Forever Altered (4 page)

“Let
me know if you need any help in Accounting.  I’m available.”  Shane
is doing it to get a reaction out of me.  I’m close to strangling the son
of a bitch and he knows it.  He’s chuckling.  Troy gets up and the
three of us follow him.  He knows what Shane is doing, too.

           
“Enjoy your lunch, ladies,” Troy says.  The girls say a general good
bye. 

I
look over at Alyssa.  “See you tomorrow,” I say. 

She
smiles up at me and says, “See
ya
.”  I can’t
help myself, so I wink at her and she smiles a little more.  Why does
seeing her smile make me feel so happy?     
   

Rocco

Can
this day go by any slower?  I’ve been pacing in my room since finishing my
classes about an hour and a half ago.  There’s still an hour left until
I’m supposed to meet Alyssa in her apartment.  Watching TV was no
help.  Writing my paper for History class that’s due next week was
impossible.  I took a shower and even straightened up my room.  My
mom would be proud if she walked in here right now.  I still don’t get why
this girl makes me so nervous and why I feel this need to get to know
her.  I know I should stay away from her.  The possibility of Alyssa
being someone who just may be able to creep her way into my heart scares me
because it can never happen.  I cannot take the chance of something
happening to her.  I shake my head and try to get rid of that
thought.  It’s not necessary to go there right now.  We are only
getting together to write up an assignment for a class.  This isn’t a
date.  I don’t date.

Logan
and Shane come home, so I go out to the living room. 

“We’re
going to play some Call of Duty.  You playing?” Logan asks as he pulls
some beers out of the refrigerator.

“Nah,
not now.  I’m not going to be here much longer,” I tell him taking the
bottle he’s handing me.  I just put it on the table without opening it.

“Oh right. 
You have a date.”  Shane and I had a talk last night, but apparently he’s
not getting the message.  He ignores the look I’m shooting him and
continues his shit.  “You realize you can date, right?  You cannot
let that wench dictate what you do.  You guys are done and have been for a
while.  She’s ancient history.” 

“It’s
not a date. It’s just homework,” is all I say.

“Whatever,”
he says.

I
watch them play for about forty-five minutes when I cannot take it
anymore.  Alyssa never told me what apartment she lived in.  I pull
out my phone to text her, but instead I see she already texted me about ten
minutes ago.  Shit!  How could I have forgotten to turn the ringer
back on?

Got
out of class early.  I’m back, so whenever you’re ready I’m here. 
Apt 234.

I
text her back jumping off the chair and head to grab my backpack that’s
waiting
for me. 

OMW

“Good
luck, Rocco.”  I ignore Shane. 

“Let
me know if you’re going out with us later,” Logan calls from behind me.

I
round the corner looking at the room numbers on the doors.  Her apartment
is literally the last one on the floor tucked in the corner.  I have to
take a deep breath before knocking.  When she opens the door, she is on
the phone.  She waves me in holding up a finger to say she’ll be just a
minute.  As soon as I walk in through the kitchen, I cannot help but
notice how girly the apartment is.  There is one of those slip cover
things on the couch with a bunch of pillows.  Their small circle kitchen
table has a cover on it with a vase of fresh flowers in the middle.  They
have a curtain hanging in the window behind the couch, a lamp on the
windowsill, and matching floor lamps on either end of the couch.  The
normal posters that college kids tack on their walls are replaced by pictures
hanging in frames.  Some are of the four of them while some are imitations
of actual paintings.  There is an area rug in the middle of the living
room floor.  Then I see how everything matches, from the kitchen to the
living room.  It’s a mixture of blues and purples.  I just stand in
the middle of the two rooms not knowing where to put my bag or if I’d even be
allowed to sit in the home they have made here.

“I
know, Dad.  I’ll try to come home on Saturday.  I’ll see if I can
catch up on my work tomorrow, okay?  I miss you, too.  Yes, I promise
I’m fine.”  She looks at me shaking her head and rolling her eyes, then
points to the couch for me to sit down.  I do, but despite how comfortable
this place looks, I’m afraid of messing something up.  She told her dad
she might go home this weekend and it actually disappoints me.  “Love you,
too.  Be careful driving,” she says as she disconnects the call. 
“Sorry.  My dad was trying to get me to come home tonight.  I haven’t
seen him since, um, school started.”  She looked like she was going to say
something else.

