About a Girl

Monday afternoons at the University of Maryland were uneventful for majority of its students that attended the school. It was the beginning of a long week of lectures and exams that many wanted to avoid or not prepared for. However, it was different for one student, Junior, Calvin Zegers. Mondays were his favorite day of the week because that was the day that he was reunited with the girl of his dreams Corrie Rogers, a sophomore girl that was both smart and beautiful, and a girl that was completely out of his league.

Calvin wasn’t exactly Prince Charming. The clothes that he wore could be found at any Gap store. It lacked the style and individuality that he should have developed during his teen years but attending private schools all of his life didn’t get him the chance to experiment. The fringe from his flat blonde hair touched the top of his black square glasses that hung off his pale nose. So, as a result of his fashion choices, there was nothing about him that made him sexually appealing. Calvin could only rely on his refreshing personality but that didn’t seem to be enough for Corrie. She was completely head over heels for another guy, a guy that he absolutely hated.

The sound of melodious laughter caught his attention, and he kicked himself off the wall quickly and adjusted his satchel. He looked up at the door just in time to see his Nubian goddess step out of the classroom laughing merrily, her curly hair bounced against her shoulders with every giggle. She looked over at Calvin; her large brown eyes were twinkling. She said goodbye to one of her classmates before walking towards him. Calvin couldn’t breathe. This always happened whenever she was around. He swore that one day she would be the death of him.

“Hey, Calvin! You haven’t been waiting long, have you?”

“No, I just got here,” a blatant lie. He never just got to her class when it let out. He came right after his physics class ended, forty minutes ago.

“Great,” Corrie said as Calvin took her books from her and placed them in his shoulder bag. “I really would hate it if you were going out of your way for me. You already do so much for me. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

“Believe me. That’s the last thing you are to me.”

She rewarded him with another smile. She slipped her arms around his and laid her head on his shoulder as they began walking towards the bus stop. He shivered at the intimate touch. It was more than he could ever ask for. It made it easy for him to imagine that he and Corrie were more than just friends, that she was his and his alone.

“You are such a sweet guy Calvin. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Calvin didn’t respond. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth at that moment he was liable to admit something that they were both not ready to hear. Corrie had just gotten out of a bad string of relationships and the last thing she needed was her best friend telling her that he loved her since the moment he laid eyes on her two years ago. He couldn’t risk it, not yet anyway. Plus he needed to support her when the next guy she dates breaks her heart. He didn’t understand why she was attracted to guys that were no good for her and the new one that she was infatuated with was the worse.

“So,” she began, “Are you still coming to my place, so we can play the new GTA? April’s not going to be home tonight, she’s staying at her boyfriend’s. We won’t have to worry about her interrupting us every five minutes. I hate when she does stuff like that, especially when I’m in the middle of a mission.”

“Yea. I’m coming with you but I’ll have to stop at my place first. I got to drop something off for my roommate. So I’ll meet you at your place afterwards.”  Calvin chuckled to himself, “I can’t believe you’re into that violent game. I mean you are such a sweet girl. I would have never pegged you for the GTA type.”

“Well,” Corrie looked up at him from the corner of her eye, “GTA’s a great stress reliever. After a hard day school, I can come home and shoot my problems away, temporarily.”

“How was class today?” he asked once they were both seated at bus stop.

She sighed before tucking a few loose strands behind her ear. “It was alright but I found out that I have an exam next week. I’m not entirely comfortable with the material, and I can’t go to Mr. Masey for help. His help equals an automatic grade deduction,” She leaned into Calvin and whispered in his ear, her lips barely grazing it. “That is off the record, of course. If Mr. Masey heard me say that it would be the end for me.”

“You know that you could always ask me to tutor you. You know I don’t mind.”

“I know,” She said simply. Corrie looked down the road in the direction that she expected the bus to arrive before speaking again. “You know what I’ve always been curious about?”

“What?”

“Why do you wait for me every day outside of class and take me to the shuttle? It’s not like it’s convenient for you. The shuttle only goes to the dorms, and you have your own apartment off campus.”

“I can wait with you can’t I? You know it’s dangerous for a girl to travel alone. Not that you can’t handle yourself,” He quickly added when he noticed a finely groomed eyebrow rise in question. “Why are you asking anyway? Are you getting tired of me or something?”

She turned to face him and stared directly into his turquoise colored eyes. “No. Of course not, I said I was just curious, remember?”

Calvin saw the bus some distance down the road. He hesitated for a moment before turning away from Corrie and retrieving her books from his satchel. He didn’t quite believe her when she said that she was just curious. She never asked him questions like that before and the look in her eyes was more than just curiosity. He hoped that he wasn’t giving too much away with his actions.

