| |
––––––––
Jenna was clearly a positive influence on Adam's decorating skills or, more likely, his delegating skills. By the beginning of October, the bulletin board next to his room had changed and expanded from what she had thrown together for September. I continued helping her literally cut and paste things on the board. She sketched out the entire board, and it was easy to simply put things where she instructed. The focus was a PSA about binge drinking. Adam wanted this to be a prominent part of the board this month. The outside border was Halloween-themed with dye-cut pumpkins, black cats, cauldrons, witches, and ghosts. The middle of the board contained ways to stay safe while drinking. She had also added a calendar to the upper left corner with the floor's Halloween party—the boldest part of it all. The date for the floor's trick or treating had been selected, and she included a list of the rules for that event. The right side of the board showed Adam's office hours, so people knew when they could find him. Unlike our professors, Adam's office hours were usually hectic because someone was always having a life-destroying problem.
With all her focus on the bulletin board, our door was only Halloween-themed name tags and a few of the extra decorations. Jenna hadn't gone as crazy as she had in September. She had the Halloween dye cuts surrounding a whiteboard, where people typically left us messages. And, she had taped a candy-filled basket to the door with Halloween-themed duct tape. It was about only half-full with cream-filled caramels. Obviously, as Jenna intended, people were walking by and taking the candy.
***
"You know what we should do?" Eric asked one evening, while we sat in our dorm room, drinking beers he had brought.
"What?" Jenna said, tipsy after only half a beer.
"We should go on a road trip to Western Mass."
At that exact moment, I had plans to do just that with Adam, Gwen, and Steve the next weekend. Steve had to go to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA). Gwen and I wanted to go to the Highbury Candle's flagship store and a massive yarn shop close by. Adam was coming with us because he enjoyed our company. We had invited Jenna and Mel to join us. Mel had refused for some unexplained reason, but Jenna had been planning to go home and see her parents for the long Columbus Day weekend.
"Aren't you doing that next weekend?" Jenna asked me.
"Yes, but didn't you want to go home?"
"Oh, my parents aren't going to be around. They have a wedding in Rhode Island that weekend. Someone my father works with. There's no point in going home."
"I would love to get away before midterms," Eric said.
"I can ask Steve, but we'd need to find another car," I said.
"Well, it was Steve who suggested I join in," Eric said.
I quickly sent a text to my other three friends about this change in plans. It took longer than I expected, but everyone agreed Jenna and Eric could come if Eric drove his own car.
"I'm happy to drive the second car. Don't worry about it," Eric said when I told him the response.
***
A few nights later, I sat in the large dorm Common Room for another meeting. Things had gotten out of control in the War for Woodhouse, the official slogan picked by the alumni association. The director of Residence Life asked me to speak to the current residents. The students had been leaving me messages and bombarding me with questions and demands. One girl followed me into the bathroom one day and trapped me in a shower stall while she asked her questions and demanded I not let them close the dorm. Adam had intervened at that point.
I asked to host as a dialog with the dorm residents instead of an attack. With Adam's help, I had developed my plan and taken days to craft the right questions for the group discussion. Jenna, who loved office supplies, came with us to buy pads of paper, markers, and giveaways to entice others to participate. She even found a department on campus that had an excess of stress balls they were willing to donate. That evening we set up the room the way we wanted, and Jenna helped place people into specific spots in the room. More people came than we had anticipated, so she was reconfiguring things on the fly. With fascination, I watched her move around the room.
"Do you think you have everything you need?" Adam asked me a few minutes before I wanted to start.
"I'm as ready as I can be," I said as I sighed deeply.
Adam smiled, gave me a hug, and started the meeting. As he spoke, I looked around the room, identifying those I knew and recalling the details I knew about them. Jenna sat down next to Bobby. Everyone sat in small groups of six. The plan was to go around the room and answer their questions within the small group. We had them share, first, what they needed in a dorm and, second, why they chose to live in Woodhouse Hall that year.
The floor RAs and I walked around the room listening to the group's discussion and answering their questions. When they were done, they shared some of their answers with the entire room.
"Our group talked a lot about affordability as a priority for a dorm. That's why most of us picked Woodhouse Hall," one group shared.
"How many of you picked Woodhouse Hall because it was affordable?" I turned to ask the entire room. Most of the room raised their hands. One of the RAs wrote "affordable" on one of the large pads of paper we had on easels around the room.
"I wanted a dorm where my friends were also living," another student said, and a few other students agreed.
