Kass
Kass walked—no, skipped—out of the film school building, clutching her backpack against her chest. She’d taken her last exam. The fall semester was over, done, finished. She could finally stop living in the library and start being a human being again.
She was not one to complain about hard work or a rigorous schedule. But this past “hell week” (and the weeks leading up to it) had been especially hellish since she’d overloaded on credits, which translated into more exams and papers than in previous semesters. She’d had enough caffeine, energy drinks, and not showering for a while. (She sniffed her armpit discreetly. Not too bad, thanks to Kamille’s baby powder that she’d dumped all over herself this morning.) She wanted to take a long, hot bubble bath, drink a glass of wine (yes, wine!), and watch back-to-back episodes of Buffy on TiVo.
And tomorrow she planned to book a beauty day at the spa, using the about-to-expire gift certificate her mother had given her for Christmas last year.
And after that, she was going to call Eduardo. Finally. And apologize for freaking out on him over that stupid tabloid story about her being a flat-chested man or whatever. And see if he might give her another chance.
This was the new Kass. After her disastrous lapse in judgment right before Thanksgiving (she had nicknamed it the SHE, i.e., Stupidest Hookup Ever), she had gone through a brief period of depression, self-hatred, confusion. She’d consumed countless pints of Ben & Jerry’s, lost sleep, and broken out in major zits trying to figure out what to do—all while juggling the pressures of studying for exams and writing several epic papers.
In the end, she’d decided not to tell Kamille what happened between her and Chase. She wanted to put the SHE monster behind her. What good would it do to break Kamille’s heart—not to mention sever their sisterhood and best friendship forever? And possibly get strangled in the process? (Kamille was definitely the most temperamental one in the family.)
So Kamille and Chase were still together. Big deal. Their relationship wasn’t long for the world, anyway. Kamille had never lasted more than a few months with any of her boyfriends. Besides, once a cheater, always a cheater, and Chase was sure to dump Kamille for someone else any day now. Or else Kamille would catch him in the act, one or the other. Kass intended to remove herself from their drama-filled, dysfunctional equation and move on. She had her own life to live.
Thankfully, Kamille hadn’t been around much, which had made it easier for Kass to cultivate her Noh mask, her fake smile, her neutral-friendly voice. (“How are you and Chase doing? Good? I’m so happy for you!”) Kamille was busy with her modeling, and she was crashing at Chase’s house most nights. And Chase seemed to be avoiding any contact with Kass. In fact, she hadn’t seen him at all since . . . well, since the SHE. Which was fine with her.
The thing was, Kass actually felt good now. Hopeful. Light—as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. And strangely, miraculously, she was eager to jump-start the spark she’d had with Eduardo. As awful as it sounded (and she would never admit this to anyone, least of all Kamille), her terrible tryst with Chase had made her realize that she actually liked sex. Wrong person, yes, but all the right feelings, sensations, impulses. She was eager to experience them again, this time with the right person.
With Eduardo, if he would have her?
Kass continued down the path, breathing in the cool, crisp air, grinning to herself. Loud rock music was blasting from a dorm window, and someone let out a euphoric scream. Students celebrating the end of the semester. She had to stop by the business school to pick up a paper. Then she had a date with Buffy . . .
She spotted him walking out of Marshall. She hadn’t expected to run into him. Not today. Not with dark circles under her eyes and her armpits reeking of baby powder. Had thinking about him made him materialize like this? Was some mischievous Cupid god messing with her?
“Hey.” Eduardo stopped in his tracks and adjusted the backpack on his shoulder. His face was as much of a Noh mask as hers was around Kamille.
“Hey.” Kass pushed back a lock of (greasy) hair and gave him a little wave. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“Yeah, not since the econ exam on Monday? How’d you do?”
Well, of course, she’d seen him in econ. Sitting two rows over and not looking in her direction, not once. That wasn’t what she meant.
“I think I did okay? Although that essay question about globalization kind of tripped me up.”
“Yeah, me, too. I think Professor Mueller threw in a superhard one just to be nasty.”
“He’s such a sadist. I’m so glad that class is over. I won’t miss him at all.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
Silence. They stepped aside to let a girl pass with her rolling suitcase dragging behind her. A couple of guys walked by, talking animatedly about their digital photography final. In the distance, somebody yelled, “Fight on!,” and then more voices joined in. The USC battle cry. Kass stared at the ground, wondering if she should say something, or just wish Eduardo a happy holiday and take off. She really should at least wash her hair before she tried to win Eduardo back . . .
“Listen. Eduardo.” Her voice cracked.
Eduardo gazed at her. At that moment she saw something in his eyes . . . something familiar, warm, wistful. Not Noh-like at all.
It was all the encouragement she needed. To hell with a makeover. She dropped her backpack to the ground, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
He hesitated only for a second, then kissed her back. Kass melted into his embrace, his lips, giving in to the moment completely. It was better than the empty physical heat she’d shared with Chase . . . way better, because she cared about Eduardo. A lot.
“Get a room!” someone called out.
Kass stepped back, breathless.
“Um . . . wow!” Eduardo said, laughing awkwardly. “Does this mean . . . are you . . . that is, are we . . .”
“Yes,” Kass said, nodding happily. “I am. We are. This is my apology—for being such a jerk.”
“Um . . .” Eduardo laughed again. “Look, I’d love to pursue this further, and I guess we have a lot to talk about? But I have to race home and pack. I’m flying home tonight, to Austin, to spend Christmas with my family.”
“Oh!”
“Maybe I can call you?” he suggested.
“Yes, definitely! Please call me!”
Eduardo smiled and touched her face. “You’re nuts, you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It’s a good thing I like crazy girls, then,” he joked.
Kass grinned.
He turned and left, waving. Kass stood there watching him go, positively goofy with happiness. Everything was right with the world again. It felt like Christmas morning, and it wasn’t even the middle of December yet.