Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Chapter 8: A Curveball

I did what Dana asked and I went out. Marley, Kelsey, Dana and I went out a lot when we all got back from our vacation. A week later, it was back to business.

One of my main classes was a first aid class. It was required for anyone going into the medical field. It was a field that I was still deliberating if I wanted to go into or not.

"I'll ace this course." I said, confidently as I walked into the classroom.

"Especially if you get to practice mouth-to-mouth on him," Dana said, pointing to the front of the class.

"Damn it all to Hell." I muttered.

Carter stood in the front of the classroom. He was talking to the instructor and engaging in a very light conversation with some of the other students.

I went about halfway down the stairs and into an aisle. Dana sat down next to me. It was a relatively small class. I was not going to be able to avoid Carter this time around.

"Hm, I think its fate." Dana giggled.

"Shut up." I hissed.

Then I felt a presence next to me. I looked up into brilliant blue eyes. They were staring right back at me.

"Carter." I said, coldly.

"Hello, Jeri." He returned. "Mind if I sit here?"

"I don't see why not. Although there ARE other desks in the room."

He sat down next to me. The warm comforting smells of Cool Water wafted over. He looked good and he smelled good. I'd never hear the end of it if I wasn't nice to him.

I glanced over at Dana who was snickering quietly.

"So Jeri," I heard. I looked back over at Carter. "I know we've never really had a chance to talk before."
"Yeah. So."

"And I know I was presumptuous early on and I'm very sorry for that."
"Apology accepted."
"Thank you. Can I reintroduce myself?"

"Sure."
"I'm Carter Grayson. Third year Emergency Engineer major. It's just a fancy word for a firefighter"
"Jeri Stone. Pre-med but thinking about switching."

"Nice to meet you," He said with a warm smile.

"Same here," I said, smiling back at him. "And that's very cool about being a firefighter. My father was a cop."
"Really? Was?" He asked.

"Yeah. He retired early. He's a private investigator and juice bar owner.

"Okay."

Soon class started but every time I looked at Dana, she'd start grinning.

We ended up running into Marley on our way out of class.

"How was class?" she asked me.

"Jeri had a wonderful day." Dana interrupted.

"Dana! Hush!" I said, sternly.

"Oh? Jeri. What aren't you telling me?"

"She got to sit next to Carter today in class."
"Oh, Jeri. That's so cute."

"Marley. Shut up. You make it seem like we're in high school again."

We walked back to our dorms in the usual way. Gossiping about people we knew from the dorms.

I couldn't think straight. My mind kept drifting back to Carter. Something that I didn't want to happen.

I tried to study most of the time. Finally, I'd had enough.

"Dana, I need to get out. I'm gonna grab Marley. We need some AG bonding."
"Okay, go ahead."

I went down to Marley and Kelsey's room and grabbed Marley. I wouldn't tell her why or where but I told her we needed to talk.

We ended up going to Frothy Joe's and parked ourselves in the back of the café'.

"Okay, Jeri. What's up?"
"Marley. What if I pursue this thing with Carter."
"Do you like him?"
"Well, shit, Marley. He's gorgeous. But I barely know him."

"Yeah. So? Is it just his looks or is there something more."
"He's got that strong silent type thing going on for him."

"So what's holding you back?"
"My 4.0 GPA. I'm worried that if I get involved, I'll fuck it all up. I don't want to disappoint my father. He's going to be disappointed enough if I decide to do something other than the medical field.

"Jesus Christ, Jeri! Quit being a goody-goody. You've been like that all your life. You're an adult now. Look out for #1." She said getting irritated with me.

"Okay. You're right Marley. I need to get this man." I could feel my confidence growing, ever so slightly. It was a rarity for me.

"Jeri. I dare say it. You're starting to sound like me." She said with a wicked grin. "Besides, it's been ages since you've gotten laid."

"MARLEY!"

"I speak the truth, my friend. I speak the truth."

She left a short time later. I sat there, finished my latte and reflected on what I had just said. It wasn't normal for me. Then again, Carter wasn't your garden variety boy either. He was a man. He was a college man and he'd make a good husband.

Of course, I was jumping way ahead of myself. I barely knew the guy and yet I was thinking about marriage with him. I had to be nuts. Either that, or I had hung out with Marley way too much.

I emerged into the cool night air awhile later and headed back to the dorms. I had Carter on the brain and Marley's words working in my head. It was definitely different for me.

Just before I got to the dorms, I saw Carter waiting on the sidewalk.

"Carter!" I yelled, waving towards him.

He turned and looked at me.

"Hey Jeri. What's up?"

"Not much."

"Where'd ya go?" He asked, curiously.

"Oh. Frothy Joe's with Marley."
"That Marley is sure a piece of work."
"Yeah. Gotta love her though. She's like a piece of home."
"It's always nice to have that."

"Yeah."

And then it was one of those awkward silences.

"Hey. I ran into your roommate over the holiday."
"Oh, Dana. Yeah, she's great." I said, feigning surprise.

"Yeah. She seems really nice."

"Yeah. She is. Did she say anything?"
"Well, not really. Other than the fact that she's your roomie."

"Oh, okay."

"So what are your plans for this semester?" he asked, continuing the conversation.

"Not much. Studying. Going out a little bit."
"Sounds like fun."

"What about you?" I asked.

"Well, I'll be training with the fire department. Finishing up my training."
"Cool."

"Carter!" a voice interrupted us. "Are you ready to go?"

I glanced up. A tall redhead walked up. She was gorgeous. Long, mid-back hair, brilliant green eyes, high cheek bones. She could've been a model.

He turned around and smiled.

"Oh hey, Michelle." He said. She walked up and kissed him. I felt a pang of jealousy hit me like a ton of bricks.

Then she saw me.

"Who's she?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Oh." He started. It was like I was an afterthought. Then he turned and looked at me.

"Michelle. This is Jeri Stone. She's a 1st year Pre-med student. Jeri, this is my girlfriend, Michelle McCallistor. She's a 3rd year Civil Engineer."

"Hello, Michelle. It's nice to meet you." I said, extending my hand.

"Charmed, I'm sure." She said, ignoring my hand. She looked at Carter.

"Carter. Come on. We have to go now or we're going to be late."
"Okay. Well, Jeri. I'll see ya later." He said.

I just waved good-bye as he walked off. I felt a quiet rage build inside me as a silent tear fell down my face.

"Damn him." I muttered.