Page 42 of Late Fees

After four movies, two pizzas, and a desk full of empty Coke cans, Dahlia and Ruben had passed out on his bed. Dahlia’s arm was wrapped around Ruben’s belly as he snored softly. Marissa and I were quietly cleaning up the room. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

“I can take care of this if you want to take off,” I whispered, placing two Coke cans into the empty cardboard case.

“No, it’s okay. I’m happy to help.”

“Recycling room is down the hall,” I said, passing her the pizza boxes.

Quietly, we left them sleeping in Ruben’s room and walked down the hall. “Is everything okay? You seem a little…”

“What?”

“Distracted.”

“Oh, sorry. I think four movies in a row turned my brain to mush,” I said, doing the best I could to lie convincingly.

“Ah,” she said as I opened the door to the recycling room. “So, how do you know Tilly?”

“Who?” I played dumb.

“You know, the girl at the video store.”

I could feel my muscles tense at the mention of Tilly. Trying hard not to seem obvious or awkward, I replied casually, “Oh, right. We, uh…we went to high school together. Until I moved.”

“Oh, wow. Small world, huh?”

“Yep.”

I placed the case filled with empty cans in the large, green recycling bin and followed Marissa back into the hallway.

“So, that anime store. When can we go?” Marissa asked, her eyes hopeful as she bit down on her lower lip.

“Anytime you want,” I said, and Marissa’s shoulders relaxed.

“Maybe later this week?” I asked. “I’m done with classes by three o’clock every day.”

“Me, too. I guess it’s a date.”

I nodded but felt a weight in my gut. I didn’t want to lead Marissa on. And before I laid my eyes on Tilly, I was genuinely interested in her.

But now? Now, everything had changed.

“Do you want me to walk you to your room?” I asked.

“Nah,” she said, waving me away. “I’ll just hop on the elevator.”

“All right.”

“Goodnight, Wyatt. It was really nice to meet you.”

“You, too.”

I turned to walk to my room but stopped in my tracks. Jogging to the open elevator, I caught Marissa just as she was pressing the button for her floor. She looked at me, her eyes wide, pleasantly surprised.

“Wyatt?”

I swallowed hard, knowing I was about to burn a bridge. But it had to be done. “I lied to you.”

“What?” she asked, and I stepped onto the elevator.

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