Page 4 of The Storms Between Us
three
"Areyou sure you don't wanna walk in the graduation ceremony?" Kelsea asks for the thousandth time today. I turn around, pushing the last of my bags into the back of my Jeep and slamming the door hard.
"Yes, Kels, I'm 100% sure that I don't give a single shit about walking across the stage with only you in the audience to clap for me," I rolling my eyes at her insistence.
"That's so not true! Jake will totally be there to clap for you, too!" She motions behind us to her boyfriend, leaning lazily on the hood of her Subaru. I'm sure this is the last place he wants to be on a Saturday night, but he hasn't complained.
I've appreciated having both of them here to carry my minimal amount of belongings down from my third floor apartment and into the small trailer hooked up behind Charlie, my faithful Jeep. You never really know how much stuff you have until you have to move it. I see Kelsea shrug uncomfortably, and I move to pull her in for a hug. She's been my lifeline for three years here, and I don't know how I would have made it through without her.
I think back to when I met Kelsea during my sophomore year at Duke. She was a freshman rushing Kappa Phi Nu. A pledge prank gone wrong left her in the library in nothing but her bikini on a Monday night in December.
* * *
"Those stupid BITCHES!" I heard someone screech from the reference section. As she strutted down the line of study desks looking like Malibu Barbie, she stopped in front of me. "Excuse me, I know you're studying, but can I borrow this?" She asked, motioning to my sweatshirt laying on the table. I looked up at her, slightly stunned by the sight of this girl in her hot pink bikini and heels in such a somber setting.
"Um... sure. I mean, obviously yes, of course." I tripped over my words as she swiped it off the desk and pulled it over her raven hair.
"Thanks so much. My 'friends' thought it would be just hilarious to run off with my clothes in the middle of a snowstorm. That's what I get for thinking Kappa would be a 'joyful experience' like my mom described. Do you know if the campus transport service picks up this late?" She asked as she tapped away on her hot pink iPhone. Something told me she's had a thing for pink.
"Um, I'm not sure. My apartment is right next door, so I've never had to use it." I looked around and realized it was well past midnight and I was the only one left in the library. How did that always happen to me?
"Well, shit. I guess I'll have to call an Uber or something. Only creeps are out this late. Damnit! I'm such a fucking idiot sometimes." She seemed to be talking to herself more than to me. The introvert in me wanted to tell her I hoped she found a way home and leave it at that, but I remembered how scared I was during my freshman year before I got my bearings around campus.
"My apartment is right next door and we look about the same size. Do you wanna come over and at least put on a few more layers before you try to trek across campus?" I wasn't sure if I wanted her to say yes or no. She looked at me like I'd grown three heads, and I instantly wondered if I'd said the wrong thing.
"Are you for real?" She asked, barely above a whisper. "I don't think anybody has offered something so nice in the three months since I came here. Are you sure? I mean, I could be an axe murderer? I'm not. Definitely not. But I could be." I laughed at her candid nature and she seemed to relax a bit.
"I'm sure I couldn't leave you stranded here and still sleep tonight, so yeah, I'm sure." I told her as I packed up my books and threw my backpack over my shoulder.
We hurriedly made the short walk across the parking lot to my apartment building, dodging ice patches as we went. It amazed me how quickly she moved in those 4-inch heels without falling on her ass, something I could never master. We made the climb up to the third floor and hurried into my apartment. I could see her shivering even though she tried to mask it.
"Do you want some tea or coffee or something? I'm sure you're freezing over there," I asked, yelling at her from down the hallway as I walked towards my room. I grabbed my thickest yoga pants and my soft Blue Devils t-shirt and brought them back to the kitchen.
"Yeah, coffee sounds amazing right now," she said, pulling the cozy clothes on over her bikini and dropping her heels on the floor by the door.
The next hour was filled with sharing our favorite bands and books over coffee and the toasted pop tarts I had in my cabinet. I told her she could crash on the couch and call campus transportation in the morning to be safe. The next day, and every day after, Kelsea and I became the constant in each other's lives.
* * *
Pulling myself into the present, I see her eyes shining with unshed tears and I squeeze her tighter. "I'll only be four hours away, Kels. You can come visit whenever you want to and text or call me any time you need me," I tell her, trying to be reassuring but holding back my own tears. "I know, but it won't be the same as seeing your face every day. I'll manage, I'm sure. Jake will just have to take your place in our Friday night rom-com marathons." She jokes as Jake rolls his eyes behind her. She gives my hand one last squeeze, telling me to drive safely and call her as soon as I get to Everett's place.
I climb into the driver's seat and glance at her in the rear-view mirror. I could have waited one more night to make the trip, but I can't stand the thought that Justin could be watching me right now. I have to get out of here and I prefer driving at night, anyway. It's quiet and there's not as much traffic on the roads. I can be alone with my thoughts and decide how to deal with the Justin situation.
As I drive past the Durham city limit sign, I feel the tension slowly begin to drain from my body. This is the right choice. I just know it.
