"Nat? You here?" Stacey called into the dorm room.
The small brown-haired girl stepped out from her closet, "Yeah, where were you? It's past five. I thought we were going to the four-thirty movie."
"We were, but something came up. Something...wonderful." Stacey flopped down onto her bed, "I met up with this guy, this man, I was in love with five years ago."
Natalie sat down across form her roommate. "You're kidding me. Tell me more."
Stacey grinned. "I swear, he's Tom Cruise's twin brother. Like 'Jerry Maguire' Tom Cruise, not 'Mission Impossible 2' Tom Cruise."
"You're kidding me."
"No, and get this. He wants to see me again."
"Wait, you said this was like five years ago. You would have been fifteen?"
"God, it's been even longer than that? I was thirteen then. Damn."
"He remembered you?"
"I was his best student." Stacey said, smugly.
"*You were his thirteen year old student*?"
"Oh, god, Nat, it wasn't like that."
"What was it like?"
"Like...I had a crush on him. And of course then, he couldn't do anything. He was like twenty-two. *Now* is another story. I'm almost twenty, and he's twenty-nine. And he wants to see me again."
"That's really nice. What's his name?" Natalie asked.
"Wesley Ellenburg." Stacey replied with a sigh.
Natalie began to laugh.
"What?"
"Ellenburg? Come on, Stace, do you really-"
"Yeah, yeah, you make fun of him now. We're going out tomorrow night. You'll see him then, and you'll see that I'm right."
"Right about what? I never said that he didn't look like Tom Cruise. I'm just making fun of his name."
"Okay, now that's cleared up. I'm going to go call people who *know* he's good looking."
Natalie made a face at her roommate, "Are we going to go to the movies, or are you going to go call all of your high school friends?"
"You can go if you want, I"m staying here. Besides, I have homework." Stacey flashed her best supermodel smile, "I'll see you around."
Natalie and Stacey got along all right most of the time, but for being the same age, Stacey was more mature. And she was looking forward to a new roommate next term.
A few minutes later, Natalie left, and Stacey grabbed her cell phone off of the desk. She lived in the classic dorm, and the only phone on the entire floor was a pay phone at the end of the hall. Her free long-distance cell phone was much better if you wanted privacy.
Her fingers flew over the buttons. After three rings, someone picked up. "Hello?"
"Claudia?"
There was a short silence. "Stacey?"
"Yes!"
"Oh my god, it's so great to hear from you! What's it been? Three months?"
"Something like that. What's up?"
Claudia lived in New York as well, studying art, but she went to a college across town, and she and Stacey hardly had time to speak, let alone see each other. "Nothing. I'm just working on this project. It's due in two weeks. You know how I hate working under pressure."
"Yeah, that's too bad..."
"Okay, Stace, I can tell you want to talk about something. What's going on with you?"
"You will never guess who I ran into today!"
"Who?"
"You remember back when we were thirteen, I had a crush on my student teacher?"
"Yeah..."
"That's who I ran into." Stacey proceeded to tell Claudia the rest of the story.
"That is so cool. I am so happy for you." Claudia said, then she stopped, some muffled sounds, and then she came on clearly again, "Stace, I gotta go."
"Oh. Okay. Sure."
After a quick good-bye, Stacey hung up her phone. She felt like Claudia had cut short on purpose. "That's silly." Stacey told herself. She and Claudia had been best friends since they were twelve. Something silly like an old crush couldn't come between that.
Later on that night............
Stacey's cell phone was ringing.
"Hang on, hang on." She said, pushing her books to the side. She reached over to the desk and picked up. "Hello?"
"Hello, may I speak with Stacey, please?"
She almost melted. He was so polite! "This is her."
"Hi, this is Wes."
"Hi." She suddenly got nervous. Like she had earlier that afternoon.
"Maybe I shouldn't have called this early, seeming eager or something, but truth be told, I *am* eager." Wes said.
"No, it's fine!" Stacey said into the phone.
"I just wanted to make sure you were still free tomorrow night. And to make some formal plans if you were."
"I'm still free."
"Great. So, you've lived in the city a lot longer than I have. Where's the best places to go on a date?" He asked.
Oh good god, he actually said date. Stacey felt thirteen all over again. Stupid and immature. But when she was thirteen, she was neither, so as confidently as she could, she said, "Quilty's over on Prince Street. It's fantastic. A little pricey, though."
"Quilty's it is, then. When and where should I pick you up?"
"I'll meet you there."
"Great. I'll make reservations."
"Great." Stacey repeated softly.
"I suppose I'll see you then. Six-thirty or so. I'll call you again for with the details."
"Alright." She said, breathlessly. Just he sounds of his voice were effecting her this way, it *had* to be love. "I'll talk to you then."
A short good-bye and Stacey was hanging up her phone. She flopped backwards onto her bed. her life was getting better and better. Nothing, *nothing,* could mess this up now. Nothing was in her way.
