10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Margot
The newsroom buzzes with keyboard clanks and mouse clicks. Staplers and printers echo around the space and Jessy calls across the room for someone to bring her a coffee. Ah, home .
Before anyone needs to fuss, I hand Jessy the decaf black she’s asking for, the one Sydney and I picked up on the way over because we knew she’d be asking for it by this time. Jessy looks at us gratefully.
“Angels. Both of you,” she sighs, taking a sip of the hot beverage. Sydney walks over to her desk and drops behind the large desktop computer as I mosey my way over toward Nathan, trying to look as sheepish as possible.
“Hey, Nate,” I say, standing over his desk as he sits behind his computer.
Nathan looks up, pulling his large headphones off his head to rest around his neck and shoulders. “Margot, hi,” he says, with a smile. His teeth shine, and I don’t think I’ve ever noticed how straight they are.
“How was your summer?”
Nate grins wider. “Oh, same old, same old. Nothing crazy. What about you?” He asks, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, same here. Nothing special.”
Nathan nods for a second, looking at me like he’s done with the niceties and ready for me to leave so he can go back to his work. “Great,” he says, raising his eyebrows a bit. A clear dismissal if I’ve ever seen one. Time to go in for the kill.
“Hey, Nate?”
Nathan laughs, “Yes, Margot?”
“Do you think you can help me out with something?”
Nate straightens his chair so that all four legs are on the floor.
“Sure, what’s up?” He asks, but his attention is now split between me and whatever has just popped up on his computer screen.
I take a deep breath. Maybe it’s better he’s only half paying attention to me. Then maybe he’ll say yes without actually knowing what he’s signing up for. “I’m starting a podcast and I was hoping you’d help with the production of it all,” I say in a rush.
Nate glances in my direction briefly but puts his focus back on the screen, clicking away at whatever he’s working on. “A podcast? You’re going to host a podcast?” He asks and then starts typing. At this point, I’m almost positive he’s not paying attention to me. I could say anything and it would just breeze right by him. Might as well rip the band aid off then.
“Yes, I’m hosting the podcast. With Alex Prescott.”
Nathan’s fingers immediately stop their typing and his whole body freezes. I should’ve known that would be the thing that would get his attention, it seems to get every girl on campus’s attention, too. Nate hastily clicks out of whatever was on his screen and gives me his full focus again.
“You’re going to host a podcast with Alex Prescott?” He asks again with the addition this time. I nod briskly.
“Yep. And I need your help. Or at the very least, a crash course in podcast production.” Nathan laughs and it releases some of my stress.
“I’ll help you, Margot. It sounds, at the very least, like it’ll be some entertaining days in the studio.” I smile and nod again.
“Did you say Alex Prescott?” Jessy asks, stopping by Nathan’s desk.
I nod, not wanting to get into too much detail with her at the moment. I don’t want to get her hopes up until I know for sure that this is going to work out.
“I need a reporter to cover that Greek gala next Sunday, think you can score an invite from him? The Greek alumni are always so hush-hush about those events, it’s almost impossible to get a press pass through those doors.”
I thought for a moment. Lying to the Deltas about why I was in their house wasn’t sitting right with me, my journalistic integrity was being questioned and I didn’t like it. But if I actually was interviewing them for a real reason, I would feel much better about the whole thing.
Plus, it would be my first story of the year, and probably a big one since they hardly let press into their events. It could even make the front page.
“I’ll ask him,” I grin. Alex is the Kappa president, it shouldn’t be hard for him to get me a ticket for the gala. Jessy claps me on the back as she walks past, clearly dismissing me.
Thanking Nathan one more time and promising him I’ll let him know more details about the podcast soon, I wave to Sydney before leaving the newsroom and heading to public speaking class, having one knot in my stomach replaced by another.
As if I wasn’t nervous enough at the mere thought of reciting my speech today, the feeling is now doubled due to the fact that Alex will be there watching me. Since Saturday morning at the cafe, I have been working non-stop to plan out this podcast and now that I have Nathan on board, I can finally talk the plan out with Alex. Just get through this speech first .
