The Defender (The Carrier Series Book 2) (4 page)

“Well, Miss Gardner.” My academic advisor, Mr. Weigel, tapped a
pen on his desk calendar as he read his computer screen. “Last semester was,
shall we say, less than stellar?”

My grades? What were they?

“Oh really?” I replied. I tried to remember how last semester
checked out, but my mind was blank.

Mr. Weigel removed his reading glasses from his nose and pointed
them in the air at me. “If you’re serious about entering the teaching
profession, young lady, you’ll have to change your priorities, your study
habits, your efforts, and mostly your attitude.”

Oops. I came off as sassy when in reality I just couldn’t
remember.

“I understand, sir. I’ll change.”

Bad grades? How could I have...but my mind shifted gears as I
began to recall my crappy freshman year.

“You’d better change,” Mr. Weigel said. “It’ll be almost
impossible to apply to the School of Education at the end of this year if you
don’t turn things around here.”

My advisor’s tone threatened tears deep behind my eyes, but I took
a deep breath and pushed away the feeling. No school of Ed? This was all
Aaron’s fault. No, I allowed him to distract me. I made this happen; I had to
get myself out of this mess.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Mr. Weigel put his glasses back on and glanced at the computer
screen. “You’re in luck. Thursday is the deadline to add courses for the
semester. If you’re really serious about your education, I would retake the
history course you failed last spring, and I might even take the psych class
over as well. There are a few seats open in the online version of the course.”

I exhaled loudly. Adding more credits to my already tough semester
seemed impossible. The tears threatened an appearance again.

Mr. Weigel sensed my uneasiness and his voice softened. “It won’t
be easy, but I’ll tell you this—if you work hard and get acceptable grades this
semester, the School of Education Committee will be impressed with your
improvements. This could really help you.”

I nodded, visualizing how any second of spare time I had this
semester would be spent reading, writing papers, and studying.

“Thank you, sir,” I said politely.

He handed me the paperwork I’d need to sign up for the extra
credits. I grabbed my backpack and left his office, wondering what my grades
were last semester. No matter, I was determined to dedicate myself to my
studies this semester. There was no way I was accepting defeat.

I signed up for both of the courses and for the rest of the week,
I continued my daily routine of attending classes, completing homework, and
studying, but something inside me felt very off and I had an unexplainable and
very overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

Memories started to slowly creep back to me in quick flashes
throughout the week, but each time I saw a new memory in front of my eyes I
experienced a strange and very intense pain in my head. It usually would go as
quickly as it came, but unsettling just the same.

I went through my schedule as best I could, focusing on studying,
but it still bothered me that my memory seemed to dart in and out. I was
beginning to wonder if I should alert my parents, or see a doctor, but I didn’t
want to worry my mom and it wasn’t like I couldn’t get through the day
normally. So I decided to ride it out. If memories were coming back to me every
day, then perhaps they’d continue to do just that as time went on.

On Friday, I decided to head over to the library after my Intro to
Algebra class. The university library was a rather large and sterile feeling
concrete building. At six floors tall, it overlooked all of campus. I was proud
to admit that I had actually visited all six floors, and was most impressed
with the movable stacks on the third through fifth floors. The long bookshelves
were attached to a track on the ceiling and hung off the floor. They all stood
together until a push of a button on the wall separated as many shelves as you
needed until the book you wanted was exposed. Although I thought whoever
engineered that system was a genius, I was always apprehensive to use the
moving shelves because I was afraid someone might push the button while I was
browsing and squish me flat as a pancake between the shelves. Death by books was
not how I wanted to leave this world.

The first floor hosted a small natural science museum, the
circulation desk, a large computer lab, and study lounge. Although the library
was very populated this morning, it was also expectantly very quiet. I took out
my math methods textbook and set my open notebook right next to it. I wanted to
get my homework done before I headed home. It was Clara’s birthday and I knew
there wouldn’t be an ounce of quiet all evening.

Just as I settled into the second paragraph on the math textbook
page, my phone loudly announced someone was calling. All eyes in the room were
quickly turning toward me.

