Allegra stared at the man approaching her table with half a dozen philosophy books with him. Her heart pounded and she was sure he could hear each beat.
“Okay, guys, I think these ones should do it.” As expected, one of the books belonged to Voltaire. Castor smiled as he sat next to Kevin Beare—a friend from the fraternity. Recently, Castor had convinced Kevin that philosophy was just as important as psychology.
“Why don’t you like the Greeks?” The only freshman in the group—Wesley Harris—asked. Fortunately, Wesley was taking philosophy. “You only go with Enlightenment thinkers.”
“Well, the Enlightenment thinkers think great.” Castor smirked. “Okay, let’s get started.” Yet, his mind was far from the Enlightenment and Greece. Actually, it was pretty much at Marlowe’s, ordering scrambled eggs with cheddar and coffee…ordering the order with that business major student who only worked the night shift.
He tried to look for her after that Halloween party, but it seemed that she lived nowhere on campus. He tried asking for her, but no one seemed to know her. He tried waiting for her—here, at Marlowe’s, and sometimes in front of the business classes—but, she never came.
Once, he even asked Ash. He tried doing it casually, but Ash didn’t respond. What Ash did was shove another beer down his throat and shrugged.
He admitted it—but, he only admitted it to himself. That day, he had seen her in the back of the room, looking alone and scared. He even followed her upstairs, to see if she was going to be okay. It wasn’t fate when he stepped into her way of running; food wasn’t going to spill on her by itself. And, he couldn’t help but feel triumphant when she started to cry.
No, he wasn’t a bully. He was just curious—interested, at why this girl—one who should’ve been studying or at home, certainly not at a wild frat party—would be here.
When she disappeared by the time he woke up, he certainly knew that Ash had come to get her. He had never seen Ash so worried over a girl—actually, over a person. The only time Castor had seen Ash phone his folks was when he needed a small amount of cash, since he had been hospitalized for a week due to a broken and infected finger from an overdose of Budweiser and cocaine. That was nearly four years ago.
It was probably because Ash was so obsessed over this girl that made her seem even more interesting to steal.
Castor would steal her…He would take her and let Ash watch, just as Ash had done the first day Castor had stepped on to campus with that girl that Castor had followed from Riverblossom Hills. Yes, Ash would watch—he’d watch without even blinking.
“One Cobb salad with a side of Sugunya, please.” Ash’s smirk was irritable.
Sue rolled her eyes. Ever since he finally knew how to pronounce her name—even with that Thai accent—he had stopped calling her ‘Sue’, and she knew that he felt pride in being the only one who could pronounce her name like her family could. “I’ll get your Cobb salad.” She jotted the order down and made way to the kitchen.
He followed her, and sat on the bar stool. “So, Sugunya, how was today’s exam?”
“It was fine.”
“Are you tired?”
“Why? Will you serve for me?”
He chuckled. “I have a better offer: After work, want to go catch a movie?”
“I get off at one.”
“The movie’s are open for twenty-four hours…well, the international ones are. But, who cares? I understand French.”
Sue nodded her head, apparently un-interested in what he had to say. She went to the back and quickly came out. “Anything to drink?”
“Coke.”
Expertly, she swished the ice into a cup and started the coke machine. While waiting for the glass to fill, she scoped the room. “God, there’s no one here.”
“I’m here.”
“That’s worse than no one.” She sighed. “It’s going to be another long night.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll stay here all night if I have to.”
She shook her head. “Don’t you have morning classes, too?”
“Of course. Mathematics is only understood in the morning…well, in my philosophy, that’s what I believe.”
Philosophy. Memories of embarrassment from that Halloween party flooded into her mind. She awkwardly shifted positions. “…Where were you?”
He looked up. “Huh?”
“…On Halloween…At your party?”
“…Why?”
She bit her lip. “Well…” Should she tell him? What if he would laugh, also?
“Yeah?” But, he knew what she was going to say…what she was going to admit. He heard it that night and the rest of the week. But, he had decided that he wasn’t going to tell her what he had heard. If he did, what would happen? He was scared that she didn’t want to see him again. Ever again.
“…No. It’s nothing. So, where were you?”
“I was making out with Kylie.” Blunt, honest.
“Where?”
He smirked. “Jealous?”
She shook her head. “I’m scared that you might’ve mistaken someone else for Kylie and gotten some kind of contagious disease.”
He laughed. “No, we weren’t inducted into an orgy. I left before.” To find you.
“Oh? Why?”
“…I was hungry.”
She nodded her head. “Figures. You’re so selfish.”
“I’m selfish? You’re selfish. Very selfish. And, stubborn, too.”
“Okay, then, why am I selfish?”
“Well, if you want to know the truth…”
The conversation went on and on and it was nearing ten by the time another customer came in.
When the door opened, Sue looked at the door and smiled. “Hi, welcome to--.”
