So the title of this chapter is pretty dumb but, it's all I could think of that seemed to fit.
Lara padded down the hall into the kitchen. She glanced at the clock, told her it was nine o'clock. She didn't have any classes today, but she had a shift in the book store at half past one. She contemplated calling in sick after what had happened the night before. She decided against it, she needed the money.
She set about making breakfast. She poured two bowls of cereal; she left one on the table with a plate covering it. She poured milk into her own, and made her way over to the couch. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on She flicked through the channels; seeing an old Tom and Jerry cartoon she put down the remote; she settled into the couch and ate her breakfast.
Half an hour later, Sam appeared, she spotted Lara sitting on the couch. "Aren't you a little old for cartoons?" Sam teased. She liked them just as much as her friend; however it was fun to make fun of the serious and mature Lara, for indulging in childish behaviour.
Lara didn't reply to that comment "Your breakfast is on the table." She called over. "You'll need the energy for the test."
"Sweetie you didn't have to make me breakfast." Sam said
"You're welcome." Lara replied. "You have that exam in an hour and it takes you forever just pour a bowl of cereal."
Sam picked up her bowl and made her way into the living room.
Sam sat down on the couch, with her bowl. She yawned before taking a spoonful. "So," Sam said with her mouth full. "Has, Alex called yet?"
"Sam, it's not a big deal." Lara said finally looking away from the TV.
"Uh-huh. Is that why you were the colour of a tomato last night?" Sam mocked.
"Sam." Lara moaned. "It's just one date."
"Exactly! One date leads to more. I mean sometimes. I've been on dates that only lead to dinner being dumped on a guys lap." Sam giggled.
Lara sighed, muting the TV and turned to face Sam. "Sam, I really don't want to make it the hot topic today."
"But, Lara this is a big deal." Sam said. "I've been trying since boarding school to get you a boyfriend."
"Sam, first off. You've never kept a boyfriend for more than three weeks, so you're hardly qualified to set anyone up." Lara told her teasingly "Second he's not my boyfriend." Lara blushed. "We haven't even gone out yet. I want this to stay between us for now."
"Ah." Sam suddenly looked incredibly guilty. Lara noticed this and felt her stomach twist.
"Sam? What did you do?" Lara asked.
"I'm sorry." She began to cringe in preparation for the oncoming lecture.
"Sam...Sam, you didn't...?" Lara said now thinking of what Sam possibly could have done.
"I...kinda...did...yeah." Sam winced.
Lara took out her phone, and logged into the first social networking site she could think of. Her jaw fell open when she found what Sam had written.
Lara's finally letting her hair down (Literally). She's got a date this Friday with Alex Weiss. You all know Alex right? The dashing American Nerd (Sorry ladies, he's off the table.) All my years of hard work have paid off. She's finally ditched her shell. :)
If Lara knew Sam, this was on every social networking site Sam was a member of. In other words, she had told everyone.
Lara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sam, I'm going to kill you." She whispered.
The sudden sound of the door slamming caught Lara's attention. She hopped over the couch and bolted for the door. She pulled the door open and looked down the hall. She caught sight of Sam, barging through two maintenance men, who were clearly there to fix the elevator. She dashed through the door to the stairs and disappeared.
Lara slammed the door, and made her way back to the couch. She flopped back down on the couch and grumbled to herself. "At least she won't be late." She said trying to see a bright side.
She turned the volume up on the TV, but she couldn't focus on it. How would Alex react when he saw it? She didn't want him to think she was gossiping to Sam.
The phone buzzed. Lara answered it without hesitation. "Hello?"
"Good Morning, Lara." Roth's voice came from the speaker.
"Good morning, Roth." Lara replied.
"I was wondering where and when you wanted to meet for Lunch today."
Lara had completely forgotten she had arranged to meet Roth for lunch. "Well I've got to work at one. There's a café just off campus, that's down the street from the book shop I'm working at. Is twelve a good time?"
"Lara, why don't you just call in sick? You went through quite an ordeal." Roth said his voice full of concern.
"I thought about it, but I need the money." Lara said.
Lara heard Roth sigh over the phone. He knew Lara, was touchy on the subject of her inheritance, but he was also proud of Lara, for choosing to make her own way in Life. So he decided to go back to the original topic "That café sounds good. What's the name of the place?"
"It's called, Mark's Bistro." Lara told him. She often thought the name was too grand; given it was only a small corner café. "Do you need directions?
