Hudson University Freshman Housing/ December 2/ 6:33 PM
*****
As Maureen climbed the stairs to her dorm room on the third floor, she was thinking about what homework she had to do that evening. She didn't really have that much … maybe she would work for an hour or so and then go to the gym for awhile.
There was a note on her bed from Tessa that read "M – Babysitting at Pressman's … be back by 9. Love, T." Maureen wrinkled her nose – Professor Pressman, from what she'd heard, was really a jerk. She wished Tessa wasn't so worried about her grade in his class that she was willing to babysit for a guy dating a nineteen-year-old behind his perfectly nice wife's back. Tessa had said the wife and the kids were really sweet, too. Yuck. It was like a soap opera. A repulsive one.
Maureen sat down at her desk and pulled out her assignment book. Tomorrow was Wednesday – that meant she didn't have class until eleven, and nothing major except a Spanish quiz in the afternoon that she knew she'd ace. She didn't even want to THINK about finals yet … she had plenty of time to get ready for those. Hmmm … maybe she could try to write some poetry for that poetry class …
THUNK THUNK THUNK!! "Come in," called Maureen, and before she knew it a herd of guys from the second floor had poured into her room, bearing water bottles covered with duct tape and enormous Cheshire Cat grins. Maureen laughed, sitting back in her desk chair and shaking her head. "You guys! It's Tuesday –"
"Hey, Maureen," said one named Charlie, cutting her off. "Tuesday has a boring reputation, I know."
"So we thought we'd help it out a little," Dustin chimed in.
"Ha!" scoffed Maureen, teasing them. "Don't you guys have work?"
"This is college, Maureen, not hell," replied Oliver. "Where's Tessa? You guys need to do a little drinking with us." Hector and Dominic raised their bottles, waving them enticingly.
"Tessa's babysitting, not that she would drink on a weeknight anyway," said Maureen. She got up from the chair. "And I have a Spanish quiz tomorrow."
All of the guys started to make grumbling noises, but Maureen, thoroughly enjoying herself, held up one finger. "However," she began.
"What?" asked Dustin.
"You're in luck, because as it turns out, I am very, very good at Spanish."
*****
9:38 PM
*****
Not surprisingly, the evening flew by. Maureen had headed downstairs with the guys to Hector's room at first, but after a half hour or so they'd realized their RA was making the rounds. The third floor was safer because the RA almost never checked on the girls, so they returned to Maureen's room.
By eight-fifteen or so she had been pretty drunk, but Maureen was a fairly careful drinker, especially on a Tuesday night, and when she was the only girl. She knew there was no way she could drink like any of these big guys, so she'd slowed down. She had ended up sitting on her bed next to Oliver, who was surreptitiously stroking the bare skin on her back between her shirt and the waistband of her jeans. She was letting him, for now – he was nice and definitely cute.
Now the guys were getting a little restless, fiddling with the music and rumbling about getting some food. Charlie looked up at Maureen. "Hey, when is Tessa supposed to get back?" His eyes were a little bleary, she could see, and he was enunciating very carefully.
She felt a little fuzzy herself. "Uhhh …" she looked at the clock. "Hey, like forty-five minutes ago." She sat up straight, a little worried.
"Weird," said Oliver.
"Yeah," agreed Maureen. "She's at Professor Pressman's, too."
"Ugh," said Charlie. "What a dick."
They all sat quietly for a minute, everyone who had had freshman English with Professor Pressman bitterly remembering unfair exams and long, droning lectures.
"Hey," said Oliver suddenly. "I know where he lives!"
They all looked at him, surprised. "You do?" asked Maureen. "Why?"
"His apartment's like four blocks from here," he said. "I had to go there once to bitch at him about my midterm grade."
"Well, hell," said Charlie, getting up. "Let's go over there!"
Everyone started to collect their jackets, but Maureen wasn't sure this was such a good idea. "You guys," she protested. "What if somebody sees us going over there? We look like a bunch of stupid drunks. And what are we going to do when we get there? Throw rocks at the windows?"
Charlie was single-minded with determination, however. "It'll be fine. We'll just get Tessa. She shouldn't have to stay so late at that dickhead's house."
Maureen still wanted to argue, but formulating the thoughts was not so easy. And she was a little worried about Tessa. Finally, she sighed and followed the guys down the hall.
Outside the temperature had plunged even lower, and Maureen tried to keep warm by walking in between Oliver and Charlie. The four-block walk didn't seem as long as it should have; Maureen felt vaguely like she was floating. The guys were laughing raucously and shoving each other lightly. Fleetingly, she pictured what might happen if they all got stopped by the police or something crazy like that – they were all underage, and she could just picture her dad's face …
As they rounded the corner that would take them to the professor's building, they all slowed, wordlessly. Rather than the quiet, evening street that they had expected, the area was awash with lights. Almost a dozen police cars were parked haphazardly along the curbs in front of the building Oliver said was the Pressmans'; uniformed cops were swarming everywhere.
Maureen could feel her eyes getting larger. Her stomach lurched … TESSA …
Her breath caught when she spied a familiar figure, tall and slim with short dark hair, standing in the pool of light nearest the entrance. She was talking with a man, taking notes. And right behind her was Maureen's father.