That's what she thought.
TBC...
The small brown-haired girl stepped out from her closet, "Yeah, where were you? It's past five. I thought we were going to the four-thirty movie."
"We were, but something came up. Something...wonderful." Stacey flopped down onto her bed, "I met up with this guy, this man, I was in love with five years ago."
Natalie sat down across form her roommate. "You're kidding me. Tell me more."
Stacey grinned. "I swear, he's Tom Cruise's twin brother. Like 'Jerry Maguire' Tom Cruise, not 'Mission Impossible 2' Tom Cruise."
"You're kidding me."
"No, and get this. He wants to see me again."
"Wait, you said this was like five years ago. You would have been fifteen?"
"God, it's been even longer than that? I was thirteen then. Damn."
"He remembered you?"
"I was his best student." Stacey said, smugly.
"*You were his thirteen year old student*?"
"Oh, god, Nat, it wasn't like that."
"What was it like?"
"Like...I had a crush on him. And of course then, he couldn't do anything. He was like twenty-two. *Now* is another story. I'm almost twenty, and he's twenty-nine. And he wants to see me again."
"That's really nice. What's his name?" Natalie asked.
"Wesley Ellenburg." Stacey replied with a sigh.
Natalie began to laugh.
"What?"
"Ellenburg? Come on, Stace, do you really-"
"Yeah, yeah, you make fun of him now. We're going out tomorrow night. You'll see him then, and you'll see that I'm right."
"Right about what? I never said that he didn't look like Tom Cruise. I'm just making fun of his name."
"Okay, now that's cleared up. I'm going to go call people who *know* he's good looking."
Natalie made a face at her roommate, "Are we going to go to the movies, or are you going to go call all of your high school friends?"
"You can go if you want, I"m staying here. Besides, I have homework." Stacey flashed her best supermodel smile, "I'll see you around."
Natalie and Stacey got along all right most of the time, but for being the same age, Stacey was more mature. And she was looking forward to a new roommate next term.
A few minutes later, Natalie left, and Stacey grabbed her cell phone off of the desk. She lived in the classic dorm, and the only phone on the entire floor was a pay phone at the end of the hall. Her free long-distance cell phone was much better if you wanted privacy.
Her fingers flew over the buttons. After three rings, someone picked up. "Hello?"
"Claudia?"
There was a short silence. "Stacey?"
"Yes!"
"Oh my god, it's so great to hear from you! What's it been? Three months?"
"Something like that. What's up?"
Claudia lived in New York as well, studying art, but she went to a college across town, and she and Stacey hardly had time to speak, let alone see each other. "Nothing. I'm just working on this project. It's due in two weeks. You know how I hate working under pressure."
"Yeah, that's too bad..."
"Okay, Stace, I can tell you want to talk about something. What's going on with you?"
"You will never guess who I ran into today!"
"Who?"
"You remember back when we were thirteen, I had a crush on my student teacher?"
"Yeah..."
"That's who I ran into." Stacey proceeded to tell Claudia the rest of the story.
"That is so cool. I am so happy for you." Claudia said, then she stopped, some muffled sounds, and then she came on clearly again, "Stace, I gotta go."
"Oh. Okay. Sure."
After a quick good-bye, Stacey hung up her phone. She felt like Claudia had cut short on purpose. "That's silly." Stacey told herself. She and Claudia had been best friends since they were twelve. Something silly like an old crush couldn't come between that.
Later on that night............
Stacey's cell phone was ringing.
"Hang on, hang on." She said, pushing her books to the side. She reached over to the desk and picked up. "Hello?"
"Hello, may I speak with Stacey, please?"
She almost melted. He was so polite! "This is her."
"Hi, this is Wes."
"Hi." She suddenly got nervous. Like she had earlier that afternoon.
"Maybe I shouldn't have called this early, seeming eager or something, but truth be told, I *am* eager." Wes said.
"No, it's fine!" Stacey said into the phone.
"I just wanted to make sure you were still free tomorrow night. And to make some formal plans if you were."
"I'm still free."
"Great. So, you've lived in the city a lot longer than I have. Where's the best places to go on a date?" He asked.
Oh good god, he actually said date. Stacey felt thirteen all over again. Stupid and immature. But when she was thirteen, she was neither, so as confidently as she could, she said, "Quilty's over on Prince Street. It's fantastic. A little pricey, though."
"Quilty's it is, then. When and where should I pick you up?"
"I'll meet you there."
"Great. I'll make reservations."
"Great." Stacey repeated softly.
"I suppose I'll see you then. Six-thirty or so. I'll call you again for with the details."
"Alright." She said, breathlessly. Just he sounds of his voice were effecting her this way, it *had* to be love. "I'll talk to you then."
A short good-bye and Stacey was hanging up her phone. She flopped backwards onto her bed. her life was getting better and better. Nothing, *nothing,* could mess this up now. Nothing was in her way.
That's what she thought.
TBC...