"No I'll find it. I'm in the area anyway. I need to buy a present for...a friend." Roth said coyly.
"Okay great." Lara said. I'll see you then."
"All right, Lara. See you then." A small beep indicated that Roth had hung up.
Lara got up and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.
The sun was shining as Alex made his way out of the lecture hall. He had over slept and missed breakfast. His stomach grumbled.
He made his way over to the small café, just off the campus grounds. Taking a seat at a seat, he glanced at the menu. A young waitress made her way over to his table a few minutes later.
"Hi. What can I get you?" she asked withdrawing a notebook from the pocket at the front of her apron.
"Hello. I'll just take a turkey sandwich and some coffee please." Alex said handing her his menu.
"Sure thing." She smiled, heading back towards the kitchen.
Alex took out his phone and began to play, one of the games he had downloaded. They definitely weren't as fun as his console games, but they killed time while he was waiting. Suddenly the sound of the seat opposite him scraping the ground caught his attention. Looking up he saw his roommate.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked grinning.
"It's kinda redundant asking. You already have." Alex said. "What are you smiling about?"
"Oh, I'm just kind of shocked." Jack said. Alex could tell he was trying to get Alex to ask him.
"Okay...why are you shocked?" Alex asked.
"Well, for one thing I didn't know you were such a stud." Jack said pointing at Alex.
"Jack, are you coming onto me? " Alex asked. "I mean if you're gay I'm fine with that, but I'm not so..."
Jack's looked offended "No idiot. I'm talking about you pulling Croft."
"Wait...how...Where did you hear about that?" Alex was surprised. He didn't think she would have told anyone.
"Everyone knows man. Look." Jack said holding up his phone.
Alex stared at the screen. "Sam." Alex muttered. His food arrived; he thanked the waitress, though he suddenly wasn't hungry.
"You, know this is a good thing." Jack said.
"How so?" Alex asked nibbling the end of the roll.
"Well for one. All the girls who found you cute because of your accent will now stop trying to get your attention. So I've got more date prospects." He laughed. "And, you are now going to be the most famous guy here in Uni."
"What?" Alex had no idea what Jack was getting at.
"You tamed Lara Croft. The Lara Croft, the fittest doll at school. Everyone has asked her out, everyone was turned down." He said as though giving an awards speech. "But she said yes, to you." he pointed. "You are the man now Alex."
Alex could see that Jack was expressing the pride that he believed Alex should be expressing. "You think Lara was just some conquest for me?"
"No. I know that's not how you think of it anyway." Jack replied. "But that's pretty much what it is. Every guy in school has asked her out, and a few of the girls have as well." Jack grinned. "Everyone was beginning to think she was...uh...what do you call it when you're not into boys or girls?"
"Asexual?" Alex asked.
"Yeah that's it." Jack slapped the table. "You see, that's probably why she picked you. You're smart. You know stuff."
Alex shook his head. He knew Lara probably only agreed to go out with him on a knee jerk reaction. He did ask her out after a pretty rough ordeal. He felt as though he kicked her while she was down. But she kissed him twice, on the cheek but still, she chose to do it, she practically ran after him to deliver one.
"Speak of the devil." Jack said, snapping Alex out of his thoughts. Alex turned to see Lara sitting at a table; she was sipping a cup that Alex presumed was tea. Occupying the seat opposite to her was Roth. "Looks like you've got competition." Jack said.
"No, that's Roth...He's her legal guardian...I think." Alex didn't know why he was so shocked to see Lara here. He heard Lara make plans to go out to Lunch with Roth the night before.
"He's a scary looking bastard." Jack observed. "Good luck getting his approval." Jack got up and left.
Alex grumbled. He made a mental note to kill Sam.
Lara flicked through the menu. She couldn't decide on what to have. She was still pretty mad at Sam.
"You seem quiet today." Roth said not looking up from his own menu.
"I'm fine." Lara lied. "So what's in the bag?" she indicated the gift bag Roth had brought with him, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"Oh no, you're not changing the subject." Roth said. "Are you still shaken from last night?"
"What...no I...It's something Sam did." Lara replied not really wanting to divulge Sam revealing details of her date with Alex. Dating wasn't something she ever discussed with Roth.
It hadn't ever been applicable until now. Lara remembered Roth trying to give her The Talk when she was 14. He was acting really awkward about it. He was relieved when Lara simply told him she had gotten a book out of the library. Since then dating or anything related to it had never been applicable to Lara, so they never talked about it.
