Well, here's my third fic...Just to let you know it takes place after the events of AHBL, so there may be spoilers!
I hope you enjoy this and please let me know what you think, good or bad.
A big thanks to Bayre, my fantabulous beta!
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University of Nebraska--Lincoln
"Hey, Abby! Come here, I want to show you something!"
Nineteen year old Abigail Sinclair rolled her eyes at the group huddled around the computer as she set down her purse and keys. She'd already had a long day what with classes and her shift at Jerkey's, the local campus diner and the last thing she needed was her dorm room being occupied by night owl college students. She knew there wasn't a chance they'd be leaving any time soon and she only had one person to blame—her roommate, Monica Sellers.
"What took you so long?" Monica, a petite auburn haired girl, asked. "I thought you got off at ten."
"I was supposed to, but we had some last minute customers. Billy wouldn't let us leave until they were gone." Abby wasn't even sure what time it was, she was just happy to be away from the diner. She glanced up at the clock and cringed when she saw it was eleven fifteen. She enjoyed her job and loved working for Billy, but she hated when customers decided to show up ten minutes till closing. There was no point in arguing with Billy, though—he would serve every last customer even if they walked through the door as it was being locked.
"Why don't you tell that boss of yours to shove it up his ass?" Ben Givens asked, tearing his eyes away from the computer screen long enough to glance back at her. His friend, Alex Chapman, barely acknowledged her.
Abby frowned at the blonde self-professed beach bum. "Because, Ben, this job is what's helping me pay for college."
"I thought you were on scholarship."
"I am, but the scholarship doesn't pay for everything." Abby walked into the bathroom and pulled her long blonde hair from the ponytail, immediately alleviating the tension from her head. She shook it out and turning the faucet on, splashed water on her weary face. She sometimes questioned why she bothered to stick with her job, but she wasn't lying when she told Ben she had to work. Her scholarships paid for a good portion of her tuition, but she still had to make up the five hundred dollar difference per semester herself. She was just starting her second year at the University of Nebraska on her way to earning her psychology degree and she still had a few more to go.
Not completely satisfied with the reflection she saw in the mirror, but deciding it will do anyway, Abby emerged from the bathroom and made her way to the small group. They were laughing and chatting about something on the computer screen. Abby nudged Monica and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"It's a new website everyone's been talking about on campus," Monica quickly explained.
"What makes it any different than any of the other thousand of sites that pop up each day?"
Ben turned around in his chair to flash her a brilliant smile. "This one is actually interesting."
"How?"
"It's a site called timeofdeath dot com…and it's exactly what it sounds like. You go on to the site, type in your name, birthday, sex, and lifestyle and it will tell you when you're going to die," Ben said.
Abby shrugged. "There's already a site like that…deathclock dot com."
Ben nodded. "Yeah, but does that one tell you how you're going to die?"
"No, but why should it? Nothing can predict how you're going to die." Abby walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "I don't see why you three are wasting you're time with that crap. Surely there's something else you can be doing?" Away from here, she thought as she took a sip of the water. "So, what did it say about the three of you?"
"I'm supposed to die in 2045 as the result of being hit by a bus," Alex said, wryly.
"Oh, that's not the best one," Monica said, smiling. "I'm going to die in 2056 in an apparent freak shoe accident."
"A freak shoe accident?" Abby rolled her eyes once more. "How do you die in a freak shoe accident?"
"I don't know, but come on, Abby. We never said any of this was real. We're just having a little fun," Monica said.
"Can't you do this somewhere else? I've had a long night and I need to get up early tomorrow for my Calculus test."
"I'll make a deal with you," Ben said. "You come over here and do this with us, and we'll leave."
Abby eyed Ben suspiciously. She learned long ago not to make deals with him, since it almost always led to some form of trouble. But really, what was the harm in it? She could amuse him and get them out of her dorm so she could try to get a few hours of sleep in before her exam. "Fine—but then you leave."
Ben smiled and jumped up from his chair to let Abby take his seat. "Okay, just fill out the form, click submit and it will tell you everything."