Ever since Alex opened up last week about his mother, I’d been feeling like my speech about open water just isn’t deep enough–no pun intended. So, I worked through my Sunday, as usual, and came up with something much more interesting…at least to me. Not that I’m trying to impress Alex. I just don’t want my speech professor to think I’m a vapid idiot with nothing between my ears.
When I enter the classroom, I opt for the same seat that I had last time, even though there really is no hiding in this class. Pulling my speech notes out of my bag, I sit a little bit straighter in my chair, knowing I’ll have to get up there eventually today anyway.
I can’t stop myself from peeking at the door every time it opens and students walk in. I’m not looking for Alex. Of course not. Even if I was, it’s not like I want him to be here while I embarrass myself on the stage in about ten minutes. No, I hope he doesn’t show up. In fact, I hope he dropped this class and–
The previously vacant seat next to me suddenly becomes occupied by a man who’s familiar minty scent smacks me immediately.
“Sunshine,” Alex says as a greeting.
“Frat boy,” I respond, not meeting his eye but all too much feeling his arm graze mine on the shared armrest.
Alex lets out a dark chuckle. “You know, I’m not loving that nickname.”
Still, not looking at him, I reply, “You haven’t given me cause to replace it.”
Out of my peripheral vision, I see Alex nod once. “Challenge accepted.”
Turning to face him, my next rebuttal is cut off by Professor Walker commanding our attention at the front of the room.
“Alright, folks. Let’s jump right into it today, shall we?” Again, no preamble in sight. Professor Walker calls the first boy up to the stage and he presents some speech about heights, I think. I’m not really paying attention, half my mind focused on my upcoming speech, the other half on the feel of Alex’s arm brushing mine.
“So I’ve been thinking about this podcast thing,” Alex whispers into my ear which causes an annoying chill to creep up my spine. “I have an idea of what we could call it.”
“Shh,” I silence him sharply, trying to keep my focus on the front of the room. Professor Walker has called up the next girl and I know, based on her list from last week, that I’m next after her. The girl, Maya, starts her speech about a trip to the Grand Canyon where she almost fell down off the side of the mountain range.
“Ah shit, that is scary,” Alex comments after a minute or so and I shush him again. Loud enough that the people in front of us turn to get a view of what is going on. I push down a little in my seat but Alex barely seems to notice as he leans into me again. “So, the title…I was thinking–”
“Margot Davis,” Professor Walker calls and I let out a high-pitched noise of surprise.
“Did you just squeak?”
“Shut up.” Getting up from my seat, I feel my hands already begin to shake. It’s just a room full of people who mean nothing to you. Who cares if you mess up?
I’ll care.
Alex will definitely care. Well, maybe not care, but he will notice and more than likely make fun of me for it. My hands start to shake a little more and the paper I’m holding becomes more like a fan than a notecard. I put it down on the podium.
As long as I don’t look in his direction, I can just pretend he’s not there. But of course, the minute I open my mouth, the door to the classroom flies open with a late straggler and my eyes fly in that direction but instead land on Alex’s intense gaze on the way. His concentration bothers me. He didn’t give a shit about the two speeches before, why is he so laser focused on mine?
Trying my damndest to push away all errant thoughts of Alex, I take the deepest breath I can muster and dive right in.
“I wrote this speech twice. Last week, I had a speech prepared about how I was scared of heights, due to a hiking accident I had with my dad when I was three. But after having a week to think it over, I thought, while cliffs and the idea of falling is absolutely terrifying, it isn’t what scares me the most.”
I’m looking down at my hands and I know I should be looking into the crowd, or at the very least at my professor, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from my cuticles, torn apart from a week of stressing about this class…among other things.
“I come from a poor family where the only food that was put on the table was either scraps left over from my granda’s shifts at the restaurant or takeout when my dad took extra shifts at the factory. My older brother, Arden, and I got jobs when we were too young and helped the family as best we could. When my grandma got sick, we all had to pitch in on our part even more.” I move my gaze from my fingers to the tip of the stage but I still can’t bring myself to look up.
