Crushing Emeralds

Chapter Twenty

The blaring sound of my alarm clock wakes me up sending me bolting upright in bed. I rub my head to ease a slight headache and swing my feet over the side, my feet come down on my papers that litter the floor. I crunch my way out of bed over the papers to pick them up and pile them on my desk. I notice that Kordie is gone, her bed already made. As I finish getting ready for class I sit down to put my heels on and notice that the bottoms of my feet are filthy.

My dream last night, I remember wondering down the halls, but it was just a dream. I force myself to remember more. My disheveled paper are reasonable, I fell asleep in bed. But my dirty feet, feeling like I didn’t sleep at all...something isn’t right.

Thinking. Thinking. Forcing the thoughts to connect. Oh no.

It all floods back, Blake and I full on making out in a deserted room and before it all went black. How did it all go black? What happened after it did?

I try to move past it, putting any thought of Blake in the back of my head. On shaky legs and a tired head, I proceed to get ready for class which happens to be with Evan of all people. But what i need to do is confront Blake to find out what happened. I might remember what happened up to a point, but I don’t remember getting back to my own room. Obviously, I need to be more firm with him.

I decide to stop by Evan’s room to walk with him to class and maybe have a Blake sighting. But Evan answers the door instantly and shuts it just as fast behind him.

“Blake still sleeping?” I ask.

“Blake was never in his room last night. Why do you ask?” His eyes narrow at my mention of Blake.

“Just wondering, that’s all.” I couldn’t tell him that I think about him constantly and literally sleep wake to him.

Classes go by with the slightest bit of my attention. As if the World is against me and my sanity the whole day goes by with no sign of Blake. Of course, when you want to talk to the guy he’s nowhere to be found, but when you don’t want him around it seems like every corner you turn there he is.

The following days are the same, classes go by in a blur and Blake is a no show. Not to mention Evan and Kordie are acting pretty weird around each other in my presence. I see Kordie flinch every time Evan bypasses her and embraces me, kissing my check.

Days turn to weeks, four weeks to be exact. I don’t ask Evan about Blake, because I don’t want to draw notice to the interest I have in him. I take all my attention and put it towards the show, because dwelling on Blake ignoring me rips me apart.

I spend several hours during the week and weekends at the studio practicing and talking things over with Wyatt. When Friday evening arrives I’m ready for the live taping.

I enter the camera filled room and get greeted by multiple people on my way to my desk. I get my papers in order and sit in the chair trying to relax. “Hey Wyatt, does the producer ever come and talk with anybody, I am ever going to met him?” I question.

“He doesn’t stop down and see how things are going. He’s more like a sponsor and gets feedback from me.”

“So, that means I should suck up to you.” I laugh.

“Exactly. You’re on in ten so get ready Ms. Welles. Impress that audience and you could make it big.” Wyatt claims and walked away to finish up business.

I enter the soundproof studio and take my seat behind the desk and close my eyes centering myself. I didn’t feel nervous, because I’m in front of a camera. I feel nervous because I have a lot to live up to. I haven’t been on a show for a long time and let’s face it I’m not the same person I was when I was on Eye of the Warrior. I had a partner to share the spotlight with and now I have to hold my own. Within minutes the camera guys and Wyatt re enter the room getting things ready and start the countdown.

I see Wyatt point at me and I start within seconds, “Good evening UW students and community members. I am Emerald Wells and this is Campus Talk.”

I finally took a breath of relaxation when I hear Wyatt yell ‘Cut!’ The news rolled off my tongue just like it should. It feels good to be back behind a desk and be on a show again. It’s something productive to my mind to instead of other things.

We all enter the workroom and start packing our things up. Everybody stops and goes quiet as the school phone in the room rings. Wyatt rushes over and answers it. He keeps his back to all of us and barely speaks. We all know who was on the phone, the producer, our great sponsor.

After Wyatt hangs up and turns to face us, I know it’s good news. “Our new news leader is brilliant in the producer’s eyes and he can’t wait till next week’s show.” He says with a wide smile on his face. I get a small round of applause and a few slaps on the back before people head out. It’s well past 9 o'clock and I’m beat.

I’m half way down the hall making my way back to my dorm when I hear running footsteps behind me, “Wait up.” Wyatt yells.

I stop and ask, “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to personally thank you for the exceptional job you did in there. You have been the best reporter we have had in awhile. It’s good to have a girls touch in a class full of nerds.” Wyatt blushes slightly.

“No problem, I’m a very hard worker and take my position very seriously. You don’t have to worry about me slacking off.” I let my mind slip to Blake. “I have a feeling that I’m going to be in the workroom...a lot. Now, I’m going to go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

I start to retreat down the hall. I watch the floor as I walk down the hall. Halfway down though I look up, my eyes go directly to the corner rounding the next hall, to somebody who quickly disappears around that very corner. I want to quicken my pace, but Wyatt follows me anxiously.

