Chapter Four Broken Engagements

Peyton immerses herself in College life

Chapter Four

           

The College was how Peyton remember it from her visits to visit Erin.  The traditional brick dorm buildings were a flurry of activity as students were scattering in different directions trying to either find their rooms or friends from semesters before.  Peyton opened the door to the room she would be sharing and was pleasantly surprised to see Erin already setting up her desk.  Erin looked up and saw her Peyton in the doorway looking a little absent and ran to give her an enormous welcoming hug.  Peyton returned the hug and felt a sense of relief at seeing her friend.  Security was something she was always in search of and Erin continually knew just what to say to support her and make her feel at ease. 

“Hey Peyton, I’m so happy you are here.” Erin said, “I’ll help you carry your stuff in.” 

“Great thanks Erin, I’m really glad to be here.” Peyton confessed. 

They walked to the parking lot, chatting away and began carrying in all the boxes and suitcases Peyton had brought.  After what seemed an eternity, Peyton headed back out to the car alone for the last load.

Digging through her trunk, she heard a large thud on the other side of her vehicle.  She hurriedly put down her box and ran around to see what the noise was.   She saw one larger male student who had a smaller male pinned up against her car.  He had a fistful of his shirt in one hand and was nose to nose with him.  Immediately, she felt nervous and viewed this as a possible bullying situation. 

Not knowing what to do, she finally yelled at the larger student.

 “Hey, let go of him, or I will call security. “She said nervously.

The larger student took his gaze off the other man’s and looked over at her.  His eyes were startlingly blue and the jolt she felt looking into his eyes as they smoldered with anger, stirred something within her that she could not explain.  He shoved the student away from her car and without so much as an explanation for his abrupt behavior walked away from her.  She watched him walk away and thought “what an a*****e” as she struggled to pick up her last box.  She could feel her body shaking from the stress of this encounter.

Peyton explained what had happened to Erin when she returned to the room, hoping this would help her dislodge the unpleasant memory.  She left out no details, especially how the student creating the situation had looked and how he had made her feel.

 

 

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The first week of school was full of adjustments for Peyton.  Once classes actually started she was glad for the distraction.  She had purposely registered for a challenging and full semester.  She had no interest in the social aspect of college; she just wanted the opportunity to blend in.  Keeping busy was important as she did not want to be reminded of the life she had left behind.  No parties, no dating, she wasn’t interested.  Peyton was happy to just be in her room studying and chatting with Erin.  The boys on campus definitely noticed her, but she gave the vibe that she just wasn’t interested in hopes they would move on to their next conquest. 

As the semester progressed, she really found herself starting to enjoy the challenge of the academic world.  A bonus to having her roommate was that Erin was also very involved in schoolwork and no play!  They were inseparable.

During her Journalism class, the professor divided the class into groups to complete a project.  She recognized one of the student’s that was in her group as the guy whom was being pinned up against her car on move-in day.  He smiled at her as he introduced himself.  He appeared harmless enough, good looking, well dressed and polite.  His name was Jason Bennett and the group decided to divide further into pairs to complete the assignment. 

They all exchanged phone numbers and worked out a schedule of when to meet to work further on their assignment, the professor had given them three weeks until they would need to present their final projects to the class. 

Several days later, Jason called to set up a study date with Peyton.  At first he insisted that she come to his dorm room and/or he could come to hers.  After what seemed like endless persuasive attempts, Peyton was able to convince him to meet at the library. 

After their meeting, Jason began his line of questioning again.

“Peyton, how about we head to the bar for a drink?  Maybe celebrate all the great work we just did?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, Jason…I can’t.  I’ve still got homework for my Biology class tomorrow morning.” She politely declined. 

“Sure, I understand…No problem…Maybe next time?” He threw out there not really expecting a response.  “Okay how about same time next week for more work on the project?” He asked.

As the next meeting got closer, Jason called to see if he could come over to work on the project; however, Peyton again was able to convince him to meet at the library.  The meeting was identical to the one before, with Peyton doing most of the work and struggling to keep him on task.

The final meeting included the entire group.  Once they had agreed that the project was complete and they were satisfied with the results, Jason made an announcement.

“Hey guys, I suggest if we ace this presentation, we head out Friday night to celebrate.  One of the local frat houses is having a DJ at their party.  Everyone’s going!” Jason proposed.

Peyton was the only one who seemed reluctant, definitely not her style. However, the others were all joining in and looking at her for her answer.

 “What the heck, if we ace the project, I’m in!” she said even surprising herself.

The next day they all breezed through the presentation and the professor let them know right away how well they did and grades were posted on Thursday.  This meant one thing, Peyton needed to follow through with her promise of heading to the Frat party.  She thought about trying to get out of it, but knew that she had already made a commitment and when she made commitments she always kept them.

Reviews

[RAOrourke]

Wonderful introductions to your characters. They all seem unique and individual. I really like this writing and am guessing it is more a Y.A. writing, am I correct?
This one sentence: Erin looked up and saw her Peyton in the doorway looking a little absent and ran to give her an enormous welcoming hug/ The word absent seems out of place or... I'm not sure... Maybe Erin looked up and saw her Peyton in the doorway looking a little absent (minded). Just a thought... Great job though.

[RAOrourke]

Thanks again for pointing out more areas for me to work on!! Also thank you for your encouragement! This is geared more late teens to adult.

[Ashira Macy]

Hmm, I sense some electricity forming between Peyton and Mr. Smoldering-Blue-Eyes. Of course they only met once, so how would I know? =P I like that she is being soft with her rejections. That is how I try to be when people I am not interested in try to get me to go out. Not trying to hurt their feelings, just not interested.

[RAOrourke]

That is a very nice way to be! Some people can be really mean, so it is nice that you are kind! :)

[The Black Warrior]

Interesting...and well when one make a commitment...meaning give their they need to do what they said that they will do. Can wait to see what happens next...what will happen at the part hahaha parties can some times be crazy...a lot crazy LOL

[SweetNutmeg]

Interesting developments...

Being a suspicious person, I wonder if Jason is trustworthy. I guess I will find out as time goes on.

I'm glad to see you added some dialogue, but there is almost always room for more. In particular, one conversation I am curious about is exactly what Peyton said to Erin about how the bully made her feel. I'd love to hear her precise words.

Good job and keep it coming!