Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (23 page)

Nathan took to watching Amanda’s building from a
distance. He saw that Amanda received constant visits from Christopher. This
was a thorn on Nathan’s side. How could she place so much trust in someone
she’d just met?

To cope with the stress, Nathan buried himself in
homework. Unfortunately, he had great difficulty with his concentration. During
classes, Nathan found himself missing most of what the instructors lectured. He
had to resort to getting Ashton’s or another known classmate’s notes. It was a
first for Nathan.

The only times Nathan saw Amanda up close were during classes.
It was as if she wasn’t there, though. Amanda acted as if he were invisible.
When the instructor asked a student to write an answer on the board, Nathan
volunteered. He wanted to see what Amanda would do. To his chagrin, she
wouldn’t look up from her notes. Not until Nathan had returned to his seat did
she copy the answer.

During lunch, Nathan walked to Amanda’s locker to
leave her a message. Hopefully, she would give him a chance. He couldn’t live
without Amanda.

Nathan sat with Ashton, Grecia, Oswald, and Claire
after stopping by Amanda’s locker. They all thought Nathan still looked upset.

“Have you made any inroads with Amanda?” Ashton asked.
Their food was already on the table.

“No. I’m still trying, though.”

Claire looked at Nathan in sympathy. She knew that
choosing another woman wasn’t an option.

“Can’t she see that Erika set you up?” she asked.

“No. What Amanda saw was compromising. It doesn’t help
that she already had suspicions from a little while back.”

“Have you shown interest in Erika?” Grecia asked.

“No. Erika wants me, though. She says that she’ll wait
for me to see that Amanda and I can’t be together. Erika thinks that I’m not
enough for Amanda.”

Claire scoffed.

“If that bitch thinks so little of you, why is she so
eager to date you?”

“She must be obsessed. I don’t care.”

The group ate in silence. They all stole glances at
Nathan occasionally. He didn’t notice it.

“Has Amanda let you talk to her?” Oswald asked.

“No. She’s even ordered her bodyguards not to let me
get through to her.”

“That Afro dude is daunting,” said Ashton. “He sort of
reminds me of Michael Jordan.”

Claire and Oswald laughed. Grecia hadn’t met Caldwell,
so she didn’t see the humor.

“Just insist, Nathan,” Claire advised him. “Girls love
a guy who persists, no matter what.”

“Who says I planned to give up? I’m winning Amanda’s
trust back even if I have to wait months, years, decades. She’s the woman of my
life.”

“We’ll talk to her if it comes down to it,” Oswald
said. “She has to know, deep inside, that you’re serious.”

When he walked to the
next class, Nathan decided to check out the lockers corridor. He peered around
the corner. Amanda had just got there. She was looking at the door of her
locker. Nathan saw her grab the note and open it. He had written “
Everyone
has the right to a fair trial. Don’t give up on me so fast. Love you.”
on
it. Amanda bit her lip. She then crumpled up the paper and put it in her
pocket. After grabbing a couple of books from her locker, Amanda walked away.

The note in Amanda’s pocket felt like it was burning a
hole. She was also hurting from her separation from Nathan. It hurt almost more
than the fact he had cheated on her. Amanda wanted nothing more than to forgive
him. She just had to protect her dignity.

I love you too, Nathan. Despite that, infidelity is
not something I forgive.

Amanda wondered if her relationship with Nathan ever
had a chance to prosper. She was well aware of what dating her entailed. Amanda
once had a teacher who told the class the story of one of his high school
romances. The teacher, a nerdy type, had once managed to date the head
cheerleader. She was a remarkably beautiful girl, wanted by almost every guy at
the school. For a guy like the teacher-to-be, she was unreachable. That was why
he felt joyful when she said yes. Unfortunately, their relationship didn’t last
long. The teacher had to put up with the fact that every guy wanted his girl.
Whenever she got hit on—which was all the time—guys always acted like her
boyfriend wasn’t there. In the few months that they dated, the teacher got into
several fights. He eventually decided that she was more trouble than she was
worth.

After the incident on Valentine’s, Amanda wasn’t sure
anymore if Nathan loved her. Was she just a glorified trophy to him? He hadn’t
denied feeling just like the nerdy guy dating the head cheerleader. Did Nathan
think Amanda was worth the endless attention she received?

Kellan noticed Amanda’s emotional upheaval. He
suggested something on the drive back to the apartment.

“What do you say to a night out?” he asked. “We could
go to the bowling club, and invite your friends too. It would help as a
distraction.”

“What I need for a distraction is a job. It’s more
mind intensive, less likely to allow me to think of…any of my troubles.”

Kellan sighed.

“Have you found any jobs?”

“No. Rachel doesn’t have any job openings right now.
She said she would help me if she could, though.”

“How about working at the college bookstore? Or the
library? That would be convenient.”

Amanda thought about it.

“It’s a good idea. But, don’t I have to apply for a
job at the bookstore before the semester begins? By now, all positions must be
taken.”

“Maybe. It doesn’t hurt to check.”

Amanda looked out the window, trying to come up with
more alternatives.

“I’ll look for more jobs on the Internet,” she said.
“I don’t really mind what it is about as long as it keeps my mind busy.”

“How about tutoring? You are quite smart.”

Kellan looked at Amanda, raising his eyebrow.

“At the school? Do they pay tutors?”

“You should ask them. Also, tutors work for private
agencies too, not just the school. Check if there are any places employing
tutors in town. There should be.”

A tutor,
Amanda thought to herself.
I’m still a freshman, though I’m pretty good at a
few subjects.

