Chapter 5

Carrie finished off her soda and tossed the empty can at the nearby trash can. "Gimpy, what would you like to do tonight?"

Gimpy looked around Papa Joe's, trying to spot someone he recognized. "Hmm?"

"Are you listening to me?" She tossed a piece of crust at his head, which didn't seem to faze him at all.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just...thinking."

"OK, fine. I'll change the subject. Christmas vacation is almost here. Are you going home?"

"I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. What about you?"

"Oh, I don't know. I thought I'd just stick around campus. My family is pretty far away. I thought maybe..." Carrie started playing with one of the crushed pepper packets, pouring it out all over her plate.

"What? You want me to stay here? I suppose so. It'll help me catch up on my fake Episode III script website."

Carrie just rolled her eyes. "Come over here." She patted her hand on the booth seat.

"But I'm fine here."

Carrie sighed. "Yeah, whatever."

"You're going to AFRICA?"

"Now Nitz. It's for a worthy cause."

"But it's vacation. Christmas vacation. Emphasis on vacation. Besides, I was hoping you would come with me."

"I'm sorry Nitz. But I'm leaving tomorrow night."

"TOMORROW? Kimmy, you can't!"

"I won't have time to see you tonight. So, I'll see you when I get back, right?"

Nitz felt his head begin to throb. "Yeah, sure."

"I'll miss you, Nitz. Bye!" Kimmy had already hung up the phone before he could reply.

Nitz put the phone down. "See me when she gets back? She barely does when she's here." He looked over at Zack who was engrossed in a paper he was typing up. "Don't you have anything better to do? We'll be on vacation in a few days."

Zack swiveled his chair around. "Hey don't snap at me just 'cause you got girlfriend troubles."

"All you ever do is type, type, type. You can't possibly need to be working all the time."

"Hey!" Zack pointed right at Nitz. "I'm just dedicated to school is all."

"You're getting straight As. Take a break for once in your life."

"I happen to be doing it for a reason, but I doubt someone like you would understand."

Nitz crossed his arms. "Try me."

Zack turned back to his computer. "Just forget it."

"Look, Zack. I'm not trying to start a fight. You need to relax. Let's go to the student lounge. Play a game or something."

"No. I...I'd rather work on this." Zack resumed his typing.

"Have you hung out with anyone at all this semester? Friends? Acquaintances? Anyone?"

Zack stopped typing. "Nitz, just go. I'm sure you have better things to do than berate my lifestyle."

"That's not..." Nitz grabbed a jacket and headed for the door. "Fine. I'll go."

"Now if I just decipher this string of code, I may just be able to..." Gimpy heard a knock on his door and scrambled to shut off all his computers. "C-come in."

Mump entered with a depressed look on his face.

"Oh. It's only you, Mump." Gimpy turned on his computers and typed away. "I was afraid it might be Carr...somebody else."

"Sir? Where have you been these past few months? You don't seem to be around hardly at all. I would think it's normal college behavior if it weren't for the fact that practically all of us are shut-ins."

"I've just been hanging out with a fellow classmate a little more is all."

"Oh! Well, how come you never introduced him to me?"

Gimpy turned around and tried to think of the exact words to say. "Well, it's not quite..." Suddenly, a flashing window appeared on Gimpy's computer. He quickly turned his eyes to it.

"Mump, you're not going to believe this."

"What is it, sir?"

Gimpy grinned and evil grin and held his hands together. "She Prime is located somewhere in this building."

"This world has gone crazy, I tell ya!" Rocko threw up his hands and slammed them down on the table. "How did Gimpy get a girlfriend and I can't get one? Even when I pay them."

"Ah, come on, Rocko. Can't you be happy for Gimpy? He's done so much to avoid the opposite sex and here he is finally starting to grow up."

"Nitz, if a nerd like that can get a girlfriend, how does that make me look?"

"It's not a competition, Rocko. Besides, Cal would have us beat, easy."

Rocko pouted in his chair. "Yeah, well. I just think it's time I got some." He looked over at Nitz. "Hey, how come you're not hanging out with your girl? We'll be on vacation soon."

"Oh, she's off doing something in Africa or something." Nitz waved his hands around in utter indifference.

"Dude, she's never around."

"I know. At first it was just one of her quirks. But now...I don't know."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I seriously don't know." Nitz slumped into his chair. "Kimmy was all I thought about through high school. It's like some kind of dream that she actually is going out with me. But when reality hit, it's like I don't exist to her anymore."