This continued, but one topic dominated the discussion, and I decided to focus on that. "What does it mean for a dorm to be affordable?" I asked.
"It means there will be sacrifices, but not unreasonable ones," someone said.
"Like what?" I asked.
"The lack of AC and crummy heat," another student said.
"Sharing bathrooms," Jenna said.
"Sharing bedrooms," Bobby said with a laugh.
"Ancient electricity and crummy internet," one of the RAs said.
"A drunk idiot pulling the fire alarm in the middle of the night!" someone said.
The entire room cheered. False fire alarms happened every weekend since the semester started. If we were lucky, it was once each weekend, but this past weekend it had been one each night from Thursday to Sunday. It had been so early in the morning on Sunday that I had given up on falling back to sleep and got some reading done. Each time that happened, we all had to leave the dorm and stay outside until the town Fire Department came to shut it off. I was dreading midterms and finals. Past residents had warned that it would happen multiple times a night.
Every so often, Adam would give me a poke or nudge when we walked by each other. Jenna gave me encouraging thumbs up when we made eye contact. Even Bobby gave me a rare smile a couple of times. I loved being in this role, and having my friends there made me feel more confident that I was good at it. By the end of the evening, the room of residents was laughing and cheering for each other when they made good points. People were walking around with sticky pads, leaving their thoughts on topics they wanted to comment on. I got some high-fives from the RAs, and Adam gave me a huge bear hug while rocking me back and forth. I loved this kind of hugs from Adam and giggled manically in response.
"That was amazing! We have to do this again!" He said, practically bouncing from the adrenaline coursing through his body.
Not only did I have a much better sense of the concerns students had about losing the dorm, but they seemed less anxious about it and more comfortable with each other. Adam and I ordered Chinese food and sat in the Common Room with the RAs to discuss the meeting.
"It was clear to me," Adam said as we flipped through the notes, "if the alumni were focused on nostalgia, the current students don't want to go broke just to have a place to live. Did the university do any research about the affordability issue last year when developing the plan?"
I had remembered to bring my notes and committee meeting minutes from the year. I looked through them but didn't find anything. In fact, the only thing we seemed to discuss about pricing was how to raise the money to pay for the new dorm.
"I remember that I protested the increase in student fees and housing costs at that meeting," I said.
"Look," Adam pointed to a doodle on my notes, "You were going to talk to SGA about protests?"
"Yeah, but the officers dismissed my concerns."
"You should bring it up at the next meeting. Eric and Steve will listen to you."
We talked about other elements as we ate. Periodically, Adam's phone would buzz with a text message. I could see Mel's name on the screen, but he ignored all of them.
"Are Eric and Jenna coming on the road trip with us?" He asked after the other RAs had gone back to their floors for the night.
"Yeah, I guess Steve invited Eric. Jenna's travel plans changed, so she decided to come too."
"Are you still trying to set them up?"
"They make a great match! You know what, I bet you they'll finally hook up after this trip. That very weekend!"
Adam laughed.
"I'm serious," I said.
"I'll make a bet then! If they hook up, I'll take you out for dinner. If they don't, you take me out for dinner."
"You're on."
"Either way, I win Amelia."
"I know, either way, you get dinner."
I was fine with him winning that way, but I was confident that I would be the true winner when they finally hooked up.
***
Jenna and I met Adam in the hallway.
"Is Mel mad that you're going away with three women?" I asked.
Adam's glare made it clear she was not that happy. I hadn't seen Mel since the night of Eric's party at the beginning of the semester. I knew, from Steve that Mel had wanted to join us, especially after Eric and Jenna were added to the group. She had already committed to a workshop the Honor's Program required her to do for her major. She couldn't get out of it and wanted Adam to change his plan for her. He, obviously, refused.
"I packed a cooler of junk food to eat on the drive!" Jenna said.
"Like what?" Adam asked.
"You'll have to be in my car to find out."
We walked down to the front entrance of the building together and waited for the cars.
"How do we want to split up?" Adam said while we waited.
"What do you mean?" Jenna asked.
"Well, we can't all fit in one car, so who will drive with Eric."
I looked at Jenna, hoping she would see the drive as her chance to be alone with Eric. "Oh, I can," Jenna said. "The four of you go together and then Eric, and I can ride together."
As if talking about it summoned them, both cars pulled up in front of the dorm. We took a few minutes to get organized before packing up the cars.
