Chapter Eight

Pacing just outside the dorm room, I tried to talk myself into either knocking at the door or returning to my own dorm. If I chose the latter, no one would have been none the wiser that I had been standing outside Emma’s dorm room. I’d figured I needed to make up for the way our night at the soccer game had ended. I grimaced, still remembering how distant and unfriendly I had become, after running into Marilyn and Reeves. Emma being Emma didn’t say anything about the way I had become silent for the rest of the night, but I knew I had been less than good company. In the end, we had even left the soccer game before the final whistle was blown because I had found it difficult to remain there, seeing Marilyn with Reeves.

Remembering how aloof I had been, I paced over to the door and knocked. She deserved an apology even if she didn’t accept my offer for us to go to the movies together. I told myself I didn’t expect her to say yes about the movies, for which I was already dressed. If she already had plans then that would be fine.

Emma pulled the door open and if she was upset with me for last night, she didn’t show it any at all. Her lips curved in the beginnings of a first smile. I knew where her dorm room was located because last night, after we left the football field, I’d walked her to the door. I’d mumbled a hasty good night before heading home.

“Travis, I never expected to see you here!” she exclaimed honestly. “Is everything okay?”

“Uhm, I just want to talk to you,” I advised her and dug into my pocket to retrieved the twin tickets which I waved before her eyes. “Checking if you are free and would like to catch a movie with me?”

She looked down at her attire. She was wearing a jersey dress that had seen better days. “That sounds like fun,” she replied, “if you don’t mind waiting for me to change.”

“No, I don’t mind waiting.”

“Then come on in!”

She flung the door wide open and disappeared further into her room. I entered the room cautiously, staring around at the bed in the room and the table. Her room was single occupancy and everything was neatly arranged. Her bed was spread with a multicolor spread.

“I won’t take long,” she was saying and I swung my gaze back to her. She emerged from her closet with an outfit in her hand and before I could respond, had run into the bathroom.

I could hear her humming to herself in the bathroom and I stood awkwardly. I was used to a girl taking no less than half an hour to get dressed but true to her word, she didn’t take long at all. Within ten minutes, she had emerged wearing a pair of skinny blue jeans and a pink, off-the shoulder top. A pair of lips covered in glitter were smack in the center of the top. She had brushed her hair and left it loose about her shoulders, the red curls seeming to have taken a life of its own. I stared at her hair and I was charmed at the way her curls assumed whatever position they wanted.

“You could have sat, you know,” she pointed out, disappearing inside her closet for a pair of canvas shoes.

“That’s fine, I want to stand anyway.”

She shrugged and sat on the bed to put on her shoes. I found the way she bit her bottom lip while doing the task, endearing. She jumped up to her feet. “Okay, I think I’m ready.”

“Before we go, Emma,” I told her, a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry about last night. I ruined you having a good time.”

“I did have a good time, regardless,” she answered, sobering. “May I ask you a question?”

I didn’t particularly want her to ask any but nodded, deciding I owed her one. “Sure, go ahead.”

“The girl with the footballer,” she started, swiping her purse from her bed. “Was she your girlfriend?”

I hadn’t even been aware that she had seen the way I had kept staring at Marilyn throughout the game. That she was so observant had me wondering what else she had observed about me.

“Yes, she was,” I admitted. “Look, Emma, I’m sorry, okay? I had no idea she would still be affecting me like that.”

“It’s okay,” she said smiling. “One day you’ll learn that a beautiful thing can sometimes be born out of pain.”

“I admire you always being optimistic,” I told her on a frown, “but I hardly see how my girlfriend breaking up with me can be a good thing. We’ve been together for three years and…” I trailed of, hearing the hurt and anger in my voice. I had to stop myself before I ruined another night.

“I know what you mean,” she stated, her smile widening. “I was there too, Travis. I had a boyfriend who thought I wasn’t the right person for him. He was someone I cared about but he thought I was too happy.”

I frowned at her, perplexed. “He broke up with you because he thinks you’re too happy?” I exclaimed.

She laughed at the perplexity in my voice. “Yes, those were his exact words. He needed someone darker, more dramatic and I refused to be anything but myself.”

“How’d you handle it?” I asked because I was curious to know.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she answered. “I was just as disappointed and it hurt too but I knew that he wasn’t the right one. I know that this kind of pain doesn’t last but gets better with time and I wasn’t about to mope about it. Life is for living and being happy.”

“Hmm, maybe,” I said on a shrug. “You don’t understand the half of it.”

“I do understand you seem to be a wonderful person and a girl who is worthy of you wouldn’t let you go,” she said calmly. “Now, are we going to watch a movie or stay here and talk all night?”

I stared at the movie tickets in my hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

We left her dorm room and this time, she didn’t invade my space. I almost wished she had looped her arm through mine as she usually did. I could have taken the initiative but I was afraid of what it would mean to her and even to me, if I took her hand in mine and laced our fingers. I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, considering I was still so all over the place with my emotions from my breakup.

While we walked the ten minutes to the bus stop, we talked about our high school years. She made it easy to talk to her because she was funny and not self-conscious in the least so, she had me cracking up about some things that went wrong with her during high school. I steered my high school stories away from Marilyn, making the conscious effort to push her from my mind.

At the bus stop on East Union Street, we had to wait a few minutes before the bus arrived. Our movie would start at twenty minutes past seven so we would get there with just enough time to stop by the concession stand before finding our auditorium number.

“What movie are we seeing by the way?” she asked, when we were sitting side by side on the bus for the short ride.

I gave her the title of the scary movie I’d purchased the tickets for. I loved scary movies and everything horror because it got my adrenaline pumping.

“Did you want to watch something else?” I enquired.

She shook her head but didn’t say anything and we continued on our ride. We arrived at Seneca Street in less than ten minutes and had to walk another five to get to the Regal Cinemas Meridian.

“I need to work some extra hours to buy myself a car,” I told her as we pushed through the glass doors of the movies. “All this walking and the bus can be so inconvenient.”

“I don’t mind taking the bus,” she remarked and somehow, I wasn’t surprised by this. Not very much seemed to bother her at all. Not many girls would have consented to going out with me again after my distance yesterday. I was finding Emma to be one of a kind.

At the concession stands, I learned she was as fond of popcorn as I was. We both asked for extra butter at the same time which made me smile. Loaded with the bucket of popcorn and two blue slushies, we checked the labels to find auditorium eight. The auditorium wasn’t full since the movie had already been out for a week and a half. I preferred watching movies this way because I disliked a packed auditorium.

We located our seats as the movie was about to start. Resting my drink in the cup holder of the chair, I leaned over toward Emma.

“Don’t get scared now,” I whispered on a chuckle.

“I’m not a big fan of scary movies,” she admitted. “I’m horribly afraid sometimes. If I leave here tonight and can’t sleep, you’ll have to stay with me until I fall asleep or something.”

I smiled, feeling almost brand new as the movie started.