Nowhere to Hide

Chapter One

The hearth is dark, cold...

The hearth rings...

The hearth is deep and strong... 

Julie slammed her pen onto her notebook with a huff. The hearth is complete rubbish. 

Why was this so hard? Her seat neighbours barely spared her a glance, heads nestled into their books as they scribbled away. Probably English majors. Why did she need to take this Lit. class again? 

Her Professor was sat at his desk up front on the podium, staring into the distance. Julie had always thought him a bit shut off, more so than all the other professors who kept students at arm’s length. She always got the impression he led a different life but then again she probably spent her time watching too many crime shows. 

When she was satisfied his attention was completely set on the lecture hall ceilings and wouldn’t stray to her, Julie pulled out her phone to check her texts. Only a few more minutes till the weekend. Julie couldn’t wait. 

Momma Rose: We never see you anymore. Have you forgotten you have a family?

Julie laughed under her breath. She wondered why her mom couldn’t simply say come home. Ignoring the passive aggressiveness in her text, Julie started to type out her reply. 

Lots of work. Next weekend okay to come? 

She stifled a yawn and scrolled down. Her roommate had shot off like five texts. She was the type to send a message before thinking and add more thoughts later. Coming to her phone to find thirteen texts from Lexie was a normal afternoon. 

Lexie: julie have you seen my purple top

also get some milk?? love u

found it!!

Julie chuckled out loud without thinking. She quickly covered her mouth and looked around the hall, her relief no one had paid her any mind was cut short when she looked up to find her professor staring her down. 

Julie flushed and looked away, knowing she’d been caught in the act. His stern hazel eyes lingered in her mind as if burned to her brain. Texting in class wasn’t a big deal but Professor Robert just made her feel on edge. His quiet nature and piercing eyes made Julie a bit wary of him. She was glad when he finally called time and was first out her seat. 

“Again, your essays are due Sunday at midnight. No excuses,” he stood talking and Julie admired the bright blue button down and navy slacks he’d donned today, covertly avoiding eye contact, of course. 

Her peers rushed out of class, already forgetting Lit. and thinking about all the ragers happening later. It was Friday night after all. 

Julie just wanted to sleep. She’d been up since six A.M. to complete and submit a due paper and her bed was calling to her so loud, she could hear it all the way from class. 

Sunday afternoon, Julie was completing her assignments which, was easier said than done since Lexie‘s course mates were over for a project. 

“Why do they have to come here?” She whispered in the small kitchen, hovering over Lexie’s five feet one frame. Lexie reached on her tips toes for a bag of chips and failing, flicked Julie on her arm. Julie frowned at the brunette and got the bag for her. 

“They make a lot of noise,” Julie whispered again. 

“I’m sorry.” Lexie’s childlike innocent features softened in an apology and Julie’s apprehension melted. “I’ll just go to a café or something.” 

“I promise, next time I’ll go meet them.” Julie eyed her roommate still in her sleep camisole and shorts, dark hair sticking up at odd angles. 

“I seriously doubt that.” Lexie left the apartment for two reasons, class and parties though more for the latter. She always had people over, her course mates, boys she liked—flavours of the month, Julie preferred—and miscellaneous others. Julie had accepted her fate of a lazy, extrovert roommate. 

She threw on some jeans and a tee, grabbed her things and grumbled her way out. 

“See ya!” Lexie called out as Julie stepped out. 

La Costa was a coffee house on campus with an industrial decor: dark brick walls and high ceilings with an open plan first floor for students who wanted to work. They served good coffee but Julie didn’t care, she hated coffee. She’d waited for years to finally be old enough for her mother to let her try it. After being so excited and with such high hopes from what she’d seen from adults and TV, she had thoroughly been let down when she tasted it and it was bitter. Yuck. She couldn’t believe this was what everyone was always drinking. 

She entered La Costa, the smell of coffee beans thick in the air and sweet pastries. The warm glow of the tungsten lights shone off the gold-plated appliances, and the berry juice dispenser particularly called to Julie. 