“Hey.” The ridiculously handsome smile could only belong to that one guy. “Haven’t seen you in awhile.”
Ash didn’t recognize the person. Nor, did he like the way Sue turned a dangerously pale color. He was an ex-boyfriend, Ash decided.
“Justin.”
“So, this is where’ve you been, Sue.”
“I-I didn’t know you came here.”
“I just transferred. You know me, I’ve always wanted to be in law, but my school wasn’t good for law…” He smiled as he approached them and took a seat at the bar. “I didn’t know that you would come here. I always thought that you were more interested in Belladonna.”
She lowered her eyes. “…Well, it’s much closer to home.”
“Are you majoring in international business, like you said you would?”
She nodded her head.
“That’s great. Say, what’s good here?”
“A-anything…”
He chuckled. “Then, how about…a cheeseburger and a strawberry milkshake? Is that good, here? You know how I love a good cheeseburger and a good milkshake.”
She nodded. “Give me a sec.” She retreated back into the comforts of the kitchen.
Ash glanced at the Justin guy. He was okay looking, and the clothes he was wearing meant he came from a semi-middle class rich family.
Justin noticed him glancing. He smiled. “Hi.”
“H-hey.”
Justin stared at the jukebox behind Ash and whistled. “That’s pretty old.”
“W-well, I’ve heard that the jukebox has been here since the college started…back in the forties…”
“I thought Pleasantview was the first of the Sims’ State Colleges…If I recall, it was founded in the 1700’s or the 1800’s.”
Ash didn’t know that. “But-but, I think that Marlowe’s opened in the forties.”
Justin nodded. “That seems more reasonable.”
A moment later, Sue came out with a milkshake and a cheeseburger. She set it in front of Justin and didn’t even wait for him to say thanks before she ran back into the kitchen.
Justin chuckled. “She’s always been like that when she sees me.”
Ash looked at Justin. “Are you two friends?”
Before Justin had a bite of his cheeseburger, he shook his head. “Well, actually, something like that.” He set down the burger and began a conversation. “Her dad is a city engineer, did you know that? Well, he’s also a head city planner at Belladonna. So, she and her family had been coming to Belladonna since…I can’t remember when and—surprise, surprise—my dad is also another city planner. We became pretty close, and she came almost every summer and spring…But, then, I went off to a private academy my senior year. I stopped seeing her and I was going to go to VSC for law, but this place has a higher prestige for law.”
No, something deeper was here. Something, much too deep for Justin to say…Maybe even for Sue to say.
Justin laughed. “But, now, I guess it’s awkward for her to see me, since she always hides whenever she feels awkward or embarrassed or something like that. Yeah, I remember.”
Ash wished he didn’t remember. He wished that Justin was still in Belladonna, because he could see the potential threat that Justin posed.
And, Ash didn’t like threats.
After leaving her shift, Sue got on her bike and peddled back to her dorm. After Justin had left, he was all that was on her mind. Why did he have to meet her like this? After all those years…?
She started dozing, and didn’t realize that she was on the road. By the time she realized it, she nearly crashed with another car. She tried to brake, but she swerved and fell into the bushes, bumping her head against the concrete.
The other car swerved and nearly hit a building if it hadn’t braked just in time. The car stopped and the driver came out and approached the bushes. “Are-are you alright?” he called out.
When he opened the bushes and saw Sue, a smile didn’t show on his face like the last time. “Sue!” Castor called out as he reached out for her. The blood trickling down the side of her face was slowly turning into a stream. “Oh my God!” He shook her a bit. “Sue! Sue!” Seeing that she wasn’t going to respond, he put his ear near her lips. Good, she was breathing.
He lifted her up and ran to his car, where he set her in the back seat. He then jumped into the driver’s seat and rushed to the hospital.
Once there, he held her and ran into the emergency room.
The lazy nurse working the night shift didn’t seem too surprised or interested in a hurt and bleeding girl. Instead, he actually walked Castor to the stretchers. The nurse then slowly pushed the stretcher to the ER.
When Castor yelled at him, he yawned.
“Well, you said she was still breathing. Everything should be fine. She’s stopped bleeding, too. See?”
Castor peered down and realized that she did stop. “Well-well, you should hurry.”
“I bet it might just be a little scratch or something. So, mind telling me what happened?”
“She-she came out of nowhere, I swear. She might’ve been coming home from work…God, she does work the night shift…”
“So, who are you? Are you just the person who was driving or something? You seem to know quite a lot about her.”
What should he say? “Boy-boyfriend.”
“Oh. Okay, then.” The nurse smiled. “Lucky it was you, or else, I swear the other person would’ve done a hit and run. Boy, she’s going to be surprised when she finds out that you drove her into—what did you say?—the bushes?”
“Can-can I go in with her?”
“Well…” He looked at Sue. “I would’ve gotten you in, saying you were her only relative—a brother or something…But, she’s Asian.”