"Who's driving with me?" Eric asked.
"Me!" Jenna said.
Eric looked at me as if he was waiting for me to volunteer too.
"I think a third person should be in the car with me to keep things fair."
"Fair, how?" Steve asked.
"To split the gas three ways in each car."
Steve, Gwen, Adam, and I all shared a look, none of us wanting to ride with Eric.
"I'll go," I said.
I knew what was in Jenna's cooler, and I was happy to get to enjoy the snacks at the very least.
"What do you want first?" Jenna asked me about a half-hour into the two-hour drive.
"The Dip Stick!"
Jenna tossed me one of the three flavors, grape, and the candy stick to eat it with. I ripped off the top of the pack, wet the stick with saliva, and dipped it in the sugar. It was candy heaven.
"Did you only bring candy?" Eric asked.
"What else do you need for a road trip?" Jenna asked. "We can stop for real food. What candy do you like?"
"Gummy bears."
Jenna pulled out a pack of Haribo gummy bears and opened them. Eric opened his hand, and she poured him a handful. I could see his child-like delight as he popped one in his mouth.
"What are you going to eat?" I asked Jenna.
She pulled out a bag from the candy store at the mall. It was full of jelly beans.
"I like to mix my flavors," she said.
"Like peanut butter with grape?" Eric asked.
"Yes, the company has a ton of combinations they suggest."
I quickly got on my phone and navigated to the right page. I read out some of the flavor combinations as we drove; some got groans and other we all agreed would be fantastic.
"What other candy do you love?" Eric asked.
"My grandparents had a beach house on the South Shore when I was little," Jenna said. "There was a penny candy store a block away, and my sister Gertie used to take me there almost every day. We would each get a dollar from my grandfather to buy whatever we wanted."
"The mall candy store has a lot of those old candies," I said, realizing he and Jenna had something in common and I could use this to help them get to know each other.
"I loved Necco wafers when I was little," Eric said, licking his lips, probably thinking of how the candy tasted. "Once my school took us on a field trip to the factory in Revere."
"I love Smarties," Jenna said.
"Me too!" I said, trying to keep them both in the same conversation. "Have you ever had Sixletts?"
"Are those the little chocolate balls that come in packs of six?"
"Yes!"
"I love those more than M&Ms. I see them in stores sometimes."
The three of us spent the rest of the car ride talking about the candy we loved. Jenna and I were thrilled that we loved some of the same candy. I would make sure to find her the rarer candies for gifts. I sat in the back, on my phone, finding places to buy it all from. The whole conversation made the ride pass quickly, and before we knew it, we pulled up in front of the Highbury Candle Company store.
"What is this place?" Eric asked.
"It's the candle mothership!" I said.
Jenna's eyes got wide. "I never knew they had this out here."
"Oh, this is so much more than you could ever imagine," I said, feeling a bit like Willy Wonka. "Every single one of their scents, interactive candle making activities, a weird animatronic band, cotton candy, fudge, Christmas ornaments, and more candy!"
We found the others and went in together. "If you get lost," Gwen said. "Meet back to the Berkshire Band's stage."
This was the official name of the weird animatronic band that stood at the center of the shop, surrounded by a small food court. The rest of the store was broken up into rooms; Jenna, Gwen, and I started with the candy section while Eric trailed after us. Adam and Steve probably went to the Christmas section, which had toy trains and weird ornaments.
"Look, Eric," Jenna said, pointing to one candy bin, "they have NECCO wafers!"
He looked at her and slowly nodded before going back to the bin of candy he was next to. We grabbed plastic bags and loaded up with more candy. I was thrilled to find chocolate covered Swedish Fish, Adam's favorite candy. I bought enough to have birthday and Christmas gifts for Jenna and Adam. After I paid, I made my way to the candle room. I went through and picked out a couple of my favorite scents. I found Adam, and we dipped candled together. After about ninety minutes, we all made our way to the Highbury Band stage just in time for their hourly performance.
"Where next?" Jenna asked.
"Yarn! Amelia needs yarn," Gwen said.
Eric rolled his eyes, but Adam and Steve weren't going to complain. They knew they could pick out yarn for me to make them a hat and scarf set for the winter. I had done it every year.
"After that, we'll grab lunch in town and go to the museum last," Steve said. We got back into our cars and drove another twenty minutes to the big yarn store.
"I'm going to stay in the car," Eric said. He was the only one who did.
