17. Ivory
Why hadn’t she checked the date?
Why, why, whyyy?
Every other year, this day had been marked on her calendar for weeks, but now that she had no reason to celebrate it, she’d unknowingly set up her appointment with Adrian to be the most awkward recorded in history. Ever.
It was Thursday afternoon, the day he agreed to dye her hair—and Valentine’s Day.
Adrian probably didn’t have anyone special, or she hoped he didn’t. His blatant anti-relationship stance made any love interest hard to imagine, but that didn’t mean someone else wasn’t trying to win over his affections…besides her.
She wasn’t na?ve enough to assume none of the girls at all those parties wouldn’t try something. What if they showed up when she was at his apartment?
She groaned and tugged her scarf closer, tiny clouds of breath puffing out between the layers as she pulled open the school library doors. Nia’s class got out in an hour, which meant she had plenty of time to figure out how to approach the situation. Or to stress about it. Competing over a man just wasn’t her style, and she hated drama, but could she really give up if it came down to it?
He was her knight, after all.
Huffing, she shuffled her boots on the welcome mat inside, which only added to the puddle of melted snow, but it was better to leave the outside elements here than trample it around the books.
The main floor of the campus library was abuzz with the low hum of computers and pieces of conversation drifting from the cluster of tables in the group study area. To her left stood the main desk, and beyond that stood a colorful display of new and popular mainstream titles. The theme: Romance, decorated with paper hearts and plastic arrows.
She wondered who on earth had time for leisure reading in school—between assigned reading and speeding through lecture slides, her brain lacked any motivation to see more words on a page than necessary.
Turning to the right, she passed a row of computers and searched for an empty seat among the polished oak tables. Most were occupied by small groups or couples, but a familiar face caught her eye.
Avril must have noticed her, too, because the brunette turned and waved. Her easy smile held no trace of their falling out last semester over Jewelle’s drama. Unsure of what to expect, Ivory waved back and walked over.
“Hey, where have you been?” Avril asked in her usual cheery tone. “I swear you disappeared on me after winter break.”
Ivory didn’t recognize any of the others at the table but gave them a wave and replied, “Yeah, I’ve been focusing more on studies, I guess. Honestly, I’m not a fan of Beta Rho, even though I know everyone hangs out there.”
Avril laughed and rolled her eyes. “You mean the Beta Boys?”
…The Beta Boys? A surprised laugh bubbled out, followed by more around the group, and she was relieved they didn’t seem to share the same opinion as the rest of campus.
“Trust me,” Avril continued. “Not everyone’s a fan. I know Serena and Jewelle cliqued up, and don’t get me wrong—they’re cool, but even I get tired of being around so many guys.”
Ivory took a seat across from her. “I get what you mean. But I thought you three were a trio…especially after the end of last semester.”
Avril waved her hand as if to dismiss the point. “I can’t stick with one crowd too long anyway.” Lowering her voice and leaning forward as the others resumed a previous conversation, she added, “Listen, all I’ll say about what happened is Nia shouldn’t have slapped Jewelle. Whatever went on between her and Caspian should stay between them. I don’t know why everyone else got involved.”
“Well, Nia’s in love with Caspian. They’re engaged,” Ivory said, furrowing her brows. “What Jewelle said was out of line.” She understood why Avril wanted to stay out of it—Nia hadn’t been completely right, either. But Jewelle took advantage of Caspian and got off the hook too easily.
“Oh, they are?” Avril replied. “I had no idea. Tell them congrats for me.”
Ivory eyed her with disbelief. “Sure, I can pass it along, but last time you spoke to Nia, you said some mean things, too, you know.”
Avril’s smile faded. “I guess…Yeah, I should apologize for that. She can be pretty sensitive.”
“We’re all sensitive when it comes to what matters to us,” Ivory replied. But she didn’t want to linger on the topic. “What have you been up to?”
Avril’s cheerful tone returned, and she introduced Ivory to the others. They extended an invitation for her to join, and she graciously accepted, chatting about classes and campus events until her phone buzzed.