"What was it this time?" Roth asked. "Did she leave her dishes lying around?"
"No it...it's private." Lara said. She knew Roth didn't use social networking sites. She knew Roth wouldn't find out about it.
Roth shrugged. He knew Lara well enough to know when she didn't want to talk she wouldn't. "Fair enough. But maybe you should stop sulking, before lover boy sees you." He joked.
Lara's eyes widened."I...what...what do you mean?"
"Lara, I'm not blind. I saw how you were acting with that lad last night. I haven't seen you hug something that tight since that stuffed giraffe you had as a child." He laughed.
"But...I" Lara began.
"He's right there, at that table." Roth pointed.
Lara glanced over to where Roth was indicating. Sure enough Alex was there, his roommate, Jack was there with there with him. She saw Jack hold up his phone to Alex, Alex stared for a minute before slouching. She came to the conclusion that Alex had seen what Sam had written. She looked away quickly.
"Lara Croft. Are you blushing?"Roth asked rhetorically. He didn't even make an attempt to hide the laughter in his voice.
Lara hid her face behind her menu and moaned. This was just too awkward.
Feeling satisfied with the embarrassment he caused Lara to feel, he went back to the menu. "The soup looks good." he said nonchalantly as if nothing had just happened.
Lara was pretty sure her face was the colour of a beetroot. She didn't think she could face Alex right now, but at the same time she wanted to. She began argue with herself mentally, whether or not she should go over to Alex, however before she made up her mind, Alex got up and left. She sighed and placed her order.
Alex finished his food; he tucked the money under the plate and made his way out of the café. He decided against going to talk to Lara. He didn't want to come off as desperate, or a stalker, especially not with Roth there. Alex made his way to the tube station. Sam's little stunt was getting him looks of admiration from the some of the people he passed. Some of the girls were, giving him sullen looks.
His anger was gone. He realized that Sam, never meant for this to happen, and most likely did it on impulse. It wasn't the first time she had let secrets out, but it was the first time they didn't involve her.
He descended into the station. Taking a seat on a bench he took out his laptop and made use of the free Wi-fi. He began to think what he and Lara should do. His original plans were now, scrapped as he didn't want to be anywhere too public. He looked up from, the screen, and tried to think. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glance of Sam.
He got up from his spot, and made his way over to where she was sitting. She was sitting with her legs crossed, her eyes were closed and her head tilted back, headphones were in her ears blocking out the sound of the station.
Alex leaned over and tapped her shoulder. Startled, her eyes flew open, and she jolted forward. "Wha...I'm awake." She yelled, tugging her headphones out, she caught sight of Alex, "Uh oh."
"Hi, Sam. You mind if I join you?" Alex asked sincerely.
"Yeah," Sam answered the guilt was obvious in her voice. "Knock yourself out."
"Thanks." He sat down beside her.
Sam tried as best she could to not make eye contact. "I guess you saw what I wrote huh?"
"Yeah, I saw it." Alex replied his tone was unreadable.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. I wrote it last night. It's not Lara's fault, she left the door open, and I was eavesdropping and I know I shouldn't have been, but I was tired. And I was just so happy for Lara...and you. I know you've had a crush on her and..." Sam was talking so fast that she was struggling for air.
"Sam, relax. I'm not mad." Alex cut across her like a saw.
"Wait...you're not?" Sam was relieved. "That's a relief. Because you know, Lara threatened to kill me."
"I'm sure it was just a spur of the moment." Alex said. "You're probably fine now."
"Yeah, Lara usually cools down, pretty quick." Sam said. "But I'm still locking my door tonight."
Alex laughed. A group of boys passed them, they began cheering for Alex. "Man, I hate this."
"I'm sorry Alex." Sam said genuinely "What if I could make it up to both of you?" Sam asked. "I know Lara, doesn't want this date to be public, and I know you want to make the date special."
"What are you getting at Sam?" Alex asked.
"Dr James Whitman is appearing at the Natural History Museum this Friday. Lara has read all of his books."
Alex thought for a minute. "That's...actually really good idea."
"I swear I won't tell anyone." Sam said, "Not even Lara. You can tell her it was your idea. Oh and Pizza is Lara's favourite food. I know a great place she likes to eat, that's close to the museum. It's called Ezio's."
"All right, thanks. I've been trying to think something she'd like." Alex admitted. "I was gonna take her bowling but...I thought it was kinda dumb."
"Actually, Lara loves bowling." Sam informed him, "That's your second date." Sam winked.
