COMPLETED. A university student. A professional hockey player. They've proved they can be friends. Can they be more?
Although they're both in their early twenties and living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, their lives couldn't be more different. Cami...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The waitress placed the Diet Coke with a lemon wedge on the rim of the glass in front of me. I smiled warmly and thanked her in what I hoped was a particularly grateful tone.
We were such a large group that there was no way that the waiting staff wasn't at least a little bit overwhelmed. Hell, I was overwhelmed on their behalf.
And on my own behalf, as well, I can't lie.
Social events, in general, always made my palms a little sweaty. A social event where the "social" aspect of it was going out for dinner with the entire social psychology department, took me from perspiration to desperation.
I took a sip of my drink and internally sang at the comfort it provided. But that feeling lasted only until I looked at Angela, who was sitting across from me.
She was making... a face.
That was the only adequate way I was able to describe what she was doing. Was she okay? Should I call an ambulance? Her mouth was pinched into an almost non-existent line and her eyes were about three times larger than usual.
I shot her my what the hell face and prayed that a faculty member didn't intercept it and think I was sending it to them.
If that happened, I was going to have to give Ang a piece of my mind later.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, like I was the one who was acting strange right now. Finally, in an action that actually made some sense to the average human, she pulled out her phone, typed rapidly, and then held her phone up.
Okay, that I understood.
I took my phone out of my purse. It was on a medium volume, in theory but not in reality. No volume setting existed that would make it possible to hear the dings in the midst of the bustling restaurant.
Angela: Why did you order Coke? Are you sure you want to chance being gassy with Will sitting next to you?
Oh god.
The nerve of her.
On so many levels, this was so Angela.
First, she spoke against Diet Coke. Who the hell does that?
Second, she brought up the g-word. Mind your business.
And third, and perhaps most offensive, she mentioned the name of someone who is sitting right. Next. To. Me.
Even though I really didn't think Will was the type of person to look at someone's phone, his eyes may have wandered, and if I didn't shield my phone as soon as I took it out, we could have had a real awkward situation on our hands.
Only because I'd find it embarrassing. Not because Will would make me feel awkward.
Will was one of the department's post-docs. Translation for non-academic folks: he already completed a PhD and was currently in his first research position since he's graduated. I didn't know him that well on a personal level, and yet I felt like I did, because he was always so friendly to me.