Slipping it out of her pocket, she read the short message from Nia and then said a quick goodbye to the group, exchanging the warmth of indoors for windy, grey skies. A particularly cold gust pummeled her in the chest as she fought to open the library’s door.
Nia huddled in an alcove nearby, taking shelter from the wind. Her red hair wisped out from under an oversized jacket as she looked down, typing on her phone.
“Hey,” Ivory said, shivering as she rewound her scarf tighter.
Nia opened her mouth to respond but sneezed instead.
“Bless you!” Ivory offered with a giggle.
“Thanks.” Nia stuffed her phone away, and they began to walk towards the street where Caspian would pick them up.
Nia groaned and sniffled again. “I think I’m getting a cold.”
“Looks like you might already have one,” Ivory said, noting her puffed-up eyes and extra red nose. “It must suck to be sick on Valentine’s Day.”
Nia shook her head. “It’s fine. We decided to celebrate it over the weekend, so we don’t have to worry about classes.” She pulled out a tissue. “I told Caspian not to overexert himself since the day is just a ploy to get money out of people, but he’s insistent.”
Ivory gave her a knowing side-glance. “From what I’ve seen, he’s not one to give up easily.”
A smile took over Nia’s expression, though she still looked rather miserable. “He sure doesn’t.”
“I saw Avril today,” Ivory mentioned as they passed the clock tower, the bell ringing over the wind. “I told her you guys got engaged, and she said to tell you congrats. Seems like she’s not hanging out with Serena or Jewelle anymore.”
Nia huffed. “That’s good, I guess.”
“Still a sore subject?”
“Not really,” Nia replied. “It’s not something I think about, but I haven’t forgiven it, either.”
She hummed. “I don’t think it’s something that can be forgiven without some kind of closure.”
“What do you mean?” Nia asked, stuffing the tissue and her hands into fluffy pockets.
“It’s not like Jewelle’s tried to make amends—she hasn’t even admitted to doing wrong in the first place. Of course, you and Caspian being happy is what matters in the long run, and moving on is the important part, but is that the same as forgiving?”
“I don’t know,” Nia replied. “If she does ever admit to it, I’d like to see that.” Caspian’s car pulled up as she spoke, and their conversation got cut short. She climbed into the backseat and moved into the range of the heater, which Caspian had turned on full blast.
“Hi, Caspian,” she said, wiggling her fingers as numbness from the cold faded.
“Hey,” he replied, eyes locked on Nia as she buckled her seatbelt. “You look even worse than this morning.”
“I’m fine ,” Nia insisted. “Either way, I can’t afford to miss class.”
“Either way, you’re staying home tomorrow,” he countered.
“Caspian,” Nia hissed. “Not now.”
He gave her a hard look, to which she responded by leaning over and giving him a peck on the cheek.
He chuckled. “Not gonna work, by the way. But thanks for the kiss, baby girl.”
She rolled her eyes, and he drove off without further argument.
“You two are adorable,” Ivory sighed, enjoying the scene as it played out. Their banter sounded like her own parents, just younger and more impulsive. It made her smile.
“Don’t think I’m not gonna ask about Adrian,” Nia warned, turning around from the front seat and pursing her lips. “Are you two a thing yet?”
“No, not at all,” Ivory tried to laugh off the butterflies fluttering in her chest. “You’re the only couple around here.”
Caspian said nothing, but his Cheshire grin gave away more than enough.
“If anything, I bet your cookies will change his mind,” Nia suggested, turning back to face the front.
“They’re for payment, not a bribe,” Ivory said, pouting, then turned to Caspian. “You’re sure he doesn’t have allergies, right?”
“No allergies,” Caspian affirmed. “Full disclosure: I suggested chocolate peanut butter because they’re my favorite. I have no idea what Adrian prefers.”
“I guess that’s only fair, seeing as you get half the batch,” Ivory replied.
“And I’m looking forward to it.”
The drive to their apartment building didn’t take long. When they arrived, Nia apologized for being sick and unable to help with the cookies, but Ivory didn’t mind. Her nerves had kicked in again, and she threw herself into baking. Whatever conclusions Adrian might have drawn about it being Valentine’s Day couldn’t be that bad, right?
Either way, it wouldn’t be long until she found out.