Apple
I shot up from the bed with yesterday’s clothes on. I glanced over at my clock, and saw I had missed my first class.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” I panicked.
That Xanax took me out. The last thing I remembered was leaving the café with Jesaiah.
I wasn’t even sure how I got back to my room.
It did make me sleepy, but never to the point of oversleeping.
I had been taking it for so long that the most it had done was make me feel loopy, but I guess my body was much more tired than I thought.
I needed to remind myself that Xanax was no longer the pill of choice, and maybe I should try something like Adderall.
I didn’t have time to shower, so I changed clothes, grabbed my bags, and rushed to my next class.
As I hurried out of the building, I checked my phone.
The sunlight was blinding, and its brightness caught me off guard, jolting my senses awake.
As my feet moved through the yard and my eyes were glued to my phone, I noticed I had an email saying I had an interview for the internship.
“Yes!” I squealed.
My head rose quickly, but my reflexes weren’t as fast. My body bumped into someone.
“Shit! I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
When I saw who I bumped into, I felt embarrassed. “Watch where you’re walking,” he grumbled.
It was Xavier Keyton. I often saw him on campus, but I never spoke much. He always came across as obnoxious, and I was already dealing with Jesaiah’s attitude. Still, I tended to be drawn to guys with a conceited streak.
I adjusted my hair behind my ear as I stood before him. “Xavier Keyton, did you bump into me on purpose?” I called myself flirting with him.
He smirked, then flicked his nose. “Apple, don’t flatter yourself. You weren’t paying attention, and you walked into me. You be easy,” he said as he moved around me.
“So, that’s it?”
He paused and limped as he turned around. “Was there supposed to be more? I’m confused.”
“Maybe.”
He laughed, shook his head, limped back around, and continued walking away.
A grin appeared on my face as I headed to find Harlem.
My interview was in the next thirty minutes, and I needed to be sharp and alert.
I moved around campus searching high and low until I spotted Harlem coming from the old Mercier building.
“Harlem!” I yelled as my kitten heels moved quickly to catch him.
He turned to see me coming in his direction and stopped. When I finally reached him, I could barely speak because I was out of breath.
“I’ve been looking for you,” I panted.
“I’m sure you were. What’s up?” he said dryly.
I knew he was still mad about the comment I made, but I was in a moment of anger when he tried talking to me.
“Um, I was wondering if you had something stronger than the Xannies. I mean, they’re cool, but I need something that’s going to keep me up, not put me to sleep.”
Harlem looked around, then started to back away toward the Mercier building. I nervously checked my surroundings to see if anyone I knew was nearby as I followed him inside.
“Do we have to be in here? It’s kind of creepy,” I mumbled.
He chuckled. “Listen, I don’t need my shit out in the open. What do I look like, selling you some shit on the yard? I got a 3.8 GPA. You or nobody else is about to fuck up my reputation. So, what do you want? I got indoe, a little outdoe, percs, perc 30s, addies, oppies—”
“I’ll take the Adderall. How much?” I opened my phone to send him a Cash Pay.
“How many do you want? I have ten for forty, twenty for eighty, thirty for—”
I rolled my eyes. “Give me ten.”
He nodded slowly as he turned his cross-body bag, dug inside, and pulled out the pills.
I set up the Cash Pay, we tapped phones, and once the money was sent over, he handed me the pills.
I tossed them in my purse and hurried out of the building.
I didn’t get far before I saw Jesaiah following a girl.
“Jesaiah!” I called out.
I had never seen this girl before, but I knew like hell this wasn’t the person who had him acting funny. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, then directed his attention back to what he was doing. While I tried to catch up with him, Reagan approached me.
“Why were you coming out of that building with Harlem? Girl, is that your new boo?”
I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes for emphasis. “Reagan, please. You’re already telling my business. You think I’m going to tell you anything else?” I snapped.
“I didn’t tell your business. Everybody knows you and Jesaiah are a thing. I just said his auntie is the new dean.”
“Whatever. I’m going to be late,” I mumbled as I walked away.
Reagan was full of shit, and if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn she was trying to find something else to gossip about.
Once I was far away from her, I pulled the pills from my bag, popped one of them, and chugged water behind it.
I knew by the time my interview started, I would be ready.
In the meantime, I needed to find out who the fuck this girl Jesaiah was talking to was.
After what felt like a walk across the country, I finally made it to the dean’s office.
I signed in and waited to be called. I saw other students waiting to be called just as I was.
Making sure I killed this interview was important.
I had the status, accolades, and grades; all I needed to do was go in there with confidence and execute.
My leg nervously bounced up and down, letting me know the Adderall was kicking in. Shit! I felt like I had the jitters.
As each person who applied for the internship came in and out. I anxiously waited for my turn. When I saw that girl Jesaiah was talking to step into the building, I knew the universe was playing with me. What were the odds that she and I were going after the same position and the same man?
“Apple Timothy,” the lady at the front desk called out.
I shot up from the chair. “That’s me!” I shouted.
Everyone turned to look at me like I was crazy. “I mean, I’m here,” I muttered in embarrassment.
The lady glanced over her glasses. “You can go back there.”
I gave a tight-lipped smile as I tried confidently walking to Dean August’s office.
As I approached the door, another student was coming out.
The way his eyes gazed at mine said this shit wasn’t going to be a cake walk.
I stood at the door as my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest, my mouth became dry, and sweat built under my arms. I closed my eyes as I tried to remind myself that I was perfect, or at least that was what I’d been trying to convince myself of since I was in high school.
“Here goes nothing.”