Nowhere Fast
Chapter 15 - Harsh Truths and Lies
Joey Potter
I returned to the dorm Friday evening to find a bright pink flier on the floor. “Stupid party animals always do this,” I grunted as I dropped my backpack on the floor.
It was an invite to a sorority recruiting party. I had heard about the Greek rush all week but that didn’t explain why I got it. After all, the average person wouldn’t know that a female lived in this room. Which meant that I’d been specially given this. Who would ever think that I’d sell my soul…
Nevermind. This must have been Pacey and Shannon’s idea. I doubted that Pacey really thought I was sorority material. Shannon was being nice in that perky, annoying way that is reserved for cheerleaders and, apparently, sisters.
I stormed out of my room and banged on the outside door to his room, holding the flier by the peephole. I couldn’t believe that Pacey really thought this was a good idea.
Jack opened the door, laughing. “I can’t picture you being a recruit.”
I joked in a squeaky voice, “You don’t think I can get in Alpha Nada Chanca?” I pushed him aside and burst in. “Shannon’s to ‘thank’ for this, right?”
“Of course. She, Pacey, and Tom the RA were here earlier with those stupid papers. It’s supposedly a fundraiser. She thought that I should try to convince you to attend with me as your date.” It’s one thing thinking that Shannon had been in Pacey’s room. It was another matter entirely to imagine that she’d actually been there. Since the day that I’d apparently lost my senses and almost kissed him, I’ve been trying to forget that little bitch was truly his girl. As if reading my last thought, he added, “She was visiting Tom and happened to run into Pacey. She wasn’t really here, Jo.”
“Do you think I’d care whether she was here?”
Jack entered the open bathroom and began fussing with his hair. “I could really torture you and say that they were making out the whole time. Truthfully, Pacey didn’t really care whether she was here or not. Shannon, for her part, seemed more attracted to Tom than Pacey. There’s really nothing to their relationship, if there even is one.”
“I guess that’s good for you to know.” Jack sighed in annoyance. I then remembered what Jack had said before that. “Please tell me you didn’t agree to that.”
“No, but I told her you’ve always wanted to learn about Greek life.” He turned away from the mirror and grinned.
“Jack!” What had I done to deserve this?
“Consider it an experiment. You’re being allowed into this bizarre environment to observe how this species relates with each other.”
“Funny. I get it. You want me to watch how Pacey interacts with the opposite sex and to see what I’m supposedly missing.”
“Jo, it’s me. You don’t have to pretend. You’ll probably enjoy laughing at them.”
“I’d have more fun if you’d actually go as my date. At least there would be someone to talk to who isn’t mind-numbingly dumb.”
“I already have plans.”
“Why can’t I go with you instead?” If Jack’s purpose was an attempt to get me out of the room, maybe this was a good opportunity to get him to shut up. “If Shannon and Pacey really aren’t dating, there’s nothing for me to see there…”
Jack cut me off sharply, “That’s not possible.”
“Nothing’s impossible.”
“It’s…not anything important to you.” Jack stammered. “Don’t worry about it. Just… looking into joining crew.”
“That’s rowing, right?” He nodded. “Fine, leave me alone with the braindead.” There was a part of me that should have questioned why Jack might have lied about where he was going. I just figured he didn’t want to go with me so it didn’t matter.
Two and a half hours later, I was certain of one thing. If Jack were home later, I would kill him. I hadn’t seen Pacey or Shannon yet but had met enough chipper blondes. Jamie, who seemed to be their leader, was so “excited” to see me. Dana “felt” a “bond” with me already. I felt like I’d entered a cult meeting. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d begin talking about alien abductions and flying to Saturn
A tall girl with short reddish-brown hair approached me with two cans of soda, “New recruit?” She held one out for me.
“Something like that.” I nodded as I took the can from her.
“I could say the same thing. My roommate conned me into showing up. Apparently, they were expecting a weak showing so they padded up by inviting friends and boyfriends and turned it into a fundraiser.” She then asked in a sugary voice, “Isn’t this just so exciting?”
“Oh, for sure.” I giggled. “Joey Potter.” I held out my hand, which she shook.
“Marie Martinez. So who’s to blame for your appearance?” She flipped the tab of her can and took a sip.
