“If the variance of a distribution is nine, the standard deviation is…” Stella asks, sitting cross-legged with her back up against my couch.
“Three,” I answer.
“Yep.” She tucks a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear. “Increasing the frequencies in the tails of a distribution will do what?”
“Increase the standard deviation.”
She nods. “Right.” She places the notecard in the back of the pile in her other hand. “We’re back to the first question. I think you got this.” She smiles warmly, her hazel eyes appearing brown in the dim light of my apartment.
“Sweet. Do you want me to quiz you again?”
“No, I’m good. So, what are your plans after class tomorrow?” Her voice is cheerful, her tone airy. It always is.
“Same ole crap—homework and studying.”
“Do you want to grab some lunch and then go to the library?” she asks, standing and stretching her arms above her head.
Her tight T-shirt rides up to show her flat stomach, and I look away, standing from the chair I was sitting in.
“Sure. Yeah, that sounds good.”
I met Stella my freshman year of college, but she has recently become a good friend. With both of us going for our degree in business administration, we’ve shared many classes and random study groups for the past two years. A few weeks ago, I ran into her at the library, and we started discussing our classes and then ended up studying together. Our learning styles meshed so well that we’ve been studying together ever since.
My apartment door swings open, and Stella and I turn as Josh walks in with a huge smile spread across his face.
He sees us and shouts, “Thursday night, baby!” His enthusiasm is infectious. “We’re going out!”
“Sorry, man. I’ll take a rain check. I still have one more class tomorrow.”
“Which one?” he asks.
“Stats.”
“Fuck stats. You’ll make stats your bitch.” As he walks toward us, his blond curls bounce, his hair just long enough to tuck behind his ears. His six-foot-three frame towers over Stella as he pulls her into a hug, lifting her off her feet. “Stella, baby!” he yells.
She giggles.
“I intend to.” I chuckle. “Hence, the rain check.”
He puts Stella down. “It won’t matter if you get plastered tonight or not. You’ll be fine. Come on,” he pleads.
“Nope. Sorry, man.”
“Stella?” His gaze swings down in her direction. He sports a pathetic expression. “You coming out with us?”
She grins wide. “I’m going to pass tonight, too. Another time though. I promise.”
“Lame.” He sighs and walks to the kitchen. “Stay for a beer?” he calls over his shoulder.
“Okay, but just one,” she calls back.
The three of us sit in the living room, each of us holding a bottle of beer. Jerome and Ben return to the apartment and join us.
I’ve lived with these three guys since freshman year. Ben and I grew up together, coming from the same town. I’ve known Jerome and Josh for two years now, but it seems like a lot longer. All four of us play football for the University of Michigan, so we’re together a lot.
“Ben, tell me about your date with Dawn last weekend,” Stella says eagerly.
Just in the last couple of weeks, she has become the fifth person in our group. She has been over here to study a lot lately, and she always seems to hang out, even after we are done with our schoolwork. I don’t mind. She is one of those people who can get along with anyone. She’s just cool. The guys all love her and have taken her under their wings. It’s almost like she is our little sister. I’m actually surprised that none of them have tried to hook up with her yet. She is stunningly beautiful. So, her looks paired with her sweet personality make her a perfect catch.
Even in the short time since she’s become part of our group, one thing we’ve all learned about her is that she is a hopeless romantic. She loves to set the guys up on dates and hear all about it. I’m not sure why she’s bothering with a business degree when she’s clearly destined to be a wedding planner.
“Well,” Ben responds, a guilty expression plastered on his face, “I ended up canceling.”
“What?” Stella asks, her voice rising an octave.
“I’m sorry, Stell. I talked to her on the phone beforehand and just wasn’t feeling it.”
She looks disappointed. “Oh, Ben, she’s so nice though. You would like her. She’s really pretty, too.”