"So what you've gotta ask is your dream girl still your dream girl?"

Nitz rubbed his temple and truly pondered that question.

"OK, Mump. I've checked the school's records and there's only thirty female students here at Tekerson Tech."

"How do you suggest we narrow down the search?"

"We'll have to hack into each student's files and check for any sort of anomalies. I better get start..."

The sudden loud knock on the door made both Mump and Gimpy jump back. "Gimpy? Are you there? Can I come in?" It was Carrie.

"Sir? Why is a girl requesting entrance to your room?"

Gimpy quickly shut down his computers. "Um...she's the...fellow classmate I was telling you about."

Mump looked down at the floor. "I don't even know you any more, sir."

"Hello?" Carrie knocked on the door again.

"Just a minute!" Gimpy shouted out. "Mump, honestly. It's not what it looks like. She's nothing more than a fellow nerd."

"Well I suppose I should leave you alone with your friend." Mump opened the door and sped past Carrie.

"Huh? Gimpy? Who was that?"

Gimpy stood up and directed Carrie inside. "Heh, just a friend of mine."

"Oh. Hey, why are your computers turned off? I thought you would have them on 24/7."

"Well, um...I just...let's get out of here."

"Um, OK."

"Brody, stop it."

"What?" Brody leaned against the library's shelves. "Jesse, I'm just telling you what I heard."

Jesse rifled through the stacks, trying to find a particular book. "I said stop it."

"I'm trying to help. Don't you still have a thing for Nitz?"

Jesse scanned the shelf in front of her without looking at Brody. "I can't Brody, and let's just leave it at that."

"Maybe I should repeat what I said. Kimmy's off in Africa somewhere for two weeks. It's the perfect time to make good with Nitz."

Jesse took a book from the shelf and waved it in Brody's face. "I don't care how far on the other side of the world she is. Nitz still loves that ditz." She looked down at the book. "Hey, this is the one I was looking for."

"Weren't you the one that told me you changed your looks to try and get his attention?"

This time, she smacked Brody in the chest with the book. "You asshole, I told you that in confidence. You want someone to overhear?"

"Ow! I know. But you've got a few days before vacation. You should at least talk to him."

"We'll see."

"I'm meeting Kruger in a few. You wanna come?"

"Nah. I've got work to do. Just say hi for me."

"Will do. Take it easy."

"You too." Jesse watched as Brody turned the corner and exited the building. "What would I say to him anyway?" She went over to the copiers and started copying pages out of the book she got and tried not to think about Nitz. When she was done with the copier, she looked up and saw a familiar face.

"Jay?"

"Huh?" Jay had been at a table reading some manga and tried to hide it from view when she saw Jesse walking over. "J-Jesse?"

She sat down across from him and smiled when she saw him trying to hide his reading material. "What's up? You know, I don't think we've ever really talked that much."

"No." Jay sat stiffly and looked just about everywhere but at Jesse. "So...uh...how are you?"

"I'm good. Just finishing up a few things before the semester's over. Are you...heh...researching?"

Jay turned bright red. "I...I'm just here because I can't stand my roommate. So I just come here to be alone."

"Aw, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything. I was just teasing."

"Well, it's OK, I guess." Jay finally looked at Jesse and then down at the floor.

"So...um...how's Nitz doing?"

"He's bummed about Kimmy. She's off for a benefit in Africa."

"So I've heard."

"Yeah. And he's been really depressed."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. I think he was hoping they would finally be able to spend some time together with vacation coming up."

"So they haven't been spending much time together?"

"Oh, shit!" Jay covered his mouth. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this. Nitz would probably kill me if he found out I was talking my mouth off."

"Ah, then I better be off."

"Um, alright."

Jesse got up and walked over to Jay. "Nice to finally talk to you." She ruffled his hair and returned to the stacks.

"Yeah. Talk..." Jay couldn't help but grin stupidly.

"Funny you should take me out for coffee. You don't seem the type."

"Are you kidding?" Gimpy raised his cup above his head. "With the exception of Jolt cola, it's the greatest drink creation ever made."

Carrie shifted on the couch in the coffee shop to face Gimpy, swirling what was left of her coffee in her cup. "You know, I'm really glad you're staying here for Christmas break."

Gimpy finished off his drink and stood up. "Well, we should really get back. It's getting late." He didn't even manage to step forward as Carrie pulled him back down to the couch. "What?"

