New Friends and Acquaintances
The Boulevard was a mile-long strip of restaurants and bars and with three institutions of higher learning within walking distance, it was the nexus of college nightlife in the city. Mick had taken a job as a bar-back at one of the watering holes known as "The Dugout" which was a baseball centric sports bar owned by a guy named Joe Gilman, but everyone who knew him called him "Gil." All deliveries came into the basement through a sidewalk hatch and down a short stretch of steps which was reminiscent of a stadium's dugout, and with Gil having played several seasons of minor league ball, coming up with a name for the establishment was a no brainer for him.
Mick worked until close on Wednesday nights because his first class on Thursdays did not start until 11:00 a.m., thus he could sleep in. This was not to be one of those mornings though as he had set his alarm intentionally early. Jarred from sleep, Mick opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before reaching over and grabbing his cell phone to tap the snooze button. He had not gotten to bed until almost 2:00 a.m., and now 7:15 a.m. had come way too early. Normally Mick would not be rolling out of bed for another two-and-a-half hours, so for a moment he considered resetting his alarm and going back to sleep, but it had been one week exactly however since his encounter with Bridget in the shower, and Mick wanted to be in the same place at the same time in hopes that he would cross paths with her again.
Five minutes later, Mick's alarm was blaring for the second time. He got up and put on his bathrobe, grabbed his toiletry kit and a towel, and walked down the hall towards his private bathroom with anticipation. As he entered, Mick immediately listened for the noise of a running shower but heard no sounds. He placed his kit on a sink and walked towards the showers praying he would find a towel or a robe hanging on the wall or lying on the benches. Mick poked his head into the shower area and found that they were empty and the floor was dry as well.
Mick walked back to the sink and began to brush his teeth. After five minutes or so of prolonged scrubbing and procrastinating, holding on to see if someone else might come in, he went to take his own shower. Slowly he washed, scrubbing his hair three times. He stood under the hot, cascading water for a long time not wanting to leave in hopes that Bridget would appear at any moment, but she never did. Mick walked back to his room disappointed but very clean. When he looked at the time it was 8:15 a.m.
Mick studied for a while before going over to the food court for a bite to eat prior to his English Literature class. He returned to his books after he had finished breakfast but the seating area was simply too noisy to study in, so he decided to go to the lecture hall figuring it would be empty and quiet. After sitting down at his normal seat inside the lecture hall, Mick began to pour over his class notes. It was a good hour or so before the next student entered, Whitney Harrington. "Ugh," Mick said under his breath at her appearance.
Whitney was a beautiful girl with long, flowing dark brown hair and light green eyes. She had an awesome body, was obviously very smart, and outwardly exhibited an air of superiority. For whatever reason, Whitney sat one seat over from Mick in class and he had tried to talk with her a few times at the beginning of the year but she clearly had no interest in having a conversation with him. His impression of her was she was one of those girls who came from money, went to private schools and felt she was too good for most people. Even her name sounded snobbish, thought Mick.
Whitney walked down the aisle towards Mick en route to her seat. He looked up from his book giving her a courteous hello as she neared. She forced out half a smile and uttered a barely perceivable "Hello" back at him. Whitney passed behind Mick and sat down as he went back to studying. As much as he did not like English Lit, he much preferred studying than attempting to make any small talk with her.
A few minutes later other students began to file in and disrupt Mick's peace including his dorm mates Abby and Zoe who roomed together down the hall from him. Abigail was a cute girl with a bright smile and was a social butterfly. Unfortunately Zoe did not have either her roommate's looks or outgoing personality. She was pretty much an introvert and happy to be living unassumingly in Abby's shadow.
Abby and Zoe were talking with a girl named Hannah when they all walked in together. Hannah always looked like she came right out of the pages of a Vineyard Vines catalog and today was no different. She was a cute but quiet girl, not shy like Zoe or stuck-up as was Whitney. Hannah just didn't say much and Mick was always looking for an opening to strike up a conversation with her, but the opportunity never seemed to materialize.
"Studying I see," remarked Abby as she settled into the seat next to Mick. "Can't wait to be done with this class," replied Mick. "Hey Zoe... hey Hannah," he said, greeting the two girls.
Mick and Abby had become study partners and were becoming good friends in the process. Abigail coached Mick on his English Literature coursework and in return he helped her with calculus. It was a mutually beneficial relationship and a platonic one. Mick was enjoying his current situation too much to even think about engaging in serious relationship with anyone. Abby had a boyfriend anyway and when Jimmy was not attached to Abby's hip, Zoe usually was.
Abby had joined the student association and was very involved in the social activities at the school, and it was just under two weeks until Halloween. "Do you have your costume yet?" asked Abby. Sarcastically Mick replied, "I gave up trick-or-treating after the seventh grade." "Don't be a putz," she shot back before telling her dormmate, "The event we have been working on should be a good time and you're going." Mick asked her, "Why don't you just rush a sorority Miss Socialite?" Abby gave him an indignant look and glanced towards Whitney. "Not my cup of tea," she said quietly under her breath. Abigail then stated to Mick that, "Zoe and Jimmy are going, and Hannah's going too... Right Hannah?" Hannah looked back at Abby and quietly said, "Maybe." Abby let out a sigh of exasperation as she rolled her eyes.