And Then There Was Victor

Chapter 13

1999

My Spring Schedule:

Mondays and Wednesday: English Composition II and Public Communications (Speech)

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Pre-Calculus and Latin American Humanities

Losing the girls once more when they left was surprisingly easier this time and when I waved them off it was with smiles instead of tears. This is how it would be, I realized, even as we grew older. We wouldn't be essential to the day to day but it would be wonderful to see them when I did. It wasn't that I was detached from them, it was that I was my own person, with my own friends outside of them. It felt good. They still couldn't believe I had replaced them with a bunch of boys. I was honestly too petrified of Pre-Calculus to think of anything else. I was, however, happy that Victor and I would be in the same class. He was actually very good at Math and I sucked.

The next day, arriving to campus found me being greeted by a bunch of guys at the Atrium. I was officially, especially after the Alvin fiasco, one of the guys.

Jon was first, hugging me and twirling me around until I was dizzy. "Put me down!"

I greeted Steven and Victor with a kiss on the cheek along with other guys which I knew more as acquaintances. Composition II was again with the same militant professor but this time I was not terrified for my life. I had Public Communications with Isla whose hair was now with streaks of purple and she was in a hell of tumultuous relationship. I was also petrified of public speaking and the thought of getting up and talking to a bunch of people made me quake.

"Don't you want to be a lawyer?" Victor asked over our usual Burger King fare.

"Yeah!" Jon's mouth was full.

"Maybe a Corporate Lawyer." I ate my salad. "Where I won't have to fight with people in court."

"Now, that's where the money is," Steven said.

"What do you know about that?" Victor asked him with an annoyed look.

"I know one day Becka is going to be big league," he said. "Big time lawyer, gonna have a big-time husband, with a big-time house."

"I don't want any of that," I said.

"You don't want a big-time husband?" Steven asked and I looked at him.

"I don't know," I shook my shoulders. "I'm too young to think about husbands."

"Listen to me," Jon said. "Don't get married, Becka. Make all your money for you and then become a cougar and fuck young guys!"

Steven laughed and I couldn't help but grin and shake my head at his antics.

Victor rolled his eyes. "Why don't you let her decide what she wants to do?"

"Not all of us know who we're going to marry since we're teens," Steven said to Victor and I turned to Victor with a raised brow.

"What are you talking about?" Victor looked annoyed.

"Helene Sao not going to become Helene Manning?"

I was getting my period because my stomach did an awful lurch. Victor put down his Whopper and leveled him with a look. How did Steven know all of this? Victor was notoriously private about this life.

"Stop talking shit, man," he said.

"My girl Cynthia is friends with Helene, you know a town like this nothing goes by unnoticed." Steven held up his hands.

Victor glared at him then turned to Jon who looked innocent, but I could tell he was hiding something. Jon was the worst actor. Victor leveled me with a look.