There's No Going Back

5. Shunned

The following morning, Alex left the dorm before Jay and decided to try breakfast alone. He didn't need Erik coming along to try to tease him about his crush on Piper any more than Jay did the previous day. Between Erik and Kenneth, mealtimes had become somewhat awkward at times. The women came to flirt with Erik and Ken would maintain a bored facade while the three of the straight men chatted with the ladies, Erik more so since he was a player at heart.Erik's teammates from the lacrosse team would come over and chat and Ken would try and flirt with some of them.

Not that he was against Ken being gay, it was just uncomfortable to see him get shot down each time. Like re-watching the 9th inning of the seventh game of the world series and already knowing that your team was going to lose. Over and over and over again.

As his art class was in the early afternoon, Alex had the whole day before then to try and figure out what to say to Piper. He wanted to ask her out on a date, but he wanted to get to know her better first. Find out what she liked to do. There was nothing worse than taking a girl out and finding she hates the plans you made. It was a strike out before the game had even began.

Not that this was a game to him, he truly did like Piper. In fact, he hadn't felt this way about any of his ex-girlfriends in Lake Tahoe. They had been fun and he had told some of them he loved them, but it had never felt like this at the beginning of a relationship before. Ever. And frankly, it scared him a little bit. The girl had the potential to wreck him.

Sighing, he finished up his bowl of cereal and noted with glee that Erik, Ken and Jay were just coming into the cafeteria. It looked like he wouldn't miss them completely, but at least he didn't have to stick around to watch The Dating Game that was Ken and Erik's life. Erik seemed to be winning. At least he was getting phone numbers- even if he didn't plan on calling.

"Where you heading off to this early, bro?" Erik asked him as he was getting up from his table.

"Class," Alex immediately said. Then he cringed internally.

"Have you forgotten that with the exception of our electives, that we share all the same classes?" Jay asked him with a smirk.

"Yeah, well I wanted to get there early and ask the teacher about something," he told his brother vaguely. Erik tutted and shook his head.

"What, third day of class and already looking to be teacher's pet?" Erik commented. "You should be saving all your extra game for that hot piece of ass you have going in your art class. Or pick up on some side pussy."

Rolling his eyes, Alex was irritated already with his friend. Only 8 AM and already the man was trying to get him laid. And possibly by someone who meant nothing to him. Alex didn't roll like that.

He wasn't a virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but he was also not some fuckboy that would f**k and run either. When he had s*x with someone, it was because they were in a committed relationship. And he didn't look for 'side p***y' either. He knew it ruined relationships, and since he knew he wanted one with Piper, he was taking no chances. His right hand would do him just fine thank you very much.

Alex didn't grant Erik a response except the roll of his eyes at him.

"Is it the prof's sexy T.A.? f**k nothing better than a sexy T.A. You should see the one-" Erik started.

"Professor Lansing's T.A. is male," Jay stated who of course knew since he shared the class with Alex.

"Swinging for the other team?" Ken asked, looking hopeful. "I can help with that."

"No, I'm still into women, but thanks Ken," Alex said on a smirk. "I just want to get ahead. I'll see you all for lunch." He had a feeling it was one meal he wouldn't be able to avoid with them all. Their class times coincided too well.

"See ya in class bro," Jay called after his brother. Alex waved in response without looking back and headed in the direction of the quad.

"What's up his ass?" Erik questioned. Jay shrugged a bit.

"Probably stressing over how to ask that Piper chick out," Jay explained. He knew his brother well. "He has a tendency to do that. He goes to bed late, gets up early, stresses and ignores me. It's a pattern I'm well aware of. Plus, I have a feeling this one's special to him. Just a hunch though."

"She's a chick- there's hundreds of them here," Erik shrugged off the explanation.

"Yeah, but he isn't the man-w***e you are Erik," Ken piped up.

"Thanks bro," he said with a smirk. "Appreciate your high opinion of me."

"Just telling it like it is," Ken said with shrug.

******

After a long lunch filled with Erik's teasing and Ken's flirting with any guy from the lacrosse team, Alex was ready to go. Jay was pretty quiet and Alex looked over at him, wondering what had his brother so silent. It wasn't like him and he was wondering if Madison had anything to do with it. He didn't want to ask in front of Erik who had already taken to teasing him whenever he could. He would make a point of asking later on when they were alone.

Alex headed toward the Arts and Sciences building. He was a bit early as the class didn't start until one, but he wanted to get prime seating and save a spot for Piper as well. That way they could chat as they painted.

His easel and his painting were already set up by the time Piper wandered into the room. He watched as she looked around the room. He blinked when her eyes met his and moved on. Almost no reaction whatsoever.

