@}~~{}~~~
"They seem really nice," Lina said after dinner. Craig was driving her back to her apartment. All Craig could think about was how wrong Jerry was for Manny. They only knew each other a day and she acted like she was in love with him. He was creepy.......touching her leg like he owned her. He was unbelievably pretentious too....... 'Well, if you need a hand........I'm actually the tutor for that class,' repeated through Craig's head over and over. 'Can you believe that guy?' he thought.
"Craig!" Lina said waving her hand in front of him to get his attention.
"What? I'm listening. What'd you say again?" he asked not sure of what he was talking about.
"I said........your friends seem really nice," she repeated. "What's wrong with you by the way? You've been acting really weird all night."
"Me? No way. It's that Jerry guy who's weird. I mean......what kind of name is Jerry? And he smiled way too much," Craig said rambling.
"He seemed really nice to me," Lina said giving Craig a strange look.
"Well, girls can't read guys like guys can......it's a guy thing. Trust me," Craig said missing his turn. "Damn it!" he shouted hitting the top of the steering wheel.
"Craig. I'm serious. What's the deal?" Lina said crossing her arms and looking away from him. She was getting upset.
"Nothing. It's just Manny's like family to me and she just met that guy. What if he tries something with her? I swear to God I'll kill him," Craig said shaking his head. "She's new here......she doesn't know what she's getting herself into. College guys are bad news."
"Craig you sound like you're her father. She's a big girl. Let Manny live her own life," Lina said as Craig parked to drop her off. He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. He ran his fingers through his hair then put them back on. He was feeling really stressed. He turned to her to say goodnight, but she had already opened the door and slammed it shut.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Emma and Matt were sitting on the hood of Matt's car staring at the starless sky. Manny and Jerry had walked off to talk under a tree.
"So, why law Emma?" Matt asked.
"I want to make a difference.......maybe get into politics," Emma answered.
"There are a million ways you can make a difference," Matt stated.
"Everything in this world is political. Millions of people don't have healthcare in this country. That's political. They can't stop tearing down the rainforest because it's too damn profitable. That's political. Everything in this world is run by money. I want to change that and this is the only way I know how," Emma said embarrassed for being so straightforward. 'Remember, the rainforest is not sexy,' Emma thought to herself. 'Damn.' She pushed a strand of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. She half expected Matt to run away.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look incredibly sexy when you get fired up? Not many girls are into politics." Matt said honestly. "Anyway, I completely agree with you. They can't stop GM Foods because it's one of the Fortune 500 companies. That's political," he said. Emma was so shocked.
"Can you repeat what you said?" she asked in disbelief.
"GM Foods is......" Matt started.
"No. The first thing you said," Emma said turning to face him.
"The part about you being sexy," Matt said embarrassed.
"Yeah, that part," Emma said blushing.
"No one's ever told you that. I mean.......you can feel your passion when you speak. That's a gift," Matt said. Emma thought about how Sean hated her environmental lectures and cleaning the Ravine. She thought about Chris who tolerated it, but would rather agree with her than ensue in a heated debate. Everyone she dated was intimidated by her strong opinions on the world.
"No. No one's ever told me that," Emma said moving closer to him.
"You're lying," he said looking confused.
"No. In fact it's been the opposite. Most guys don't like opinionated women," Emma said as he grabbed her hands.
"Well, if that's true, then I'm definitely not like most guys," he said smiling at her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Why'd you run out today?" Jer asked Manny while sitting down under a tree. She was silent. She sat beside him. "You know you can tell me."
"I'd rather not talk about it," she said looking away.
"That's fine," he said putting his hand on her shoulder. "If you ever need me, I'm here for you."
"Thanks Jer," she said smiling. There was a long silence. "So, what's your story?"
"My story?" he asked.
"Yeah, you know. Where are you from? How'd you get here? That kind of thing," she clarified.
"Well, I'm from L.A. I've lived here my entire life. It's kinda boring huh? I guess I'm not as adventurous as you."
