Page 21 of Brick Wall
I’m not impulsive. I don’t take risks.
I’m not just saying that in an “I’m a cautious kinda gal” way. I mean it literally. I’m majoring in Actuarial Science. My future job description is risk calculation. I’m going to get paid for figuring out where the pitfalls are and systematically avoiding them.
I’ll be sure to keep the last night’s activities off my resume.
I tap my watch and send a quick text to Viv. She’s always been an early riser and I’m hoping to god that hasn’t changed. The sooner I can get out of here and back to my regular life, the better. No matter how incredible it was, I need to put last night behind me.
Viv: Yep. I’m showered and everything. But I can’t find the coffee. :( Boo.
Viv: I found some vodka as I was unpacking. Bloody Marys beat coffee every time!
Viv: Dammit. The bottle’s empty.
Viv: This calls for a coffee run. I’ll pick you up in five.Does Coach want a coffee? Perhaps a bagel? Maybe a muffin? Or …me, naked on a plate with blueberries and whipped cream?
Maggie: EWWWWWWWW
Maggie: Oh my god, what is wrong with you?
Viv: Nothing. It’s not my fault your uncle is hot.
Maggie: Again…EWWWWWWWW. Also, he’s married.
Viv: Right, right. So…bagel?
Maggie: I’m not at Uncle Hudson’s.
Viv: … Is this a guessing game? I can’t play guessing games until I’m on my second cup of coffee. And I’m currently on cup zero, so…
Maggie: Remember how we went to that party at Kappa last night?
Viv: Yeah…
Maggie: I never left.
A few minutes later, I see Viv’s car. Thankfully, I also see a staircase, which means I don’t need to try to scale this hill again and risk twisting my other ankle. As soon as she sees me limping up the steps, though, she’s out of the car and offering to carry me.
I can’t help but laugh. “I appreciate the gesture, but your car is about eight feet away. I think I can make it.”
Viv rolls her eyes at me and holds the door open before gingerly tucking me into the seat and helping me get settled. She waits a whole twelve seconds—the amount of time it takes her to round the car and get buckled in her own seat—before she starts laying into me.
“You were limping! What in the world did you do? A dismount off the beer pong table?”
“Trust me, this is definitely not an athletic injury,” I say.
“Holy shit, you fucked up your ankle during sex? I don’t know whether to be proud or horrified.”
“Oh my God, Viv. No, it was before the sex. I didn’t—oh, shit.” I guess my time in Cali made me temporarily forgetthat breathing the same air as Viv McDonald is like taking a truth serum. I don’t know why that’s the case, but it definitely is. Maybe since Viv has no filter, she just disables everyone else’s automatically. Whatever the reason, I’m physically incapable of keeping a secret for more than a minute around my best friend.
Viv’s squealing with delight and clapping her hands, all while making a left turn on a light that’s been yellow so long it’s basically orange.
I shake my head as I realize that if anyone were to examine the last twelve hours of my life, they might wonder how the hell I’m majoring in risk management.
Honestly, I’ve been friends with Viv since preschool, so I’ve been identifying, avoiding, and mitigating risks for almost twenty years.
“You had the sexy sex!” My best friend is practically singing as she steers her car into a covered parking garage.
I’m not super familiar with campus just yet, but I know Viv’s dorm is nowhere near here.
