

   "Maybe it'll get better."

   "Maybe." He smiled, taking another bite of food. "So what do you do?"

   "I paint, well sketch."

   "What do you sketch?"

   "Rooms." I blushed, hoping it didn't sound silly. "I like decorating them, in my pictures."

   "That's neat. You could sell them or become an interior designer, perhaps."

   "I dunno. It's just a hobby; I'm not sure I know enough to start a business off of my skills."

   "There's always college."

   "College?"

   "You never considered it?"

   "I did, sorta... Just, now, I mean. I'm a little late and my test scores were mediocre, plus with Anderson, and money."

   "You've got a tragic history that's great for college entrance essays, there's plenty of scholarships, and you're bright and bubbly; I'm not saying apply to Harvard or Yale, I'm just saying consider a state school."

   "A state school..." I did love designing rooms, the ideas he was telling me weren't brand new; I'd considered those options before, I just never thought I'd be able to do it... Maybe, maybe I could, though. It's be nice to be the first person in my direct family who I knew of to go to college, I'd be able to let loose and have a little fun, and it'd set a wonderful example for Anderson. Maybe I should, or at least ask Delilah for more information and assistance. "Thanks; I think maybe I might look into it, maybe even apply."

   "That's great! You've got so many possibilities available, don't end up like me, old, wishing I could have gotten a different master's degree and a different job."

   "You're not old."

   "I dunno. Sometimes I feel old." He shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what 'do it for the Vine' means, but I'm setting up retirement for myself.

   "Trust me, so many people would be better off if they were like you." 

   I liked Xavier; I'd never had many friends or gone out of my way to make and keep them, I'd never been able to talk about the future with them, with him, despite the eleven year age gap, I felt completely comfortable. My stomach would feel a bit warm, fuzzy, and jittery, but other than that, he was a handsome, helpful gentleman, who gave good advice. I should apply to college; I want to be able to enjoy my last few years of being a teenager, I love learning, I'd love to be an entrepreneur, college seemed like a wonderful plan.

9.2 Part Two: The Club

   "Ugh!" I scoffed, glaring at myself in the mirror. Originally I wasn't planning on putting a lot of effort into my appearance, but after meeting Xavier, some odd feeling compelled me to. I had spent the last hour and a half on my makeup and hair; I was horrid at hair, I tried to do some Pintrest up do and always ended up with the same lump of blonde strands being held together by bobby pins. I'd never tried the smoky eye look, but I assumed it couldn't be too difficult, so I decided to try it. I'd applied too much shadow to the left eye, so I applied more to the right, than I looked too goth, so I threw in some green; now I just looked like a drag queen.

   "Phoebe?" I heard Delilah call. "We have half an hour until we need to go."

   "I'm… I dunno. I look like a mess!"

   "May I come in?"

   "Yeah." I sighed. Why couldn't makeup and hair be easier things to do; magazines and movies made it look effortless. Of course, normally I didn't care about silly things, but tonight something felt different. 

   "Oh, honey." She said, when she walked in and looked at me. "You've been in here of ages, your hair looks the same."

   "I know."

   "Your makeup looks, interesting, and, er, quite nice, though."

   "Don't patronize me." I glumly replied. I wanted to look lovely tonight; I needed to make a wonderful first impression, yet I was having such difficulty with my appearance. I liked myself as I was, why did I have to apply products to enhance my average looks?

   "Do you have an outfit picked out?" She tactfully asked, ignoring my statement, 

   "I don't exactly have anything club appropriate. I was thinking maybe my high school graduation dress, though."

   "No, no, we don't need to break out the black tie. Thing business casual, darling. Let's go to my room; we're about a size apart, so they should fit, they might just be longer than needed."

   "Thank you for trying to help me."

   "My pleasure, besides I'm the one who invited you out, it's only fair to help you get ready." I followed her out of the bathroom to her cheerfully decorated bedroom. "Alright, think formal, not super formal, but sexy office attire."

   "Sexy?!"

