Chapter Nine

Sara I was practically bouncing as I left my dorm room. I had my purse thrown over my shoulder, and a jacket clutched to my chest. I was headed out to meet my friends so we could hang out.

Not Alicia and Caroline. They’d pretty much ignored me after I refused to tell them about Noah, and when I tried to talk to them, they wouldn’t even acknowledge me.

Lucky for me, I managed to find some new friends. Ones that liked me for me, for who I was and not the benefits they got when they hung out with me. If we went out and I treated them, then they made sure to treat me back. They didn’t ask me for expensive things or borrow money from me when they wanted to buy something. Also, they studied instead of playing around, so I figured I’d be better off paying more attention to them for my future at the school. After all, I didn’t go there to fail.

“Hey, guys!” I called out when I saw them.

We were in different rooms, but we all lived in the same dorm building. They waited just outside the door for me, and they looked up and smiled as I hurried over to them.

“I was just about to call you,” Tracey said as she put her phone away and looked up at me with hazel eyes. She looked pretty, with her black and purple hair pulled up in a messy bun, dressed in all black from head to toe. She always looked pretty though.

“Yeah,” Hayley added with a little impatience. “The movie’s going to start before we even get there.”

I squinted over at Hayley, her broad smile on display to take the sting away. She hugged me, and I could smell her citrus perfume as I hugged her back. I brushed a lock of light brown hair from her face and looked into clear gray eyes. Hayley was a little on the thicker side, but it suited her. She was just as lovely in a pair of jeans with a camisole and knit sweater overtop of that.

Even as they lectured me for being late, they smiled, and it felt good to join in. We didn’t have all the same classes, but I met them both in different classes, and over the past couple weeks, I thought we’d grown close.

“Sorry, sorry,” I said with a chuckle. “I lost track of the time, just a little bit though. I’m here, aren’t I? Let’s go so we aren’t really late.”

I didn’t want them to ask why I was late, because I knew I would blush. I’d been texting with Noah before I got the reminder. Tracey and Hayley didn’t know about our relationship yet. We weren’t particularly trying to hide anything, we hung around together on campus a lot, and someone could have seen us headed to his dorm more than once, but neither of us had explicitly told anyone anything. I hadn't even met his roommates any of the times I showed up to his room.

Maybe, later, I would tell them. Tonight, though, was going to be a girl’s night out.

There was a movie theater not too far away from the school. It took about fifteen minutes to walk, though it could have been faster if we weren’t moving slowly as we talked and laughed on the way. The movie we were going to see was a recent rom-com that was adapted from a book. I hadn't read it, but plenty of people said it was good.

“What’s everyone having?” I asked as we moved to the snack booth.

I ordered a bunch of candy bars and waited for the other two to make their selection. It was my day to treat us, so I paid, and we made our way to where the movie was playing.

“Do you think this movie is going to be any good?” Tracey asked with some doubt. “I checked out the book, and there are a lot of glowing reviews, but there are some scathing ones that make a good argument, too.”

The place wasn’t too crowded. There was plenty of time before the room would start filling up since a lot of people ignored the advertisements that came before the actual movie. We ignored them as they played on the screen, found some good seats, and sat down.

“Lots of people say the movie is good, though,” I said. “Even the ones that didn’t like the book when they read it. I haven’t looked at it myself…”

In high school, I’d read a lot. I was more social now than I used to be back then. Although, mostly, it was with Noah. When Tracey and Hayley asked me to go to the movies with them, I said yes because I felt I was spending a little too much time with Noah lately. I needed to socialize with others a little more. For one thing, our relationship wasn’t defined by anything, other than we met up often and had plenty of sex. Also, I loved having female friends.

“I saw one of the actors in a different movie, and he was really good,” Hayley said, sipping her drink. “If he’s in this movie, then it shouldn’t be too terrible, right?”

As the time grew closer, more and more people filled the room. The murmurs grew, and we went quiet as we waited for the movie to start.

The opening started, and I relaxed back into my seat, taking out a candy bar. As the movie progressed, I found myself pulled into the story. Tracey and Hayley whispered a little as it went on, but I didn’t say a word, watching it the whole time. It was a coming of age romance story that was more fit for teens, but it wasn’t terrible. Still, at the end of the movie, I didn’t think it was anything that remarkable.

