Across The Hall (4 page)

could calm down.

“What’s wrong?” He looked around the hal to see if he could see what was bothering me. His eyes stopped on the new neighbor’s door and he

glared. That glare was very unsettling.

“Nothing, real y. I had a great time but I do have to get up early. Maybe we can do this again?” I’d had an exciting night and I definitely wanted to

do it again. I hoped this little display hadn’t turned him off.

He started backing away from me. “Okay, sure. Some other time.”

“Good night, then.” I pul ed out my keys and opened my door.

I leaned up against the other side of the door after shutting it, and slowly sank to the ground. I had so much racing through my mind. Beau had

been total y hot, and my night with him had been good. I real y wanted to see him again. I thought my bad boy may be just the thing for me to get

over this. I resolved that tomorrow I was going to go with Kai and meet the new guy, just to put my mind to rest.

It was too fucking hot. When the hel did Minnesota get so hot? Why didn’t I listen to mom and hire movers? “Wel Dad, this is the last of the boxes

now it’s time for the heavy stuff. Do you want a beer before we start in on that?” I sure as hel needed that beer and a shower. The sweat was

dripping off me. I long since abandoned my shirt hoping that would help cool me down. It didn’t and it would be awhile longer before I could get one.

“Sure. Good thing you brought those in first so they’d be cold. I’l wait here while you go get them.” Dad had taken the day off to help me move. I

moved back in with them for the summer. It had been a hard decision to leave Princeton to attend med school at U of M but dad seemed to real y

want me to come back home and eventual y intern at his hospital. Mom was thril ed having me home this long for the first time in four years. At first

she even wanted me to stay living with them but I wanted to be closer to campus and avoid a daily commute. Mom eventual y gave in and found this

apartment for me last spring. She said it would be perfect, close to campus, smal with good security, seemed to be quiet with nice neighbors.

From what I could tel she was right on al counts except I hadn’t met any neighbors yet. I grabbed the beers and headed back down.

My dad was standing by the door shaking hands with a real y big guy with a buzz cut. He had to be a footbal player, he was big enough to be

one. Standing by them was another guy with blond hair pul ed back in a band. He was almost as tal but not near as brawny as the first. Both were

dressed similar to me, in basketbal shorts and shirtless. As I came out the door my dad turned to me “Here he is now. Quinn, I just met a couple of

your neighbors.” I handed the open bottle over to my dad and turned to shake their hands.

The big one reached out his hand first “Hey man, I’m Reed Walker and this loser here is Sloane Evans.” His grip was hard on my hand like he

was testing my strength.

The long haired guy switched a basketbal over to his other hand and reached out for mine. We shook as he said, “Hi” Then he jabbed the other

guy in the ribs with his elbow. “You only won because you cheated. Just a warning if you ever play bal with this guy, he cheats.” He had a southern

twang to his voice.

“I’l keep that in mind.” Both of them seemed pretty friendly.

“So your dad was saying that you’re moving into 304 today. Do you need any help?” Reed offered. “We happen to have the rest of the day free

and can help you out.”

“That’d be great. We got al the boxes in already, it’s just the furniture left. We were going to start on that when we finished these,” I said motioning

with the bottle.

“That wil be perfect. I’l run this in and tel Kai. I’m sure she’l be out here right away to meet you.” Sloane said as he headed into the building with

the bal .

“That guy is so whipped.” Reed laughed.

“I heard that. I’m going to tel Kerri.” Sloane cal ed back.

I looked at Reed as if to ask who Kai and Kerri were. Reed was already answering “Girlfriends. Kai has been wondering about you al summer. It

kil s her when she doesn’t know everything. I’m sure she’l be out here and have your whole life story before you finish that beer.”

Dad and I drank our beers while Reed told us more about the place. It seems that mom was right on al of it. Reed said the five of them had been

living here for the last two years. I was getting ready to ask who the fifth one was when Sloane came back out.

“The girls went shopping so we real y do have the afternoon free. When they go shopping they’re gone for hours.”

“That sounds like women.” Dad added. “So what do you say we get this truck unloaded?”

Reed and Sloane were awesome. With their help we were done unloading in no time. Dad offered to take the truck back to the rental company

and have mom pick him up there so I could unpack. It was too hot and I just didn’t feel like it so I invited Reed and Sloane to stay for a beer. I found

out Reed was the oldest of six boys. He was from Tennessee and did play footbal but blew his knee out in his third year and after that switched his

major to sports medicine. Sloane was from a big ranching family in Oklahoma but decided the cowboy life wasn’t for him. He was now in the

graduate program for psychology. They met their first year and lived on the same dorm floor as their girlfriends who were roommates.

While they talked I kept thinking back to the girl I saw before I met them. She looked so much like Sylvia. But then I had been seeing Sylvia in

every petite redhead I’ve had a glimpse of for the last four years. There was no way that she was stil here at school. Last I knew she was planning

on teaching and she was sure to be done with that in four years. And if she wasn’t, wel it’s a big campus the odds of running into her couldn’t be in

my favor.
Get over it and move on, she has.
I had to keep reminding myself of the last time I saw her.

It was over winter break my first year away. I was back in Quarry Springs for the holidays and ran to town to pick stuff up for my mom. I parked

out front of the grocery store and headed in only to remember I left the list in the car. I turned to go get it and saw a guy walking across the street

with his arm around my Sylvia. My heart froze. It was that moment when I realized I could never go back like I had dreamed. I had lost my Sylvia

forever. I got back into the car and didn’t go back into town again. In fact that whole break I barely came out of my room and left early to go back

to Princeton. Fortunately before summer break my dad took a job in Minneapolis and I never stepped foot in Quarry Springs again.

The three of us finished off our first beer and I was getting ready to offer them another when Reed’s cel phone rang. “That would be Kerri. I bet

the girls are back and wondering where we are.” Sloane guessed.