TBC
*****
As Maureen climbed the stairs to her dorm room on the third floor, she was thinking about what homework she had to do that evening. She didn't really have that much … maybe she would work for an hour or so and then go to the gym for awhile.
There was a note on her bed from Tessa that read "M – Babysitting at Pressman's … be back by 9. Love, T." Maureen wrinkled her nose – Professor Pressman, from what she'd heard, was really a jerk. She wished Tessa wasn't so worried about her grade in his class that she was willing to babysit for a guy dating a nineteen-year-old behind his perfectly nice wife's back. Tessa had said the wife and the kids were really sweet, too. Yuck. It was like a soap opera. A repulsive one.
Maureen sat down at her desk and pulled out her assignment book. Tomorrow was Wednesday – that meant she didn't have class until eleven, and nothing major except a Spanish quiz in the afternoon that she knew she'd ace. She didn't even want to THINK about finals yet … she had plenty of time to get ready for those. Hmmm … maybe she could try to write some poetry for that poetry class …
THUNK THUNK THUNK!! "Come in," called Maureen, and before she knew it a herd of guys from the second floor had poured into her room, bearing water bottles covered with duct tape and enormous Cheshire Cat grins. Maureen laughed, sitting back in her desk chair and shaking her head. "You guys! It's Tuesday –"
"Hey, Maureen," said one named Charlie, cutting her off. "Tuesday has a boring reputation, I know."
"So we thought we'd help it out a little," Dustin chimed in.
"Ha!" scoffed Maureen, teasing them. "Don't you guys have work?"
"This is college, Maureen, not hell," replied Oliver. "Where's Tessa? You guys need to do a little drinking with us." Hector and Dominic raised their bottles, waving them enticingly.
"Tessa's babysitting, not that she would drink on a weeknight anyway," said Maureen. She got up from the chair. "And I have a Spanish quiz tomorrow."
All of the guys started to make grumbling noises, but Maureen, thoroughly enjoying herself, held up one finger. "However," she began.
"What?" asked Dustin.
"You're in luck, because as it turns out, I am very, very good at Spanish."
*****
9:38 PM
*****
Not surprisingly, the evening flew by. Maureen had headed downstairs with the guys to Hector's room at first, but after a half hour or so they'd realized their RA was making the rounds. The third floor was safer because the RA almost never checked on the girls, so they returned to Maureen's room.
By eight-fifteen or so she had been pretty drunk, but Maureen was a fairly careful drinker, especially on a Tuesday night, and when she was the only girl. She knew there was no way she could drink like any of these big guys, so she'd slowed down. She had ended up sitting on her bed next to Oliver, who was surreptitiously stroking the bare skin on her back between her shirt and the waistband of her jeans. She was letting him, for now – he was nice and definitely cute.
Now the guys were getting a little restless, fiddling with the music and rumbling about getting some food. Charlie looked up at Maureen. "Hey, when is Tessa supposed to get back?" His eyes were a little bleary, she could see, and he was enunciating very carefully.
She felt a little fuzzy herself. "Uhhh …" she looked at the clock. "Hey, like forty-five minutes ago." She sat up straight, a little worried.
"Weird," said Oliver.
"Yeah," agreed Maureen. "She's at Professor Pressman's, too."
"Ugh," said Charlie. "What a dick."
They all sat quietly for a minute, everyone who had had freshman English with Professor Pressman bitterly remembering unfair exams and long, droning lectures.
"Hey," said Oliver suddenly. "I know where he lives!"
They all looked at him, surprised. "You do?" asked Maureen. "Why?"
"His apartment's like four blocks from here," he said. "I had to go there once to bitch at him about my midterm grade."
"Well, hell," said Charlie, getting up. "Let's go over there!"
Everyone started to collect their jackets, but Maureen wasn't sure this was such a good idea. "You guys," she protested. "What if somebody sees us going over there? We look like a bunch of stupid drunks. And what are we going to do when we get there? Throw rocks at the windows?"
Charlie was single-minded with determination, however. "It'll be fine. We'll just get Tessa. She shouldn't have to stay so late at that dickhead's house."
Maureen still wanted to argue, but formulating the thoughts was not so easy. And she was a little worried about Tessa. Finally, she sighed and followed the guys down the hall.
Outside the temperature had plunged even lower, and Maureen tried to keep warm by walking in between Oliver and Charlie. The four-block walk didn't seem as long as it should have; Maureen felt vaguely like she was floating. The guys were laughing raucously and shoving each other lightly. Fleetingly, she pictured what might happen if they all got stopped by the police or something crazy like that – they were all underage, and she could just picture her dad's face …
As they rounded the corner that would take them to the professor's building, they all slowed, wordlessly. Rather than the quiet, evening street that they had expected, the area was awash with lights. Almost a dozen police cars were parked haphazardly along the curbs in front of the building Oliver said was the Pressmans'; uniformed cops were swarming everywhere.
Maureen could feel her eyes getting larger. Her stomach lurched … TESSA …
Her breath caught when she spied a familiar figure, tall and slim with short dark hair, standing in the pool of light nearest the entrance. She was talking with a man, taking notes. And right behind her was Maureen's father.
TBC