The Circle of Friends

I - An Enlightening Encounter-2

“That’d do it for me,” agreed Sarah.

“Waking up to a strange girl?”

“No! Oh,” Sarah said, giving him a playful shove when she realized he was teasing. “No, I’ve never woken up next to a strange guy or girl, Matt. That’s not why I stopped.”

“You’re not with anyone, either?”

They reached the last intersection before campus, and Sarah pushed the crosswalk button. “I’ve always been with someone,” she said. “Thought I’d try it on my own for a while.”

“Is it better?” he said as they started across the street.

“Not really. But at least I’m not dealing with some loser’s problems on top of my own.”

Matt laughed, nodding in agreement. He understood what she implied.

An old car drove past, its engine rumbling. The driver gave it a little extra gas at the light, as if to appear tough. Sarah wrinkled her nose, unimpressed with the display.

“Thinks he’s something,” she exclaimed. “That six-cylinder has the same liter engine as my Toyota.”

“You know about cars?” Matt said in surprise, his eyes alive with interest.

“Yeah, I took mechanics in high school,” Sarah declared. “I love racing, too.”

“That’s right, I remember you mentioning that you watch NASCAR. Ever been to a race?”

“Are you kidding?” laughed Sarah as they cut across the parking lot toward her dorm. “Who would I go with? Could you imagine Lori at the races?”

“No, guess I couldn’t,” Matt chuckled. “Jason and I have been to a few. Don’t think it excites him like it does me, though.”

“You’re either a fan or you’re not,” said Sarah, drawing an imaginary line in the air with her hand. “There’s no in between.”

They approached the front of her building and noted lights in several of the rooms. Finals were coming up in a couple weeks and students were already beginning to cram for exams. Sarah knew she’d start hitting the books soon herself, although she relied on her ability to absorb most of the information during the semester. If nothing else, her recall was flawless.

“Gonna crash for the night?” said Matt as they reached the main stairs.

“No, I’m not tired. I’ll probably sit up and play Mortal Combat half the night.”

“Single player?” he said, dubious. Standing up to his full height, Matt stuck out his chest, his expression one of total confidence. “You haven’t played until you’ve played against me.”

“Is that a fact?” demanded Sarah. She crossed her arms, her smile one of devilish mischief. “You think you could beat me?”

“Care to take on the challenge?” Matt countered.

They stood there for a second, eyeing one another suspiciously. Sarah could see the fire of competition in his eyes and knew she couldn’t miss a chance to douse some of Matt’s cockiness. No one could beat her in Mortal Combat. She pointed a finger at Matt, daring him to back down.

“You’re on!” she said, racing up the steps.

Matt followed Sarah to her room. Once inside, they kicked off their shoes, pulled two colas out of the refrigerator, and began to beat each other up in the virtual world. Matt proved himself a worthy opponent and won the first game. Sarah would not go down so easy and came back in the second. They continued to play for over an hour, neither getting more than one win ahead despite their best efforts.

After numerous games, Sarah leaned back in her chair, her energy spent. She’d just won the last game, which evened the score again. They could play until dawn and never see a victor.

“Give up?” Matt teased, his eyes strained.

“Yeah, right,” said Sarah, nudging his shoulder.

Matt set down his controls and peered at the shelf over her desk. It held several books, but games and movies dominated the space. He scanned the titles and exclaimed when he saw one he recognized.

“Wow! ‘Beverly Hills Cop’. I haven’t seen that in ages. Great movie,” he said, pulling the box off the shelf. He glanced at the back, and then looked up at Sarah. “I used to have this memorized.”

“Want to watch it?”

“Can we?” Matt pleaded.

Amused by his child-like eagerness, Sarah took the movie from his hand. While he slipped into the bathroom, she cued the movie to the beginning. When Matt emerged, she made a quick pit stop before settling in to enjoy a few laughs.

“The only place you can watch my television is from the bed,” Sarah said and then shrugged. “Sorry, just kinda lazy that way.”

Matt leaned against the pillows Sarah had piled high on her bed, wedging himself against the wall. The television sat atop the refrigerator at the foot of the bed, its small screen visible only to the bed’s occupant. He stretched out his legs and got comfortable, burrowing his shoulders into the pillows. Crossing his arms, Matt grinned at Sarah.

“You’re not lazy, just smart,” he said with a wink.

Sarah sat on the remaining sliver of mattress. She pointed the remote at the screen and started the movie.

They spent the next two hours laughing themselves silly. Matt had an infectious laugh that was difficult to ignore. Sarah felt comfortable in his presence and leaned back against the pillows, her shoulder touching his. Matt was a casual person, and she knew he wouldn’t think anything of it. After all, they were just friends.

When the film ended, their energy was spent. Sarah turned off the movie, still wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. She was becoming very tired and wouldn’t be making sense for much longer. An old horror movie filled the screen just then, already in progress on one of the local stations. Sarah recognized it and laughed.

“Oh, this one is awful,” she said, flopping against the pillows. “But it’s got some good gore, if they don’t edit it all out.”

