[A/N. Please excuse this chapter being a bit shorter, a bit more hurried
and not as good as usual, but I've got a cold and I've also got two essays
to write on this week I've got off Uni. After I finish this story I am
going to try and finish the one before this, where the gang was in London
because I don't like the idea of having a story not finished.]
NINETEEN:
As I walked towards Mandy's dorm I thought about the events of the weekend. I still wasn't sure how to tell Mandy what had happened, but I knew I had to tell her. If I didn't the guilt would eat at me and she'd know there was something on my mind. As Randy had predicted Mandy wasn't in her room, and so I turned and went to find her where she would probably be- the library. After all hadn't she said she couldn't come with me to Darry's wedding because of homework? To my surprise there was no sign of her in the library, and I was forced to go back to my dorm.
As I entered I passed Eric, who was on his way out. "Hey Pony, how was the wedding?" He asked.
"It was all right." I said slowly. There was no way I could tell Eric what had happened at the wedding. He'd probably congratulate me and then offer to take me out for a drink to celebrate it.
"Yeah, just all right hey?" Eric asked. "No good looking girls there?"
I was sure my face went red at this, and I muttered that I hadn't noticed. I was however saved by the bell, so to speak. "OI! Hollingworth, wait up." Someone called. A moment later the president of the frat came running out. "Are you going to the bar?"
"Sure am." Eric said with a grin. "I guess you're heading there too."
"Where else?" The frat president asked with a laugh. Then he noticed me. "Hello, Pony isn't it?"
I nodded.
"Well Pony, how are you enjoying frat life?" The president asked me.
I was tempted to tell him that for me it wasn't much different to being back in the dorm, but then I decided that probably wouldn't be the wisest response, so I told him it was great.
"Want to come to the bar with Daniel and I?" Eric asked me.
I shook my head. "I've got to find Mandy. She seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth." I replied.
"Who?" Daniel asked interested.
"His girlfriend- Mandy." Eric replied. A moment later they went to the bar and I went inside. Instead of going to my room I went to Randy's. I wanted to ask him something. I knocked on the door and a moment later he called out for me to come in.
"Hey man." He greeted me.
"Hey." I replied. "Listen do you know where Mandy is? I checked her room and the library and couldn't find her. You said she was too busy to come and pick me up from the airport, and then you said I wouldn't find her in her room. Where is she?"
Randy looked at the ground for a moment, and then shrugged. "I know she's studying, but that's all I know." He told me quickly.
I frowned. "Randy, what's the problem?" I asked, wondering why he was acting so strange.
"There's no problem. So, you study any on the weekend? You don't want to get behind." Randy asked, changing the subject.
I decided that it didn't matter, and let him change the subject happily. "Not exactly. I was too busy." I said. And then I decided that if I couldn't tell Eric what had happened I could tell Randy. It's funny though- we never got along back in high school and now we were becoming friends. Randy listened as I told him what had happened and he didn't speak until I was finished and I asked him whether I should tell Mandy or not?
"I don't know." He said slowly. "Normally I'd say no, but in the current circumstances I think perhaps you should tell her."
"What current circumstances?" I demanded.
Randy shook his head. "I've probably said more than I should have already Pony. I'm Mandy's friend, but I like to think that I'm your friend too. You're going to have to ask her what's going on. Not me."
Back in my room I pondered over what Randy could possibly mean. I frowned, angry at Mandy for not coming to pick me up when she'd promised all along she would, and angry at her for obviously having a secret with Randy which I was not privy to. Then a thought suddenly occurred to me: all of a sudden I had a clear idea of where I'd heard the name "Daniel" before. Could it be that my frat president was the one who'd hurt Mandy all those years before? My anger at Mandy was now transferred to Daniel, and I decided that maybe, just maybe, I felt like going to the bar after all.
NINETEEN:
As I walked towards Mandy's dorm I thought about the events of the weekend. I still wasn't sure how to tell Mandy what had happened, but I knew I had to tell her. If I didn't the guilt would eat at me and she'd know there was something on my mind. As Randy had predicted Mandy wasn't in her room, and so I turned and went to find her where she would probably be- the library. After all hadn't she said she couldn't come with me to Darry's wedding because of homework? To my surprise there was no sign of her in the library, and I was forced to go back to my dorm.
As I entered I passed Eric, who was on his way out. "Hey Pony, how was the wedding?" He asked.
"It was all right." I said slowly. There was no way I could tell Eric what had happened at the wedding. He'd probably congratulate me and then offer to take me out for a drink to celebrate it.
"Yeah, just all right hey?" Eric asked. "No good looking girls there?"
I was sure my face went red at this, and I muttered that I hadn't noticed. I was however saved by the bell, so to speak. "OI! Hollingworth, wait up." Someone called. A moment later the president of the frat came running out. "Are you going to the bar?"
"Sure am." Eric said with a grin. "I guess you're heading there too."
"Where else?" The frat president asked with a laugh. Then he noticed me. "Hello, Pony isn't it?"
I nodded.
"Well Pony, how are you enjoying frat life?" The president asked me.
I was tempted to tell him that for me it wasn't much different to being back in the dorm, but then I decided that probably wouldn't be the wisest response, so I told him it was great.
"Want to come to the bar with Daniel and I?" Eric asked me.
I shook my head. "I've got to find Mandy. She seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth." I replied.
"Who?" Daniel asked interested.
"His girlfriend- Mandy." Eric replied. A moment later they went to the bar and I went inside. Instead of going to my room I went to Randy's. I wanted to ask him something. I knocked on the door and a moment later he called out for me to come in.
"Hey man." He greeted me.
"Hey." I replied. "Listen do you know where Mandy is? I checked her room and the library and couldn't find her. You said she was too busy to come and pick me up from the airport, and then you said I wouldn't find her in her room. Where is she?"
Randy looked at the ground for a moment, and then shrugged. "I know she's studying, but that's all I know." He told me quickly.
I frowned. "Randy, what's the problem?" I asked, wondering why he was acting so strange.
"There's no problem. So, you study any on the weekend? You don't want to get behind." Randy asked, changing the subject.
I decided that it didn't matter, and let him change the subject happily. "Not exactly. I was too busy." I said. And then I decided that if I couldn't tell Eric what had happened I could tell Randy. It's funny though- we never got along back in high school and now we were becoming friends. Randy listened as I told him what had happened and he didn't speak until I was finished and I asked him whether I should tell Mandy or not?
"I don't know." He said slowly. "Normally I'd say no, but in the current circumstances I think perhaps you should tell her."
"What current circumstances?" I demanded.
Randy shook his head. "I've probably said more than I should have already Pony. I'm Mandy's friend, but I like to think that I'm your friend too. You're going to have to ask her what's going on. Not me."
Back in my room I pondered over what Randy could possibly mean. I frowned, angry at Mandy for not coming to pick me up when she'd promised all along she would, and angry at her for obviously having a secret with Randy which I was not privy to. Then a thought suddenly occurred to me: all of a sudden I had a clear idea of where I'd heard the name "Daniel" before. Could it be that my frat president was the one who'd hurt Mandy all those years before? My anger at Mandy was now transferred to Daniel, and I decided that maybe, just maybe, I felt like going to the bar after all.