“Emerald…” Wyatt says before pausing.

“Yeah?”

“I just want to know if you would like to get coffee with me sometime?”

My heart picks up its pace. Blake could be right around the corner. “I’d love to Wyatt. We’ll talk about it later okay.” I didn’t wait for a response. I walk as fast as I can without running. But as I round the corner, I walk into an empty hall. Maybe it wasn’t Blake.

I walk up to my room as slow as possible and turn the knob carelessly. The second the door creaks open I’m bombarded by Evan, Kordie and a few other people that we went to high school with.

They had decorated the room and cheered how great they thought the show was. I look around the room a few more times really focusing on faces to see if I skimmed past Blake, even though I would have known if he was in the room by the sensation I get when he is near. But maybe I’m starting to imagine those feelings.

Evan and Kordie bring up the idea of going to the hottest dance club in town to celebrate my new found success. Bushwhacked is a fairly new dance club that opened up and every dancing soul has to go at least once. The glow of the neon lit sign plastered on front of their building make it look more like a strip club than a dance club. This in Kordie’s opinion is great because her current dream is to go dance on tables, which is allowed of course.

“Sorry I can’t, I have to work at my mom’s shop this weekend.” I say ruining the party for everyone. “She’s super busy and is insisting that I come down for the weekend and help out with orders. It’s the least I can do, plus, I could use a visit home.”

“If your mom wasn’t so nice I would say she’s trying to sabotage your college experiences.” Kordie interjects, hands on her hips.

“She has a lot on her plate, so I’m stepping in as the floral bridal constantant. I already have two brides’ orders that I have to finish this weekend and I have a meeting tomorrow with a new customer. I need to leave bright and early tomorrow morning so I can catch the bus...since some people left their cars at home, I don’t have a ride.”

“Don’t kill the responsible one.” Evan jokes.

“Fine we’ll just go without you.” Kordie says as she whips her hair and grabs Evan’s arm and leaves the room with the rest of the people following not far behind.

After they left I instantly regret not going with them. But what is dancing going to do to help me keep my mind off Blake? Nothing. But work helps. The show. Helping my mother at Flourish. Helps. I plop down in my chair at my desk and start thinking of ideas for arrangements. I didn’t hear the door creak open with paper up to my neck trying to figure out these centerpieces.

“Well, didn’t want to go party tonight.”

“Jesus!” The papers go flying as my hands shoot up in the air from being scared to death.

“Jumpy are we? What’s this I hear about you needing to create floral arrangements for a wedding.” Blake said with his grubby hands digging through my papers.

I snatch the papers out of his hands and counter his nosey concern, “For your information I have to work, now tell me do werewolves work or do you get an allowance on how many times you howl at the moon.” All I want to do is throw myself on him with relief that he’s still here and didn’t leave me. “I have been looking for you for days, hell weeks.”

Blake holds up a finger to stop me as my mouth opens wide to draw an argument, but he talks over me washing out my coming words. “I asked Evan about you two and he said that you guys are a couple. He claims that he’s going to marry you and now I see you working on wedding arrangements.”

“For a client, I’m very popular you know. Is that why you have been ignoring me, refusing to talk to me? Leaving me to go crazy with these blank spots in my memory?”

“Maybe. I saw you on TV earlier today and whatever his name is flirt with you. You got Evan wrapped around your finger, coffee with a nerd. What else are you doing to drive me crazy?” Blake says, ticking the items off on his fingers.

“Ah, that was you in the hall, are we jealous? I told you I am very popular. If you think you can disappear and not talk to me for weeks and come into my room and have some jealousy issues, you’re wrong. You can go back to your room, I have to get to bed before I fall asleep with all my paper scrambled everywhere again or do something I might regret like kick your ass. Or worse, forget that I kicked your ass.”

I stack up my papers and crawl into bed. I wanted to talk to him about that so-called dream, but I know it wasn’t a dream. I need to get my leverage back and not be his little puppy dog. He’s the dog and I need the reins.

He just stands there and stares at me until the question is finally said, “Can I stay here until you fall asleep? I promise I will behave myself and keep you in line…” he gives me this smile and I know exactly what he was referring to, “I didn’t mean to leave. If you thought that I left you I’m greatly sorry. I’m not going anywhere permanently without you.”

“And I’m not going anywhere permanently with you so I guess we’re at a standstill.” I let the silence linger between us. When he doesn’t say anything I do. “And no you can’t stay. You didn’t earn it yet.”

“If you ever give me a chance.”

“Fine. But do not make me regret it. Stay over there,” I swing my hand in the direction of Kordie’s bed. “Hands and mind mojo to yourself.”

Who am I kidding? Am I really going to be able to go to sleep with him here...staring at me? But without wanting to, I feel at ease and the most relaxed that I’ve felt since I woke up after our encounter all those weeks ago.