“You like gory movies?” Matt said, surprised. He loved horror, but few girls appreciated his taste in films. Heather, in particular, thought they were disgusting.

“The bloodier the better,” said Sarah, her green eyes intense. “I am going to school for a degree in disease research, you know. I love gross stuff.”

They watched the screen in silence, waiting for a gory moment. Matt glanced at the clock and noticed it was four in the morning. He needed to get up before he fell asleep. It had not been his intention to stay so long, but he’d enjoyed the company. The late hour began to overtake him, and Matt felt his eyelids droop. Perhaps he would close them for just a brief moment.

Matt opened his eyes and wondered how much of the movie he’d just missed. The room was dark except for the glow of the television. Peering at the clock on the dresser, he realized it was now five o’clock. He must’ve drifted off for a while.

Stretching out his left leg, Matt realized he wasn’t the only one. Sarah was asleep as well, her body turned toward him. Her head rested on his shoulder and her right hand lay flat on his chest, completely limp. Her breathing slow and steady, Sarah’s eyes were closed and her face appeared relaxed. Matt doubted she even knew she’d curled up to his body in her sleep.

He looked closer at the hand lying on his chest. Sarah’s hands were small, not long and thin like Heather’s, but they had a soft feminine quality he’d never noticed. The nails were unpainted and trimmed short. His gaze traveled up her arm, which was bare, to her shoulder. The light from the television showed soft, perfect skin, wrapped around arms that were neither too thin nor too muscular. Glancing down the length of her body, Matt noticed that her position revealed a nice curve to Sarah’s hips. When he caught sight of her bare feet, Matt smiled, for they exposed painted toenails. Sarah was not prissy and her toenails were painted black, as if in defiance.

Returning to her face, Matt noticed her soft cheeks and long eyelashes. Her dark, spiky hair, not long enough to cover her face, brushed her shoulders. Her lips were pressed together, smoothing the harshness Sarah often possessed. In the low light, she was a very pretty girl.

Matt had always considered Sarah a tomboy and just a little too Goth for his tastes. Even now, she was dressed in a black tank top and jeans, her skin pale in comparison to her clothes and hair color. Yet as she lay next to him, at total peace with the world, he beheld a different creature. Tonight, Matt had witnessed a side of Sarah he’d never noticed.

With his left hand, he covered the hand on his chest. He liked the feel of her skin and resisted the urge to touch her exposed shoulder. Instead, he reached over and brushed the hair away from Sarah’s forehead. She stirred and then was still.

Feeling the remote wedged between them, Matt pried it loose and turned off the television. The room fell into darkness, save for a nightlight in the bathroom. No longer able to see Sarah, Matt laid his hand over hers and closed his eyes. Sarah had looked so beautiful lying beside him and he knew could not get up without disturbing her. It appeared he would spend the rest of the night here. At least Matt would know his sleeping partner in the morning.

Sometime around six, Sarah awoke to a noise in the bathroom. Listening to the sounds, Sarah guessed Heather had returned to their room. She’d likely crashed at the party before finding her way home. If she were that drunk last night, then it was a good thing Sarah hadn’t pressed her for a ride.

She became aware of Matt’s presence and Sarah glanced over her shoulder. Still on his back and sprawled out as much as her tiny bed would allow, he was in a deep sleep. Sarah had turned on her right side during the night, facing away from him. She wondered what Heather would think when she noticed them in bed together.

The bathroom door opened, and Heather staggered into the room. She headed straight for her bed and yanked aside the covers, collapsing with a sigh onto the sheets. In moments, she was asleep, oblivious to the occupants of her room. Sarah lay still for a few more minutes before she drifted off again.

Sarah roused again before nine. She was on her back now, her left side pressed against Matt’s backside. Sarah opened her eyes and listened for sounds of life. Heather’s heavy breathing filled the room, but otherwise the whole dorm was quiet.

Slowly, so as not to disturb Matt, Sarah slid out of bed and stepped into the bathroom. She decided to wash her face and brush her teeth and ran a brush through her hair. Not even a hard night’s sleep could flatten her hair and it fluffed up with a life all its own. Looking in the mirror, Sarah hoped she would not scare Matt when he awoke.

Upon returning, Sarah noticed Heather had kicked off her covers. Clad only in underwear, Heather would be upset if Matt saw her in that condition. Tossing the comforter over her roommate, Sarah eased onto her mattress and placed her back toward Matt. Heather’s appearance had not disturbed him. Sarah wondered if he knew where he’d fallen asleep this morning. She doubted Matt would have selected her bed on purpose.

Matt rolled over in his sleep. Sarah jumped as an arm came down around her. Not moving a muscle, she waited until he settled before glancing over her shoulder. She couldn’t see his face, as it was buried into the pillow, but she could feel Matt pressed against her back, his left arm dangling across her midsection. Despite the improbability of the scenario, Sarah enjoyed feeling his body next to hers. Stretching out her right arm, she touched his hand. Sarah smiled and closed her eyes.