other jobs doesn’t exactly make finding a man easy. I don’t even know if I’ll be here next year, let alone five years from now. It’s a two-year contract.”
A smile creeps over my face. “What about Professor Z? He was pretty damn cute.”
“Ah, Professor Z,” she smiles whimsically. “We flirted but nothing…wait, why are we talking about this? Maya, you’ve sidetracked me again! Are you in or out for your new major?”
I nod slowly. “Click the button, Professor Flores. I’m in.”
I head outside and I see Jude in the office chatting with a redheaded student. Is she a freshman? I haven’t seen her around yet. I have to tap him on the shoulder to get him to turn around.
“Hi, Jude.”
He spins around. “Oh, hey. Everything good?”
“Yes! I’m officially an Art History major,” I respond.
“That’s great.”
There’s an awkward pause before I finally say, “So…I guess I’m going to get to class.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” he says. “I’ve got to stick around the Lit office and take care of some things.”
“Oh? Are you majoring in Lit now?” I ask.
The girl looks at her nails, standing a little awkwardly.
Jude shrugs. “I might take a class, who knows?”
“Okay! Sounds great,” I reply. “I’ll catch you later.”
As I’m heading down the stairs, I see a text from my dad, so I decide to just call him.
He picks up after one ring.
“Well, hello, Pumpkin!”
“Good morning, Dad! I just declared my Art History major with a Business minor. It’s official!”
“I’m so proud of you.” I can hear clapping in the background. “That Business minor is really going to seal the deal for you. Who knows, you could even get a job at my company?”
“Uh…yeah. I’m not going into some stuffy office job, Dad. Plus, really? I’d work in sales with an Art History degree?”
“You say that now, but it’s important to have foresight, too. With that Business minor you can do anything. I’m proud of you. I gotta run to a meeting but talk soon. Have a great first day back. Love you.”
I hang up and head into my first class, Twentieth Century American Art and Architecture. I take a seat before my phone vibrates with a text from Alex.
Alex: Spin the bottle Friday. Put it on your calendar.
Maya: This Friday?
Alex: Yes. This is your welcoming party. Welcome back from Italy, biotch.
As my professor passes out the syllabus and introduces the topic, my mind floats back to Italy, and not the history, but the actual art I created there.
Ten minutes into class, my mind is drifting off. Try as I might to focus on the professor, all I want to do is go back and finish the conversation I was having with Grant.
I could talk to him for hours on end. I feel like we have so much left to say, and I don’t want to stop talking until we’ve said it all.
I thought that seven months away from him would stop me from dreaming the silly, school-girl fantasy that he might want to be with me. Might want to try that kiss one more time. Just to make sure…
I tap my cheek a few times lightly.
Maya! Stop it! You have a boyfriend now.
Jude’s a good guy, and we both agreed to “keep what we have going” now that we’re back at college. We had a talk about it, after all.
But when I look down at my notebook, I can feel pressure in my chest.
I’m doodling Grant’s name in cursive.
9
Grant
I freaking love Fridays.
But you know what’s better than a regular Friday?
A Friday where your mom and dad gifted you some delicious micro-brew craft beer.
“Yes, Mom. I’m going to share the six-packs of North Lakes brewing beer you got for me,” I say as I head up the stairs of my suite. “I promise.”
“Okay, Granty. Good. Have a good term and I’m sending you good energy so you get the starting spot on the team.”
I head into the suite, and wave quickly at everyone who is sitting in the lounge you have to go through to get to the rooms. We’ve got a great, homey set-up in our suite. Two couches, a flat-screen TV with video games hooked up, a coffee table, and a study table to the side.
“Oh, and Mom, one more thing. I almost forgot. By chance, would you have any spare art supplies around the classroom that you could send me?”
“Actually, I was teaching an after-school class that just ended, and I have tons of left-over supplies from that class.”
I hover outside my room. My roommate