11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Margot
I was thinking something like "The Muscles and the Brains" or even better "Advice from a Six Foot Four Super Hot Genius and his Little Friend"
The boy is relentless. Alex has been sending me podcast names all day, each one more ridiculous than the last. For all the work he’s putting into just the title, one would think he was trying to win the contest, not me.
"His Little Friend" could be easily misconstrued…
What do you…
oh HAHA ok you're right. Scratch that idea
I’m not even sure why I’m entertaining these texts from him. I already know what the podcast is going to be called.
And anyway, I wouldn't exactly call it little…
Bleh. Leave me alone now
Putting my phone down, I continue working on the upcoming assignment for psychology. After that class, I’ll be meeting Alex in the study room to hash out the details about the podcast. Any more musings he has about it can certainly wait until then. My phone vibrates again and I get ready to chuck it at the wall if it’s another ridiculous text from Alex, but instead I’m greeted with my older brother’s smiling photograph.
“Hey, Ard,” I say, answering with a smile on the first ring.
“Hey, Mars. How are things up north?” I notice for a second that Arden’s accent is thicker than I thought, I never really thought about it before Alex brought my own to my attention during public speaking class.
“Oh, you know. All work and no play…” I sigh, closing the book in front of me and settling a little deeper in my bedroom desk chair to chat with him.
Arden laughs and it’s like a melody I haven’t heard in a long time. “You never play, Mars,” he says. “But I hear you.” I know I’m not imagining the sadness in his voice.
“How are things back home? Everyone the same as I left them?” I ask, trying to bring some light-heartedness to the call, but Arden only sighs.
“Yeah, everyone’s the same. That’s the problem, isn’t it.” It’s times like these when I wish I could’ve stayed home and helped out more, but TU has one of the best journalism programs in the country and if I didn’t earn all the scholarships I had, I wouldn’t have been able to come here in the first place. I owe it to myself to do my best here and come out with all the skills I need to succeed in my field.
“Anyway, I didn’t call to vent to you, Mars, you know that. I’m just calling to say a quick hi and let you know that we’re all thinking about you and hoping you’re doin’ good.”
The tiniest hint of a smile raises on my cheeks at the thought of the New York Times contest I’m entering. I want to tell him about it but not until I know for sure that I have a chance of winning. There’s no use getting anyone’s hopes up for nothing. “Yeah, I’m doin’ good, Arden.”
“Danika gettin’ you in trouble?” Arden asks with a breathy laugh. My older brother and my best friend have always butt heads but they never fail to come together when it comes to things about me.
I laugh out a reply, “She’s good, too.” and then sigh. “I’m missing you guys though.”
“Yeah, we miss you too. Anyway, I’ll call again soon, alright?”
“Alright, love you,” I reply. Arden repeats my words back to me and as quick as it started, the call ends. My older brother is many things but a wordsmith is not one of them. Still, it was nice to hear his voice. Sometimes that little reminder of home is all I need to keep me pushing forward.
By the time three rolls around, I’ve already staked my claim in Study Room G6. At the very least, if Alex doesn’t show up, I’ll still get some of my other work done. Just as I’m pushing aside my podcast notes and opening my psychology textbook, I hear a sharp rap on the wooden door.
“It’s open,” I call as the knob turns and suddenly the doorway is completely filled. I know Alex is tall, but when faced with a doorway, he overwhelms it. His deep brown hair is disheveled like ran his hands through it multiple times and he looks…tired.
Alex steps into the room, letting the door close behind him and then we are well and truly alone. There’s a window that faces out toward the north side of the building but other than that, it’s just us in this room. The minute he drops his bag and takes the seat across from me, I am painfully aware of that fact.
“Hello, sunshine,” he says with that cheeky smile, and a hint of something else hiding behind it.
“Alex,” I say with a curt nod, getting right to business by pulling out my podcast notes and placing them in front of me. My posture is straight, controlled and I think he can tell I’m trying to be professional because he straightens his own spine ever so slightly.
