First Dance With You
I looked around my new dorm room and took in all the tiny details. There was another bed opposite to mine and above it a gigantic poster of a hunky man. Thongs and bras lay scattered on the floor and the few books that were on a desk in the corner were covered in dust. Under the window stood an ashtray, the cigarette on it still burning.
Kevin came inside, hauling my suitcase and dropped it onto the bed, huffing. “Is this it?” he asked.
I turne d around to look at his sweaty face, his dark, curly hair all over the place.
“Yeah, thanks Kev, I really appreciate all your help,” I sa id and pecked him on the cheek.
He blushed and smiled. “Don’t mention it.” He looked around the room and his eyes locked onto the cigarettes.
“So she smokes.”
“Guess so, yeah. I ’m thinking of asking her to do it somewhere else, but I’m the new one here, so maybe I should just suck it up. I mean, I don’t want to spoil it with her before these four years are over. I have to sleep next to her the next couple of years, so it might be better if we’d become friends.”
“As long as you don’t forget about me,” Kevin said.
I chuckled. “Of course not, Kev.” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “You’re my best friend. Always will be.”
His lip twitched. “Yeah, I’ll always be here for you when you need me, especially to tow your luggage or get some dudes out of your face.” He grinned.
I poked him and laughed. “You’re more than just a great help, Kev. Come on, you know that.” I winked.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
“Besides, we’ve always been together, you and me, being neighbors back in town and now in this dorm too. It’s just too good. Always gonna be me and you and me against the world, Kev.” I gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder and he drew back, letting me pretend that I was strong. “Remember that time when I was being followed by that creepy kid from across the road and you stood there to protect me? God, I’ll never forget that.”
“Oh please,” Kevin rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me of that. Not again. ”
“ You were so brave,” I said and muffled a laugh.
“Wasn’t so brave after I was lying on the ground with a bloody nose.” Kevin turned around.
“Hey, but that kid didn’t harass me anymore and that was all because of you.” I swung my arms around his neck. “You’re always there for me and that’s why I like you.”
He turned his face toward me and smiled.
Then a girl with curly, long red hair came inside, gazing at her cell phone and stood, just before she bumped into us.
“Oh, hi!” she said and waved.
I smiled an awkward smile and Kevin signaled to the door. I dropped my arm and Kevin walked past the girl.
“So you’re my new roommate then?” she asked. “Awesome. I’m Becky.” She gave me a firm handshake.
“Emily,” I said.
“And who’s that?” she pointed at Kevin without turning around. “Your boyfriend?”
“No, no not r eally. He’s just a friend.”
Kevin cleared his throat. “Hey, I’m gonna go. You know where to find me, right? Come see me if you need me.” Then he left.
The girl sat down on her bed and got out a packet of cigarettes from her bag. “So, if he’s not your boyfriend, then who is or don’t you have one?” She threw a lighter on the table after using it to light her cigarette.
I frowned. Her questions were bizarre, as if it was necessary to have a boyfriend in college and if you didn’t have one, you’d be the strange one. Weird girl.
“Uh, no, I don’t.”
She took a drag. “Just curious. Want to know what my competition is.”
Competition? This girl is nuts!
I held my hands up. “Trust me, I’m no competition. I don’t really have any interest in guys.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“I’m too busy with school.”
“School? You’ve got plenty of time to worry about that. There are so many hot guys around here and you’re young and pretty, I guess, so
Learning to Kill: Stories