Fire & Snow

Chapter 10

“Neva, I need you for something,” Liav said immediately I picked up his call.

I internally groaned. Who calls at past midnight for a job? I mean I know I am his assistant and I work for him but could he not let me have the night to myself. I had spent my entire afternoon running his errands, I was exhausted, and I still had an assignment to work on.

“Yes Liav, what do you need?” I asked trying to sound as though I had not just woken up.

“Faith is sick and we taking her to the hospital right now,” Liav replied.

I tossed the covers and searched for my glasses on the nightstand. “What happened? Do you need me to come with you?” I asked frantically as I searched for my slippers in the dark. I was suddenly on high alert and ready to do as Liav said. All he had to do was tell me what to do and I was on it.

There was noise coming from Liav’s end and I felt my heart rate accelerate. What was wrong with Faith? Was she going to be okay? Was it something really serious that she had to be taken to the hospital? It was question after question that I had no answer to any.

“Faith is fine, you do not have to panic,” came Liav’s reply a few minutes later. “But she did faint like twice, all of which I may have initially ignored if it wasn’t for her roommate talking some sense to me.”

I sighed in relief. Just because the girl always said exactly what was on her mind did not mean that I did not like her. She was one of the girls that actually could keep me interested in whatever they had to say. The other being Kylie.

“Okay, so what do you need me to do?” I asked. I was now a bit more at ease knowing that Faith was semi okay.

“I need you to go to Faith’s room and put her things in order and she also needs you to make a list of all the pros and cons of sports betting, get her some books from the library and ask her classmates to tell you exactly what they are going to cover, any assignments or tests. Just make sure she isn’t going to lag behind,” Liav explained. “Her aunt will be taking her home and hence she will not be attending any classes. “Oh and get a sick note from the dean, yeah I think that’s about it.”

I sat on the edge of my bed with a blank expression. She wanted me to do all that and I was not even working for her. Sure, she was his best friend but that did not mean that my services extending to her as well. Heck, the next thing I know he was going to tell me to help Aydan with his schedule or something.

“Okay, anything else?” I asked while staring out in the darkness. Kylie was still staying at her boyfriend’s place and I was all alone in my room. I now missed her annoying pecky self; at least she always made me smile even when I did not want to.

“Nope,” Liav said sounding cheerful. “But if I do remember something then I will let you know.”

He hung up and I was left staring at the darkness. I no longer felt sleepy but just emotionally and physically drained. I laid back on my bed and continuing staring at the darkness.

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“You look like you went to hell and back,” Chance said immediately he saw me. “Did you not get enough rest?”

I sighed, after Liav called me at midnight and told me about Faith and everything that I was supposed to do, I could not find it in me to go back to sleep. I just laid there on my bed and stared out into the darkness. I did not even wish to fall asleep anymore, which was the weird part.

“Nope,” I replied. I felt as though I had been hit by a truck then beaten extensively. “I need some coffee. Be an angel Chance and get me a cup before class begins,” I said in what I figured was the sweetest voice.

Chance scoffed, “Try someone else. I am not getting you anything,” he said with a straight face. “You what, I just had an excellent idea, why don’t you go and buy it yourself. I mean you do have two perfectly functioning legs,” he said and then smiled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What an amazing and caring friend you are Chancellor,” I said and I knew I hit a nerve when he narrowed his eyes back at me. “Doesn’t feel so great when your friend does that to you.”

Alex burst into laughter.

“You just had to go there,” Chance said as he walked away from Alex and I. “Don’t worry Neva, and don’t you worry. I am definitely going to buy you that coffee you so desperately need so you stop looking like someone who has been to hell and seen unspoken things.”

Alex and I exchanged looks. This did not sound like something that Chance would say. There was no way he was going to get me coffee and how he had said it sounded so unlike him. I was definitely worried.

“If I were you, I would definitely be worried,” Alex said.

“I am worried,” I replied while I stared in the direction that Chance had just gone in. “What should we do?” I turned to Alex who was also staring in the direction that Chance had gone in.

Alex sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “I honestly don’t know. He looked pissed but he sounded anything but pissed off,” he said. “I guess all we can do now is just hope he isn’t pissed off because Lord only knows what he is going to do to you.”

“I don’t understand why he always gets so pissed off when we call him by his full name. You would think someone wouldn’t hate their name so much as Chance hates his,” I said.

