Page 56 of The Chase

Since this was my only class for the day, I’m free as a bird, so I text Brenna asking if she’s on campus. She’s quick to answer.

BRENNA:Library

ME:Just finished class. Wanna grab lunch at the diner?

BRENNA:Yessss. Come get me?

ME:Kk. 10 min

ME:Be prepared to discuss MH or I won’t let you in my car!

This time, there’s a delay in her response. Shocking.I texted her a bunch of times yesterday begging her to tell me exactly what happened between her and Hollis, but she refused to discuss it.

BRENNA:MH?

Seriously? She’s going to play dumb?

ME:Mike Hollis. AKA king of the bros. I want all the deets today or else this friendship is over.

BRENNA:I’ll miss u

ME:You think I’m bluffing? I’ve cut friends off for not tagging me in Insta posts. I’m ruthless, Bee.

BRENNA:Don’t believe u

ME:Arggghhh! Come on, please?? I can’t take it anymore. I must find out 1) his dick size and 2) WTF WERE U THINKING

After another long pause, she responds with:Fine. You win.

__________

Despite my threats, I don’t push Brenna to talk about Hollis during the drive to Hastings. We discuss our classes instead, and I confess that I’m feeling a tad uneasy about my professor.

“I got a pervy vibe from him,” I say as I search for street parking.

“What’s his name?”

“Erik Laurie.”

“Never heard of him.”

There’s no reason why she would, unless she follows the fashion world closely, which I know she doesn’t. I give her a quick rundown of his credentials before describing the chronic winking.

“Maybe he doesn’t understand the concept?” she suggests. “Like, to him, winking could be another form of smiling. So if you give him a compliment, he saysThanks!Wink. And when he greets people, he goes,Nice to meet you!Wink.”

I bite my lip to stop from laughing. “Are you fucking with me right now?”

“Of course I am. Nobody is that dumb. Winking is flirting. Everyone knows that.”

“So he was flirting with me?”

“Probably?” She rolls her eyes. “And if you try to tell me this is the first time a prof has ever flirted with you, I won’t believe you.”

“No, it’s happened before,” I admit. “But I wasn’t expecting it from this one. He’s so respected in the industry.”

Her loud snort echoes in the car. “Right. Because well-respected men can’t possibly be douchebags. Do we need to have a talk about the current climate in Hollywood?”

“No, let’s not go there.” I find a spot and squeeze my Audi into it.

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