   "Crap, I forgot. I'm your step-mom, I'm suppose to be preaching abstinence and be all anti-under aged drinking. I'm telling, you though, my junior year of my undergrad, of course I turned twenty-one that year, anyways, point is I didn't do either of those things and I've got a stable job and nice personal life. But don't drink under aged, it's not cool, it's stupid and what idiot posers trying to look cool do, and personally I don't give a crap who you sleep with or when you do it, as long as you both consent and I don't have to pay for STD meds or the kid you accidentally pop out. Was that mom-ish, enough?"

   "I guess… can I change now?"

   "Oh, yeah. Sure." She blushed, exiting the bedroom and closing the door. 

   In the dresser there was a variety of clothes, ranging from revealing and almost what a stripper would wear to practically Amish. I picked a nice, blue blouse with yellow decals and slid into in. What for pants? Jeans did seem club appropriate, nor did khakis. Perhaps a skirt? The micro, velvet, navy skirt seemed a bit itchy, may the cotton brown one? I stepped into it and glanced at myself in the mirror. My hair, flip flops, and made the outfit look ridiculous, but maybe, just maybe I could pull it off.

   I  called Delilah in, expecting her to be glad that I was dressed following her guidelines, however she vetoed the outfit and called it "Amish"and said I need to slut it up a bit. In order to get back at her, playfully of course, I picked out micro shorts and a bikini top, which appalled her, as I laughed and smirked and said that I'd change, but I was going to pick what I liked.

   "Fine, fine, just hurry, we have to go soon. The sitter's here and I told her you'd tell her all the baby nonsense she needed to know."
   "I called her in this morning as well; I think she should know what to do."
   "Oo, what you'd do this morning?"
   "Went to the art  store. One of your friends stopped by, gave me a book to give back to you. I think I put it on your desk."
   "A guy? Xavier?" Hope gleamed in her eyes as I glanced at my feet. "How is he? Every since his breakup with the vet, he hasn't left his house much, other than for work."
   "He's fine."
   "Maybe he's moved on?" She smiled. To herself I heard her mumble, "Where's my pushup bra?" Was she trying to impress him? From what he told me, they were just friends; there wasn't an inkling of romance, then again Delilah had mentioned a crush when we'd chatted early this week, when she was introducing herself. "Oh well, hurry, get dressed." She rushed out of the room, as I picked the first two articles of clothing that I spotted, not wanting to be late. I slipped into the skirt and tank top, glancing at myself in the mirror. My hair needed to be fixed; it was awful. I grabbed a brush and ripped it through a few times, it was now down and looked a bit more presentable.

   I walked over to the door, throwing it open, as Delilah grabbed my arm, her nails stabbing my skin. "Quick, we've got to go." She pulled me down the stairs, out of the apartment, into the elevator, then into her car, before I even had time to process what was going on.
   "How do I look?" I asked, as she sped through the city, turning right, then left, then making a U-turn and doubling back to a parking structure.
   "Damn, you look hot. I hadn't even bothered look, I hate being late..." She winked at me, then parked the car, getting out. I followed her down a level, then to the club's entrance.

   "Are your friends here?"
   "They're by the bar." She pointed to a group of woman, who were all holding different shaped glasses that contained, from my limited knowledge of alcoholic beverages, red wine, scotch or whiskey or brandy, white wine, and an expensive looking beer.
   "Hi." I timidly said, once we talked up to them, as they smiled and introduced themselves. Delilah joined them at the bar, as I stood awkwardly to the side. I had expected a darker, sweatier atmosphere than what the brightly lit, hardwood floors, and classical music provided. 

   ?Did you hear? The market's down?" Delilah asked, as she took a drink from the platter.
   "I told you it would be." A blonde woman chimed in. "My husband said we should sell while the market's good and we did; made three thousand profit."
   "Not bad." Another woman, a dark haired woman replied. "Delilah, don't you own five hundred shares?"
   "Yeah. I was hoping that the stock market would go up and I could sell for a tad more, three K is okay. I sold though, I'm going to wait a few days, see how low it'll get, then rebuy and sell when the market's up again. Your husband gives good advice."