"If there even ends up even being a second date." Alex said, slouching into his seat.
"Oh there will be, Lara's a lot fonder of you than you think." Sam smiled.
"What?" Alex said sitting bolt upright. Lara liked him back?
"Oops. Nothing. Fuck, I am such a blabber mouth. Ignore me. Well my train is here, I gotta go,bye ." She stood up and made her way to the middle of the platform and the arriving train. She was shocked when Alex stood as well.
"We live in the same building. Remember?" Alex stated.
Sam sighed. "Please don't tell Lara I blabbed. I'm in enough trouble as is."
"Don't worry I won't." Alex reassured her.
"Thanks." She smiled.
Lara walked through the door. Sam looked over the couch, and with a small "Eep!" ran down the hall.
"Sam, I'm not going to kill you!" Lara called after her. "I'm too tired!" She yelled before flopping down face first into the couch. Lara could hear Sam, slowly making her way back into the area. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of two pieces of glass coming into contact.
Lara looked up to see a steaming mug of tea on the small table at the side of the couch. "Rough day at work?" Sam asked.
"Thanks." Lara said, lifting her tea. "It was just exhausting. Frank called in sick so I had to unload the new shipment of books on my own.
"Why didn't you call in sick?" Sam asked. "I would have."
"Rent's due next week." Lara stated. "I can't be late with payments again."
They sat in silence for a moment before Sam decided to address the elephant in the room.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry about what I wrote." Sam said sitting on the coffee table.
"No Sam, I'm sorry, I overreacted." Lara said. "I know you were just happy for me."
"That doesn't excuse anything." Sam replied. "I should have had more respect for your privacy."
"Sam, really it's fine. People were gonna find out anyway." Lara reassured leaning back into the couch. "I just thought it would be more...low key."
Sam frowned. "You know...I talked to Alex." Sam said. "He told me a little about what he had planned."
"Sam, please don't tell me you told him his plans were stupid." Lara moaned.
"Lara, let me finish." Sam told her. "Even if I thought they were stupid, it's not my opinion that matters. Anyway, you'll really like what he's got planned."
Lara was intrigued. "Really?"
"Yeah, but it's a surprise." Sam said. "See I can keep my mouth shut."
Lara laughed. "Thank you, Sam." Her phone began to ring. She looked at the display, Alex's name was there.
Sam peeked at the screen. "I'll give you some privacy." She got up and walked to her room.
Lara waited until she heard the door click before she answered. "Hello."
"Hey, Lara." Alex's voice came.
"Hi, Alex." she replied, she felt slightly awkward.
"So, Sam caused quite a stir today." Alex said.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left the door open." Lara said.
"Nah, It's my fault. I should have asked more privately." Alex told her.
There was silence for a moment before both of them started laughing.
"Listen about Friday." Alex started. "We're still on right? Because if you want to cancel, I understand."
"No, be ridiculous. Why would I want to cancel?" Lara answered, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
"Well, If your day has been like mine then I'm pretty sure, you've been getting a lot of unwanted attention." Alex said truthfully "We could reschedule and wait til this all blows over."
Lara laughed. "Well some girl accused me of stealing you." She could hear Alex sniggering on the opposite end of the phone. "No, I don't care about what anyone says."
"Great." Alex said sounding relieved. "Oh, one more thing. I was just wondering what time you're classes finish on Friday."
"My last class finishes at three." Lara confirmed.
"That's perfect. We have to be there at six." Alex said. "So I figure we should get the train around five.
"Do I get any hints?" Lara teased. Sam, had peaked her curiosity. And the mention of needing to catch a train meant some travel, which suited her. Lara never understood how the other students, planned dates at the pub across the street.
"Sorry, it's a secret." Alex told her.
"No, fair." Lara feigned a tantrum.
"Trust me it's worth the wait. Listen. I gotta go. I have an essay to write."
"Okay. I'll talk you later then?" Lara asked.
"Yeah. Of course." Alex said. "We have class together tomorrow."
"Yeah. Maybe we can compare notes on the gossip we hear about us." Lara joked.
"Yeah, that should be fun." Alex chuckled. "Well, I'll see you later."
"Okay bye." Lara pressed the button to disengage the call. She slumped into the couch.
Sam came padding up the hall. "You know you were only the length of the hallway apart." She laughed. "Hey, Lara?"
Lara had already fallen asleep. Sam groaned having wasted her joke. She picked up the phone to order take out.