“Growing up in South Carolina wasn’t that Southern dream that most people hear about. At least, it wasn’t for me. When I left there to come here, it was under the condition that I make something of myself. ‘Do better than your daddy did’, that’s what my father always said to me. So, the thing I’m most scared of in this life, the thing that keeps me moving the way I do is failure. It’s not being the best I can be. Not doing the best I can do. Because if I fail, I’m not only letting myself down, but I’m also letting down my entire family.”
I stop and after a beat, the applause starts. It’s polite, the same applause that every presenter has gotten so far but I can barely even register it. Professor Walker thanks me as I walk off the stage and head back to my seat. Alex remains eerily silent as I take my previous spot next to him, sinking lower again to try and keep myself hidden. But I know I can’t, I’ve already exposed myself. To the rest of the class and to him.
Alex doesn’t say anything to me for the rest of the class but his arm stays pressed to mine on the shared armrest. I should be annoyed that he’s touching me, but I realize I haven’t moved mine away either.
“Excellent start, everyone,” Professor Walker says as she takes her place back in the center of the stage. “Now that we’ve all gotten the scary part over, we can get into the real work. Next week, I’ll be starting my lectures on speech content and how to prepare proper speech notes. Until then, have a good rest of your week.”
With that dismissal, the students start shuffling out of the classroom. I’m relieved, at least. It seems like the speeches are over for the time being. I’m a much better notetaker than I am a public speaker but I guess this class is supposed to help me with that.
“You know, a little southern accent comes out in you when you talk about your family,” Alex says, and his voice startles me. He had been so quiet the rest of the class that I thought he had already left when the professor dismissed us but no, there he was, standing over me with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
“I don’t have an accent,” I mutter, turning to walk down the aisle and up the stairs to the exit. Alex follows and I expect him to head in the opposite direction once we reach the door but he continues the same pace, walking next to me as I head toward the library.
“You do,” he says. “Only a little bit. But I hear it now and then. It’s cute.”
I ignore him and continue my path to the library. I certainly learned my lesson last week and had already booked Study Room G6 this morning before heading to campus with Sydney and Danika. Edith just holds the key out to me as I walk in and I take it with a grateful smile.
I still feel Alex’s presence next to me as I walk down the stairs toward the room. It’s not until we reach the door that I whirl around and face him. He takes a step back, clearly startled by my affront.
“What do you want?” I huff with more attitude than necessary.
“Don’t you want to talk about the podcast?”
“Oh,” I say, mentally checking my “to-do” list. I do need to talk him through my ideas and I need to ask him for a ticket to the gala but after that speech, I’m mentally drained and already have a list of assignments I had planned on working on this afternoon. I didn’t have the mental space blocked out for Alex until tomorrow since Tuesdays are my easiest days and I fully thought he would’ve dropped that public speaking class by now. Thought, hoped, prayed . To no avail.
“I don’t really have the time right now. How about tomorrow?”
Alex chuckles and thinks for a minute before responding. “Tomorrow it is. Same time,” he motions toward the study room behind me. “Same place.”
“I thought you couldn’t be seen with me,” I clapback, folding my arms over my chest.
“A closed, private study room in the library is hardly a public sight, sunshine,” he responds, folding his own arms in front of him in a mirrored gesture to mine. He looks much more intimidating than I do.
“Actually, now that I think about it,” I start, something unsettling clicking in my head, “how are we supposed to produce a public podcast together if we can’t even be seen with each other?”
“Don’t worry about that. Once you fulfill your part of the prank, we can be seen together as much as you want. In all types of settings,” Alex takes a step toward me, mischief twinkling in his deep brown eyes and I take a step back, the bag hanging off my shoulder hitting the door with a soft bang.
Alex notices our positions, notices the advantage he has over me and he also probably notices the way my heart rate has increased.
Not taking his gaze from mine, Alex simply says, “Until tomorrow, sunshine,” and then leaves me all but panting against the door, a position I couldn’t ever before imagine I’d be in…especially not because of Alex Prescott.