“No
biggie.  Nice place you girls have here,” I tell her.

“Are
you making fun of us?” she asks raising her eye brows.

“No,”
I laugh and stand up walking to meet her in the kitchen.  “It’s actually
nice in here.  Kind of like home.”

“That’s
what we were going for.”  She reaches in the refrigerator and pulls out a
bottle of water.  “Want one?” I shake my head but thank her anyway. 
“I cannot take the credit though.  It was all, Leah.  She’s the
creative one.  She just tells everyone what to do and where to put
stuff.  I told her someday, she’s going to have to decorate my
house.  Anyway, I’m sure you have stuff to do.  Want to get started?”

“I
have nothing to do tonight,” I feel the need to tell her.  “But, sure.”

“My
laptop is set up in my room, do you mind?”  She gestures toward the door
to the left of the living room.

I
shake my head and follow her as we walk in the bedroom.  It’s just as nice
as the living room.  They have matching comforters, still in the blue and
purple theme, and the throw pillows on both beds even match.  These are
probably the only two beds made in the entire building.  Different
pictures hang on their walls, but they used the same black frames they used in
the living room.  Even their dressers are neatly placed together under the
window and decorated as if it were one piece of furniture.

“Wow. 
Good thing I came here.  You might freak out if you saw our messy place.”

She
laughs and says, “No I wouldn’t.  We just wanted a place we could feel
comfortable and love since we have to be here most of the time.  I will
admit that we are a little OCD with keeping stuff neat and clean.  You
should see Julia and Erin’s room.  They keep the door closed because Leah
will go in and clean it if she sees how messy it is.  I haven’t even been
in their bathroom.  I’m afraid something will eat me if I go in
there.  Those two are the biggest slobs ever!”  I really enjoy
listening to the sound of her laugh.  I’m going to have to get her to do
that more often.  “I’m going to grab you a chair from the kitchen.”

“So,
why purple and blue?” I call as she is already returning with the chair. 

“Purple
is Leah’s favorite color and blue is mine.”  She sets the chair down in
front of the wooden desk next to hers.  “Good thing they go together.”
  

“Thanks.”

“No
problem,” she says.  Her cell phone rings from where she put it down in
the living room.  She goes to get it, but declines the call before she
walks back into the room.  She puts her phone face down on the desk and
sits in front of the computer.  “The least I can do is type this up,” she
tells me.  She opens her lab workbook to the page we were on
yesterday.  “You dictate and I shall type.”

“Do
you need to answer that?” I’m curious to know who was calling her.  I’ve
tried to look at the pictures.  There is no sign of a boyfriend.  The
other girls have their boyfriends in a couple of the pictures, but I don’t see
anyone with her.

“No,”
is the only answer I get.  She starts typing on the keyboard.  “Okay,
Mr. Matthews, The purpose of this experiment is to…” 

For
the next half hour, all we talk about is Cell Bio. The smell of her hair is so
amazing, it’s a little distracting.  It’s a mixture of some kind of
shampoo and her.  I’m getting a little nervous we have finally made it to
the conclusion of the write-up.  I don’t want to leave.  I need to
think of a reason to prolong this visit. 

As
she types the last word, I hear the front door open and immediately recognize
Julia’s voice, but I don’t know who the guy is that is with her.  It definitely
is not Tommy.

“Thanks
again for letting me in.” 

Alyssa
immediately tenses up next to me and she whispers “Shit!”  

“No
problem,” Julia says.  “It’s good to see you again, Jeff.  Good
luck.” 

Good
luck with what?  Who is this guy that she let in?  Just as I start to
ask Alyssa who it is, he walks in and is staring at her.  He’s probably
just as tall as me.  Maybe an inch or two shorter.  He’s definitely
thinner than me.  I don’t remember him in any of the pictures that are around,
so he isn’t Leah’s boyfriend.  At least I’m assuming the guy Leah’s with
in the pictures is her boyfriend. 

“Hey.” 
He’s hesitating almost like he feels as nervous as I do talking to her. 
“I’ve been calling you.  Didn’t you get my voicemails?”  He’s
standing in the doorway, looking around then right at Alyssa.  “How come
your stuff isn’t packed?”