Hurry! Turn it off!

But as I bent down to retrieve the darn thing from my backpack, my
elbow slammed into the edge of the textbook, flipping it to the floor and
sending my graphing calculator and pen flying through the air.

I winced when I heard the smack and felt the eyes of the entire
room on me.

“Ow! What in the—?”

“Oh no,” I said under my breath. I thought about bolting out of
there, but I heard my name.

A tall blond guy got up from his chair and approached me. I let
out a groan when my eyes confirmed what my ears had recognized.

“Well, now we’re even!” he said.

Adam. What were the odds?

He continued, putting his hand to his chest. “Adam. Remember? I
clobbered you in the student center lounge last week?”

“Yes…right, I remember.” The big purple blob with the British
accent. There was no forgetting that. “Right, Adam. Now my calculator clobbered
you. I guess we are even.”

“Exactly,” he said, smiling.

“I’m sorry, Adam. I’m a bona fide klutz.” It was true. There
wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t accidentally knock over something or
trip and fall. I suddenly had a memory flash of brochures flying through the
air. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the vision left as quickly as it came
on.

“We’ve got to stop meeting this way. Soon enough one of us will
end up in the hospital!” Adam pulled the chair out from the table and sat down.

Today his accent didn’t seem quite as annoying. Something was
different about his appearance, too. I scanned his face and noticed his hideous
haircut had changed. It was much shorter now and the large wave in the middle
was gone. He looked much younger. It was quite an improvement from the other day.

Although my first impression of the guy wasn’t that great, he
seemed a little more tolerable today.

I was not sure what possessed me, but I said, “My friends and I
are going to the Homecoming game tomorrow. Would you like to join us?”

“Thanks for the invitation, but actually I’ll be there already.
The Theta Sigs are hosting a fifty-fifty raffle. You should stop by the booth.”

Theta Sigs? Oh no, I usually tried to steer clear of those
fraternity types.

“Oh. A frat boy. I thought you guys only fraternized with girls
bearing big boobs and curly blond hair.”

He smiled as if he’d heard that one a thousand times before. “We
all make exceptions for truly beautiful women.” I gave him a snarky smile
before I realized it was a compliment. Then he leaned over and whispered, “It’s
in our secret brotherly code.” He smiled as he watched it all sink into my
face.

He was hitting on me.

I blushed a little bit and looked down at the table. I needed to
change the subject off of me and back onto him. “So, Adam, when did you join
the fraternity?”

“Believe it or not, I’m not from around here.” He paused to see my
smile. “I arrived at the beginning of summer, and will just be here for the
term. I’ve come from the University of Greenwich in London. I always thought I
should get the real American college experience, so I joined a fraternity. We
don’t have those in the UK, you know.”

“Really? I had no idea.” I awkwardly pushed a pen around the
table. “What are you studying while you are here?”

“Communications. Someday I aim to anchor the London evening news!
Do you think I have the voice for it?” He cleared his throat before I could
answer. His voice dropped an octave and he had a very cheesy smile on his face.
“And tonight on the BBC evening news…”

“Very good,” I admitted. “Actually, I have a lot of experience in
public speaking. I could give you some pointers if you wanted.”

“Really?” He laughed. “Wait, you aren’t a radio personality or
anything, right?”

I snickered. “No, no. I’m from a tourist trap in the middle of the
state called Wisconsin Dells. I’ve been working as a tour boat guide for the
last four summers.”

“A tour guide? I would have never guessed! That’s brilliant!”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty great job. Last summer was…” I was drawing a
blank. “Last summer was…” I could not picture a moment of last summer. A small
irritating pain began to form behind my right eye. I rubbed my eyes
instinctively and scrunched up my eyebrows and forehead.

“Are you okay, Ava?” I felt Adam’s fingers on top of my left hand,
which was resting on the table top.

“Yeah, sorry. Sometimes I get these weird headaches. They come on
out of nowhere.” It was a complete lie, but I didn’t have a plausible way to
explain what I was going through. I stared at Adam’s hand, which was still
lying on top of mine. He followed my stare and moved it quickly.