"What makes you say I'm adventurous?" she asked laughing.
"I mean......you came all the way here from Canada. I've hardly been out of state. You left everything. Your family, your friends, your home......" he said. "What brought you to Los Angeles?" She looked down quickly. The truth sounded so bad. 'My ex boyfriend got me pregnant, but I got an abortion so we drifted apart. I never stopped loving him and I followed him here. Oh by the way, you met him. It's Craig. Yeah, the one with the fiancé. That one. That's what brought me here,' she thought closing her eyes.
"Um......the Lakers," she said avoiding eye contact. "I'm a fan." He laughed at her answer. "Are you laughing at me?" she asked hitting his arm.
"No........it's just. You hopped in a car and drove a couple of thousand miles for the Lakers. That's really..........different," he said smiling.
"Not a Laker fan?" Manny asked.
"I'm a Clipper guy myself," he answered. She smiled. "I really want to get to know you Manny," he said sincerely.
"I........um......." but before she finished he leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes then turned away last minute. "I can't," she said standing up. "I just.......I can't. I have to go," Manny said walking toward her dorm. Jer stood up.
"Manny, what's wrong?" he asked. She ignored him and started running.
~*~*~*~*~
"I heard what happened," Emma said walking into their room. Manny was crying softly into her pillow.
"Leave me alone Em," she said through her sobs.
"You know.......everything happens for a reason," Emma said.
"Em, you sound like a greeting card," Manny said turning to face her friend.
"I'm serious. Maybe it's time to let Craig go," she said.
"You think I haven't tried that?" Manny asked. "I'd give anything not to love him right about now."
"Just don't miss out on an open door because you're too fixated on the one that closed on you," Emma said turning off the lights so she could sleep. Manny sighed. Emma was right. The door wasn't only closed; it was bolted shut with a thousand angry guard dogs blocking it. And a girl. A girl with a whip and chains. An Asian girl. An Asian girl named Lina. The open door started to look more appealing.
"They seem really nice," Lina said after dinner. Craig was driving her back to her apartment. All Craig could think about was how wrong Jerry was for Manny. They only knew each other a day and she acted like she was in love with him. He was creepy.......touching her leg like he owned her. He was unbelievably pretentious too....... 'Well, if you need a hand........I'm actually the tutor for that class,' repeated through Craig's head over and over. 'Can you believe that guy?' he thought.
"Craig!" Lina said waving her hand in front of him to get his attention.
"What? I'm listening. What'd you say again?" he asked not sure of what he was talking about.
"I said........your friends seem really nice," she repeated. "What's wrong with you by the way? You've been acting really weird all night."
"Me? No way. It's that Jerry guy who's weird. I mean......what kind of name is Jerry? And he smiled way too much," Craig said rambling.
"He seemed really nice to me," Lina said giving Craig a strange look.
"Well, girls can't read guys like guys can......it's a guy thing. Trust me," Craig said missing his turn. "Damn it!" he shouted hitting the top of the steering wheel.
"Craig. I'm serious. What's the deal?" Lina said crossing her arms and looking away from him. She was getting upset.
"Nothing. It's just Manny's like family to me and she just met that guy. What if he tries something with her? I swear to God I'll kill him," Craig said shaking his head. "She's new here......she doesn't know what she's getting herself into. College guys are bad news."
"Craig you sound like you're her father. She's a big girl. Let Manny live her own life," Lina said as Craig parked to drop her off. He took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. He ran his fingers through his hair then put them back on. He was feeling really stressed. He turned to her to say goodnight, but she had already opened the door and slammed it shut.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Emma and Matt were sitting on the hood of Matt's car staring at the starless sky. Manny and Jerry had walked off to talk under a tree.
"So, why law Emma?" Matt asked.
"I want to make a difference.......maybe get into politics," Emma answered.
"There are a million ways you can make a difference," Matt stated.
