O N E College #2
“Please stop, Deveraux! I don’t know why you’re so mad or why you have all the pain in your eyes, but I’m sorry.
I am terrified right now, and I just want to go back to my room to study for my exam in the morning!
It’s Sarah. Please take a few breaths. I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, it’s not big enough to cause you to lose your job.
Whatever it is, it’s gonna be okay.” I felt it.
The shudder, so small, so fast, I thought I missed it.
But I kept talking, half muffled in his shirt and chest.
“I don’t know what happened, and I’d be more than willing to talk about this if you want, but we can’t do that until we finish closing for the night, and with all that racket, Mike will probably be in here soon to reprimand us.
So, how about we finish work, and then we can talk.
I have a single. My roommate dropped out last month, but I mean…
I could still get someone assigned, but for now, it’s just me if you want some privacy to talk?
” I felt him nod, and when I looked up, his hands were covering his eyes and most of his face as he tipped it to the ceiling.
I slowly pulled myself off of him, making sure he wasn’t going to freak out again.
“I’m good,” was all he said, his voice a deep baritone that felt like melted caramel drizzled on a brownie, wrapped in a blanket in front of the fire.
His voice was so deep and rich, like a five-layer dark chocolate cake with a raspberry filling and butter cream frosting.
He moved back from me, and I moved my arms out and started picking up the dishes he’d thrown.
He helped, picking up a few of the bigger baking sheets.
The mixing bowls, the pans, the baking sheets, all picked up and rewashed in less than an hour.
Thankfully, none of the ceramic stuff was broken.
That would have been a bitch to clean up.
After, we walked around campus for a little bit.
It was getting chilly at night now that fall was settling in, but still, we walked over to the twenty-four-hour café, Suzie’s, for a cup of hot chocolate.
Then continued our walk around campus. He opened up about coming to this school because it’s the one his then-girlfriend had gotten into.
He told me how they wanted to stay together because they knew they were meant for more.
He told me how he came here with her as high school sweethearts, and he caught her earlier that day, cheating on him with a guy off his basketball team.
“She was fucking her way through my whole fucking team. And it’s not like I could just quit, ya know?
Cause I need my scholarship. My folks worked hard to help send me here.
I’m not blowing it because of some fuckin hoe bag who opens her legs for anyone,” he still sounded hurt, but I knew that was most likely him processing all of his feelings.
From what he’d said, they dated all through high school, and unfortunately, now that they’d broken up, their families had gotten very close.
He was on both the football and basketball teams, and she was a cheerleader for both.
I felt so bad for him.
I decided, since he’d opened up about some painful shit, I’d offer some painful shit of my own, almost like a trauma bond with this guy.
So, I told him how I was an affair child, and upon figuring it out, I put all of my efforts into working, getting top grades, and joining a few clubs while getting college credits just so I could graduate valedictorian, top of the class, with a full ride to this state university.
I had even skipped a year in school, wanting to do whatever was needed, all to get away from my family.
We walked and talked until I couldn’t hide the yawns behind my cup anymore, so he offered to walk me back to my dorm.
That was when we found out that not only do we share a lot of interests, but most of the same courses because we’re both business majors, and we also live in the same dorm building, right down the hall from each other.
He stuck his hand out.
“I didn’t do this before, but. I’m Deveraux. Friends call me Dev. Thanks for bein’ an ear.” I shook his hand back and smiled at him.
“Does this mean we’re friends?” I asked, a small smile on my face as I looked up at this man. There was a twinkle in his eye, and as soon as I saw it, it was gone. I kept the excitement over getting my first friend in my eyes. I wanted him to see I was happy to be his friend.
“Sure, why not?” He smiled down at me, one side of his mouth tipping up.
“Then can I call you Row?” A slow, small smile crept up both sides of his face, barely touching his eyes. I couldn’t help the breath I took and held. I was hopeful. He was my first friend, and I didn’t want to call him the same thing everyone else did. He was special to me.
“That’s cool,” he nodded once and walked away. He paused at the end of the hallway where his door was. Only when I closed the door did I hear the door of his room thud shut. I smiled a little.
I had a friend.
My first friend.