“I think I better head home and lay down for awhile.”

What was happening to me?

“Right, right. I hope you feel better soon. Oh, and don’t forget
to stop by the booth tomorrow at the football game if you’re feeling better.
I’ll be looking for you.”

His smile was warm and friendly. Maybe he was a rare breed of
frat.

Then again, perhaps he just wanted to try to sleep with me.

“Okay. Bye, Adam.” I started to pack up my textbook and things,
wondering what to think.

“Cheerio, Ava.” He grabbed his books off the table nearby and
headed out the side door.

Clearly he had interest in me, but a frat boy? I didn’t think I
wanted to go there. The partying, drinking, and promiscuous sex was seriously
not for me. And he was an exchange student! I thought I would find the man I
was going to marry in college, and I had no plans to move across the pond for
the rest of my life. He did seem like someone fun to hang out with, though.
Perhaps I’d find a permanent spot for him over on my friend list.

I got up extra early Saturday morning and spent three hours
working on schoolwork. I had to stay on top of my assignments knowing that I
wanted to go to the football game later.

“You ready, Ava?” Kasie asked as she knocked on my partially
opened door.

I closed my history book and happily set my pen down. “Yeah. I
need a break.”

Kasie entered my room holding a homemade purple scrunchie.

“What is that?” I asked.

“It’s for your hair, silly! Come on, we’re all getting ready in
the living room.” I followed Kasie out of my room and found my friends all
decked out in Pointer purple, doing each other’s hair and makeup.

Kasie, with sorority spirit running through her blood, made us all
wear face paint and added the homemade purple scrunchies to our hair. We looked
seriously ridiculous, but Kasie assured us we would fit right in when we got to
the game.

We walked the short few blocks over to Gerke Field and waited in
line to show our student IDs. Before we even got through to the field, I
spotted Adam. He was standing at the Theta Sig fifty-fifty raffle booth, as
promised, right near the front gate. I couldn’t even get through before he left
the booth and over enthusiastically ran to me.

“Hey Ava!” he yelled, and then stopped suddenly, dropping his
voice a little. “Wow. You are…drenched in school spirit.”

Great. We did look ridiculous. My cheeks turned pink with
embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s all Kasie’s fault.” I turned to Kasie and she stuck
out her hand to shake Adam’s.

“Adam, right? I saw you were recently added to the Theta Sig
roster. I’m a Delta Nu.”

“My pleasure, Kasie.”

“And these are my other roommates, Elaina and Sharon.”

“Hello ladies! Anyone up for a raffle ticket?”

Kasie said she’d buy a few, so we all walked over to the booth.
When we got there Adam introduced me to his friends as the girl who smacked him
in the face with a calculator.

“Nice one, Ava! Someone had to put our little Brit in his place!”
One of the hot frat boys pinched Adam’s cheeks as he spoke the way a grandma
might do to a little child. Adam quickly swatted the guy’s hands away as a tiny
bit of pink showed up on his face. It was kind of cute.

Soon the band blasted our school song as the football players ran
onto the field. Cheerleaders jumped and yelled, waving their pompoms on the track
outlining the grassy field. The bleachers were filled with students soaked in
Pointer pride and the air was electric with school spirit. I suddenly didn’t
feel so ridiculous in my getup.

“See ladies? I told you we look awesome!” Kasie led us up the broad
metal stairs to some bleacher seats in the middle of the stands, then turned
and screamed obnoxiously over our heads, “Go Pointers!”

“I love Adam’s accent, and he’s pretty cute,” Elaina said, hinting
at the obvious. “Don’t you think so, Ava?”

I shrugged my shoulders. The truth was I didn’t know how I really
felt about Adam. I had just met him. Plus I just didn’t feel like a
relationship was that high on my priority list right now. And there was some
strange force in my brain telling me that I had to focus on my grades. Was it
this year that I could get into the School of Education?

Sharon jumped in when I didn’t take the gossip bait. “So are you
going to date him?”

“I don’t think so.” They stared at me in disbelief. “I don’t like
him that way.” No one said anything for half a minute. “What?” I asked, as
their silence burned my ears.

