2. Anna
CHAPTER 2
Anna
C urls fell in wild tendrils around my face; trying to get the perfect ringlet was a daunting task. Staring at myself in the mirror, the curl twisted around my finger, falling flat in the opposite direction. Great. It was the first day of Spring Semester classes, and I was already screwing up. My reflection mocked me as I took in my large green eyes against my soft brown skin. The mascara I wore mimicked spider legs, and the foundation on my skin reminded me of a cake that sat out for hours. Clumpy and chunky on the surface.
Great, that’s just how I wanted to start the day.
Not gonna work.
I frowned at myself in the mirror, turning on the water to scrub it all off. When I looked back up, I looked like Pennywise's sister.
This was already turning into a disaster.
I scrubbed the rest of my face clean until my skin was itchy and red, just as a knock sounded on my new apartment door.
I ran through the tiny flat, one that reminded me a lot of Emma’s place in Pittsburgh, and flung the door open, revealing the damsel herself.
“Are you ready?” Emma pushed her way in, Chase scrolling on his phone behind her. Both of them sat on my couch. “Today’s the first day. Your first day of classes.”
“Ugh,” I made the noise from my throat. “Don’t remind me.” I picked at my outfit while looking in the full-length mirror that leaned against the wall. “I already look a mess.”
Emma stood, Chase ignoring my presence completely. “You look fine,” she said, playing with my tumble of curls, styling them to look a bit flatter and less frizzy.
Moving here was one of the best decisions we’d ever made. I pretty much followed Emma and Chase here from Pittsburgh a little over a year ago. After living with them for almost six months, I finally managed to land a job with Emma and Chase at Dade University doing similar work as before.
Plain old office worker, who handled the financial side in the good old mathematics department, again. Just like before. My life seemed to be on repeat no matter where I went, but at least I was working with my best friend. And there hadn't been a single tragic murder since we arrived so that counted for something.
“There,” she said, giving my hair one last spritz of product. “You look great as always. Now you can head to work and go to your first evening class with confidence.”
Emma turned to Chase, who was still hyper-focused on his phone.
“I don’t know about confidence.” I wiped my sweating palms down the front of my dress. “I may have been a bit too ambitious with my goals. I mean, what was I thinking trying to study for a career in pharmaceuticals? I was average in high school, and now I’m a chemistry major? Math is going to kill me.”
I locked the door behind us as we made our way out into the hall. I lived on the ground floor of the building, which sucked, but it was cheap, and the area was only kind of sketchy. Plus, it was close to Emma and Chase's house. They were officially a boring couple in the suburbs, and I wasn’t at all jealous.
Not even a little. I gave the enormous rock on Emma’s finger a not-at-all-jealous glare. We made our way to Chase’s black BMW, piling in as Emma went on about how great I would do.
“And Chase,” she snapped her fingers happily. “Will help you with the math.”
“No, he won’t,” Chase muttered from the driver's seat as he pulled into the parking garage. We were only a ten minute drive from Dade; I loved being this close. That meant I could walk home before class and during lunch breaks at work.
She playfully tapped his shoulder once we got out of the car, making our trek out of the garage and across the massive campus.
“Oh,” she scolded him, then turned to me. “He’ll help you,” she assured me.
“Emma,” he scowled, not looking at me. “It’s two entirely different degrees,” he shook his head. “Obviously, mine is the superior one. I can’t be bothered to assist with chemistry.”
Emma rolled her eyes, looking at me, shaking her head. “I’ll work on it, don’t worry.” Then, in my ear, “I know plenty of ways to make him help you.” She giggled, winking.
My body heated at her words. I lived with them for nearly six months, and the walls, while sturdy, weren’t soundproof.
We parted ways with Chase, who went up to his own office. It felt like the old days in Pittsburgh, us walking in together to our cubicles. We had joined rooms that were actual spaces, real offices, to make it easier on our shared responsibilities. The mathematics department was nestled deep in the Arts and Sciences area, so the funding was intense. They were always spending heavily on things. Emma and I had plenty to fill our days.
I was eager to finally feel more content in my role before starting school. Dade University’s employee program allowed me to take part-time night classes for free. Since I had bigger goals, I figured, why not take advantage? I desperately wanted Emma to try it, but she refused. Understandably, if I had a hot professor who kept me busy and satisfied all night, I guess I would want to go home every day after work too.
Emma didn’t even have to work; Chase took care of it all. Again, I settled in and turned my laptop on, not jealous.
The day droned on, and I found myself daydreaming of the life I always wanted. Emma was currently living it, and I loved it for her, but I was ready for it to happen to me. Soon, there would be wedding bells for them, a bigger house, kids.
Ugh.
I stole a glance at Emma, whose forehead creased with deep lines, nose deep in a spreadsheet.
I turned back to my desk and opened up my school dashboard. I decided to take one class this semester. General Chemistry 1313. What was I thinking? My mouse hovered over the drop class toggle.
“Don’t even think about it.”
“God,” I slapped my hand over my racing chest. “Emma.”
She shook her head. “No. This is all you’ve talked about ever since we moved here. You’re not going to get cold feet and drop your class.” She folded her arms across her chest, her pointed look pinning me in place. “Plus, the professor could be really cool.”
She leaned over the screen, checking out the itinerary. “Dr. Hart.” She mulled the word over as she said it. “Someone with the last name Hart has to be great.”
I didn’t say anything. I picked at my freshly painted nails, chipping the polish off little by little .
She gently placed her hands on me. “Stop it, you’ll ruin your mani.” She frowned. “It’ll be okay, and if you struggle with the math, I’ll force Chase to help you. He won’t say no to me.” She winked before retaking a seat.
I looked down at my peeling polish and then back to my computer screen. I had the entire day ahead of me to stress about this class.
And I planned to spend every single moment doing just that.