"Very well," Miss Black says, no longer looking at the guy's picture. She turns to Mel and pulls out a few pages. There are a lot of pictures of the guy and his preferences are noted.
I tune out what they say. I don't realize it, but I'm staring at the upside down picture of motorcycle man. He seemed so normal, so nice. What's he doing at a place like this? If he asked me out, I would have said - stop lying to yourself, you would have said no. I wouldn't have given him a chance, and why? Because I don't have time for stuff like this. I won't start something that I can't finish.
My eyes fixate on his face. Startling blue eyes look back. A dusting of stubble lines his jaw, dark like the sexy hair covering his head in thick waves. It sweeps across his forehead, like it's just a little too long. I want to touch it, and push the hair back. Those eyes are too amazing to conceal. My heart is pounding and I'm lost in thought, rethinking the encounter with him earlier tonight, wondering why he'd come here, when Mel pokes me in the shoulder.
"Hello? Earth to Avery?" I snap my gaze from the picture and look at her. "Time to go." Mel stands and grabs her purse.
Miss Black extends her hand to me, "It was a pleasure to meet you."
I nod, and shake. "It's been.." I stare at her, and can't think of anything to describe how it's been.
Miss Black breaks the awkward pause and says, "I did the same thing. So did, Melony, if it makes you feel better. Neither of us thought we'd do it. We both said no at first." Miss Black smiles weakly at me. The handshake stops and before I have a chance to turn away, she says, "We both changed our minds."
I smile at her, completely and total certain. "I won't be changing my mind about this."
I turn away and follow Mel down to her car. I had no clue how wrong I was.
Chapter 5
Mel stalks to her room. There's a frosty silence between us. It's nearly 2:00am by the time we get back to the dorm. We pass my door first. I move to unlock it, but when I jab my key in and turn the knob, the door smacks into the couch. Again.
"Damn it, Amber! Open the f**king door!" I'm about to lose my mind. It's the middle of the night. There's no one to report her to, and I am not sleeping in the hallway.
Mel stops a few paces away and turns back when she hears me yell. Her voice is quiet. "Come stay with us. You can beat the crap out of Amber in the morning." She doesn't wait for me to cave and follow her back to her room. I watch Mel's long curvy form walk down the hall and wonder if I know her at all. She's a goddamn prostitute. How did I miss that? Am I that naive? I suck in a breath of air and let it out in a rush.
Running my hand through my hair, I push it back from my eyes and sulk down the hallway after her. She opens the door in silence. I follow her into the room and close the door quietly, assuming her roommate is already asleep, but the room is empty. We both live in the west tower at the far end of campus. It's the cheapest dorm and the one farthest from everything.
Mel picks up a note next to the lamp after she turns it on. The little room is a photocopy of mine, minus my hideous roommate, Amber the skank. The walls are eggshell white with an industrial tile floor. Mel decorated it more poshly than I did. I could never afford the pretty curtains and thick throw rug that covers the floor. All the throw blankets, lights, and pictures make it feel like a home. My room doesn't feel like that. It feels like the prison cell of a sociopath. Amber covered her half with sparkly crap and my half remains empty, barren, like my life.
Mel reads the note and puts it down. "She's out for the night." There's an awkward pause that makes my mouth fill with cotton. I feel like I should apologize, but I don't want to. She took me to fill out an application to be a hooker.
Mel presses her lips together and looks at me. "I didn't mean to..." she closes her eyes and shakes her head. Pressing a finger to her temple, she says, "I didn't mean to upset you and I sure hope that we can still be friends." She works her jaw after she carefully says each word and stares at me.
"I'm pissed, but I'm not stupid. Why wouldn't we be friends anymore?" I feel a tug in my gut, a warning that I might actually lose her. It makes me step further into the room. I can't lose her. She's my best friend and as close to family as I'll get.
"You've got that look on your face. The one that says condemnation, damnation, and all those other nations where sleeping with a guy is frowned on and followed up with a swift banishment with brimstone." Her hands move as she speaks, flying through the air. She's really worried.
I sigh and rub the heel of my hand against my eyes. "Mel, oh my God, that's not it. You walked me into a job interview to be a hooker. I thought I was applying to be a hotel clerk. They're kind of different, in case you didn't notice. You frickin' blindsided me, that's all." That's all, like that's nothing major. My best friend is a hooker. My shoulders slump forward. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm exhausted and I have to get up early to study, since I have to work tomorrow night. I sit down hard on a fluffy hot pink chair and pull a blanket over my lap.
Mel sits across from me on her bed. She pulls off her shoes and stockings, as she speaks. "You wouldn't have come if I told you what it was, and I don't know if you've noticed this or not - but you're screwed. If you get one C, just one, you're totally f**ked. No more scholarship, no more college, poof! It's gone. You're walking the line already in Psych. You can't fail Monday's test. It kills your wiggle room, and you'll have to pull straight A's for the rest of the semester. You know you can't do that working as much as you do. This is an upper level class, Avery. You're almost done. It would suck to blow the whole thing now."