It's Summer Ch. 2 Another Sneak Peak

I am still editing and rewiring some things but I wanted to give you something before I went to bed. I’ll see if this part makes the final cut, but in case it doesn’t, here’s another sneak peak. Enjoy.

After dinner, we went to Dairy Queen for Blizzards, which may or may not be a good idea after all that seafood but my parents were in a good mood and wanted to treat us for once. Who was I to argue when I wasn't paying for any of it.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed but it didn't stop, signaling that I was getting a phone call. So I excused my family and went to answer it.

"Hello?" I said when I picked up.

Normally I didn't answer my phone when I'm with my folks. Not because I thought it rude or anything, but because my mom would ask who was it and my dad would question what we were talking about, like I was making some secret drug deal or something. But I hadn't heard from Marcy all day, and I didn't want to miss her call.

Of course, if I had looked at the caller ID before answering, I would've know if it was her or not.

"Zhara! You won't believe who I saw!" Marce screamed in my ear. I pulled the phone back just to keep my head from exploding.

Marcy was usually the calm one out of the two of us. I was the hothead that let my emotions get the better of me and Marcy was the diplomatic one who calmly spoke her concerns. We worked well together and played off each other's strengths. I let her handle things that got me heated and she let me handle things that required a strong approach. We just fit.

But now when Marce got excited, that meant something big happened. Something so huge, not even she could be diplomatic about it. I loved Marcy, and if ever a soul hurt her, I just might have to jail. No need to disclose the crime, it's pretty clear what I'd have to do here.

"What?!" I finally responded, anticipating the worst.

"I saw him," she said cryptically.

At first I didn't know who she was referring to, but then I thought about it and my blood ran as cold as my Blizzard.

"Where?" Was all I could manage to get out.

"At the Wal-Mart here. I know he doesn't live here, so maybe he was just passing through to wherever, but it was definitely him."

So there was this guy, a professor, former professor . . . Agh! I didn't want to relive this but every time I thought about him, I thought about what had transpired between us. Which was nothing really. We went out a few times, always at night, and I realized that was odd; and after the fourth time meeting at the Dunkin' Donuts, I abruptly left and never looked back. Whatever we were only lasted two weeks or so and I ended things because I realized I wasn't his girlfriend and would never be.

I felt stupid for how I behaved and my irrational, girly notions, but it's what I wanted. I wanted to matter to him, and not just be a piece of ass to smash. Was I so wrong?

"Zhara?" Marcy cut through my reverie. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I answered too quickly but I wanted this to be over.

"You sure?" she prompted.

"Yes," I answered more evenly. "I am okay. It's summer and I don't ever have to see him again."

"Yay for you. Forget him." I almost felt Marcy fist pump. But I knew she didn't. Marce didn't physically express herself, but I felt this was the closet she'd ever come to it.

"Thanks," I told her lovingly. I didn't know where I'd be without her. "So I better go before my folks come here, interrogating me about who I'm talking to. Oh, did you make it home okay?"

I should have asked her this sooner but that whole him business threw me off.

"No, still driving. It'll probably be another half hour before I get home. But I just had to stop and tell you what I saw. I mean, seriously, what was he doing here? But anyway, I gotta go if I'm gonna make it by sundown."

"Okay, well we'll talk soon okay? Later."

"Later." And then she hung up.

Marcy lived in the middle of nowhere in Four Oaks. I mean, the town was so small, they had no Wal-Mart and they only had maybe one Dollar General. I only ever saw the one. But they were really close to Smithfield, which had all the outlets, so they had better shopping than we did here. And Smithfield has the nearest Wal-Mart.

Wait, she said she saw him in a Wal-Mart? And Smithfield is at least two exits before hers . . . So does that mean he was--"

"Za-za! Let's go!" Garvin jarred me from my musings. Seriously, I hated when he did that. I hate when anyone did that, but especially him.

When we got home, all I could think about was him and what he could possibly be doing at that Wal-Mart. Did he live there? I knew he didn't live near the university but I didn't think he lived that far away. Four Oaks was like two hours from school.

I didn't know why I was obsessing over this. I had little time to pack and get my passport for our cruise trip. Ugh, I still couldn't believe we were going on a cruise.

Although, if I were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, there was no way I would run into him. Not that I ran into him much on campus, but the few times I had seen him, I would either hide or just turn around altogether.

I knew it was pathetic, but I just couldn't face him. I didn't know why such a man had me frazzled. We only hung out and nothing happened. But like most girls in my predicament, I fell in feet first and now I didn't know how I'd get out.

But I did get out! I dumped him. Once I caught on to only meeting at night, and always at the Dunkin' Donuts on the outskirts of campus, I knew something was up. Hell, he's probably married and didn't want his wife to find out. I clearly dodged a bullet here.

Still . . . I couldn't shake this feeling of loss. Why did I care so much?