Page 6 of Learning to Love

She rolls her eyes and laughs. "But I'll never tell you where I've buried the bodies."

I roll my eyes with a laugh and we head to the dressing room. "You're not going to try on anything?"

"I went shopping before I got here. I have a new wardrobe for the next month or so."

I try on some new high-waisted leggings and a couple of cute tunics to go with them. We both love those, so they go to the yes pile on the right. I try a couple of shorts, and we both hate them. Sasha hands me a pair of blue jean cut-offs and reminds me to keep an open mind. Just because some shorts don't work doesn't mean they all won't.

I gasp when I see how good they look on my wide hips and thick thighs. She's beaming and whistles loudly at me, which makes me laugh. "See! I told you. We need to get a darker color, too. We'll pair them with a few different shirts to give you a variety of looks until we get this wardrobe perfect!"

I put on five short dresses next. All but one, surprisingly, work. I wind up also getting two pairs of jeans, three more tunics, two tanks, and three graphic tees. All six bags total $200. I assure her I have plenty of shoes, and we go to some places that have some jewelry on sale. The store is filled to the brim with customers so I quickly buy two necklaces and some earrings.

We go to Torrid next. I buy a couple of dresses, three pairs of jeans, and a few shirts. Their sale is not as good as the one at Forever 21. For the first time in a long time, I feel perfect about the upcoming school year. We eat at the Food Court, and she gives me a few options on what she thinks I should wear to the party.

We take the bus back to the dorm, and as it passes by one of the football practice fields, we scramble to look out the window. I push my face up against the window, and I see the Sex King in all his glory. He's shirtless, and his shorts sit low on his hips. He extends his long throwing arm, and the ball sails to an awaiting Jaxon. A big guy with long sun kissed hair tries to tackle him, but Jaxon is able to maneuver out of his grasp, running the ball the entire length of the field towards us.

We are still at the stop sign, and my face is plastered up against the window when I see Jaxon smile and wave as he starts pointing over at Jake. I am beyond mortified.

"Girl! Get D-O-W-N!!"

I barely hear her. My ears are ringing, and Jake is smiling over at me. I must look like an idiot. I can't move. Sasha has moved over to my seat and is kneeling on the floor. She quickly jumps up and pushes my head down. I'm so thankful for our newfound friendship. Sasha has proven that I can trust her.

As the bus moves toward our stop, we both start laughing. "I couldn't move. I froze. I was so busted. I mean, there is NO coming back from that!"

She giggles. "You were like a deer caught in the headlights. I’ve never seen any such thing. BUT I think you can come back from it...maybe."

We can't stop laughing. Her robustly, and me more nervously. We get back to the room, and I start putting away my purchases from the mall. My phone pings and Sasha runs into my room. That girl is faster than lightning.

My heart is pounding. I mean, it's probably not him, though. There is no way he will ever text me again. I'll be a social pariah until he graduates. Thankfully, he is a year older than I am. I look down at my phone, and disappointment feels me instantly. "It's only Toby!"

She groans and throws her hands up in the air. I look at the text again. Toby is just sharing a funny TikTok with me. It's kind of our thing.

I go back to arranging my closet. I have a great kickstart to my new summer/fall wardrobe and I feel more confident already. This will be a great semester as long as I can avoid all things football. My face drops as I realize I can't ever eat at my favorite diner again. If I go out to eat, it'll have to be far off-campus, which sucks because I don't have a car. I'll be stuck in this room eating Ramen freaking noodles.

My phone pings again. I smile to myself. Toby must be on a TikTok kick. Sasha runs back in, hoping it's the Sex King. I reach for it on my bed, and I scream bloody murder! I throw my phone back onto the bed. It thumps loudly. I cannot! Something has got to be wrong with him! "I'm not opening that text, Sasha! I'm not!"

She squeals. "You don't have to. I'll do the dirty work!"

She runs and grabs my phone and starts jumping up and down. The anticipation is killing me! Help! Somebody help! Sasha, read the stupid thing already. Her eyes are glistening mischievously. "And I quote..."

I'll pick you up at 8 myself. Be ready. Stay with me?

My eyes are as big as the flying saucers that my aunt Joyce believes are real. I shake my head. Nope! Is he mental? "He must have gotten a concussion at practice. I’m never seeing him again. Not tonight. Not ever. Not even once. Not to mention his level of conceitedness; just because I acted like a groupie does not mean that I am. And better yet, did he not see my face plastered against that bus window? I mean, I looked like a deranged stalker. What's wrong with him?"

Sasha falls on my bed, laughing. "The look on your face was priceless. If this were a soap opera, it would be a Telenovela! Are we still sneaking out early to go to the party by ourselves? We could wait and go with him if you want."

My throat tightens up. "Not only no, but hell no!"

She laughs until her eyes water. "That's what I thought you would say! You sure?"

I flip her off, and she smirks at me. "I'll admit that was pretty arrogant. The Jake Ryan thinks he's got you wrapped, girl!"

"Can you blame him?" I reenact my face being up against the bus window again. After we stop laughing, I continue. "Just because I was basically drooling on that bus window does not mean I'm easy. I would not even know what to say to him."

"From the sound of it, he's not interested in doing much talking!" She starts gyrating her hips.

I blush ten shades of red. "It ain't happening!"

My phone buzzes again.