"Why are Adam and Steve so excited to be in a yarn store?" Jenna asked. I explained it to her. She then said before wandering off, "I'm going to see if they have some felt. I want to try needle felting."
It took the guys all of ten minutes to find the yarn they wanted. I already had a pattern in mind, so I took it to the register to pay.
"Where are you guys from?" The woman at the register asked.
"Lacock State. We're students," I said.
"Fun! Have you ever been to the Woodhouse flagship store there?"
"The what?"
"The Woodhouse yarn company; you're buying their yarn," she turned the yarn label to me.
"I think I live in their dorm."
"They were very invested in Lacock for a long time. They're still based out of the town. The family still runs the company and keeps a store downtown."
"I'll have to check it out! It's a good excuse to go downtown."
I asked Adam about it as we ate lunch.
"I didn't know they were a yarn company, but I do know they own a ton of properties around town," he said.
"They're not a small yarn company. They're the biggest in the country and probably the world," I said.
"I have a bunch of their cheaper yarns for crafting," Jenna said.
"You should visit them and see what they think of the dorm fight," Steve suggested. "Do they know the dorm's being torn down? Did they approve?"
"I would imagine they did," Adam said. "They own a bunch of historic buildings already. The campus rents building from them."
Later, as we walked around the museum, I decided to visit the yarn shop before the end of the semester and see what it was like. I didn't expect it to be anything like the Highbury Candle Company's flagship store, but maybe I could get some discounted yarn. I could also find out what the family thought of the plan to demolish their dorm.
I had wandered off on my own once we got to the museum. Steve and Gwen were focused on the assignment he had to complete for his art history class. Adam, who loves contemporary art, made a beeline for an exhibit he wanted to see. Jenna and Eric seemed to be off together. The prospect of my plan was coming to fruition—how exciting. I went hunting for everyone and found Adam first.
"There was this great exhibit with art made from books."
"Cool," I said. "Have you seen Jenna and Eric?"
"Are you looking to gloat?"
"No!"
"Yeah, whatever. I haven't seen them."
We made our way through the rest of the museum together and found Jenna and Eric at the museum shop. She had picked a few postcards to buy and had a stack of brochures.
"I need to put it in my scrapbook!" She told me when she saw me.
"Did you walk around with Eric?"
"No, I asked him to walk with me, but he came right here."
I was feeling a bit irritated about that. Eric had paid to get into the museum only to skip it? He had stayed in the car at the yarn shop, but that wasn't that surprising. I thought about what Eric did at the candle store. Other than the candy section, he hadn't walked around that either. He seemed to be insisting on not enjoying the trip that he intruded into.
"Adam, do you mind driving back with Eric?" Steve asked that evening when we stopped for dinner.
It was already dark out, and we were an hour away from campus. We found a cute diner to stop at and were waiting for our food to get to the table.
"Why?"
"Gwen and I want to go home instead of going back to campus. I'm pooped from all the driving."
"Sure," Adam said with a shrug.
It was Eric who looked annoyed, and his irritation only got worse when the four of us got into his car. This time he snapped at Jenna when she offered him candy. We all quickly got quiet.
"What the fuck is your problem, man?" Adam asked when the silent tension was too much for him to take anymore.
"What?"
"Why did you even come on this trip if you were going to sit around and do nothing we had planned?"
"You didn't ask me what I wanted to do."
"You barged in on a planned trip."
"So did Jenna."
Neither Jenna nor I spoke up.
"She had been invited already. She was welcome to join us."
"Steve invited me," Eric said.
"No, he didn't. We talked about it on the drive over. You overheard him talking about it and inserted yourself by getting Amelia to include you."
"Don't bring me into this," I said.
"Why not? You're the only person who doesn't see how fake he is. You're the one he can always manipulate to get what he wants. Now he wants to ruin this trip."
"I'm pissed," Eric said. "Because you seem intent of treating me like the bad guy no matter what I do."
"The two of you stop this now!" I said, using the most authoritative voice possible. "We have twenty minutes left on the drive, and then you can go back to silently hating each other. Adam, it's not your problem if Eric didn't want to walk through a museum. Eric, you're an adult. What Adam thinks of you isn't important."
That shut them both down. The rest of the drive was completely silent. When we pulled up to the dorm, I grabbed Jenna's and my bags before taking her hand and leading her upstairs.
"I hope they didn't ruin your day by acting like brats," I said to her once we were back in our room.
"No, even with their fight, it was the best day I've had in a long time."