Whirlwind

(9) plan for the beach

JASPER

***

I hadn't meant to come back to campus today.

I'd done my penance yesterday when I took those kids to their buildings and took them shopping. And from the obnoxious and ridiculous conversations, I couldn't take another minute, let alone another day. If it gave me a bad record then so fucking what.

But then after a couple of hours of lying around, and Libby's blue-grey eyes haunting me, I couldn't help the fact my feet were moving for me and dashing me out the door.

When I got there, the groups had already left. If it was me before meeting Libby, I wouldn't have even been there, but I found myself needing to see her again. To apologise. Or not even to do that. Just to see her. To see her beautiful eyes and see the way her smile pushes her cheeks up.

So I sit and wait. I don't even check my phone. I just sit and wait. And I wait for nearly an hour before I hear the piercing shrieking that's Laura's voice coming down the Walk, echoing back towards me.

I figured Libby would be with her, but it was a long shot. And as I looked at the group of people, I couldn't see her. Fuck. She must have been put with a different group and she could be anywhere across campus.

And now I had to endure a shouting match with Miss Priss, as she detached herself from the group. All I can do is grip my hands into tight fists as she verbally assaults me about why the fuck I didn't turn up, and how she's going to tell the professors in charge. I just end up laughing at her. I couldn't give a flying fuck about them. Plus I knew they're going to the beach later, for this stupid barbecue thing, so I could potentially make it seem I've been there the whole fucking time anyway. If I can even be bothered. Dad and the Chancellor agreed on yesterday... they didn't mention anything about today.

But I'm sick of her shouting anyway. So when she dismisses me a second time, sending me away, I do so without much pushing. But as I walk away, I take a final look at the group - one last check to see her - but she's definitely not there. So I walk away feeling completely defeated.

***

Yo. You on campus?

I text Ziggy. I can't be arsed to drive all the way home, only to come back via campus to get to the beach.

He doesn't text back for ages so I just wait in my truck for him to message back. I've got nothing better to do.

But, just my luck, that's when I see her.

She's with Steph, and she's dressed in a fucking awful tye-dye shirt, probably given to her by Laura as most of the group seemed to be wearing them. She's wearing a cap, but her long blonde hair is down and wavy after the braids she had in yesterday, and even from here in the truck I feel my crotch twitch.

Fuck.

She's wearing a short pair of shorts, supporting the weather today which was beating down sunshine and high humidity, and her legs look fucking amazing. I wish she'd been wearing those shorts yesterday.

"Fuck's sake," I say to myself, bashing my fist hard against the dash of my truck, trying to snap myself out of it.

I bash it twice more before I feel the skin on my knuckles break, and I'm saved from further injury when my phone beeps. It's Ziggy.

Not yet. But I will be in like 30 mins. We still beaching?

I shake out my fist, which actually fucking hurt, and type out the reply one-handed.