Single post in Sleight of Heart -- [COMPLETED]

“Being so nice,” she quickly responds while beckoning for me to follow her. “Come on. We should hurry back.” I don’t know if she’s back to her normal self, but I don’t ask any questions about the call as we head back. Everyone deserves privacy in their own matters, and at no point do I want to come off as a guy who butts into someone’s personal business. Marilyn helps make things easier on me by focusing on our photo. She even sends a copy to my cell after I reluctantly give her my number—something else that wasn’t part of my original plan. I silently hope she chooses not to use it often. In any case, it’s done now. We get back to McFadden Hall and a number of people are scattered about, on the front patio and in the lobby… more than the number earlier. Music fills the night air from some source I can’t spot and sends Marilyn into an instant hip-swaying mood. She uses her card to let me in the building before joining the other dancers outside without so much as a good night. I feel slightly disappointed, but it might be the nudge I need to head up to bed and put today behind me. No, wait. My stomach’s still a little grumbly. After a couple random “hey”s to new faces I remember glimpsing earlier, I eye the snack machine down. There’s a jumbo honey bun with my name on it sitting on the bottom row that’ll do nicely once I run up to my room and get my own ID card from my wallet. I hurry upstairs and notice music coming from one of the rooms on my floor. It suddenly dawns on me that I may not want to study in my room all the time. Possible music and foot traffic on the halls may be more distracting than I would’ve guessed. However, a more disturbing thought hits me with each step I take towards my room. My pace increases and seconds later, I realize the music is coming from my room. “No,” I mutter to myself over and over as I approach the door. My eyes squinted shut, thoughts pleading to the universe, I lean in closer and almost immediately hear a female’s moan from the other side of the door. With clenched fists, I bite my tongue and slip away from the door as quietly as I could manage. The universe sucks and Darryl even more so for not being able to keep it in his pants through the first day. However, as upset as I am about not being able to get my card yet, another thought fills the forefront of my mind… “They better not be on my bed.” My grumbling stomach and I head back downstairs to the festivities. I end up meeting a few people in my dorm and a couple from Bowen Hall, the dorm “next door”. Apparently, the RAs for both had decided to arrange tonight’s soiree for freshmen… another attempt to get us comfortable with our new environment. Whatever. Who am I to deny others of an experience they’ll enjoy? For a few seconds, I watch Marilyn through the window, dancing against some dark-haired guy several inches taller than her. His hands hold her waist when she leans back into his chest and lifts her hands to caress his face. I turn my head. I’m an idiot. Even as I head towards the lobby’s rear entrance—which leads to the parking lot—I silently curse myself for being such an idiot. Before exiting, I remember that I still don’t have my card. My eyes scan the grounds, searching for something heavy I can use to wedge the door open. I’m so distracted that I don’t notice the guy sitting on the wooden bench a few feet away until he speaks with a raspy voice. “I’ll let you back in.” “Thanks,” I respond with a nod. Letting the door close behind me, I exhale heavily and deal with the thoughts combating within my skull. I’m not stupid enough to deny what I’m feeling. But why the heck am I feeling jealous? Marilyn is barely a friend. I should not care what she does or who she does it with! Of course, I probably wouldn’t have even seen her again tonight if my idiot of a roommate had been down here instead. Yep, I was right… School still sucks.