“Fine, I’ll say it,” Kasie said. “Ava, you’re crazy. That man is
adorable!”

Unexpectedly, the announcer came over the loudspeaker to declare
the start of the game and introduce the players, saving me from dodging any
more questions.

Why did my friends want me to date Adam so badly?

It was an exciting football game, but as much as I tried not to, I
found myself thinking about Adam most of the time. Were my friends seeing something
I wasn’t? I involuntarily glanced back at the booth several times to see what
he was doing, but each time I made sure to turn back around quickly. I didn’t
want to get caught by my friends—they’d heckle me for sure.

Before the game ended Adam found me up in the stands and sat down
to chat for a few minutes. My roommates thought his accent was completely
charming and spent most of the time asking him to say certain words so they
could hear them with his accent and laugh. Adam was a great sport about it all.

“Well, I should get back to the booth before the game ends. We’ll
have to tidy up.” Adam stood.

“Wait, I’ll walk with you. I have to use the bathroom anyway.” I
followed Adam down the stairs and across the bleachers. He stopped at the
bottom so we could walk together.

“Did you know I played football at University in Greenwich?” He
kicked a rock with his left foot.

“You did?” We walked along the chain link fence separating the
field from the bleacher area.

“I did. But football is played a lot differently in Europe.”

“What you call football is what we call soccer, right?”

“Exactly.” We were almost to the bathrooms. “You are one smart
cookie, Ava.”

“Thanks, but I don’t always feel like it. I have a crazy Bio exam
on Monday and I’m doomed to epically fail.”

“Biology? I’m a pro. Can I help you study?”

“Actually, that sounds nice. Are you doing anything later today?
We could meet at the library.”

“Yeah, let’s give it a go.” I detected a hint of excitement behind
his eyes. “I’ll see you in the lobby around four?”

“Thanks so much, Adam. You’re awesome!”

Adam laughed.

“What?”

“That is the most ridiculous and overused American word.” I smiled
at him, waved good-bye, and then turned into the ladies’ room.

*     *
    *     *

On the walk home my roommates and I ran into a friend that used to
live across the hall from us in the dorms. She was holding hands and making
googly eyes at some guy walking with her. I could almost see little pink hearts
floating up from their heads.

“Hey, Molly!” Kasie yelled.

The brown-haired beauty turned toward the sound. “Hey, ladies!
How’s it going? Oh, I should introduce you to my boyfriend. This is Nolan
Williams.”

Nolan? Nolan…where have I heard that name before?

My brain suddenly flashed an image of a very handsome dark haired
man with the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. Then he was gone as
quickly as he was there.

No! Come back! Who is that?

My heart felt like it stopped beating. I put my hand on my chest
and my breathing sped up. I thought I might collapse, so I bent over and put my
hands on my knees, waiting for my lunch to make a second appearance right there
on the sidewalk.

My head throbbed like someone had whacked my skull with a baseball
bat. “Ow! My head!”

All at once everyone was all around me and I was lowered to the ground,
Elaina letting my head lay in her lap.

“Ava! What’s wrong? Is it a headache?”

“Do you know who we are?”

“What is today’s date?”

The whole group bombarded me with questions as if I had gotten
tackled by a linebacker.

“Wait! Wait! Stop freaking out! I’m fine!” I sat up slowly and
faced a crowd of concerned eyes, my headache subsiding a little.

Out of nowhere, Adam pushed his way through the crowd and was
somehow there next to me on the sidewalk. “Ava, tell me exactly what happened,”
he said calmly, grabbing my hand. “Are you alright?”

“Adam?” I said, my cheeks flushed. “Where did you come from?”

“I saw you go down.” He looked deep into my eyes, concerned. “How
do you feel?”

“Completely embarrassed,” I said quietly.

Adam put two fingers on my wrist and looked at his watch.

“What are you doing?” Elaina asked. “Are you a Med student or
something?”

Adam dropped my hand instantly. “Oh, I don’t know. They always do
that on TV. I just…nevermind.”