He was about to hand over Corrie’s books when he noticed her lean back into the bench and cross her legs, causing her skirt to rise another inch. It was another inch that was testing his will power as a hormonal young man. Every part of Corrie’s body was gorgeous to him but for some reason her legs always made him excited. They looked soft yet firm and lean. He always wondered what they would feel like as he glided his hands about them.

He snapped out of his fantasy when Corrie waved her hand in front of his face, capturing her attention.

“Are you alright? You went out on me there.”

Calvin nodded as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. They must have slipped during his stare. He gave Corrie her books. The bus was only a few stops away now. “What were you saying?”

“I was just talking about Dustin Thomas. You know; the guy in my English class.”

“Of Course how could I forget?”   His tone was sarcastic but was shrouded with annoyance. “You talk about him almost every day.”

“I do not!” Corrie shouted as she playfully slapped Calvin on his shoulder, but he remained expressionless. He just continued to stare at her, letting her know that he was completely serious. “Okay, so I do,” she conceded. “But can you blame me? The guy is absolutely stunning.”

Calvin sighed. He knew what was about to come, a minute long rant on how perfect Dustin Thomas was, but he didn’t think the guy was so remarkable. He was a known player, never been in a committed relationship that lasted more than two weeks. Furthermore, he happened to know in good faith that he dumped every girl after he had sex with them, or after he loses interest. Sadly, they amount to the same thing. The guy was a complete jerk, which explained why Corrie was attracted to him but Calvin didn’t care as long as they kept their distance from each other. Anything else would be a complete disaster.

“My god, his blue eyes are outstanding. It’s almost like he stares into your soul when he looks at you. Moreover, his voice…mmm.” Corrie couldn’t even finish thought.

His eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, what? Did you talk to him or something?”

“What?” She asked, completely caught off guard by Calvin’s sudden anger.

He tried again, this time his tone much calmer now. “Did you guys talk or something?”

Corrie puckered her lips in a pout and released a long, heavy sigh. “No. Unfortunately, he’s just like every other guy that I like.” She looked up at him once again. “He’s still completely clueless when it comes to me.”

‘Good,’ Calvin thought to himself. There was still hope for him yet. He had to find a way to get her to stop thinking about Dustin and turn her attention onto him but the task seemed impossible. Mainly, because he hadn’t worked up the courage to admit his feelings to her and what guy would.  She was strikingly beautiful and one of the smartest people in her class. Perfection was a word that he always associated with Corrie.

The bus was just about to stop in front of them. Corrie and Calvin stood up from the bench. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to come with you? It seems a bit ridiculous for you to go home alone especially since you’ll be coming to my place anyway.”

“It would be best if you didn’t come.”Corrie’s eyes were downcast. “My roommate isn’t as friendly as yours. Otherwise I would have invited you over ages ago. Plus my apartment isn’t in the best condition.”

A coy smile appeared on her face. “Are you trying to tell me that your apartment is filthy? The Calvin Zegers has a dirty apartment? I don’t believe it. You’re always so neat when you’re at my place. Even your notebook is well organized.” 

“Not me, my roommate. I don’t even like when there is even one piece of paper on the floor.”

“It sounds like you’re in roommate hell.” She reached out and hugged him tightly. Calvin was in shock. It took him a few minutes to realize what was going on but when he reached out to return the hug, Corrie had already pulled away and was entering. “See you later!” She called out to him.

Calvin waved back silently before turning in the opposite direction that the bus went and headed towards the nearest apartment building, Wiltshire Apartment Complex.

He walked up several flights of stairs and paused at the door. He really didn’t feel like going inside. He knew that as soon as the door opened, he would feel all of his energy drain from him. It happened each and every time since he was forced to take on a roommate.

“Dustin!” Calvin called out when he entered the apartment. He didn’t hear anything, so he went into the Kitchen, the place where the troublesome boy was most likely located. He was right. Dustin was sitting at the kitchen counter, just finishing up an oversized sandwich.

“You’re late,” He said before downing a root beer soda. “You know I have places to be.”

“Here.” Calvin threw the envelope at Dustin who caught it effortlessly. “Mom said you need to start thinking about getting a job soon. She said that she can’t keep sending you money whenever you like.”

“Yea,Yea,” Was Dustin’s only response. He got out of the chair grabbed his keys and put on his leather jacket. He stopped in front of the mirror that was placed next to the front door and pulled out a comb from his pocket to fix a few strands. When he felt that his hair was just right he faced Calvin before saying, “Don’t wait up.”

Calvin rolled his eyes before following behind his brother. “As if I ever do.”