   "Thanks." Blonde lady replied; the names hadn't stuck in my head.
   "Speaking of him, where s he?" The red head asked.
   "At home with the baby; the fever's lower, but still I didn't want to leave a babysitter with her."
   "Oh! Speaking of babies, we're expecting a boy."
   "Congratulations!" Delilah, black haired lady, and blonde lady all exclaimed.
   "That's not wine, now is it?" I heard Xavier chuckled.
   "Ginger ale, oh I wouldn't drink while pregnant. You know that Xavier."
   "Speaking of Xavier, when are you going to populate the world with your redheaded angels?" The blonde lady asked. "You too, Delilah; you're the only unmarried ones in the group."
   "Uh..." Delilah said, looking towards Xavier with admiration, as she knocked back a shot of something. Had she not told her group about my father? Or had accepted the fact  that she was a widow and moved on?
   "When the time comes, the time comes." Xavier classfully said. I looked at my feet, feeling invisible.  I wasn't married or expecting children and I didn't want to be asked when I planned on becoming a mother, but they hadn't even glanced at me or said anything other than, 'My name is, blah blah, nice to meet you.' I slowly turned, heading towards an alcove that was lined with black, velvet seats.

   I wasn't an excellent socialite, nor was I one to ignore social clues. Clearly I didn't fit in with Delilah's stock market, mommy friends. I wanted to find my own friends, my own people to hang out with, and not rely on my step-mother. I had started sketching wit the art supplies i bought this afternoon, and I loved that, I just wish that I had a group of people to talk to that wasn't Delilah or Anderson. I sighed, looking down at myself. I thought I looked attractive, but compared to Delilah's friend I look like a whore. I wanted to go home, bury myself in my sketches, yet I smiled, trying to suck it up and not be the party ruiner.
   "Hey." I heard a man say. I glanced up; it was Xavier.
   "Hi."
   "I saw you wander off, we were concerned."
   "We?"
   "Yeah, Delilah and I."
   "Oh... where's Delilah?"
   "Let's just say she handles shots pretty poorly; she rambling about her love life and how everyone else is pregnant or married and she's single. I figured they needed girl talk, so I came to fine you."
   "Thank you."
   "No problem." He smiled, plopping down beside me. "How are you?"
   "I'm okay. I don't fit in."
   "You don't have to."
   "But it'd be nice."
   "Look, you're new to LA and you're a pretty, intelligent, creative woman. I'm sure you'll make new friends soon. You haven't even been in town a full week; don't give up hope."
   "I'm hopeful." I smiled at him. "Do I come off as a depressed teenager; I don't mean to."
   "I don't think you do, I just think you're overwhelmed, trying to find out who you are."

   "I am." I agreed. "I'm glad you understand."
   "I try to."
   "You look handsome."
   "Thank you, I am rather dashing aren't I?" He asked, chuckling, as his eyes shone bright. They were gorgeous lakes, I want to get lost in them. I looked at him sharp jawline, his masculine, yet seemingly gentle features.
   "Haha, you are."
   "I like your..." He pointed to his eyelids.
   "Eyeshadow?"
   "Yeah; that's it." He smiled.
   "I thought I applied too much, made myself look like a cross dressing prostitute."
   "...I wasn't thinking that." He cautiously said, glancing towards the side. I'd made the situation uncomfortable; hadn't I? 

   "You're a good liar." I smirked, pushing back a strand of my hair. "And a good friend, Delilah and everyone are lucky."

   "Aren't you lucky, then, too?"

   "What do you mean?"

   "Well, if they're lucky that I'm their friend and I'm your friend too, then wouldn't you be lucky?"

   "You're my..." I smiled. I hadn't ever really had a friend like him, it was nice being able to have someone who I could just talk to.

   "You should smile more. It's a nice smile; the world deserves to see it."

   "You're so charming; it truly is hard to bear, ya know?"

   "Oh, you'll learn to bear it, don't worry. Everyone else has."

   "I'm not like everyone else, though. I'm not all grown up and equipped to talk about adult things like morgages and loans and the stock market and preschool."

