Poison

Chapter 3

We 'work' for an hour and a half before our meeting is cut short. She has to go to work and I'm on the verge of passing out because I haven't eaten since breakfast but am too scared to mention it. She shuts her laptop and grabs her nametag off the desk."When do you want to meet again to work more?" she questions as she unzips her jacket, pinning the tag to her red shirt. I furrow my eyebrows at it. That's not her uniform for the coffee shop.

"It's up to you," I offer a shrug. She's the one that works and goes to school. I work at the library (where I basically just do homework) and I have three short shifts a week. "Your schedule is more demanding."

"I'm free on Wednesday at this same time," she responds and she squeezes her feet into her shoes.

"Okay," I reply. "Here?"

"Yeah if that works for you," she explains as she wiggles her foot around. I offer her another nod as I plan out the day. I'll get out of work, eat, and do a bit more homework before I come over here.

"Okay, good," she responds with a satisfied nod. "We'll definitely get more done then, I promise."

We barely got anything done today. All we did was discuss which decade we should do our project on before I got us distracted by asking about the rolled up Star Wars poster in her closet. In short, the conversation about schoolwork fell apart and we talked about television and movies for a solid hour.

We exit her room and cross the living room, where her roommate is lying asleep on the couch. She glances at me and nudges my arm to gain my attention. She immediately starts removing her shoe while hopping around silently on one foot. I watch in fear as she c***s her arm back and launches it at him. It hits his bare chest and he wakes with a jolt. His eyes narrow in irritation as he looks around in a state of groggy confusion. Once his eyes land on her, he lets out a guttural groan. "f**k off," he grumbles as he grabs her shoe. He gives it a weak toss before turning and rolling onto his stomach.

Maya retrieves her shoe and puts it back on before leading the way to the front door. I follow suit, giving one last fleeting glance at her roommate's sleeping figure.I expect her to lock the door behind us as we exit the apartment but she only shuts it and leads the way down the hall. She walks with an excited bounce in her step and it reminds me of a small child. I watch, entertained by her bubbly behavior. She's a very peculiar person but in a good way. She's very vibrant and weird, which is a relief after having hung out with dull people for the last year. "You have two jobs?" I blurt as I assess her khaki colored pants and red collared shirt.

"Yeah," she replies with a vigorous head bob.

"Where's the second one?" I ask from my position propped against the wall.

"A strip club. Today's theme is grocery store," she informs me with a wink and a light tug at the collar of her shirt. I offer a hearty laugh and she shakes her head in a somewhat disappointed manner. "Food Mart, I work at Food Mart. I wouldn't even need the coffee shop gig if I was a stripper."

The elevator dings and we board it together, standing side by side in the small space. She presses the lobby button and we embark on our long journey down. She wears a large grin on her face as she dances in her spot. She allows a wave to pass through her arms and attempts to hand it off to me but I only laugh in response. She does it again and I weakly accept it, quickly letting it die off before passing it back. "You're so lame!" she chuckles as we exit the elevator.

"I'm not a dancer!" I excuse as she continues to bounce across the lobby.

We exit the building to the sunny neighborhood and she turns to me. "I'll see you on Wednesday." She places her hand to her head and offers me a salute. In a swift motion, she turns on her heel and heads in the direction of her second job. I try to estimate how far it is from here. It's a little less than a mile but I wouldn't want to walk if it were me.

"Maya!" I yell in an attempt to grab her attention. She turns around and tilts her head up at me as if asking what I want. "Do you want a ride?"

"It's not far!" she assures me as she shields her eyes from the sun.

"I'm going in that direction anyway!" I lie and she hesitates before walking back towards me.

I tap the hood of my car and she gives it a once over. "Beautiful, right?" I comment as I unlock it. She walks around to the passenger's side and jumps in.

"Sure," she agrees with a teasing smile. The car is a little old but still gets me from point A to point B with little to no issue.

"If it makes a weird noise, just ignore it. I typically do," I convince her as I put the keys in the ignition.

"Isn't that dangerous?" she asks through a noisy laugh. A snort slips through and gets an amused look from me.

"Probably," I say as I pull onto the road and drive in the direction of the Food Mart.

"Where do you live?" she questions with a curious glance at me. I keep my eyes locked on the road ahead as I purse my lips slightly.

"Woodson dorms," I confess quietly and she narrows her eyes.

"That's in the opposite direction of Food Mart," she catches on and I offer her a weak shrug.

"It's not like I have anything better to do on this fine Saturday afternoon," I retort defensively. "Besides, it's only about a mile away."

"That's why I walk," she responds sassily. She twirls a piece of her straight hair between her index finger and thumb.

"It's hot out here," I reply a little dramatically. It's 70℉ and there's a slight breeze. It's actually quite nice out.

"That's bullshit and you know it," she retorts with a slow head shake.

"I can't just want to give you a ride?" I inquire and she sighs.

"I guess you can," she says. "Let me guess, you're now aware of how cool I am so you're putting extra effort into being my friend."

"Sure," I laugh. She's not exactly wrong. Of all the friends I've made so far, she's the only one that I've clicked with from the start. All of the friendships I have were built; we had nothing in common but there was the mutual understanding that we needed something from each other. I don't feel that with Maya. Plus, she can make me laugh and that's not an easy thing to do. I guess she's just one of those people that makes you feel at ease. It's a refreshing feeling.

"Well, join the party. Population: 0," she continues to joke. I glance at her out of the corner of my eye and smile. I'm going to enjoy this friendship.