I clap the various papers into submission on top of the table. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
“We shall,” Alex says, with a hint of amusement in his voice. He folds his hands in front of him on top of the table.
Placing an identical stack of papers in front of myself and him, I hold his gaze for just a moment longer, showing him—hopefully—that I mean business and I am not to be messed with today. Alex meets my eyes and for a moment I actually think he’s going to be good, but then his eyebrows jolt up in that infuriatingly challenge-like way and I roll my eyes before I jump into my spiel.
“So, it’ll be an advice video podcast. Basically, we’ll take listeners’ comments and questions beforehand, and we’ll craft a show around your responses to them.”
“My responses?” Alex asks, his eyes scanning the paper in front of him.
“Yes,” I say, matter-of-factly. “And the podcast will be called ‘Ask Alex’.”
“Why?” I feel his eyes shoot to mine but I don’t meet his gaze.
“Because you’re the focus, not me,” I pause for a beat before continuing. “So–”
“Wait, no. This is a partnership. This isn’t all about me,” Alex pushes the papers in my hand down so that I’m forced to meet his eyes. The sincerity in his gaze gives me a momentary shock but I shake myself loose.
“I’m not asking you to do most of the work, if that’s what you’re thinking, it’s just–”
Alex cuts me off again. “No, sunshine. It’s not about the work. I’m happy to do whatever you need me too, it’s just…this is your project. I want you to be featured in it just as much as I am.”
I let out a dark laugh. “Please, no one on this campus gives a shit about me,” I keep laughing, picking up my papers and continuing my speech. Alex is looking at me with trepidation but doesn’t interrupt me again. Together we come up with a schedule that will work for both of us. We decide to meet for planning sessions on Monday’s after public speaking class and then film the episodes on Saturday afternoons. I told him we wouldn’t have to do the weekends if he’d rather have time to himself but he insisted Saturdays would be fine and I didn’t push, my weekdays are full enough as it is.
“Any questions?”
Alex puts his papers down and looks at me again. “Who’s going to produce this thing, by the way? You said someone on the newspaper staff is going to help?”
“Oh yeah, my friend Nathan already agreed,” I say, starting to pile the papers back up. I move to take Alex’s too, but he’s clutching them pretty tightly. Looking up to tell him to hand them over, I am momentarily thrown by his darkened gaze.
“How well do you know this Nathan guy?”
“What?” I ask, completely confused. “He’s my friend?” Alex nods with a distant look on his face. I have no idea why the air shifted so abruptly at the mention of Nathan helping us, but the idea clearly upsets Alex. Looking down at my watch, I noticed we’ve been at this for over an hour.
“Shit, I gotta go,” I say, bursting out of my chair. “I told Sydney I’d meet her outside ten minutes ago to ride home together.”
Alex looks up at me and then raises from the chair himself. “You don’t have a car?”
“Nope,” I state. “Anyway, thanks for meeting with me. I guess I’ll see you again next Monday for our first planning session.” I reach my hand out across the table to shake his, sealing our professional deal the only way I know how.
Alex looks down at my hand and rolls his eyes before taking it in his own. We shake twice firmly and then I move away, but Alex holds tight, moving his thumb up and down the back of my hand.
“You know, I’ve got a car.”
“Congratulations,” I say, yanking my hand away. Alex chuckles.
“I mean, I could drive you home if you need. And I could drive you to campus, too.”
I pause while packing my bag, not looking him in the eye. “And why would you do that?”
“Because I’m a nice person, duh.” I can sense the smirk in his voice, and I roll my eyes before looking at him again. Scrunching my nose, I murmur my sarcastic agreement while hitching my backpack over my shoulder.
Alex and I head upstairs to the exit where Sydney is waiting patiently outside the building for me.
“See you Monday,” I say, getting into the passenger side of the car.
“See you, sunshine,” Alex replies, watching me close the door and only walking away from the spot once Sydney has pulled away.