   "Don't worry about being like us. We've got a decade on you, you'll learn, you'll be prepared when you get to that stage. Right now you need to let loose, make mistake,s be a teenager."

   "It's hard; I feel guilty, if I do. I need to be composed for Anderosn and Delilah. I need to make sure she doesn't think that I'm a burden."

   "You aren't."

   "Part of me knows that, part of me doesn't... Xavier, thank you for finding me, but if you want to go be adultish, I'm probably going to walk home, thank you, though, for listening."

   "Any time. I like listening... And you shouldn't go."

  "I'm tired." I shrugged, smiling slightly, then wider when I realised he thought my smile was nice, perhaps even pretty.

   "I'll walk with you. The city at night, well, certain areas aren't the best."

   "Thank you." I didn't feel guilty for taking him away from everyone; I was surprised. I liked him, I liked his mentality, I like being with him and the idea of him walking with me, protecting me from the city, in a way, was comforting.

   We stood up and walked towards the door, I wondered whether or not I should tell Delilah, but from the racket and the strong stench of alcohol that she was emitting, I assumed she'd either figure it out or be too drunk to remember she brought me along. Xavier helped me figure out which way to go; I thought I knew where I resided, but apparently I'd forgotten, or at the very least had overestimated my memory. The air was chilly, neither of us had a jacket, and I didn't want to say anything, in case he thought I was attempting to hit on him.

   "What's that?" I asked, gesturing towards a large truck that was lit up like a Christmas tree.

   "A food truck.Terrance's Tacos. They make some of the best Tex-Mex cuisine around; you should try it... In fact, are you hungry?" 

   "I..." Yes, but the idea of ordering food from someone from a truck at a dimly lit street corner unnerved me. "Is food from trucks decent?"

   "Decent; it's unfathomably delicious. Did the Virgin Islands not have food trucks?"

   "No." I confessed. "Or at least, the Isla Paridiso portion didn't."

   "Here." He said, feeling his pockets for his wallet, presumably. "We'll get you an everything but the kitchen sink taco."

   "Interesting name. I think I have a few dollars on me." I felt my hips, then realised I didn't have pockets; my wallet was at home.

   "No, no I- dammit. Left my wallet at the bar."

   "Do you need to get it? I can walk home on my own, or-"

   "No, no. I'll walk you home, then go back. We'll have to get tacos later."

   "Promise?" I teased.

   "Promise."

   "You better keep that promise, you don't lie to a girl who loves food about tacos."

   "Don't worry." He chuckled, as we began strolling once more. "Cut through here; I know a short cut."

   "Are you sure?" 

   "Yeah, yeah." I faithfully followed him though the alleyway, glancing around nervously.

   "BANG!" The noise frightened me; what areas were we casually passing through?

   "Xavier..." I murmured, pointing towards a hooded figure with an object that looked strikingly similar to a pistol.

   "If I say run, run." He whispered back.

   "Aren't you suppose to freeze?"

   "I think that's with black bears... Maybe grizzly bears."

   "Huh. Really? Coulda sworn it was-"

   "Gimme your valuables and nobody will get hurt!" A high pitched, squeaky voice demanded. It would have been hilarious, if it wasn't for the fact that a gun was being pressed to Xavier's temporal lobe.

   "Unholy, satan worshipping gummy bears." I shouted, wanting to break down in tears. I had no valuables; my jewellery was all coustume. Was the mugger going to murder Xavier? What the hell was I suppose to do? Comply would probably be the best, but Xavier was stubborn and overly protective and too gentlemanly and kind to let a mugger, or anyone, push me of force me to do something I wasn't alright with; I'd barely known him for twelve solid hours, yet I'd already picked up on that.

   "RUN!" I heard him shout and I did; I was going to question him, I ran, even throwing in a few zigzags because I couldn't remember if that's what you do when someone has a gun or you're trying to lose a bee. I ran and I ran and I didn't stop until I got home and dialled Delilah, screaming for her to come home because Xavier had to be okay and she needed to come home and why, why, why had this occurred.