Page 14 of In For a Penny
The next day, I wakewith a start, determined not to let this get me down. Today is my first day of class, and I’ll be damned if that fucker, Austin, ruins this for me too.
It’s mid-September but cool out. I dress in jeans, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, and a black faux-fur vest. I feel grungy and angry, so I add a heavy black cat-eye, a messy bun, and some combat boots. I look like I could kill someone today. I’m hurt, angry.
Shit! I’m running late! No time for breakfast.
I make it to my Strategic Management class just in time, right before the professor closes the door to the classroom. He narrows his eyes at me, menacingly, and I clumsily take a seat in the closest available chair, right next to Josh, the guy from California.
“Hey,” he whispers. “You made it just in time.” Josh’s hair is messy, and he’s wearing his North Face hoodie again.
He shoots me a smile, and I force one back at him. I’m sweaty and trying to calm my breathing as I had to climb three flights of stairs since the elevators were taking forever. The professor starts his lecture, and I start taking notes until my stomach growls embarrassingly loud.
Oh my God, kill me. Please, please, please, PLEASE, let no one have heard that.
But it was pretty loud, and I ampositivethat there is no way in hell Josh did not hear that. I shift awkwardly in my seat, trying to pass the sound off as movement in the chair. My actions are transparent.
He reaches into his backpack, never removing his gaze from the professor at the front of the class, and pulls out a granola bar. He places it on my desk, still not looking at me, but I can tell the corners of his mouth are quirked up. I groan silently, embarrassed, but I tear open the bar. It never stood a chance—I devour the thing in under ten seconds.
If I suspected Josh was smiling before, there is no doubt now. He looks down and pretends to concentrate on his notes, but I can tell he’s doing his damnedest not to burst out laughing while the professor drones on about how we will be studying successful policy implementation.
The situation is so awkward, having had this near-stranger hear my growling stomach, that I can’t help but bite down on my lower lip to keep from smiling as well. I open my notebook and write Josh a note:
Me: OMG, THANK YOU. I’m sorry you had to hear that—how embarrassing. You are a lifesaver.
I turn my notebook and poke him in the arm to get his attention. He leans over and reads it with a smile, reaching out to reply just under where I had written to him.
Josh: My pleasure. I just couldn’t hear the lecture over the sound of your stomach growling.
He smirks at me, and I can’t help but chuckle a little.
Me: Jerk.
He looks over at me and chuckles but tries to cover it with a cough when the blonde girl who wore short shorts to orientation turns around to glare at us.
Chill out, Short Shorts. He’s just going over the syllabus!
Josh: You owe me a granola bar.
Me: How about a drink? I think we’re all going to the Student Union pub after the last class this afternoon. You down?
I look up to see the professor glaring at us. Josh shifts in his seat, and I straighten myself up in my chair and stare back at the professor, pretending to be enraptured by his lecture. Once he seems satisfied that we are paying attention, he turns back to the board. This feels like high school.
Blah, blah, strategic implementation, blah, blah, catastrophe…
I clear my throat to remind him to read the reply I wrote in my notebook.
He leans over and frowns as he reads it. I’m confused. Why would that make him frown? Oh crap, does he feel left out for no one having invited him earlier? Are his feelings hurt? After a few seconds, he pulls my notebook to him and writes back.
Josh: Sure. Let’s do it.
Smiling at him, I shoot him two thumbs up and go back to pretending to pay attention to our lecture, wondering idly what that look was about. He seems like a friendly guy, someone I could be friends with, and the whole granola bar thing was so sweet. I need a friend like that in my life right now.
Once our class is over and I gather my things, Josh turns toward me and opens his mouth to say something but quickly shuts it, glancing at someone over my shoulder. I turn to see Oliver walking toward us.
“Hello, darling.” He smiles at us both. “Hello to you, too, Penny,” he jokes.
“Ha-ha.” Josh rolls his eyes at Oliver.
“Are you both joining the group tonight at the Student Union?” Oliver asks.