“My neighbor is convinced he’s succeeding with a sister.”
“Which sister?”
“Shannon. She’s a rare redhead in the array of blonde hair coloring.”
“I know who you mean. My roommate refers to her as the wacky secretary. So, is your neighbor the sun bleached blonde posing as a surfer, or the DJ with blue and purple streaks in his hair?”
“Um, neither. He’s got brown hair that’s kind of messy sometimes…”
“Oh, the guy she’s with tonight? The tutor she’s using on the side.” She pointed to the refreshment table, where Pacey was standing, looking lost. To his credit, he actually was dressed rather nice in a tan button-up shirt and black jeans - well it was at least nicer than the dingy T-shirt and faded jeans of most of the guys in attendance. Was there a rule that every guy had to look trashy in order to get one of these girls to swoon?
Marie then pointed to the music table, where Shannon was draped over the weird-haired DJ. She said sadly, “I hope he didn’t think it would be an earth-shattering evening.”
“I don’t think he did.” So much for Jack’s plan to get me jealous. Shannon was definitely not in the picture as a serious threat. “Just wanted to meet the girls.”
Marie stated drolly, “Yeah, I see he’s quite successful at that. If he actually gets any sister to talk to him, it’ll be because she needs someone to bail her out of her midterms. They label guys like him ‘Hawkings’. Although, I’m sure that if anyone heard a recruit using that word, it’d get my roommate in trouble.”
“I’m sorry, Hawking? You mean like Stephen Hawking, the guy believed to be the smartest in the world?”
“Exactly. They probably think of him as a geek.” Any girl who would think of Pacey as a nerd was certainly not seeing straight. “If his goal is dating a sorority girl, he shouldn’t even bother at this party.”
“If he’s considered a... hehe…geek, then we should hang around him. At least we’d be spared from their words of praise.” I couldn’t wait to shatter Pacey’s spirit with this news. Okay, I could also say that I was slightly relieved that it didn’t sound like Pacey would have much success tonight.
“Good idea. That way, we’d never get accepted. I don’t think I could take Dana feeling a bond with me again.”
* * * * *
Pacey Witter
I suppose it had been a good thing that Joey and her equally bitter-towards-sisters pal Marie came up to me. It’s not that I truly thought there was anything serious between Shannon and me. There was certainly some lust on my side but I was shocked to realize that she’d been playing me for a fool.
The cruel irony was that it was for my brain. I doubted anyone back home would believe that one. Not that I’d actually tell anyone other than Jen about it. I’m sure that Joey would certainly take advantage of that information.
Speaking of cruelty, it should not have shocked me too much to see Abby and Chris approach us. Well, truly, it was a little strange seeing them together but it was the perfect moment for her to arrive.
“Why, hello, Mr. Potter.” Abby said falsely.
“Why are you here? Do you just follow us around to find your next story?” Joey spat out.
Abby cocked her head as she retorted, “Do you really think I’d waste my precious time following you people around?”
“Considering I’m sure that you arranged for my journal to get stolen, yes I do think you’d do that.”
“Yeah, you know Potter, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I don’t appreciate being wrapped up in your weird adventures. I had nothing to do with your stolen merchandise.”
“Of course you didn’t.” Joey said doubtfully.
“You would think I made up this story but it’s too weird to ignore. I have reason to believe that the person to blame is right under your nose.” Joey and I exchanged glances, trying to figure out what she was babbling about. Her smile widen as she added, “Let me ask you a question. Where’s your third part to your group tonight?”
Joey huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest. “Jack? I can’t believe that you’d blame him for your messes! This is a new low…”
Chris cut her off, “Just answer the question.”
“Well, I believe he was heading to crew.”
Chris laughed, glancing at Abby, “I can’t believe you were right.”
Abby stared Chris down to get him to shut up. “What Chris means is that Jack’s blatantly lying. You know how we know that? You know what Tom, your RA, is in charge of? That’s right, he’s head of crew. And guess what? He’s right over there,” pointing to a guy talking with two of the sisters. “You could ask him yourself.”
Joey’s face dropped slightly, “I can’t believe he lied to me.”
