The Arrangement Anthology 1(182)
My eyes cut to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“At work, something happened. What was it? You seem spooked.” He touches my forearm lightly, stopping me. We’re standing in the middle of the parking lot. I look up at him, wanting to tell him, but afraid of what he’ll say. “Just tell me. I think I already know. The asshole messed with you, right?”
“How’d you know that?”
“It’s all over your face. Are you okay? Do I need to break his neck?”
I shake my head. “No, Gabe took care of him and got me out before he really had a chance to hurt me. Somehow his crazy got past Black. She didn’t know he was jealous or nuts.”
“Jealous? Who would order a call girl and then be jealous?”
“A crazy person. He hates Sean and when he realized I was with Sean this weekend, he went nuts. He would have killed me if Gabe didn’t show up. I’m kind of out of it, that’s all.” I start walking again. Mel has started the car. The sky is that dingy gray, like it’s going to snow again.
“Hey, wait.” He takes my elbow and I stop and turn back to him. “Are you serious? The guy really wanted to hurt you?” I nod. Marty gives me the most grieved look I’ve seen on him yet. I know what he wants to say, but he swallows it back down. “I’m glad you’re all right—I wish to God you’d quit—but I’m so glad you’re all right.” He pulls me into a hug and releases me before I can protest.
“I can’t quit, Marty. You know that.” My head hangs forward as we walk the rest of the way to Mel’s car.
“When do you work again?”
“Next weekend, I guess. My regulars left, or had Gabe beat the shit out of them, so I guess I’ll have a new guy next week. Black will clue me in closer to the weekend. In the meantime, I need to get caught up on school.”
Marty nods solemnly, like he knows that he can’t save me. I wish he could. I wish someone could pull me back, but I’ve already fallen into the abyss. Last time Sean was there to keep me company, but now I’m completely alone.
CHAPTER 9
By the time Wednesday night rolls around, I can’t think. My mind keeps floating back to Sean. I hate that he left, but at the same time, I realize that I let him walk away. I didn’t have to do that. I could have done something, some huge gesture, that swept him off his feet, but I didn’t. I walked away and so did he.
I push my economics book away and wonder what the hell I was thinking when I chose my electives this semester. It’s not my thing. I have to study twice as hard to keep up, so I invoked my failsafe plan to ensure my A- at the end of the semester—smile. It sounds really stupid, but before my freshman year I never smiled unless I felt like it. I’m not a smiley person, I guess.
Anyway, I had a sociology class and learned that people have a hard time thinking poorly of a person if that person is always smiling at them. Short version—I smile at the economics professor during the entire lecture. It doesn’t matter of I’m bored out of my mind, or if I understand a thing he’s said. I look pleased as punch to be there and maintain light eye contact. Oddly, I thought that would make him call on me more often, but it doesn’t. He thinks I’m enthralled and paying attention, so unless I raise my hand, the prof calls on some other kid that’s just as lost as I am. That little smile has pulled my average up a letter grade, because I have no interest in any of this.
I should have taken a sociology elective. Then, I could have glared at the teacher the whole time and sulked in peace rather than faking it the whole semester.
I tap the cover of the textbook with my pen and decide. I need to get out of here for a while and go back to the last place I was happy. I jump in the shower before Amber and the male slut return, and I get dressed. Around the time I’m almost ready, Mel knocks on my door and sticks her head inside before I answer.
“Avery, you here?” Mel catches a glimpse of me in my little black dress—the one that was mine before I started working for Miss Black. Mel steps into the room and folds her arms over her chest, knowing damn well that I don’t have a client. “Tell me that you aren’t going on a date.”
I’m swiping on mascara and almost poke my eye out with the wand. I glance over at her from the other side of the room. “Nah, nothing like that. I just need to go out, get some fresh air. No guys.”
“What about girls?”
I smirk and think of Sidney. “I don’t do girls. Although I think Marty liked the idea of me and you together.”
Mel plops down on my bed and smirks. “Every guy likes the idea of two girls together.” She leans back on her elbows, careful not to mess up the bedspread. “So, I hear things, ya know. Things that I should have heard from you.” I glance up at her in the mirror, wondering where this is going. “Are you going to tell me or do I have to keep up the twenty questions?”