night.” I pick the cupcake up and take a small nibble out of it, which
luckily is enough to satisfy Heather.
“So how’s Johnny?” she asks in a hushed whisper since the professor has just entered the lecture hall and is readying his notes at the podium.
“He’s good. Real good.”
“Well, that was convincing,” she snickers.
“What? Everything’s fine,” I say, but even I’m not convinced.
“He stole your money again, didn’t he?!” She says this a little too
loud in an overprotective and accusatory tone. She probably thinks this
is the reaction I want, a reaction that shows she’s a loyal friend that is
willing to stand up for me, but really it just makes me uncomfortable. It
makes me feel obligated to do the same if her boyfriend gives her trouble
and, to be honest, I couldn’t be bothered with other people’s shitty relationships.
“No, no. He didn’t,” I try to reassure her and the three other
people that are now eavesdropping on our conversation. But Heather
only raises her blonde eyebrows at me. “I swear, he didn’t!” I say.
“Ahem.” The professor stares straight at me. He’s giving me that
“I’ll wait” look that teachers always give when students are talking. I don’t
know why but it just really pisses me off. I’ve had enough with these
shitty professors still treating me like a highschooler. I’m in grad school,
for Christ’s sake! Stop staring at me; I stopped talking. And anyone that
“ahem’s” deserves to get slapped. Just ask us to be quiet. I roll my eyes and
turn my attention back to Heather.
“Well, something must’ve happened,” she persists.
“No, nothing happened. Why do you assume something happened? We’re fine.”
“You just seem like you’ve been in this weird funk for a while, you
haven’t been doing as well in class, you seem unmotivated, and irritable.
And honestly, I feel like it started when Johnny stole that money from
you.”
“It was only fifty dollars, I make that easily waitressing on a Friday night.” Even as I say it, I know how pathetic I sound.
“Okay, fifty dollars is still a big fucking deal, Mia.” A student behind us
shushes Heather. I can’t imagine what Heather would say if she knew it
w