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Winter break had been just what I needed. I took the month to recharge and consider how I would deal with the Eric situation. The drive with Adam, after finals, was tense. Mel had planned on driving with us to spend Christmas with Adam's family. She changed her mind at the last minute and didn't tell Adam until he called her when we were waiting for her with the car packed.
The drive back to campus with Gwen and Steve was much more enjoyable. They brought me back a day early so I could meet Jean Woodhouse, Carrie’s father. He had come back from a trip to Peru the day before and wanted to know more about what was happening with the dorm. He had never met anyone who lived there, it was built before he was even born.
“I made a decision,” Steve said once we were back on the road that morning.
I had been sitting in the back seat with a large, hot tea in my hands. We had been talking about my meeting with the Woodhouse family and what I wanted to bring up.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Gwen turned around from the passenger seat and gave me a sly smile.
“Eric can support anyone he wants for Vice President for next year, I’m going to run for President!”
I quickly met Steve's eyes in the rearview mirror, and he winked at me. I looked back at Gwen, who had a massive grin on her face.
“That’s a great idea!” I said.
“There’s more,” Gwen said with a conspiratorial tap on her nose.
“We think you should run for Vice President,” Steve quickly followed.
“What?” I asked, positive I hadn’t heard him correctly.
“You should run for Vice President! You already do more than almost anyone else,” he repeated.
“I like being a senator.”
“You shouldn’t be in the background supporting the ambitious men, Amelia,” Gwen said.
I refused to commit to anything right away, but I weighed the option as the drive continued. I had never considered being more than a senator. I loved the level of commitment it gave me and the involvement that came with it. I worried that I couldn't do other jobs as well as I was a senator. I needed feedback from other people that I trusted, especially Adam.
When I got back to the room, I could tell Jenna was back already. Even though both the door and bulletin board were the same as they had been before we had left for the break, there were new things on her side of the room. I could see, on her desk, a pile of textbooks for her spring classes, donut-shaped strings of lights, and a stash of flameless candles. I quickly unpacked my own suitcases and stored my books.
I found a note on Adam's door saying he was out, so I went to Bobby's room. I was pretty sure Jenna would be there playing video games. When I knocked, it wasn't Bobby who opened the door, but someone I didn't recognize.
“Um, hi?” I said, staring in the deep, brown eyes staring at me.
At this very moment, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time, that knot in your stomach when you meet someone you're attracted to. You know that feeling, like someone kicked the wind out of you and punched you in the gut all at the same time and you still want more.
"Are you looking for Bobby?" he said with a smile. "He's not here. I'm Frank, his new roommate."
I struggled to focus on his words; instead, I watched his mouth move.
“Right,” I said, finding my focus again. “I’m Amelia.”
I put out my hand and let Frank take it.
“Want to come in and wait for him?”
“Was Jenna with him?”
“No, I think he went to dinner with a bunch of guys, his gaming club?”
“You didn’t go with them?” I asked.
“I was going to unpack before going to get dinner.”
I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to find an excuse to stay with him, but it felt weird.
"If you want, I can stay and help."
“You don’t have to.”
"No, it's no problem! Plus, then I can take you out for dinner as a 'welcome to campus' treat!"
I gave him my cutest smile, hoping he would take me up on the offer. I knew I had won when a smile spread over his face. I focused on getting his computer set up and on the campus WiFi while he unpacked his bags. It took all of twenty minutes and then we walked to a local pizza place. I treated us to a pizza and then launched into all my questions.
“Why did you transfer?”
That one seemed less intrusive than the others I had.
“Basically, I think this school is a better fit for me,” Frank said after swallowing his bite of pizza.
“Were you in a fraternity or anything at your other school?”
“Yeah, but I was more interested in student government. It was really competitive and difficult to get an elected position at my other school.”
This made me want to bounce up and down in my seat, but I restrained myself. Instead, I told him about SGA and what had been going on, making a point to leave off the upcoming battle between Eric and me.
“What else do you want to know?” He asked once I had convinced him to go to the next SGA meeting.
We kept talking through our walk home. I learned he was getting a degree in political science, and he was also a junior.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I asked, hoping that being direct would work in my favor.
“Why? Do you know anyone?” he asked with a wink.
This time I didn’t interpret this as an opportunity to set him up, but it wasn't the answer I wanted. Even when we got back to the dorm and went back to our own rooms, I wasn't sure if he was single, taken, or something in between.
***
“Are you going to be in trouble?” Frank asked me as we quickly walked to the SGA meeting.
We had run into each other on our way over to the meeting. We were both running late, so we decided to be late together.