She bought a cup and headed upstairs to dredge out her work. Sadly, it was full. It was a Sunday evening, go figure. Other students were trying to pull off last minute work... just like herself. 

Julie fought through the crowd ordering at the long till and found a seat in a corner by the window. 

She was on page fourteen of fifteen, dreary eyed as she shuffled between Microsoft Word and Pinterest tabs of food menu inspiration, when someone bumped into her table. The rest of the events happened faster than Julie could blink. Four cups of coffee tumbled from their tray and fell onto her laptop, spilling all their contents on her entire keypad like a torrential rain. 

“Oh my goodness!” Julie cried, jumping up. She began shaking the MacBook vigorously, trying to get all the coffee off. The screen had gone black. Julie’s heart was in her throat

“OMG!” The assailant, a young raven haired girl slurred. 

“OMG?” Julie cried. 

“Take out the battery,” a man called out. Julie hardly heard him, blood rushing in her ears. All her hard work was gone. There was no way she could still meet her deadlines tonight. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Julie yelled, aware somewhere in the back of her mind of all the people staring. All she could think of was all the work she had to turn in and all the girl could say was OMG?

“Hey, relax,” she snapped, recoiling at Julie’s tone. Her eyebrows knit and mascara covering her eye bags. Julie guessed she was only a drink away from passing out on the curb. As Julie tried to turn it back on, the girl leaned over, the straps of her black slip dress holding on for dear life on her thin shoulders. 

“Why are you working down here anyway?” She drawled. 

Julie wanted to scream. “Are you seriously saying—”

“Hey, hey, hey!” A boy came rushing in between them, his six feet frame obscuring the girl from view but she just peeked around Julie, glaring. Julie had only been in a fight once all her life, back in junior high. Missy Fitzgerald, a name she could never forget. But If she had to get into it with raccoon eyes for killing her sweet baby, Julie was so ready. 

“Babe, could you wait with the others outside?”

Julie waited for her to try something but she just walked out. 

“What kind of person does that?”

The boy, a mild mannered Asian, ruffled his short blond hair, quickly glancing at the ground before meeting Julie’s eyes. 

“Could we cover repair or you know, a new one? I’m really sorry.”

Julie hadn’t even considered the cost, her mind only on the extra work she had to do. A weight sagged on her shoulders. “Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

They exchanged numbers and he left to join his crazy girlfriend outside. Julie, down from her adrenaline rush, now became acutely aware of the stares from everyone in the café. It felt like shadows behind her. She couldn’t believe she had made such a scene. 

Flushing, she shoved her things into her bag and high tailed it out of there. 

Outside walking on campus, she took her time strolling home. The midnight breeze blew softly on her dark skin, raising her hair off the nape of her neck. At least she still had her phone. She couldn’t imagine sending a plea for an extension yet again to her Lit. professor, especially after  today in class. 

She always thought college was hard but days like this made the emotional turmoil about three times worse. 

Well it’s not like he knew her by name, she reasoned. She was just another face in the crowd. 

Julie pulled out her phone and started typing out the email, the coffee destroyed laptop leaking from her bag and onto her jeans. 

To: robertindigo@ucl.edu

From: juliewright22@gmail.com

Subject: Due Date Extension

Dear Sir,

I apologise for the late email. I write to appeal for an extension on my due date as my laptop has just been destroyed by four coffees in an incident. 

I would appreciate your kind consideration. 

Yours faithfully, 

Julie Wright. 

Sent. 

Julie reread the email and locked her phone. 

She heaved a sigh. Maybe destroyed was a tad bit dramatic. The purple neon lights of a late night burger place on wheels, Pete’s, shone on her face and Julie thought a double deluxe cheesy beef burger with a creamy strawberry shake wouldn’t be so bad. She cut across the street and made her order. 

She had only just collected her food when her phone pinged in her back pocket. Probably Lexie, she thought. 

The sss notification sent her heart beat a thousand times faster. 

Dear Ms. Wright, 

See me on Monday during my office hours.