"Why do you always do this?"

"Do what?"

Carrie sighed. "What are you, an idiot? What do you think?"

Gimpy looked at her, trying to figure it out. "Is there something wrong with two friends hanging out?"

"You ARE an idiot. You're a fucking idiot." She got up and headed out the door in a huff.

"Carrie!" He chased after her and caught her a block away from the shop. "Come on, what's this about?" When she looked up, he noticed how pale she had become.

"What am I to you?"

"Huh?"

"I said..." She began to pound on his chest. "WHAT AM I TO YOU?"

Gimpy stood taking the hits like a man and after a minute grabbed her arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..." He then slipped his arms around her in an embrace. "I didn't know. I am an idiot."

"No, stop it Gimpy." Carrie pushed him away and walked blindly down the sidewalk, bumping into passers-by.

"Carrie!" He ran after her again, questions popping up in his head. "Carrie! What do I have to say to make you stop?"

"Nothing!" She picked up her pace and began running away from Gimpy.

"Shit. I'm no athlete." Gimpy started to run after her, but couldn't keep up. He let out a yell. "I SAID I WAS SORRY!" When he saw her disappear from sight he kicked a nearby lamppost. "Ow."

"Zack, I'm leaving."

Zack merely sat at his desk, not looking up.

"I'm headed home for break. I'll see you later."

Zack didn't say a word and Nitz shook his head. He headed out the door with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Without warning he bumped right into Jesse.

"J-Jesse? What are you doing here?"

She backed up a few steps. "Hi Nitz. I sorta heard about Kimmy. I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"For what? She's just going to be gone for a few weeks. I'll see her when she gets back."

Jesse squinted at him, trying to figure out if he really meant it. "Well, still it must be a bummer."

"Sure I was hoping we'd spend some time together but..." He suddenly grabbed at his head. "I...gotta go." He staggered away and down the hall.

"Nitz? Wait!" She caught up to him at the front door and grabbed his arm. "What was that all about?"

"I'm not happy, OK?" Nitz looked over at Jesse, trying to hold in any emotions. "Or more specifically, I'm not happy about the relationship with my dream girl."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Gimpy rapped repeatedly on Carrie's dorm room door. "Carrie! Let me in! Or at least say something!" He placed his ear against her door. After a minute of hearing nothing, he sighed out heavily.

"Carrie, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings in any way. I'm pretty new to this whole girlfriend thing. Hanging out with you always put me at ease and I would look forward to it every day. I was just too scared to move forward." He paused to listen again and then continued. "I treated you like a friend because I didn't know how to move forward."

Suddenly, Gimpy noticed several Tekerson Tech students gathering around, Mump among them. "What? Don't you people have three dimensional holographic Star Wars prototypes to build or something?"

Mump stepped forward. "You heard him, people! Beat it!" When the crowd dispersed, Mump calmly walked away but shot back a few words to Gimpy. "I wish I could do more for you, sir."

As Gimpy watched him round the corner, he smiled and shook his head. "Silly Mump." He went back to talking at Carrie's door. "Carrie, I like you. I really do. And I'm sorry for treating you like just another fellow nerd. So if you don't come out in the next fifteen seconds, I'll leave you alone." He stood for a good thirty seconds before slowly walking away. He was just about to head downstairs when he saw Carrie racing from her room towards him. "Carrie!" He held his arms out to her.

She ran up to him, squeezing him tight and kissing him with all her pent up frustration and emotion.

"Anyway, I...I'm just frustrated with the situation more than anything."

Jesse shifted on her bed and watched Nitz pace around from one end of her room to the other. "I see..." She couldn't think of anything more to say.

"I'm sorry, Jesse. You of all people don't want to hear about my problems with Kimmy."

"Hey, I'm the one who asked if you wanted to talk about it."

"So, you have any advice?"

Jesse let out a sigh. "Nitz, you know what I want. I have no right to give you advice."

"Jesse..."

"Hold on, I'll tell you what I think." She stood up and put her hands on Nitz's shoulders. "I think you should talk it over with her before making any sort of decision."

"Is that what you really think, Jesse?"

She looked into his eyes and removed his hat. "No." Without thinking, she pulled him close into a kiss.

The quick back-and-forth scene cuts were intentional as I tried to push things forward a bit. Not sure how I want to continue this, so it may be a while for the next update. Later UG fans!

KTF a.k.a. Xfox