My eyes widen.  “What did you tell him?”

Neil shrugs. “I told him the truth. We’re just friends.”

For some reason I’m a little irritated with that. I change course in the conversation and ask, “How are things with Teri and her Sterns Hall posse?”

He gives me a pained stare, his head tilting just enough to one side to make him look really adorable.

“She’s pretty much leaving me alone these days. I think all of them have gotten the picture I’m not interested. Thank god. It was a real pain in the ass.”

I’m curious. I debate with myself whether to ask. Neil makes no sense. “Don’t you date?”

“Nope.”

I don’t know what to make of that. It seems weird. Very strange. He’s a really good looking guy. A little full of himself. Definitely talented. Nice. But he doesn’t date. Whenever he tells me that I always find it strange. But what the heck, I don’t date either. Maybe we’re both weirdoes. Maybe that’s why we hang out together.

He crumples into a ball the remains of his lunch and tosses it into the trash can across the room. He springs to his feet. I’m a little disappointed he’s leaving.

“That was a fast lunch. Why don’t you hang for a while? I’ve got the room another half hour,” I say.

He pulls his cigarettes from his pocket.  “Got to be back to work in fifteen minutes. Got just enough time for a fast smoke.”

I follow him with my eyes as he moves to the door.

“I’ll let you know if I decide I want to put strings on some of the tracks,” he announces.

“Aren’t you even a little worried about how I play? You’ve never heard me play.”

Neil shakes his head as if annoyed with me. “I’ve heard you play both the piano and the cello. I’ve also heard you sing during your labs with Jared. I used to make it a point to sweep outside your practice room. You’re good. Real good. I’m not worried you’re going to suck with the violin. You seem to do all things musical really well.”

That compliment makes me feel more pleased than I ever expected to and, in surprise, I realize it is fast starting to matter what Neil thinks of me.

Instead of thanking him, I accuse, “Stalker.”

Neil rolls his eyes and opens the door. “See ya, Chrissie.”

~~~

A week later, I slap shut my bluebook, check to make sure I’ve put my name on the front with the correct course code, and then tuck my pencil into my purse. I drop my final exam happily into the basket on Professor Lambert’s desk. I’ve made it through my first set of finals. Done, that was it, and now I won’t ever have to think of Lambert again.

I gather up my things, hurry up the aisle, and smile at Jared, who’s sitting in the last row of the lecture hall. When I go to push open the door, I realize that somehow he’s moved from his seat and is there to open it for me.

I step into the hallway and Jared follows.

He smiles. “Glad that it’s over?”

I nod. “Very glad.”

He opens the exit door of the building. “Since you’re done with your finals, would you like to have coffee with me?”

I freeze in mid-step and turn to see a very nervous Jared waiting expectantly for my answer. I’ve been mildly obsessing about this since my talk with Neil. I have assumed I would say yes, but now that I’m here, at the point of him asking me out, I find I’m not at all excited about the prospect of a date with Jared the TA.

I smile. “I can’t. Not today. I’m meeting a friend who borrowed my car and then I’m driving home for winter break.”

“OK. Maybe some other time?”

“Definitely.” I scan the road, looking for Rene and my trusty Volvo. I frown. Why is Jared standing there just staring at me? I look at him, my brows hitching upward.  “Do you want my number so you can call me?”

He looks startled that I asked. He holds out the notebook he’s carrying and I take the pen he offers and quickly write my number on the cover.

“Thanks. I’ll call you next semester.” He rakes a hand through his hair.

“Have a good winter break, Jared.”

He points to my number on his book. “Next semester.”

I smile and watch him leave. I check my watch and then the street again. Darn it, Rene, where the heck are you? Much longer and we’ll get trapped in commuter traffic trying to get out of the Bay Area.

“What’s got you so fidgety?”

I look over my shoulder to see Neil approaching me as he lights a cigarette. He’s changed his bandana. It’s blue today. I like the blue better.

“Rene. She took my car to the city. She’s supposed to be here waiting for me.”

“Probably just driving around the block. Can’t block traffic waiting for you, Miss Parker.”

I roll my eyes at the lousy Professor Lambert impression. I look down the street again. “I’m just anxious. I haven’t been home since September. When was the last time you were home, Neil?”

“Months. So you’re off to Santa Barbara? I wish I’d known. I would have hitched a ride with you. I’m going home too. I could have saved on the airfare.”

I give him a pointed stare. “Who says I’d let you drive to SB with me?”

He gives me a thoughtful once over. “You’d do it.” He stomps out his cigarette. “Well, back to mops and brooms for me. At least until tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see you around town, homegirl.”

“Bye, Neil.”

I watch Neil disappear. I’m kind of surprised he didn’t ask me for my number since he’s going home for the holidays too.  Maybe he doesn’t need to hang out with me in Santa Barbara. He probably has tons of friends from high school. Tons of girls.

I shift my gaze back toward the street. Finally. I see Rene speeding down the road in my gray Volvo. She cuts into the curb in front of me. I open my door, drop onto the seat, and slam it shut.

“Where have you been?” I ask.

“Checking my O-Chem grade. They’re not posted yet, but I got it from the TA.”

I roll my eyes. I don’t need to ask how she got the not- yet-posted grade. Rene can flirt anything out of anyone. “So? Was it as bad as you thought it was?”

She pulls aggressively into the thick, moving traffic. “A 74. Not good. Not bad,” she says, annoyed.

“They curve it right?”

Rene nods.

“So what’s a 74?” I ask.

“An A.”

I shake my head. I snap open the glove box, looking for my sunglasses. I find a pretty pink stack of parking tickets. I scrunch them up in my hand. “Rene, what are these?”

She’s looking out the open window, gesturing with her arm for the traffic to move out of her way.

“That stupid van,” she hisses, merging onto Bancroft Way. “Practically every time I come home he’s in our space and I don’t know why you won’t let me call the management company to get him towed. I’d be doing a public service. Even if he wasn’t a rude asshole, always parking in our assigned space. That van is hideous. It deserves to be off the road.”

I laugh. The van is pretty awful: a 70s model,  old blue extended cargo heap with yellow, green, and orange arrows painted on the sides, and those lovely hanging monkeys on the rear doors holding up their monkey fingers in the hang loose sign.

I put on my sunglasses. “Anyone with a van like that can’t afford to pay for parking in Berkeley and certainly can’t afford to get it out of impound.”

Rene shakes her head. “God, you’re such a softy. You get more like Jack every day.” She stops at the light and exhales a deep breath. “OK, which way. East to the 5 or do you want me to cut through San Jose and 101 it all the way home.”

I slip off my flip-flops and put my feet up on the dash. “If you expect me to drive any part of this trip take 101.”

Rene blasts the horn and fights her way onto the 580. “I’m only driving as far as Salinas.”

I nod. “You’ll never guess who asked me out.”

“Not Jared?” Rene sounds like she wants to gag.

I nod. “Yep Jared. Wanted to do coffee today.”

“Coffee? After three months of worshipping you with his eyes, that’s the best he could do?” Rene jeers harshly. “So he finally got around to talking to you. What did you say?”