Stay

15

EVIE

There’s a hustle of students along the university quad. Every person that I glanced at looked as if they were ready to faint. The mid-semester pressure began to fall on everyone’s shoulders. Wherever you glanced, someone looked like they were ready about to head straight into a psych ward. The mid-November rain pelts down on a sea of umbrella’s and hat covered heads. I hold tight to my umbrella, not wanting the unruly winds to steal it away.

Maggie rambles beside me about the cute guy in her political science class. I wasn’t quite sure where she was at in her list of why he was her future husband. I offered the typical mhmm’s and I’m sure he’d be okay with a summer wedding. She was unaware that my mind wasn’t with her. Instead, it was too preoccupied stressing over my article I needed to finish for the paper by three this afternoon. I was writing an expose on the janitorial staff – were they being underpaid by university officials? Have they been using a no-name brand over high quality cleaning supplies? It was real riveting stuff…

“Evie,” Maggie calls, interrupting my thoughts, and pulling me swiftly to her side.  

“What?” I lose my balance, bumping into a random pedestrian. He shouts out a few words that would make my grandma blush, as he angrily runs down the quad.

“You almost walked into the post,” she explains, her hand pulling me tightly.

“Oh… I didn’t see that,” I blush.

She lets out a quiet chuckle, letting go of my arm. “Were you paying any attention to what I was saying?”

The colour in my cheeks deepens, as I bashfully shake my head no… “Something about wanting to us to wear pale pink bridesmaid dresses?” I guessed, figuring that we were still on the topic of her fantasy wedding to what’s-his-name.

She lets out a short breath of air from her nose, her eyes squinting slightly. “Are you okay there?”

“Yeah… of course,” This was the fourth person to ask if I was okay. I was beginning to wonder if something really was wrong with me. I thought I was fine… why did nobody else see that?

“You seem a bit aloof.”

“Not aloof, just… I have a lot on my mind. Mid-semester blues… its normal,” I wave my hand in the air, hoping that this would pass.

“If you say so,” she looks at me skeptically, but shrugs her shoulders. “Anyways, like I was saying. Tanner is amazing-“

“Wait, did you say Tanner? Tanner Montgomery? He’s on the paper with me; him and Ryder and best friends.”  

Maggie groans, pushing my shoulder with her hand. My grip on my umbrella loosens, as she catches me off guard. With the fast reflexes that I have, I quickly catch myself before it falls to the ground. “What was that for?” I yelp.

“Eve, I’ve been talking to you for the past twenty minutes and the conversation has only been about Tanner. The first thing I said to you was that he was on the paper with you. That’s why I asked if you could set us up? Maybe see if we could do a double date or something…”

I stop in my tracks, turning around to look at my very hopeful friend. She bites her lip, her doe like eyes giving the most innocent look.

“That would mean I’d have to go on a date with Ryder.”

“Minor detail… besides, he’s been hounding you for a date since last spring. It wouldn’t be weird. Please Evie, I really want to get to know Tanner. This is the only way that I can.”

Being a best friend was difficult. It sometimes made you question your morals and force you to do things that you would normally not want to do. Case and point: asking Ryder if he could set up a double date for my lovesick friend and his oblivious one.