Page 18 of Sidelined Love

In her left hand, I assume she's holding the list of things we need to find, and in her right, she has her phone. She's probably this close to calling me because I'm not here five minutes early.

Jade spins around and when her gaze lands on me, I see her visibly breathe a sigh of relief. “Hailey! You're just in time!”

I give her a small smile even though this is the last thing I want to do. My feet drag my body the last couple of yards toward her and I stick my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. “Great. Wouldn't miss this for the world,” I reply with a hint of sarcasm.

Jade, who I'm sure is intentionally ignoring my lack of enthusiasm, claps her hands, forcing her phone and the pieces of paper to come together. She looks down for a moment before sticking her phone into her pocket, probably because she didn't need to call me and ask where I am. Once it is safely put away, she waves the white pieces of paper in my face once, and the only thing I can think of is that it's a white flag signaling my defeat. This is really what I'm going to be doing this Saturday morning.

“So I've been strategizing about this since last night,” Jade says, and I'm not at all surprised. She hands me a copy of our scavenger quest, and I hold back the sigh I want to let loose as it touches my fingers. With her focus back on the piece of paper in her hand, she says, “What do you think? Should we split up or stick together?”

I shrug. “Let's stick together for now,” I say decisively. “There might come a point where we have to split up, but I'd rather do this with you.”

It is also my way of ensuring that I won’t decide to say fuck this and go back to our apartment.

“The whistle should blow in a few minutes and then we can start,” she says.

I nod. “Well, since they gave us the list early, why don't we write down some of the answers we might know to the clues and head there first?”

Her face lights up before she looks back down at the list. “That's a great idea! See, you're getting into this.”

I don't know about that, but at least she thinks I am.

“Also,” Jade pauses for a second, “depending on which clues we figure out, we should list the answers by their locations. That way we aren't running across campus unnecessarily.”

This is all unnecessary, but I can see her point. “That's a good idea. Excellent strategizing,” I say as I pull out my phone. Together, we find ourselves staring down at the scavenger hunt list. The first clue reads:

“Head to the hub where minds meet and ideas spark, near the silent guardian that stands tall even in the dark. You'll hear no ticking, but its stance is grand, close to the realm of knowledge, where projects are planned.”

The clue sounds ridiculous, but the campus library with a gigantic clock sculpture in front of it flashes in my mind.

“That's gotta be the Ramsey Library,” I mutter, typing the answer into my phone.

“Exactly what I was thinking!”

Without waiting for me to say anything else, she starts reading the next clue out loud. We figure out the answers to a few more clues and several we might know but aren't completely sure about. I send Jade a quick text with the information I'vetyped out just before the sound of a whistle cuts through the morning air. It makes both of us pause for a few seconds before everyone, including ourselves, disperses in every which direction.

“Go!” Jade almost screams, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward Ramsey Library. We end up jogging lightly and reach the library within minutes. She pulls out her phone once more and snaps a picture, providing the proof we need to show that we've completed this task.

“What's another clue we've already solved?” I rush out before I can lose my breath. I'm in decent shape but having to jog unexpectedly didn't bode well for me.

She grins at me like she knows exactly what's going through my head and flips over to the next page. “‘Where creativity and the great outdoors merge. Look up, look down, where these elements play, and uncover the beauty that is here to stay.’ We said that was the community garden murals.”

“Yes, that's right,” I reply with more enthusiasm than I was anticipating. It's as if my competitive streak has decided to make itself known, and now I want to do well in this event. Sometimes being an overachiever has its advantages. “Let's head over there.”

We set off again, but this time we walk fast instead of jogging. As we approach the community garden murals, a beautifully vibrant kaleidoscope of color comes into view. The garden displays an array of colors due to the organic produce and plants here. It's only a matter of time before the colder weather hits and a lot of this colorfulness will be missing. However, that is when the murals on the wall overlooking the garden will become a more prominent feature. Each piece of art reflects student and campus life. They range from bold, graffiti-style pieces to peaceful landscapes that all fit together in this space. Outside ofhelping to plant some of the produce here, I’m realizing I never come over here to enjoy this part of campus.

Jade is quick with her phone again, taking pictures of the murals and the garden. I find myself staring at the artwork for a few seconds too long before Jade nudges me.

“Look,” Jade says softly, pointing to one particular section of the mural where a beautiful sunset flows into a portrait of a former professor who passed away a few months ago.

We spend another minute admiring the murals, but we know time is of the essence and we have to continue the scavenger hunt. I glance away from the wall and toward the path that leads out of the garden and spot a familiar figure up ahead. Broad shoulders, messy dark hair, wearing a backward cap…

“Wilder!” Jade calls out, waving.

The man in question turns around at the sound of his name and his face breaks into a smile when he sees us. His eyes linger on Jade a bit longer than they should before he says, “Hey! What are you doing here?”

Jade answers for the both of us. “We're doing a campus-wide scavenger hunt. What's your excuse?”

“Just finished wrapping up breakfast. Why don't I walk with you guys while you continue searching? I could use the exercise to get the digestion going.”

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