Part 2 (1/2)

Tina forgets about me and chats happily with Craig. I gather from their conversation that they were in the same dorm on North Campus back when they were freshmen, but that's about as clear as the references get. Everything else is a long string of inside jokes.

”Well, we've gotta get going,” she says. ”If you get bored, though, come find us at Stella's, okay?”

”Sure thing, Tina. You two have a good night,” says Craig, and he waves goodbye.

I wave goodbye to Tina, but as I turn away start to follow Craig again, I suddenly stop dead in my tracks.

”Two?”

I spin around again, and my jaw nearly hits the floor as I see the tall, black-haired girl walking beside Tina. It's Maria from my cla.s.s this morning. How did I not notice her the entire time they were talking? Her long, straight black hair is hanging free now, no longer tucked into the hood of her coat, and she is laughing and talking excitedly with Tina as they walk up the street. The paralyzing fear I saw this morning is gone completely.

As I stare after her, Tina suddenly looks over her shoulder and glares at me. Her defiant, protective expression is so clear that not even a megaphone could have gotten the message across any clearer.

”Back off, buddy. Leave her alone.”

She nudges Maria and whispers something to her, and then Maria turns and looks back at me. Her beautiful green eyes grow wide and dark as the laughter in them fades away, replaced instead with abject terror.

I am floored by the fear I see in her eyes, but even worse is that it's directed at me.

Maria is terrified of me, and I have no idea why. Does she think I'm going to tell everyone about her bad test score? I haven't even graded her paper yet! There's no way on G.o.d's green earth that I'd waste my Friday night doing that.

I shake my head as an uncomfortable memory flits into sight for a millisecond. I recognize the fear in Maria's eyes, and it's too late to close Pandora's box now.

The memory roars to life and hits me so hard that I nearly fall over. I gasp in shock, turn away, and grab onto the back of a nearby bench to steady myself.

I'm seeing Samantha's eyes. Maria has the same sad, broken look in her eyes that I watched choke out the joy and happiness in my little sister as Dad grew more and more violent.

I close my eyes and shudder as memory after memory suddenly resurfaces, each one just as painful as ever.

”Deep breaths, Owen... long deep breaths. You can do it,” I think. I can usually calm myself down, but it isn't working tonight.

”You okay dude? What's wrong?” asks Craig, and he grabs me by the arm. ”What happened?”

”I'm okay. Really,” I lie, trying to shrug him off. In my mind, Samantha is falling again. She strikes the floor at bottom of the stairs with a terrible, sickening thud, and I shake my head as if it'll make the memory go away.

”I'm sorry... I have to go home,” I blurt out, and I s.n.a.t.c.h my arm away from Craig. ”I'll catch you later.”

Craig shouts after me in confusion as I weave through the thick crowd of students, but I don't answer him. He doesn't understand what goes on in my head, and he'd treat me like a nutcase if I told him even half of my nightmares.

I need to be alone.

Friday, February 15 8:35 PM.

Maria.

Craig holds the door open for us, and I cling to Tina as we squeeze into the dark, crowded little bar.

”G.o.d, this place is awesome!” calls out Tina above the din, and I cannot disagree more strongly. I'm sure the architect was going for a different effect entirely, but the combination of a low ceiling, randomly-placed arches, and curved walls make me feel like I'm in a tomb.

I instinctively bristle as a guy b.u.mps into me while trying to get to the door.

”So where'd your buddy go anyway?” shouts Tina as Craig catches up to us near the bar.

”f.u.c.k if I know, babe,” he answers. ”He just got all weird and ran off on me. Said he had to go home.”

Tina raises an eyebrow at him, and for a moment, I think she's going to lose her temper at the 'babe' comment. After a long stare, she thinks better of starting anything and brushes it off.

”Hey, open seats by the bar!” shouts Craig, pointing to three empty chairs at the opposite side of the semi-circle of booze wors.h.i.+ppers.

Tina takes one quick glance at me and then shakes her head.

”Nah, let's grab that one in the corner instead.”

She points to an empty c.o.c.ktail table with black leather chairs in the far corner, set apart from the milling crowd of students, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

”Okay, you girls grab the table and I'll grab the first round. Your old favorite still good, Tina?”

Tina raises an eyebrow again and then rolls her eyes and nods.

”Yeah, works for me. Grab Maria a Guinness while you're up there, okay?”

”Sure thing gimme a minute and I'll be right there!”

I don't want Guinness at all, but as I open my mouth to protest, Tina gives me the zipper again, grabs me by the arm and drags me to the table.

”So who the heck is this guy anyway?” I ask nervously. Tina rolls her eyes as she answers.

”Oh, Craig's a guy I dated back during freshman year when I was a bit more desperate. Good guy, but not what I needed.”

I nod, understanding exactly what she meant. Back when we were freshmen, Tina dated pretty much anyone with a pulse just to feel like she had a connection to other people. She got better. I didn't.

”Tina, you okay with him hanging around? Want me to make an excuse for you?”

It wouldn't be hard to come up with one; I'm skittish enough from the crowd already.

”No, don't worry about it,” she says. ”He's a good guy. Really. Relax and just trust him, okay?”

I say nothing and instead awkwardly force a smile as Craig sits down next to Tina. As he puts down the drink tray, I scoot my chair so that the table is in between us.

”Okay... Guinness for Maria, Cosmo for Tina, and ye old Leffe for me.”

”Oh G.o.d, that stuff is practically p.i.s.s-water,” moans Tina, and she sips her deep red Cosmo.

”And yours is fruit-flavored battery acid,” quips Craig. ”I'll keep my stomach lining, thanks.”

Just as I decide that they must hate each other, Tina bursts out laughing.