“I’ll think about it,” she told Kellan.

“Okay. But if you’re still feeling down this
afternoon, I will take you and your friends out.”

Back in the apartment, Amanda did a Web search for
local tutoring agencies. She also opened another tab to find out about their
job requirements and qualifications. Amanda assumed that tutors needed knowledge
comparable to second-year college students. Her strongest subject was math. It
was fortunate for Amanda, because architects needed to know lots of math. Her
score in that subject on the SAT had been stellar.

Emmy dropped by a few moments later. She peeked inside
Amanda’s room.

“Hi, friend. You’re just back?” the latter asked.

“Yes. What are you doing?” Emmy asked. She walked into
the room and stood behind Amanda.

“I’m looking for jobs. Hey, do you know if there are
any openings at the bookstore?”

Emmy had started working there since the semester
started. Her class schedule left her with enough time to work at the college
bookstore.

“I’m not sure. Would you like me to ask?”

“Yeah. Do you know about tutors, too?”

“No. Are you planning to become one?”

Amanda nodded.

“I’m researching the requirements, and looking for any
places of employment here in the city. You know math is my strongest subject.
I’m just not sure if I need to be at a higher grade level to tutor.”

“You’re looking at it as if you were to tutor a
student in college,” said Emmy. “Keep in mind that you can also tutor someone
in high school.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Amanda said. “I’m going to
look into it.”

Emmy stood up.

“Wait. Kellan said he plans to take us out tonight.
Are you coming?”

“Where?”

“He didn’t say.”

“That’s great. I’m up for a night out. Let me just
call Christopher and Judith to let them know.”

“All right.”

“Would you also like to invite some of our other
friends? Like, Claire and Grecia and the rest of them?”

Nathan’s friends
, Amanda thought.

“Sure. I don’t have any resentment toward them.”

Emmy smiled.

“Good. I’ll ask Kellan about the time.”

Emmy left the room. Amanda continued searching for
jobs. She looked for openings in different areas.

At around seven thirty, Amanda was doing homework in
the living room. She was reading a textbook when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Amanda said. The door opened, and Kellan
walked in.

“Good afternoon. How’s homework?”

“Nearly done.”

Kellan started toward the kitchen.

“We’re leaving in a few, if you’re still interested.”

Amanda couldn’t help but laugh.

“As if I had a choice.”

Kellan smiled. He then went to the kitchen. After
getting a bottle of water, Kellan returned to the living room. He handed it to
Amanda.

“Thanks,” she said, opening the bottle. “Who is coming
with us?”

“Emmy, Judith, and Christopher. Claire and Grecia said
they couldn’t go.”

Judith had chosen where they would go. She proposed
that the group go dancing at Level B, a local club. It was a nice change, since
they always hit restaurants and movie theaters. Some physical activity would be
good.

When Amanda left the apartment with Emmy and the
bodyguards, it was lightly snowing.

“Yay!” Amanda said when they got to the parking lot.
“I hope the ground turns white again.”

Kellan and Caldwell both smiled.

“You like the snow, right?”

“I’d rather have that than rain.”

The club wasn’t far west of the Cornell campus. Christopher
and Judith waited at the entrance when Amanda and her group got there.

“Hi, guys,” Emmy said to them. “You two look pretty
good together.”

Judith blushed. She covered the lower half of her face
with her scarf. Christopher chuckled to himself.

“I admit she could talk my ears off,” he quipped.
Judith shot him a wide-eyed glare. Amanda laughed.

“Come on, you two.”

They entered the club. It was one of those that didn’t
serve much variety of food, if any. Amanda and her friends were there to have
fun, not eat, anyway.

“Drinks, anyone?” Judith asked. Amanda shook her head.
Emmy and Christopher went with Judith to get drinks.

“Dance with me?” Amanda asked Kellan. He nodded.

“Anything to get your spirits up.”

“Thanks. And Caldwell…um.”

Caldwell looked quizzically at Amanda. She pursed her
lips.

“I wanted to ask if you’d dance with Emmy, but you’re
pretty tall.”

Caldwell laughed. It was rare to see him do so, as he
was serious most of the time.

“Nothing to worry about. I’m used to dancing with
short women.”

When Caldwell walked away, Amanda glanced at Kellan
with a raised eyebrow.

“What?” he asked, the corners of his lips turning up.

“He’s so impassive all the time that I find it
surprising for him to know how to dance.”

“Ha. Caldwell’s human, just like the rest of us.”

Amanda and Kellan were the first to get to the dance
floor moments later. They were shortly joined by Caldwell and Emmy.

“How long will it take Chris to convince Judith to
dance with him this time?” Amanda said to Kellan. “She enjoys watching guys
squirm.”

“Some conundrum. Judith has trouble finding guys, and
when she does, she plays hard to get.”

“We can’t exactly blame her.”

Fortunately for Christopher, Judith didn’t make it too
hard for him. She seemed more at ease around him than before. Amanda thought
that was a good sign. Judith hadn’t had a serious relationship since her junior
year of high school. Amanda wanted her friend to be happy.

Here I am, lamenting my breakup with Nathan, and
Judith hasn’t had anyone. I’ve had two great loves so far. That should be
enough for me.

After a few songs, everyone in the group switched
dance partners. Christopher took the opportunity to dance with Amanda. He
smiled at her.

“How are you enjoying the night so far?”

Amanda felt quite good. She still hurt for Nathan,
although she repressed it. Amanda wasn’t one to dwell on her losses.

“I’m having fun. That’s what Kellan was after. He’s
always been there whenever I feel down.”