Abby did as she was instructed and clicked "submit." As she waited for her results, she looked up at Ben. "So, what did it say about you?"
Ben's smile became cocky. "Oh, it said I would die in a few years in the arms of a beautiful woman."
"Oh, God…now I know this is a load of crap."
Ben laughed and pointed at the screen as Abby's result popped up. "Let's see what the Almighty says about you."
Abby turned her attention back to the screen and chuckled. "Oh, and the day just keeps getting better. It says here I'm going to die in 2065, from a fall down the stairs." She turned around in the chair to look at the group. "Okay, I did what you wanted, so get out."
"I never said when we would leave." Ben's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"You're leaving now." Abby got up from the chair and walking to the door, she opened it and waved her hand towards the hall. "Okay…out."
Ben sighed but nodded his head towards Alex. "Come on, Alex…we better get out before she tosses us out on our ass."
"And you know I'd do it."
"Wait, I'll come with you," Monica said, picking up her purse from the sofa. "I'm not ready to call it a night yet." Grabbing Alex's hand, she pulled him towards the door and turned to smile at Abby. "Don't wait up for me."
Abby smiled and watched her friend drag Alex down the hall.
"You sure you want us to go?" Ben asked, softly caressing her cheek with his thumb.
Abby sighed. She knew what Ben was hinting at, but she couldn't do that now. It was just better if they stayed friends and away from any intimate situation. She knew Ben knew that as well, but she had to give him props for his perseverance. "I'm sure."
"Okay." Ben bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. Abby didn't give in to the kiss, but she didn't pull away either. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Abby nodded and closed the door behind him. Leaning against the door, she wondered if she did the right thing sending him away. There had always been something between the two of them, but Abby didn't want to act on it, not after her latest relationship went up in flames. She'd only broken up with her last boyfriend almost two weeks ago, and she wasn't ready to go there again. The hurt had been too painful and she just wasn't sure if she could handle being hurt like that again, especially not by Ben.
Making sure the door was locked, she walked over to the computer to shut it off for the night. Just as she was about to close the website, a flash across the screen caught her attention. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the death countdown clock change from the year 2065 to the year 2007. "What the…" She blinked and when she looked at the screen again, she saw the year was back to 2065.
Abby laughed at herself for getting freaked out. "Definitely time to get to bed."
She quickly shut down the computer and turned the light off in the living room. She went into her bedroom and flipped on the light, her eyes lighting upon the figure of a man materializing in front of her. "Who are you?" she asked, shakily.
"Your time of death has come."
Abby felt her heart kick into overdrive as she backed away from the mysterious man. She didn't know what was going on and she wasn't about the stick around and figure it out. She'd seen one too many horror movies in her lifetime and she knew what happened—she wasn't about to become one of those blonde bimbos who were too stupid to run.
Turning on her heel, she sped from the bedroom and to the door leading out of the dorm room. She fumbled with the deadbolt and chain lock, but finally they latched free and she yanked the door open. She chanced a look behind her and saw the man was slowly approaching, leering at her. She took off at a dead run down the long hall, yelling for anyone to help her. Several people popped their heads out the door, trying to see what the commotion was.
Abby turned her head to see the guy was still following her. All of a sudden, she collided into the solid form of one of her dorm mates at the end of the hall. "Abby, what's wrong? What's going on?"
Abby struggled in the girl's grip. "Let me go! He's coming after me! You have to let me go!"
The girl glanced behind Abby and shook her head. "Abby, there's no one behind you."
"No!" Abby pointed frantically behind her as the man continued his pursuit. "He's right there! Can't you see him?"
"Abby, there's no one behind you! You need to calm down!"
Abby shook her head and finally pulled herself from the girl's grip. She suddenly lost her footing and before she could stop herself, she lost her balance. She frantically grabbed for anything that would help stop her fall, but didn't reach it in time. As she went tumbling down the stairs, she caught a glimpse of the mysterious guy dissipating into thin air, before landing in an unmoving heap at the bottom of the staircase.