“Officially, no, but I have no idea what to expect anymore.”
“A few people told me a story about you being attacked by Eric before the break. Is it true?”
We paused before the door to the meeting room.
“I’ll tell you about it after the meeting,” I said as I pulled the door open.
We walked into a meeting that had already started. I checked the time to see that Frank and I were barely a minute late. Everyone in the room turned to face us. I scanned the table for a place to sit. My usual spot was taken by Heath. I caught Steve's eye; his expression made his anger clear.
"As I was saying before Amelia interrupted a meeting, thanks for showing up, by the way, the alumni managed to get the Boston Globe to publish an article about Woodhouse Hall," Eric said, trying to regain control of the meeting.
I felt Frank grab my hand and pull me into a seat next to him in the general audience, which was full of Woodhouse Hall residents as usual. I looked over the room and saw Sally, of all people, sitting a few rows up. She turned to look at me and gave me a glare. I wondered what had been said about me before I had arrived. I gave her a wave, but she didn't wave back. I wasn't sure what I'd done, but I didn't need any more enemies.
“Amelia, is there something you want to share with us?” Eric said when he noticed me waving at Sally.
“Not at this time, thank you,” I said being as sweet as I could muster.
"Are you sure? You seem to be distracted."
“Unless you’d like my update on the Woodhouse Hall situation, I have nothing you need to know.”
“No, not at this time.”
A hand shot up in the air from the front of the room.
“Yes?” Eric said, clearly irritated.
“I think most of us would like an update from Amelia,” Bobby said.
The room erupted as people agreed with him. I was touched by the loyalty from the Woodhouse residents.
"Fine! Amelia, please finish the report," Eric said after letting out a deep sigh.
I got to my feet and smiled at Bobby, mouthing a silent 'thank you.'
"I don't know what was discussed before I arrived," I said and saw Eric roll his eyes. "But he already mentioned the article and I suspect everyone's read it anyway, so I won't rehash that. We are continuing to push the campus on affordable alternatives, no matter what happens with the dorm. The subcommittee needs to regroup after my next meeting with the campus committee."
"Actually," Eric said, interrupting me. "The subcommittee met and decided to drop all of that. SGA is no longer worried about Woodhouse Hall. Residents are welcome to continue their own efforts to address administration about it, but SGA has no interest in remaining involved."
Eric lost control of the room as nearly everyone started talking at once. I locked eyes with him, and I knew this was the first, direct shot in our war. I sat down and let Eric try to reign it in. It took him five minutes to get the crowd's attention again.
"Amelia, do you have anything else to report?" He asked, a self-satisfied grin on his face.
“Since the President seems to have removed me from the sub-committee, there’s nothing to share.”
“Alright, let’s move on!” Eric said.
Nearly everyone in the guest section cleared out as soon as he moved on; only Sally, Frank, and I remained. I didn't think Eric realized how many people at the meetings only came for this information, but it made it clear that he had lost this battle. I brought Frank up to the front of the room and introduced him to Steve. While they discussed open Senator spots, I looked around the room. I went to chat with Sally.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” I said to her.
“Who’s that with you?” Sally asked, looking at Frank and narrowing her eyes.
“Frank? Do you know him? He’s Bobby’s new roommate and just transferred here. Did you meet Bobby when we had the groups study event?”
“Yeah, I know who Bobby is. I didn’t know he needed a new roommate?”
"He was one of the few people without a roommate, and the spring transfer students took those stops. What made you come to the meeting?"
“I was curious,” Sally said, looking over at the officer’s table toward where Eric and Heath were talking. “I think you should be careful. Maybe I could be a spy for you.”
“I don’t want to put you in an awkward position,” I said, surprised she offered.
“What?” She said. “I’ve always wanted to do something good with all the information I get.”
“No, I would be grateful. I always thought you wanted to stay out of it because you have, you know, a conflict of interest.”
"It makes it easier, we can pretend it's only us studying together. I can even bring Norma with me."
"You two study together?" Frank asked, coming over to us.
I introduced them to each other.
“I’d love some study buddies,” Frank said with a wink to me.
"I don't think Amelia, and I have any classes together this semester," Sally said. "Maybe, I'll come to some dorm study sessions if Adam has them."
She didn’t wait for a response before leaving.
“Are you going to be a senator?” I asked Frank as we left the room.
"Yep, someone graduated a semester early, and there's a spot open for the social sciences."
He put out his fist, so I gave him the bump he clearly wanted.
“Want to grab dinner?” I asked.
“Only if you tell me what happened with Eric. I’d love to take that smug jackass down.”