Since Summers

thirty two : bullies

AUTUMN

I stared at the Acela Express ticket in my hand. I had not packed everything, it was a miracle that I even had the train ticket purchased considering how hectic these last few days had been. But today was Wednesday and Audrey's wedding was on Sunday. I had agreed to become one of the bridesmaids so I had to return to D.C. early to try the dress and get ready for late rehearsal.

I glanced at my phone laying on the table in front of me and frowned. It had been six days since that awkward kiss on the beach. Six days of going to class alone, spending time thinking about what had happened, and wondering where the hell he was. There had been no talk during the one-hour trip, I had been listening to the songs played inside the car while he had been focusing on the road. That night right after he had dropped me home and made sure I had gotten inside the building, he simply left.

The next morning, I could not see him anywhere. Neither hide nor hair. It was as if he had fallen off the face of the earth.

"Where on earth are you?" I muttered to myself as I continued staring at my phone, hoping something would pop on the screen. A phone call or perhaps even a message.

Maybe I didn't search for him thoroughly.

I shook my head. No, no, no. I was not looking, let alone search. Not really. But someone as big and tall as Fraizer ought to be noticed. Plus he usually had a bunch of people following him around like a parade, so surely I'd know if he was somewhere in Columbia yet no matter how long I had spent wandering around aimlessly, I couldn't see him nor his parade. Again, I was not really looking, I was merely spending time in Columbia more than usual.

"Okay, this is stupid." I grabbed my phone and shoved it into the back pocket of my jeans. "And a waste of time." I folded the ticket, put it in my bag, and slung my bag over one shoulder as I stood.

I had a lot of things to do. I had to inform the school about my absence for the next two days, email my professors and ask them if I could have their notes since I did not have any friends here who would be kind enough to lend me theirs. On top of that, I still have not packed my stuff yet. There was no room for Fraiser Ronan inside my head. Absolutely none.

"What is up, slut?!" I heard Margaux's voice long before I saw her and her ridiculously long legs. Just like Fraizer, she had her own group of people following her everywhere.

"Gawd, I miss Carlton High," I muttered under my breath as I tried to ignore her and continue walking.

She moved and blocked my path. "Off to steal someone else's boyfriend?" One perfect blonde brow arched on her sun-kissed forehead. "Or are you happy enough with stealing mine?"

This was certainly not how I wanted my afternoon to be. It was hard enough that I had to deal with Microeconomics so early this morning, I really did not need her to further ruin my day. "Margo, could you just step aside and let me get out of here? I promise I would be out of here as fast as I could."

"Did you guys know that she slept with the admission board?" said Margaux as she addressed the crowd around her.

I pressed my lips into a thin straight line. What was I thinking? Of course, she did not listen to a word I had said!

"It was not a surprise since she used to sleep with her English teacher back in high school." A wicked, annoying smile appeared on her face as she folded her arms in front of her blouse.

The girls in the crowd said "eww!" and scrunched their noses. I internally rolled my eyes. If they saw Joe in person, I bet they would throw their panties away. The guys made that noise which was a combination of 'whoa!' and 'ho ho ho. They were acting like high school cheerleaders and jocks if I were being honest. Something that I thought only existed in teen TV series.