“Sorry, everyone. I’m fine,” I sat up slowly. “I just had a quick
moment of nausea. I just need to sip some water and lay down at home.”

Adam hooked his arm under mine and helped me up. I really did feel
better, except for the fact that I craved the beautiful face from my vision to
fill my mind again.

“If your head continues to hurt, make sure to take something for
it.” Adam administered some fatherly advice. “Stay hydrated this afternoon.
It’ll, um, help your headache. I’ll see you later at the library, if you’re up
to it.”

“Thanks, Adam.”

“Here,” he put his hand out, palm up, “let me punch in my number
in case you need to cancel.”

I handed my phone to Adam.

“I hope you’re feeling better so we can get together later,” he
said, while typing on my phone. “But if not, no worries. You might need your
rest. See ya, Ava.”

My friends were incredibly silent on the rest of the walk home. I
knew they were all worried about me, and to be honest I was starting to get
worried, too. What was going on with my head?

When we got home I was feeling much better, but decided to lie
down for a while anyway before I had to meet Adam at the library. A short nap
would make me feel brand new, I was hoping. I got myself a glass of water and
then set the alarm on my phone just in case I did fall asleep.

A few deep, cleansing breaths and the dark room helped to relax
me. In the silence, I tried so hard to pull that beautiful man’s face back to
the front of my mind, but I just couldn’t get it. I felt it stuck stubbornly
far back in my brain, not wanting to move to the front of the filing cabinet. I
tried hard to focus on any part of his face, his hair, his neck…but it seemed
like right when I focused in on a detail, it faded quickly away.  

For many minutes I tried to retrieve any visions I could, but only
frustrated myself in the end. Soon my alarm blared, reminding me it was time to
head over to the library and start studying for my test.

Adam was already there sitting in the lobby lounge waiting. He
reading some type of textbook, but looked up and smiled when he saw me.

“Feeling better? I’ve been worried about you.”

He’s been thinking about me all afternoon?

“I’m feeling much better, thanks.”

Adam and I found a private study room upstairs. Adam was very
patient, quizzing me for over two hours on the flashcards I had made. I needed
to memorize fifty different scientific names of plants and animals, and
memorizing was not my strong suit. Even so, he was encouraging, he was helpful,
and when I felt like quitting he would take a break with me, telling me jokes
or sharing stories from home.  

We went over and over those notecards until Adam felt confident
I’d do great on the test. I couldn’t believe someone I had just met would be
willing to spend an afternoon helping me out. Although I appreciated his
friendship, I couldn’t help but be on my guard. What were his intentions true
intentions?

I never felt that Adam was anything but authentically friendly.
Studying with him made it seem like not such a horrible task and by the end of
the two hours, I did feel more prepared than I ever would have felt studying on
my own.

Adam and I split ways outside the front door. “Thanks again, Adam.
I think I’ll be ready now for that test.”

“Not a problem. I enjoyed studying with you.” His smile was sweet.

“I owe you one.”

“I won’t forget.” We stood there smiling at each other for a few
seconds before he said, “Later, Ava,” and turned to walk down the sidewalk
toward his house. Perhaps this guy was just looking for a friend.

The walk home was refreshing. I had a happy feeling in my heart,
and a simple smile on my face.

Later that night I was in my room studying when my cell phone
rang—
mom and dad
.

“Hi!”

“Hi hon!”

“What are you up to?”

“Oh, your dad and I are just finishing packing for our trip. Remember
we might not be able to call you while we’re abroad, but you can always email.
Anyway, how are you doing?”

Mom didn’t necessarily sound concerned, but I wondered if she
could somehow know about my recent episodes. “Oh, I’m doing alright, Mom. Staying
really busy.”

“Great. How’s school?”

“Exhausting. All I do is eat, sleep, and work on homework. I met
with my advisor last week. He said I could probably apply to the School of
Education next semester.” I wasn’t sure if my parents knew the academic trouble
I was in. If my mother was aware, she wasn’t leading on. “If I don’t get in,
I’ll only have one more chance, and then I have to change my major, or
transfer.”