Three

Nina almost left me behind.

"Seven my ass," I grumbled to myself, stumbling out into the morning at a quarter to. There was a fine layer of snow coating the driveway, making the slight incline treacherous. Nina was standing beside her car, carefully removing the snow from her windshield. This action alone was what allowed me the time to spring through the rest of my morning routine. I was still shoving my arms through my grey overcoat when I arrived on the passenger side door.

"I can't believe you're wearing a skirt in this weather," Nina commented. She glared at my boots and I quickly shook the snow off the bottom before I slipped into the car.

"They're shorts," I responded. Despite her comment, and the snow, the weather was warm. By midday, it would be slush on the pavement. Even so, I wore thick stockings underneath and fleece-lined boots up to my thighs. My yellow ochre turtleneck covered every other wound I had sustained from the crash except for tidy stitches that stretched horizontally above my right eyebrow. I had covered up the bruising around it with layers of foundation and concealer. Hopefully, the scar would not be too noticeable when it healed.

"Can we grab breakfast on the way?" I asked. I had not eaten since lunch the day of the crash and my stomach protested its lack of sustenance.

"You could have eaten something if you spent less time on your face," Nina responded but agreed to stop by a café on the way. Though she had the money for it from her tutoring, I paid for our coffees and my breakfast bagel.

Nina sipped her coffee and did not speak until we arrived in the school's parking lot. "I have another tutoring session this afternoon so, if you want a ride home, I'll be in the library."

"I have practice after my classes," I responded, thumbing the strap of my bag as I looked up towards the solemn face of the school. Hollow eyes stared back, reflecting the dim morning light in their glassy panes. "I'll be finished around five."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Nina announced as she exited the car. I followed her, keeping up with her brisk pace across the lot. "Let me know if you're going to be late."

"Sure," I answered dejectedly. I followed Nina into the library and continued up to the second floor. At this time of the morning, very few people were here. I slumped in a seat that overlooked the parking lot and began to devour my bagel. It was divine and filled my empty stomach.

As I began to work through my coffee, I noticed a trio of students gathered in the parking lot. It was not an unordinary sight if not for the time of morning and that one was passing a package to the student standing across from him.

I frowned, squinting my eyes as if it would provide me a better view of what they were trading. Their faces were nothing but a blur to me from this distance. However, when I saw the cash pass between their hands, I stood up to leave – grabbing my half empty coffee and paper bag. Glancing once more across the field, to the deal taking place, I found that the dealer was looking directly up at me.

With an unnerving feeling settling on my shoulders, I turned away and stalked towards the back of the library, away from the windows. Nina was sitting at the table closest to the stairs with a student I recognized belonged in the year below us. They paid me no mind as I walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, tucking myself into a soft chair in the rotunda. Two other students were there already, flipping through textbooks.

I tucked myself into a cushioned chair nearest to the heater. Folding my overcoat, I used it as a pillow and curled up, falling asleep within moments.

When someone gently touched my shoulder, an indeterminable amount of time later, I jumped, startled, and raised my eyes to Antonio. He hovered over me, the straight black locks of hair falling in his face. His eyes, of which were a muddy green color, reminded me of the transition between winter and spring.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he greeted in a whisper appropriate for a library. "I thought you should know that it is time for class."

I removed my phone from my bag and checked the time. It was two minutes until nine. I allowed myself an extra moment to adjust my hair, indeed mussed from my nap, and reapply my lip balm. Antonio pulled me to my feet when I was ready and tucked me protectively beneath his arm.

"Are you ready?" he asked, kissing the top of my head.

I nodded and followed him out of the library, throwing my trash in the bin on the way. We worked our way through the maze of buildings to the humanities hall.

"What the Hell happened to your face, Audrey?" Catherine Knox exclaimed. She was standing outside the door, her mouth agape. Some other students looked up to see the cause of her exclamation but removed their attention when I narrowed my eyes back at them.

Catherine peeled herself away from her project group and crossed the distance to assess me closer, her lips tugging downward.

"Crashed," I responded honestly but feigned nonchalance by shrugging it off with a half-smile. "I suppose it was about time to get rid of that old bike."

"Are you going to buy yourself an actual car now?" she asked, lifting my chin to get a better look at the stitches in the light. She sucked on her teeth.

Antonio scoffed. "I don't even think Audrey can drive an actual car."

I nudged him with my shoulder and sneered playfully. "At least I passed the test the first time."

He smiled bashfully but did not reply, instead shifting his eyes to Catherine. "So, anything good on this weekend?"

Catherine grinned and tapped her chin dramatically. "Hmm, I suppose there is one thing happening this weekend that might interest us."

"Oh?" I inquired, intrigued.

Her voice dipped low. "There is a nightclub that my boyfriend works at downtown. They have great music and it's happy hour all night, baby."

"Does this invitation extend to us?" I asked with a sly grin.

"Of course," Catherine said, her eyes bright. "Connor is ditching me anyway. It is about time we went out together again."

"It's been too long," I agreed.

When she started dating Connor Lloyd we drifted apart. Though I did not mind him, Antonio disliked being in the same vicinity as him. If Connor showed up, Antonio would make an excuse to leave. Catherine and I took the hint so, to avoid unnecessary discomfort, we chose to spend our free time away from each other.

Catherine opened her mouth to speak but the arrival of our professor interrupted her. He greeted the class with a sharp incline of his head and unlocked the door. Catherine re-joined her project group while Antonio and I separated into ours.

It was not until we took our seats that Antonio asked, "Aren't you grounded?"

I tilted my head towards him, a mischievous grin passing over my face. "Yes, very. Want to help me sneak out?"

He sighed and pecked me gently on the corner of my lips. With his lips brushing against my skin, he whispered, "Anything for you, Audrey."