“No. 
I haven’t listened to any of the voicemails you’ve left for the last couple of
weeks.  What the hell are you doing here?”  Alyssa didn’t introduce
me to him, so it’s probably not someone she wants me to know.  Since she
turned towards him, I can only see the back of her head.  It would be nice
if I could at least see her face.

“If
you would have listened to your messages, you would have known I was coming to
get you.  Mike is going home for the weekend.  I figured you could
come stay with me for a few days.  We need to get our shit figured out
before we go home next weekend for Lori’s engagement party,” he explains. 

“I’m
not going anywhere.  I’m obviously busy here.”  She holds her hands
out to the laptop in front of her.

“What
are you doing?”  He glances at me briefly, but then looks back at her.

“A
lab.”

“Do
it when you get back.”  

“It’s
due tomorrow.”  She’s lying.  It’s not due until the beginning of the
next lab on Wednesday.  This guy is starting to piss me off.  She
doesn’t want anything to do with him and he isn’t getting the hint.

“I’ll
wait,” he informs her slumping his side against the doorway.

“What
the hell, Jeff?  I’m not going anywhere with you tonight and I’m certainly
not going to your sister’s engagement party.  I think I made it pretty
clear a few weeks ago that we’re done.  Go the hell back to school,” she
shouts.  That’s why I don’t recognize him.  He doesn’t even go
here.  She’s getting even more upset and I want nothing more than to pull
her in my arms and comfort her.  If this guy doesn’t get the hell out of
here, someone might end up calling the cops on me tonight. 

“I
just drove an hour to get you.  Come stay with me and we can talk this
out, privately,” he snaps back.

“It’s
your fault you drove here without hearing back from me.  There is nothing
to talk about.”

“Why
not?  Are you fucking this guy?”  He moves to get in her face and I’m
ready to stand up, but Alyssa beats me to it.  She stands up so fast the
wooden chair flies out from under her, hitting Leah’s desk across the small
room.

“Living
room.  NOW!” she yells pointing in the direction she wants him to
go.  He glares at me once more, but then walks out.  She follows him
without looking back.  She pulls the door closed behind her, but it stays
open a crack.  “How dare you come in here like this?  You have no
right!”

“Tell
me right now.  Are you fucking him?”

“Not
that I ever have to explain anything to you ever again, but no.  I’m not
fucking anyone.  That’s your thing, remember?”  It all makes sense
now.  This stupid asshole had her and cheated on her.  This must be
why she’s been so upset.

 
“God damn it, Alyssa!  I apologized a
hundred times.  If you would have listened to my voicemails or read my
fucking texts you would know.  I was drunk.  She meant absolutely
nothing to me.  I’ve never done anything like that before and I won’t ever
do it again.”

“You
knew I was coming that night.  You knew I was going to be walking into
your room any minute.  You wanted me to see you with her.”  The pain
in her voice breaks my heart and makes me want to punch something.

“Baby,
just let me…”

She
cuts him off before he can finish.  “Don’t you ‘Baby’ me you selfish son
of a bitch!”  I feel terrible that I am in here practically eavesdropping,
but I cannot leave.  If he does anything to hurt her, someone needs to be
here.

“What
the fuck, Jeff?” Julia screams.  “You told me outside you were here to
pick her up.  You told me that you guys were working it out.  You
fucking lied to me to let you in?  Get out of here, right now.  I’m
calling Tommy.  I’ll call Public Safety if I have to.”

“Julia,
I got this,” I hear Alyssa saying.

“
Lyss
, I’m sorry.  I had no idea,” Julia says to her,
but I hear her door slam.

“Just
listen to me for one second, please,” Jeff begs.  “I was in the middle of
telling her how I’m proposing to you at my sister’s engagement party one minute
and the next she was coming on to me.  Damn it.  I was wasted. 
I’m so sorry.  You have to forgive me.”

“Seriously? 
You were planning on proposing to me?”  Please don’t tell me she is
falling for this crap.  “You were planning on proposing to me and you
slept with some tramp?  Get the fuck out of here, right now!  I don’t
ever want to see you again.  Ever.”