“Can I still go in?”
“Nope. Come again tomorrow.” The nurse pushed Sue through the ER doors. “Don’t worry; your girlfriend won’t go anywhere, tonight.”
The first thing Castor saw when he woke up was a white ceiling. The first thing he felt was the atrocious pain in his neck. He then realized that he was at the hospital—in front of the emergency room. He didn’t need to think twice of why he was here.
He looked around. No one was even here. He saw a clock—it was seven twenty-seven. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He slowly got up and walked to the nurse’s station.
The nurse from last night wasn’t there. Instead, there was a nursing student; possibly a senior or a junior.
And, she knew him.
“Hey, Castor.” She smiled broadly.
“Hi…” He looked at her name badge. “Beverly.”
She smiled. “I heard from Rick that you were waiting for someone…” Her voice lowered. “…A girlfriend…?”
Castor cautiously nodded. “Well, actually, just a friend.” If he remembered Beverly, it was because she had a big mouth with that broad smile: she was a gossiper. “But, that guy must’ve heard wrong.”
Beverly nodded. “Figures. Rick is never awake, even when he looks like it. Anyways, she woke up just before you did.”
“Is-is she alright?”
“She’s fine. Just a minor abrasion. The doctor’s with her right now. She’ll be out in a few.”
Castor nodded. “How much is it? Her bill?” As he asked, he was reaching for her wallet.
“Oh, someone already has it.”
Ash instantly came to mind. “Was it Ashley Pitts?”
The look on Beverly’s face said it all. “No…no, it wasn’t.”
“Then…?”
Beverly sighed. “He came in last night, with a friend who had just broken his arm. Some kind of weird swimming accident…Anyways, he’s also good friends with Dr. Lexan, so they were talking and Dr. Lexan was talking about the girl. Well, then, this guy just asks the doc if he can pay for her bill. Dr. Lexan said it was fine, so everything’s been cleared.”
“Did he just leave?”
“He left last night. He only was in for about ten minutes…You were fast asleep…He came around three, and I was already here.”
“W-what’s his name?”
Beverly thought long and hard. Upon not recalling the guy’s name, she looked through the computer. “Oh, oh, here it is. His name’s Cleveland…Justin Cleveland.”
The name was familiar. Very clear and familiar. It was that new guy that all the prelaw students were talking about. So, how did he know Sue, a business student?
The talking was dying down. Not many were talking about the incident with Castor and Heather in the library; no one was reliving the moments.
By now, Heather was already planning for another one of these encounters; she loved to hear people talk…especially about her and Castor. The more they talked, the more that added to an assured fame with Castor.
Heather was also feeling the triumphant heat coming from Tiffany and Brittany; nothing felt better than triumph.
For days—since that day—Tiffany and Brittany couldn’t even look at Heather. Whenever Heather was around, they’d sneak out to be somewhere else.
Heather couldn’t blame them: if she was either one of them—or some other girl on campus—she’d hate herself right about now. They can bask in their jealousy; she was the one who was winning him over.
Now, as she walked the way to the frat house, she could tell that something was different. She noticed that Castor’s car was here, so he was here—and, that was all that mattered.
But, her little, ignorant mind, apparently couldn’t comprehend reality.
She was invited into the house by Kevin. Once inside, she sat down on the couch. A few moments later, she heard a shout and looked at the stairs. Coming down was Castor, followed by a very pissed off Ash.
“I-I said I’m sorry!”
“You bastard!” Ash nearly tripped on the last step.
“She’s fine—I made sure!”
“You shouldn’t have hit her in the first place!”
“I said I’m sorry!”
Ash didn’t seem to hear Castor; he continued to chase him until Kevin had to hold Ash off. “Dude, calm down.” Kevin pulled Ash away.
“He freaking almost killed her, Kev!”
“She’s fine, now! She’s probably already at home!”
Ash pushed Kevin off, but didn’t move towards Castor. He glared. “If she’s lost some memory or something like that, I’m going to kill you.” Ash turned on his heel and stormed out.
Heather stared. “What’s wrong with him?”
Castor sighed. “Long story.”
“I have time before class…”
“…I kind of don’t want to talk about it…I thought he’d understand for sure.”
Kevin frowned. “Is it about that Asian girl? The one that came to the party?”
Heather perked up. “Is it? Is it?”
Castor stared at the floor.
“I knew it!” Kevin admitted, “Ash has been ga-ga for her ever since he met her.”
Castor looked at him, as if asking him if what he was saying was true or not.
“He goes to eat at Marlowe’s almost every night. And, I know that on the weekend, he’s at the library with her, or somewhere with her. I’ve never seen him this crazy before.”
“…Is that so…” Castor began to head upstairs.
“Castor?” Heather got up.
“Just a minute. I’m going to go…change…” No one saw the triumphant smirk that Castor was wearing.
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