Moose and Goose

Chapter Eight

Judith's awoken by the sound of retching and notices that her vision is blurry. She thrusts herself upward and squints at the dainty figure standing over another one as they vomit into a plastic bin.

She takes her glasses off the nightstand and slides them onto her face.

"Good, you're awake," Kacey says to Judith. Mary is sitting on the opposite bed, but she glances over the brim of the basket. "Usually, I'll be on the bus by now with a full stomach, ready to go to church with my family, but because I decided to stop picking up trash and help you two, I missed the bus. I suppose I'll spend my Sunday listening to Billy Graham on the radio."

She stares at Mary, and her eyes widen when she processes what Kacey said. Judith hurries out of bed and steps into her clogs set in front of her nightstand.

"Whoa there, Jesse Owens. What's the rush?" Judith hurries towards the door.

"I have to go to the student lounge and call my parents," she tells her with the knob in hand.

"Do you need to borrow my pick before you go," Kacey asks. "Your afro is flat on the side."

When she doesn't respond, Kacey steps in front of her nightstand and slides the top drawer towards her. She carries her mahogany hair-pick to Judith, who's watching her with creased brows.

"Why're you being nice to me?" She shrugs in response, and Judy relaxes her face. "Did La'Shawna say something to you?"

"No, she didn't," she says, fighting the urge to raise her voice. Kacey shuts her eyes and inhales, exhaling as they reopen. "Believe it or not, I'm actually a very nice person outside of my professional realm. Take the pick and fix your hair or walk around campus like someone hit you over the head with a textbook. Either way, I don't care."

Judith glances past her, and when she sees Mary asleep while sitting upright, she takes the comb.

"I'm glad that I cut mine. I forgot how high-maintenance long hair is." Kacey places her hands on her hips and watches her lift her hair.

"Thank you." She hands her the pick then steps into the hall. Judith runs down the three staircases, then out of Zeta Kappa Delta. She continues across the damp grass, passing students sitting and talking.

Upon entry, she's met with the smell of bacon and the sound of familiar voices. When she scans the almost empty room, she sees Jerome and his friends sitting at the round table in the corner of the room.

Judith continues past the food table, and she stops in front of another with a rotary phone. When she lifts it to her ear, she doesn't hear the dial tone droning, so she returns the handpiece to the hookswitch.

"Judy!" She flinches against her jean romper, and Jerome stands behind her. "I'm sorry for scaring you again. You seem to get startled easily."

Turning around to face him, she says, "No, I don't get scared easily, but when it's quiet, and then out of nowhere, I hear a voice, naturally, I jump. I'm putting a bell on you whenever I get one."

He chuckles dryly with a smile on his face that fades when his wandering eyes meet the bruises on her left arm and wrist. She looks down at them as well, then at him again.

"I slept on this arm, and because I have sensitive skin, it sorta bruised overnight," she tells him, and he narrows his eyes at her. Jerome places his right hand on the bruise above her elbow, and she sucks in air through her teeth. Judith jerks her arm out of his hold then she brings her right hand up to cover the discoloration. She nervously clears her throat and says, "I think we should stop talking to each other."

"Okay," he drones questioningly. "Is this what you want, or is someone telling you to tell me that?"

"I – think it's for the best." He pulls his lips into a straight line and nods his head. "No offense, but David wants more time with me, and he feels like you're in the way. I mean, it's a big campus, yet we constantly run into each other, so I don't blame him for feeling that way."