"Everything in this world is political. Millions of people don't have healthcare in this country. That's political. They can't stop tearing down the rainforest because it's too damn profitable. That's political. Everything in this world is run by money. I want to change that and this is the only way I know how," Emma said embarrassed for being so straightforward. 'Remember, the rainforest is not sexy,' Emma thought to herself. 'Damn.' She pushed a strand of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. She half expected Matt to run away.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look incredibly sexy when you get fired up? Not many girls are into politics." Matt said honestly. "Anyway, I completely agree with you. They can't stop GM Foods because it's one of the Fortune 500 companies. That's political," he said. Emma was so shocked.
"Can you repeat what you said?" she asked in disbelief.
"GM Foods is......" Matt started.
"No. The first thing you said," Emma said turning to face him.
"The part about you being sexy," Matt said embarrassed.
"Yeah, that part," Emma said blushing.
"No one's ever told you that. I mean.......you can feel your passion when you speak. That's a gift," Matt said. Emma thought about how Sean hated her environmental lectures and cleaning the Ravine. She thought about Chris who tolerated it, but would rather agree with her than ensue in a heated debate. Everyone she dated was intimidated by her strong opinions on the world.
"No. No one's ever told me that," Emma said moving closer to him.
"You're lying," he said looking confused.
"No. In fact it's been the opposite. Most guys don't like opinionated women," Emma said as he grabbed her hands.
"Well, if that's true, then I'm definitely not like most guys," he said smiling at her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Why'd you run out today?" Jer asked Manny while sitting down under a tree. She was silent. She sat beside him. "You know you can tell me."
"I'd rather not talk about it," she said looking away.
"That's fine," he said putting his hand on her shoulder. "If you ever need me, I'm here for you."
"Thanks Jer," she said smiling. There was a long silence. "So, what's your story?"
"My story?" he asked.
"Yeah, you know. Where are you from? How'd you get here? That kind of thing," she clarified.
"Well, I'm from L.A. I've lived here my entire life. It's kinda boring huh? I guess I'm not as adventurous as you."
"What makes you say I'm adventurous?" she asked laughing.
"I mean......you came all the way here from Canada. I've hardly been out of state. You left everything. Your family, your friends, your home......" he said. "What brought you to Los Angeles?" She looked down quickly. The truth sounded so bad. 'My ex boyfriend got me pregnant, but I got an abortion so we drifted apart. I never stopped loving him and I followed him here. Oh by the way, you met him. It's Craig. Yeah, the one with the fiancé. That one. That's what brought me here,' she thought closing her eyes.
"Um......the Lakers," she said avoiding eye contact. "I'm a fan." He laughed at her answer. "Are you laughing at me?" she asked hitting his arm.
"No........it's just. You hopped in a car and drove a couple of thousand miles for the Lakers. That's really..........different," he said smiling.
"Not a Laker fan?" Manny asked.
"I'm a Clipper guy myself," he answered. She smiled. "I really want to get to know you Manny," he said sincerely.
"I........um......." but before she finished he leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes then turned away last minute. "I can't," she said standing up. "I just.......I can't. I have to go," Manny said walking toward her dorm. Jer stood up.
"Manny, what's wrong?" he asked. She ignored him and started running.
~*~*~*~*~
"I heard what happened," Emma said walking into their room. Manny was crying softly into her pillow.
"Leave me alone Em," she said through her sobs.
"You know.......everything happens for a reason," Emma said.
"Em, you sound like a greeting card," Manny said turning to face her friend.
"I'm serious. Maybe it's time to let Craig go," she said.
"You think I haven't tried that?" Manny asked. "I'd give anything not to love him right about now."
"Just don't miss out on an open door because you're too fixated on the one that closed on you," Emma said turning off the lights so she could sleep. Manny sighed. Emma was right. The door wasn't only closed; it was bolted shut with a thousand angry guard dogs blocking it. And a girl. A girl with a whip and chains. An Asian girl. An Asian girl named Lina. The open door started to look more appealing.