“It surprisingly wasn’t terrible,” Tracey said and looked around as we waited for people to clear before we left.

“It could have been better,” Hayley said with a frown. “She picked the wrong guy at the end. Can you imagine even having three different guys after you? I’ve never even dated before. How about you, Sara?”

The two of them turned to me, and I was stunned for a moment. The roles had completely reversed, the last time I’d had this conversation, I hadn’t dated anyone, I’d never had sex, and had been judged for it. Now, my two friends were in my place and I was the one that had the experience.

“Uh, I’ve never dated, either,” I mumbled, shoulders hunched.

Tracey sighed and shook her head sadly. “Don’t worry girls; I’m sure we’ll make it there eventually. This is college, right? There’s still plenty of time for all of that.”

I found myself smiling as I looked at the two of them. They were so different from Alicia and Caroline, and I wondered now why I ever thought I had to be friends with them. I should have tried talking to other people sooner instead of waiting for them to ostracize me first.

Also, me telling them I’d never dated wasn’t technically a lie. Since we’d never talked about it, and considering how we met, to begin with, I couldn’t say Noah, and I were dating.

I’ll tell them about him later, I decided.

“Who’s feeling a little hungry?” I said, standing up and stretching my arms out. “I’m feeling a bit generous today, so I’ll treat you girls to an early dinner if you’d like.”

“Ooh, where should we go?”

“How about that café across the corner? They have really good dessert…”

I perked up at the mention of dessert. “Let’s go!”

We chattered as we left the room, tossing our trash on our way out. It was still fairly early; it wasn’t even six yet, so going out to eat before heading back to school was okay. There was a curfew since the school gates were locked for the night. We had plenty of time, though.

In the middle of talking about what we were going to eat, I saw someone I didn’t expect to see. Or, two someones rather.

Alicia and Caroline.

Before I could even think about whether I wanted them to see me or not, Caroline glanced my way, then nudged at Alicia. We looked at each other for a moment, and they were the first ones to turn away.

“Wasn’t it a little cliché, though?” Tracey said, talking about the movie and bringing my attention back to them.

The two of them were looking at me; there must have been something else I didn’t hear because they seemed to be waiting for me to reply.

“Is something the matter?” Hayley asked.

Immediately, my eyes moved to where Alicia and Caroline were walking away. I turned back a second later, and they were glancing curiously in that direction as well. I smiled with a shrug.

“It’s nothing,” I said. “Now, what were you saying is cliché?”

“The entire storyline,” Hayley said quickly. “A girl grew up with these guys, they were together forever, and suddenly all these guys start crushing on her, and she ends up with the one that was an ass to her in the beginning, that didn’t even look the least bit interested.”

I snorted. “What movie doesn’t have a few clichés here and there these days? The last time I saw anything original, I was a kid, and my parents didn’t think it was original at all.”

That was back when Dad was still around. We were a pretty close-knit family; then it was just Mom and me.

“He wasn’t like the usual bad boy, either,” Tracey continued. “Though I think they were trying a little too hard not to, you know? I mean, the best friend and one of the crushes is one of those bright guys, blonde haired and blue eyed and as friendly as a puppy, and the guy she ended up with had a problem with him, had dark hair and eyes, they were even related. I can think of so many movies and books that are just like it.”

As we continued to head for the café to eat, they analyzed the movie, and I threw a few more comments in.

The café wasn’t too far from the theater; we were there in five minutes. It was still early, so there were plenty of free tables, and we sat at one and looked over the menus. The prices were reasonable, too. I didn’t have much cash on me, though I carried a credit card everywhere so that I could handle it, but the two of them insisted on paying at least half of the bill no matter what.

We were served soon, and the food was delicious. I even indulged myself in some dessert, probably not the best idea after all the chocolate I’d eaten, but I didn’t care, and they didn’t say anything about it, either, eating more than their fair share.

It was pretty late by the time we got back to school. We separated at the entrance to the dorm with plans to meet tomorrow, and I smiled as I walked back to my room. I’d genuinely had a good time, and I was looking forward to tomorrow. My phone vibrated just as I stopped in front of my room, and when I pulled it out to see a text from Noah, my smile grew into a grin.

As if my day couldn’t get any better.