The Weaker Sex (Unedited)

Chapter 17

For weeks I feared that rumors would spread about my slumber party with Tobias. Girls were of course giving me dirty looks, but that was because Tobias had made it known that he was off the market now and I was the reason. It was a little suspicious how easily it was to get him to commit. What the hell was on his agenda? He probably wanted to bed me or something. The Wells had indeed been angry that I snuck out of the house and risked my reputation, but Jean-Louise came to the rescue and reminded them that I was innocent compared to the girls he'd dated before and would certainly know her boundaries. I just smiled sheepishly until they sighed and warned me not to do it again.

The spring semester rolled by with my nights consisting of studying or going out with Tobias. He'd actually kept his promise and wouldn't even look at another girl, at least when we were out. I couldn't thank Stephen enough for giving me the proper pointers to get me in there. When Tobias handed over his duties as president to another member of the house, we spent even more time together and soon I'd become a common household guest at the Delaney home. His mother would welcome me with a hug each time and his father with a firm handshake.

June came around and so did Tobias' graduation. It was the talk of the town that he was going off to New York for an extended education. Talks blew up even more with the huge party his parents had thrown. The invitation was printed in the newspaper, making it open to anyone that wanted to come. He received a shower of gifts, even a new car from his parents. You'd have thought he won the presidency with they way they were celebrating. Tobias had me as his arm candy, not being afraid to openly kiss me on the cheek or hug me in front of all his guests. I could feel the burning stares on my back from all the girls who had, either slept with him, fooled around with him, or had never got a shot because I'd come to town.

When the excitement floundered and life had returned to normal, I went back home for the summer. I didn't mention him at all to my family. I was feeling uneasy talking about him because I still believed that when you talked about how much you liked something or someone that's when they went away. Everything had been great and I didn't want to mess that up. We talked each night; late into the morning hours, which made me feel confident that he wasn't seeing other girls while I was gone. But then it only made me feel guilty that I'd gone home for the summer and hadn't even invited him along. He would have loved California and yet, I couldn't mix him with my home life. It wasn't time. The harsh reality that he was leaving to New York sunk in the day I returned to Virginia and it made my tummy hurt.

I hadn't wanted to think about it at all, but ignoring it only made August 18th come faster. He was going to be rooming with two other guys that were in the business program too, which meant he was probably going to live it up bachelor style in the Big Apple. What hurt me the most was how excited he was to leave even though I knew that going to the 'big city' was all he ever wanted. He had asked me to accompany him to the airport so I could be the last person he said goodbye to. I hated getting attached to people and it bothered me in unimaginable ways that I couldn't stop crying. He brushed my tears away promising that he would be back for Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring and of course summer break maybe even some weekends. That didn't seem like enough to me. Why did I have to be this type of person? I should have never gotten into a relationship.

A lady on the intercom made the last call for his flight. He wiped away the last couple of tears and kissed me goodbye promising to call me, and Skype me when he could. I hugged him one last time then watched him board his plane. I wasn't going to lie. It'd been a pretty miserable fall semester missing him and staying awake to talk to him when he came home from work. He'd taken up a job at the school that kept him there for several hours after his classes, not to mention how much he studied to keep up his grades.