Alex shrugged, “I have asked him on more than one occasion why he hates being called Chancellor and each time he just looks at me with narrowed eyes and leaves.”

“I wish we knew someone who would tell us the full story.”

We stood there waiting until Chance returned with a Styrofoam cup in his hand. Alex looked at me then at Chance and back at me.

Chance walked over to us and handed me the Styrofoam cup. “Here you go, your coffee,” he said smiling.

I reluctantly took the cup from him and looked at the cup then at him. Something was obviously not okay somewhere. Was this a trick? Was he trying to get back at me for calling him by his full name? I had no idea and I was not about to risk my life by taking a sip from it.

“Aren’t you going to drink it?” Chance asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Um…”

Chance rolled his eyes. “It isn’t poisoned or anything,” he said. “I would never do that to you or anyone for that matter.” He looked at me with sincere eyes but I still did not trust him. “You don’t trust me again? You really think I would try and do something that horrible and inhumane to you of all people?” he sounded hurt and I was tempted to drink it but I also happened to love my life more.

“Wow, okay. This is why I don’t do nice things for anyone,” Chance said and tried taking the coffee back but I stepped back from him.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” I said sincere. “It’s not that I don’t trust you but it’s the fact that you seemed pissed off when you left and that is what has me worried.”

Chance tried taking the coffee back but I kept backing away from him. “Since you don’t trust me, then give me back my coffee so I can drink it myself,” he said.

Alex was just smiling at us while he shook his head. “Just drink it Nev and prove him wrong.”

I looked over at Alex and he shrugged. Taking a deep breathe, I took a sip of the coffee. It tasted like coffee that was one thing and it was exactly how I preferred to have my coffee when I was tired and had not had any sleep, creamy and sweet. It always helped keep me awake something that was the contrary to how others.

“Aw, you remembered how I like it,” I said beaming. “You really are an angel.”

Chance rolled his eyes but moved forward again. “Give me back my coffee you ungrateful girl,” he said but there was a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I smiled but kept backing away from him not looking at what was behind me when I suddenly bumped into someone. I turned around to apology but lost my footing and ended up spilling the coffee all over their white shirt that had now turned a muddy brown.

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“I am so sorry,” I said. I was such a klutz and now I had not only ruined their shirt but I had probably also burnt them in the process. I turned back to look at my friends who were almost practically rolling on the floor laughing. “I am so sorry; I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

I searched for a tissue or napkin but I had nothing, which only made me feel even worse. I had not had enough rest, had teased my best friend and now I had ruined and burnt someone. Tuesday was not just my day.

The person softly chuckled. That laugh, it sounded so familiar but I had no idea where I had heard it. “Relax.”

I looked up at that and Aydan was already staring down at me with a smile on his face. I was frozen in place. Not only was today not my day, but I just had to add to that by spilling my coffee on the school’s apparent popular guy. All I wanted in that moment was for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

“I had a feeling it was you,” Aydan said and smiled while I stood there not knowing what to say. “Hello, Neva?” Aydan placed his hand on my shoulder and lightly shook me.

I snapped out of my head at that. “I am so sorry again,” I said while my so-called friends were still laughing.

Aydan chuckled even more. “Relax Nev, people make mistakes all the time,” he said softly. “Don’t worry about it, it’s just a shirt and I have a lot of those.”

Even though he told me not to worry, I was still worried and I could not help it. “Are you sure?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“Really sure?”

“Yep.”

“One hundred percent sure?”

Aydan laughed and slung his arm over my shoulder casually. The physical contact was something I was not used to getting from him and it made my body freeze.

“Learn to relax not overthink so much sophomore,” Aydan said nonchalantly. “You only ever get to live once and you can’t live apologising and regretting all the choices and mistakes you have made.” He removed his hand from my shoulder.

“You are late for you class sophomore,” he said with a wink and then walked back in the direction of the dorms.

“Aren’t you going to class?” I shouted.

Aydan turned back to look at me. “Unfortunately not. Some clumsy girl spilt her coffee on my favourite white shirt and I now I have to change and probably throw the shirt,” he said with a devilish twinkly in his eyes. “And I now feel lazy to go to class so I will just go and play some football or shoot some hoops.” Then he turned back around and walked away.

I stood there wondering had just happened and suddenly the whole late thing did not bother me as much as it should have.