I refused to have Joey show any trace of doubt in front of them. More to reassure Joey than anything else, I placed my hand on her shoulder as I said, “That’s probably because he needed an excuse to get out of coming. Not a concern.”
Abby said, “Maybe you’re right. Or maybe he’s planning his next step.”
“Toward what?” I had to find out exactly what Abby’s game was.
“Pushing you two together.” Uh oh. I moved my hand quickly off Joey’s shoulder. Now, I knew that Jack was dropping hints about Joey and me. But there was no possibility that Abby could be right.
As I remembered the last two weeks, there were more and more doubts regarding that certainty. He was hardly ever around anymore. He wasn’t particularly interested in any activities that directly involved me… no, Pacey, you can’t get these doubts. He didn’t, absolutely not…
Joey growled, “This is absolutely sickening. He was with us on the weekend in question.”
“Fine, you know what? Ignore everything I said. Ignore the fact that Chris saw Jack drop off the journal in front of your door. Ignore the fact that it would be so easy for him to forge both your handwritings. Ignore the possibility that he could have talked to Tom before your gang left for the weekend. Ignore the idea that he’s the only one who insists that Chris is involved just because we’re now dating.”
Chris added, “Ignore his lie about where he is right now.” He and Abby laughed in unison. “Of course, maybe you’re right. Charlie’s probably home. He could verify if Jack is really in the dorm.”
Abby murmured, “Charlie wouldn’t be home when there’s the opportunity to get some…” She then said in a louder voice, “You wouldn’t believe that proof anyway. Go find out for yourself.” She smiled widely as she led Chris back into the crowd.
There were pieces that didn’t add up to Abby’s story. There was no real possibility of Abby actually knowing that intention. Jack knew Tom about as well as any of us did - which was not very much. It wasn’t as if Tom associated with people that were in his family circles. Plus, there was something very strange about Abby basically choosing her fuck buddy over her supposed best buddy. Charlie must have turned against Abby when it came to one of her schemes - maybe even this journal mess.
Joey fumed, “I can’t believe she did that!”
Marie glanced from Joey to Abby’s retreating form. “She’s not a sister, right?”
“Please, I don’t think they could be paid enough money to pretend to be her friend. Come on, Pacey.” She stomped away from the table, leaving me with a completely puzzled Marie.
I chased her down, through a herd of hulking football players. “Where are we going?”
“To prove that Abby’s a goddamn liar. This party is making me sick.”
“You are not heading to my room. Potter, you are not heading to my room. You aren’t supposed to believe a word that girl says. Phones were designed for avoiding trips like this.” My arguments fell on deaf ears as she proceeded to make the trip back to our dorm.
Fifteen minutes later, she was standing in front of my room, waiting for me to catch up. As I unlocked the door, Joey insisted, “He’s not home. Now are you so sure about that?”
I led Joey into the room, where sure enough, nobody was home. Joey was staring at me, waiting to concede. I tried giving her those valid potential holes in Abby’s reasoning but she was hearing none of that until Jack actually returned.
I couldn’t say for certain what was happening but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.
* * * * *
Jack McPhee
I was walking down the path to the dorm party, dreading it more with every step. I had the opportunity to take Joey up on her offer. Not because of the date but to avoid this next step. What possessed me to propose this? I stopped as I looked around at the trees around me.
“Jack?” Charlie turned around upon realizing I’d stopped walking. “Something wrong?”
“This was a terrible idea.” I had so many opportunities to back out of my suggestion. I hoped that Charlie had forgotten - after all, I hadn’t seen him since getting the journal back. I could have pretended that I’d forgot but then found myself using that as an excuse to Joey. Well, not exactly, I didn’t actually say I was heading to a party with a guy that Joey still despised.
“Why’s that?”
“I could be hanging out with Joey making fun of Pacey following a sorority girl around.”
“Yeah, with your close friends.” He replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He turned back around and headed on his way. Charlie had been remarkably quiet since I’d arrived. He’d been on the phone, where whoever was on the other side was clearly dominating the discussion. Every word out of his mouth was traced with derisiveness, which had been gradually getting on my nerves. It was time to figure out what this was about.
