Page 6 of Uncovered
“There’s nothing to it. Here's a map, and she should have her schedule, but here’s a copy, too. She said she’d be at the fountain at noon, so...yea, I think that’s her.” I look over in that direction and a feeling of dread washes over me. Chancing a glance at the folder, I see her name in bold script and know I’m truly fucked.
Phoebe James- 12 p.m. Saturday
I open my mouth to protest, but Gabe’s already halfway across the quad. And what would I say, anyway?Sorry man, I can give the tour to anyone--except her.Yea, that’s not gonna fly.
I catch up to him just as he’s introducing himself and explaining the switch in tour guides.
“So, here’s the deal, Phoebe. Move-in weekend is a little chaotic, and I’m running behind. My buddy, Ty, here, owes me a favor, so I wanted to check with you to make sure it was cool if he gives you the tour?”
She looks at me, then back at Gabe, and shrugs. “That’s fine with me, but--”
“Perfect. Thanks for understanding, Phoebe. You're in good hands, I promise.” And with that, Gabe saunters off, leaving me alone with Phoebe.
“You ready?” I ask abruptly, like I have no manners at all. Damn it. I’m caught off guard and I need to get my shit together.
“Hi, I--”
“Look, I--” We both speak at once. I gesture for her to go first.
“I’m Phoebe. Phoebe James. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same. And I’m Ty Marshall.” I offer my hand and she takes it. I try not to examine how warm, how right her small hand feels in mine. And maybe I go overboard, pulling back as though I’ve been shocked. Jesus. I’m making an ass of myself. I sigh, gesturing forward. “Let’s get this over with.”
She looks up at me with wide grey-blue eyes. “Um, yea. Sure. I don’t really need a tour, though. I’ve got a map on my phone and a decent sense of direction. And I can probably ask my roommate if she’ll show me around. She’s a junior.” Her words come out in a tumble, and it’s clear I’ve made her nervous with my Captain Dickhead impression.
I shake my head. “I promised Gabe, and, like he said, I owe him one. Besides, this shouldn’t take too long. Do you have your schedule handy? I think Gabe said there’s one in the folder, but--”
She takes a folded square from her pocket and holds it up. “Yep,” she says, a soft smile lighting her face. I have a feeling she’s the type to give second chances, even when they’re not deserved, all the more reason for me to keep this as impersonal as possible.
We stroll through campus and I point out the major landmarks while marking them on the map Gabe gave me. “The Student Union is straight ahead. There’s a food court in there, the bookstore, the clinic, and a rec room.”
“A rec room? Like, foosball tables and stuff?” she asks, walking briskly just to keep up with my pace.
“I guess.” I shrug. “I’ve never actually gone in. I’m just reading the map.”
“Oh. Yea, okay.” We keep walking, but even though I’m no charmer like Whit--or even Knox when he wants to be---I can tell I’m being an ass. Time to dial it back a bit. “The bookstore’s nice. Have you been in there yet?” She shakes her head. “It’s got a wall of windows and comfy chairs. And the food at the Wolf’s Den’s pretty good. They have killer cheese fries.”
“Killer cheese fries. Noted.” She smiles and I’d give anything to have that look directed at me again. We continue walking, and I purposely slow my gait to match hers.
“Alright, so this is the library, obviously,” I tell her, gesturing to an old, ivy-covered brick building with the words Freeman Library engraved in stone above the doors.
“Obviously,” she says, gifting me that smile again, and it does something to me. Because damn it, I don’t deserve her smiles. I need to stay the hell away from her. If she ever figured out I’m the guy who arranged her scholarship--or worse--who my family is-- she’d run far and fast. But I can handle this. I’ll just finish the tour in record time and then never cross her path again. I point at the library once more. “Inside on the first floor is Drip, the coffee shop. That’s a good spot to know.”
“It is. My roommate works there.”
“Nice,” I say offhandedly, eager to get this tour over with. “Alright, what do we have left? Three more stops and we’re done, I think,” I say, regretting the words the moment they leave my lips. I’m not exactly a people person, but I’m usually not a total asshole. I leave that job to Knox. But for some reason, all manners and decorum escape me in Phoebe’s presence.
“Whoa.” She looks at me like I’m the world’s biggest jerk, and there’s probably a good reason for that. “You’re the one who insisted on giving me the tour in the first place.”
“A promise is a promise,” I grumble before I can stop myself.
“Why do you owe Gabe a favor?” she asks, as we make our way farther down the path.
“That’s nothing you need to worry about,” I say dismissively and point to the left. “That’s MacArthur. Your civics class is in there, right?” I need to get out of here, and the only way to do that is to stick to the script.
Checking her schedule, she nods. “Yep, room 314. So...really though…why? Did you, like, steal his girlfriend? Or did he give you the answers to a test? Ooh, or do you owe him money?”
I run my hand through my hair, and bite back a smile. “Sweet hell. Tell me you’re not an English major with a concentration in writing fiction?”