Reed hung up and confirmed it. “So, Quinn, man thanks for the beer. You wil have to stop in later and meet Kai and Kerri. That is if the pixie

doesn’t come up here to meet you first.”

Sloane said his goodbyes too and I promised I would meet up with them sometime tomorrow. I turned and looked at the mess of boxes and

decided to take that shower before I started to unpack. Unfortunately I had to find the box of bathroom stuff before I could do it. I had labeled al the

boxes careful y when I packed them so it was just a matter of finding the right box. I plugged my iPod into the docking station and turned on the

Stones and began the search. It didn’t take long to find the right box and head to the shower, again thinking of the girl and of Sylvia.

The shower was just what I needed to get me motivated again. I came out of it refreshed and ready to unpack. I looked around, not real y sure

where I should start. The bedroom seemed to be a good choice. That way when I was done for the night that would at least be ready for me. I

headed in there, thankful that Reed and Sloane helped me set up the bed. I could have done it by myself, but it would have sucked. At least now I

only had to make it. I found the box with the bedding and pul ed it al out. Mom insisted on buying me al new stuff, not only for this room but for every

room.

This was my first apartment. I lived in the dorms at Princeton not wanting to have to find a place and furnish it when I wasn’t sure how long I was

going to stay there. I was excited to actual y have a place to cal my own. After I had the bed made I continued putting my clothes away and set up

my alarm clock. There were more boxes of books and other things but I figured those could wait until tomorrow. It was after seven and I real y

needed to get something to eat. I didn’t have anything in the house so I decided to run to the nearest fast food place I found.

A good thing about living close to a col ege campus is that there is any number of food places close by. I opted for the first one I saw with a drive

through so I could get back to work. As I pul ed away from paying at the first window my phone began to play mom’s ringtone.

“Hi Mom.”

“Quinn, how is the unpacking going?” I had been surprised when she didn’t offer to come help me put my apartment together. Mom is an interior

designer. I offered her free reign with my place. She said she would limit herself to helping me pick out what I would need but as for arranging it and

putting it away I would be on my own. She told me that it would feel more like my own if I did it al myself.

“Wel I have most of the bedroom done. Oh, hold on a minute.” The guy at the second window handed me my food and I thanked him quickly,

turning back to the phone. “Sorry, I’m in the drive-through picking up supper.”

“I knew I should have sent some things with you. You can always come home and eat with your father and me too, you know.”

“I know Mom. This was just close and easy. I stil have a lot left to do tonight. I thought I would unpack the kitchen stuff and then go to the grocery

store so I would have breakfast tomorrow.”

“Wel , it sounds as if you are off to a good start. Your dad said that you met some of your neighbors. Anyone interesting?” I got the suspicious

feeling that she was fishing for information but I didn’t know why.

“Just Reed and Sloane, the two guys that helped carry the furniture in. I told them I would see them again tomorrow and meet their girlfriends.”

“Your father mentioned that they live on the floor below you. You didn’t happen to meet anyone on your floor yet?”

“Um, no but I’m sure I wil soon. Why do you ask?”

“It never hurts to know your neighbors, just in case you ever need anything.”

“Mom, this isn’t the dorms. It doesn’t matter who I live by. I could probably go the whole year without real y needing to know my neighbors.”

“Hopeful y you won’t. I need to go now. I wil check in with you later. Oh, and bring your laundry home when you need it done.”

“Mom, I can do my own laundry. I have been doing it myself for the last four years.”

“I know that, I just didn’t want you to have to pay for it.”

“Thank you, Mom. Goodnight.”

“I love you Quinn.”

“I love you too.” I closed my phone and waited for a motorcycle to pul out of the parking space I had vacated earlier. Going past the second floor I

could hear Reed laughing from one of the apartments, that guy was so loud. I thought about stopping and saying hi but opted to eat and get the

unpacking over with. There would be plenty of time for socializing after I was settled in.

I ate quickly and began putting things in the cupboards. It was going much faster than I had thought it would. I probably would already have it done,

but I had to open or take tags off everything before I could put it away. I was about half way through when I found an unmarked box. That in itself was

odd, since I had made sure to label al of the boxes, but it also didn’t look like any of the other boxes I had used. Al of the other boxes were either

the original boxes from the store or brown ones from a packing company. This box was al white without anything written on it. It looked familiar but I

couldn’t place it. Mom must have slipped in something extra. She probably cal ed to see if I had opened it yet. I’d have to cal and thank her after I

opened it so she didn’t feel bad.

I ripped the packing tape off wondering what she would have gotten me that we didn’t think to buy when we were out shopping. I pul ed back the

sides and looked in. Smiling happily up at me was Sylvia. My smile faltered and my heart stopped. Fuck! This box wasn’t from mom. It was my

Sylvia box. Four summers ago I fil ed this box, taped it shut, and put it in my closet never to look at again. How the hel did this get mixed in with al

my other boxes?

Some strange compulsion had me emptying the box. It had been years since I had seen this stuff. I thought of Sylvia often, but always tried putting

her out of my mind as quickly as I could before the pain could set in. Seeing al this stuff brought it al back. Yet at the same time it also gave me a

perplexing sense of comfort. I spread the pile of miscel aneous treasures out, picking up one of the CDs she had made for me. I looked at the

cover. She had worked hard Photo-shopping a col age of photos of the two of us together. I looked through the song list. Suddenly needing to hear

them, I shut off my iPod and opened my laptop to play it. The first song was “our song.” I closed my eyes and let the sweet sounds wash over me. I

went back to the col ection and the memories.

I pul ed out an old biology paper first. This was where it had al started.

It was second semester of my freshman year of high school. Being ahead of rest of my class academically, I was used to working on my own