I chased him down and blocked his path. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’d rather stay around a girl who may still be attracted to you and bond over a guy you’ve been driving yourself crazy denying that you lust after. Just another typical day for Jack McPhee. You’re not going to get anywhere hanging around them.”
“You think my friends are holding me back?”
“In terms of whether you’d actually get any experience in the lifestyle you accepted, yes I do.” He darted around me and continued walking.
I shouted out, “I can say that I have close friends.” He spun around quickly. “Abby would sell you out in a second and I’d be surprised if there’s anybody else who gives a damn.” I couldn’t believe I actually said that to his face. It was just a joke between Joey and me. I immediately regretted saying those words as I saw Charlie stare coldly at me, debating his response.
He stormed back, coming within six inches of my face, and spat out, “You already had the chance with Joey and you fucking blew it. You told her you’re gay and you can’t back out of that. You can’t retract that. Hell, you can’t forget that right now, no matter how much you fucking want to, so stop wearing yourself out playing games.” He took two steps back as he pointed behind me, “If you want to turn back right now, go right ahead. But I’m not going to let your indecisive ass ruin a wonderful Friday night. Do whatever the fuck you want. I’ll see you later.”
I stood there in shock as Charlie headed towards the party. There had been numerous occasions when he’d say something that hit way too close to the truth. I wasn’t even quite sure what had happened. One minute, it was just heading to a death sentence. The next, I was spouting out crap about his friends.
There was, as usual, truth to what he said. Hanging around Joey and Pacey was the safe way. That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with having a relationship with anyone. Yet, the cruel paradox was that was exactly what I wanted.
I walked towards the party, making sure to keep a ten-yard distance between us, as he eventually reached the destination. It was one of the buildings set up for suites but it was hard to tell if people actually lived there since it seemed to be abandoned. Yes, you can even tell that underneath the beer cans littering the ground.
I had found a place to stand by a strange framed painting. I wasn’t really sure what was going on. On appearances alone, it seemed to fit the mood of a fraternity party even though I knew perfectly well it wasn’t. Although as Charlie told me, there were straight couples slow-dancing (which by itself was weird since I could only hear techno music blasting), there was also a noticeable number of gay couples trying to talk above the music.
“Hey there.” A very drunk hulk of a guy slurred as he draped an arm around me. “Nice party, eh?”
I replied as politely as I could muster, “It’s okay.”
“You’re just not experiencing this party in the correct way.” He dragged me over to the table and tossed me a beer can. He proceeded to pick up a can, open it and slurp it down in one gulp. At my incredulous look, he added, “Gotta learn something from my football experiences.”
“You’re a football player?”
He droned on as if giving a speech, “Yes, a gay football player. Yes, those type of people exist. Yes, it’s completely true that you mostly learn how to drink effectively and how to place X’s and O’s.” He grinned slightly as he said, “So who’s the one that told you about this party, anyway? I’m Gary, for your information.”
“Jack. You know Charlie?”
Gary replied bitterly, “Yeah, I know who Charlie is. He’s got that callous gal pal?”
“Abby? Yeah.”
“He doesn’t strike me as a person you’d want to admit being friends with.” Gary stated emphatically.
“Why’s that, besides the obvious Abby connection?”
“Put it this way. I met him freshman year. In those two years since, I have learned that he’s not a bad one-nighter but he’s a cold bastard otherwise. People aren’t actually ‘friends’ with Charlie Maiello because there’s a wall between him and everyone else. If he wants something, whether it’s as a pawn or just a fuck, then he may have the ability to be a supposed friend.”
Several hours and several beers later, I was walking back to the dorm thinking about that conversation with Gary.
I really didn’t want to believe that Gary was telling the truth. No, that wasn’t the Charlie I knew. Absolutely not. He was probably just bitter - especially if Gary was thinking there was something more serious than a one-night stand.
It could be that Gary was right and I was just not seeing this situation clearly. Although why I wouldn’t see it clearly didn’t make sense.
Okay, it did make sense. It was hard to admit but I had liked his odd charm. It had actually seemed like I’d crack through that proverbial wall. It couldn’t be an act, right?
I opened the door to my dorm and saw two pairs of angry eyes staring back at me. I could see that whatever I’d believed to be true would be turned upside down.
Chapter 16 - Start of the Revolution
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