Page 15 of In For a Penny
“Penny and I were just planning on heading there this afternoon. What time are you guys planning on going?” he says as he shoves his notebook and pen into his backpack.
Am I imagining the whole “Penny and I” thing sounding a bit possessive? Hmm…not a fan.
“I was planning on going after my afternoon workshop. I’m in section A,” I say, ignoring the weird new feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Brilliant!” Oliver says. “I’m in the same one! I’ll see you there then, and we can walk over together.”
Josh furrows his brow. “Okay, cool. So, when are you guys out?”
“Around five-thirty, I think. I’ll text you! Gimme your number,” I demand.
Josh smiles when I pull out my phone and hand it to him so he can save his number to it.
“Cool, see you guys then! I have a break right now and am in urgent need of some coffee,” I say as I start heading out.
“Ah, I’ll go with you. I don’t have class for another hour,” Oliver says, putting his arm around my shoulders.
We walk out of the classroom and into the hallway. Josh heads left to his next class with a half-hearted wave, and Oliver and I head out to the cafe.
“You know he has a crush on you,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Ha, doubtful. I barely even know Josh—or you, for that matter,” I say, pushing Oliver’s arm off me.
“Duh, crushes are about attraction and first impressions. It’s when you get to know someone that crushes turn into feelings,” Oliver replies.
“Stop saying wise things, Oliver, or I might start thinking that you’re smart.”
“You know I’m fucking brilliant. I work for a Member of Parliament and have a very long political career ahead of me.” His chest puffs proudly as we enter the cafe and find a seat at a table.
“You’re not really helping your case,” I smile and tease him. “Politicians are rarely considered smart individuals. Only a handful of them are what I would consider admirable.”
“Says the other idiot studying to become one,” he laughs and pulls out a chair for me. I take it and scooch in.
“Not necessarily.” Sighing, I run my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know, Oliver. I honestly don’t know what to do with my life right now. I’ve worked in politics and electoral campaigns, helping lobbyists since basically high school. But you know what happens if and when you lose a campaign? It’s the biggest type of heartbreak. You fight so long and hard for something you think will change lives—or at the very least, yours—but nothing comes of it because when you let people decide, they make the wrong choices. It’s hard to empathize with people when sometimes it seems like they don’t even want to be helped—or just make stupid choices.” I sigh. “Democracy sucks.”
“That’s your first mistake right there. Politics isn’t about helping people. It’s about power,” he says seriously.
No truer words have ever been spoken. Oliver might just be the most brilliant idiot I’ve ever met.
I smile. “I know, but come on. Sometimes I feel like people would be better off with a benevolent dictator,” I say, joking—kind of.
“You’d be a fucking fantastic dictator,” he teases.
“Hell yeah, I would!” I shove him.
As I think about my professional future, I notice now how much of it ended up being tied to my relationship plans with Austin. I make a mental note to find out what it is that I really want to do or who I even want to be. It’s been quite a while since I’ve asked myself that question. For so long, I imagined what a perfect life should look like and worked toward that, but I never gave a second thought to whether it was the ideal lifefor me.
Not noticing my brief exit from this conversation, Oliver orders us both teas, ignoring my request for a cappuccino.
“You need to stop drinking that shit,” he says when I start to complain. “Tea is better for you.”
It looks likehe’sthe one who wants to be the benevolent dictator.
The Student Union Pubis a bar right inside the main campus building where you can get a pint of beer for three pounds and a burger for five—a fuckingGodsendfor a struggling student with a conversion rate that is massacring her budget.
It’s only five on a Monday, and the place is already packed.
Oliver and I quickly head to the bar to order a beer while my eyes roam around the crowd, looking for our new friends. I find Jane and Josh sitting at a corner booth, laughing. I try and wave to get their attention, but they seem engrossed in their conversation.