"Piper," Alex called over to her. He watched her hesitate and then walk over to him. She set her stuff down and seemed to make a show of not looking at him. She walked to the back and grabbed her painting of the meadow and set it up before Alex decided to speak again.

"How was class?" he asked. He knew she had more classes than him due to her double major and he hoped she wasn't already overdoing it. Her behavior was... odd.

"Fine," she said shortly.

"Do you have plans for the weekend?" he asked. "One of the sophomores that lives off campus is having a party this weekend. Celebrating the first week of classes or something."

She looked over at him. "Will you be there?" she asked. He could have sworn she was pissed off when she asked.

"No, actually," he said. "I'm heading home for the weekend. My mother is already bothering me about visiting, so I figure I'd wean her a bit from my presence. Head up there this weekend and then head up there again two weekends after. By the time Christmas comes around, she won't be as clingy- maybe."

Piper gave a half smile. "If you weren't going, why did you even ask if I was?"

He shrugged. "Just concerned is all. I don't want you going and getting roofied or anything. No means no and all that."

Piper paused and looked at him with a scrutinizing stare. He seemed to care, but why was he f*****g with her if he did?

"I was planning on looking for a part time job this weekend," she told him. "I don't do parties really. I prefer the solitude that comes with painting and writing. Parties make me... tense. Too many people."

She frowned at herself. There she was again, sharing too much with the boy that she didn't know well enough to figure out. If he was playing some sort of game as she suspected, it was one he was very good at. And one she didn't plan on letting him win.

At this point, the professor came in and class was started. After a few words to greet the class, she let them go back to the painting they were working on a few days before. She continued where she left off and started walking around the room to observe.

"Not a party girl huh?" Alex asked Piper who was concentrating on her work. "I'm not much of a party-goer either."

"Right," she said, as if she didn't believe him.

"I'm not," he said, bristling slightly at her tone. "I went to a few in high school but I can't say I ever enjoyed them. My brother as well. Most of the guys went to get drunk and hook up and that was never my scene."

"Really?" she questioned and again, it came out more like a statement.

Alex looked over at her. They had been painting for the majority of the class and there was only a few minutes left of it. She was filling in some of the background and using a lighter stroke to accent and highlights.

"What's with the monosyllabic answers?" he asked, sounding a bit upset. "'Fine', 'Right'- It's like I'm bothering you." He paused. "Am I bothering you Piper?"

"Why don't you tell me," she said to him, stopping her brush just as she looked over at him. "You seem to know how this game works, so tell me. Are you bothering me Alex?"

Alex looked at her, his face a mixture of confusion and hurt, though the confusion was more apparent. He thought of several things to say and ended up going with the one that was in the forefront of his mind.

"What are you talking about exactly?" he asked her slowly.

She rolled her eyes at him and muttered a bit to herself. "Nothing, it's- never mind."

The rest of the class went by silently for the two and Alex tried to think of a way to break the tension between them. He wouldn't see her again until next week and he knew that he if didn't speak with her about whatever was bothering her, he was going to go crazy over the weekend.

When class was finally dismissed, he hurried to put away his half-way completed painting before running out to catch Piper. He saw her walking around the corner, her flowing dress, wafting behind her giving her an ethereal aura about her.

"Piper, wait!" He called out to her and she hesitated and turned.

Running up to catch up with her, he stood looking down at her for a second before speaking.

"Listen," he said. "If I did something to make you mad, I apologize. Just- tell me what it is so I can fix this."

Piper looked up at him again with that scrutinizing look of hers again. It was almost the same look she had when she was concentrating really hard on her painting. Alex almost wanted to touch her forehead gently, smooth out the wrinkles there. But she was upset. For whatever reason, she had found fault with him and he was damned if he could figure out why.

"Listen Alex," she told him bluntly. "If you can't figure out why I would be a little upset with you over the past several days, then I don't know what to tell you. I don't appreciate whatever little game you have going on here and I'm not interested in participating either. I'm here to get an education. An education that I worked hard for. I may seem like an easy target, but I can guarantee you I am not. So take whatever personality it is you wish me to see today and shove it up your ass. I'm. Not. Interested. Capisce?"

With a flounce, Piper walked off towards the quad, leaving a stunned Alex wondering just what in the Hell the girl was talking about. Games and personalities? He was only one person and he was that same to person to all his friends and family. It's not something he had ever been accused of. Playing games? For children- and people like Erik most likely.

Thinking to himself, Alex stumbled off towards his dorm where he would no doubt spend a sleepless night trying to figure out what the girl had been talking about when she left his ass in the dust in the Arts and Sciences building.

He even forgot to ask Jay about his recent odd behavior and Madison. He was too preoccupied with his own little battle going on with the strange girl from Hawaii.