The Only Exception

CHAPTER 3

I woke up early the next morning and didn’t hear Sam at all. She was probably still sleeping off whatever hangover that pot left. I got ready for work, grabbed my keys, and slinked out of the apartment hoping not to run into Trey in the halls. I hated to think what he thought of my roommate’s outburst, or worse, if he thought that I was the one smoking pot and banging on his wall.

Brewster’s Beans was the coffee shop in the student center. It was only a short hike of a few blocks from my apartment, and since it was super early on a Sunday, absolutely no one was on the quad. I didn’t instantly fall in love with Central when I visited it the first time. It didn’t have the urban feel that Taylor did with its close proximity to Chicago, but Central had a quaint vibe of its own.

It had a student population that topped 15,000, but with all the main buildings surrounding a centralized, grassy quad it felt more like a small school. As long as my classes were big enough that I didn’t need to stand out, I would be fine.

I crossed in front of the science building and made it to the student center that was connected by a pedestrian bridge to the four-story library. The student center was just as empty as the rest of campus. The smoothie shop and campus store were both closed on the first floor. It was like a ghost town with no one running the shops and not a student in sight.

Quickly, I made my way down the stairs; going past a few meeting rooms and ended up at the back door to Brewster’s Beans. There was a narrow, tile passageway, and when I got to the end of it I was greeted by mounds of coffee bags and a large, steel door. It opened widely and out popped a girl in the regulation uniform: black baseball cap, black apron, black pants, and red polo shirt. She was carrying a large tray of scones, and I couldn’t help but recognize the mound of curly, brown hair from the back.

“Melanie!”

She jumped, but the scones stayed on the tray. Melanie slowly turned around with a big smile on her face. “Hey, Mon, almost didn’t think you’d show up.”

“Of course I’d show,” I said, following her through the back room to one of the giant ovens she placed the trays in. “It’s the least I could do after you got me this job.”

Melanie went to high school with me, but we really got close the summer after high school when we both worked horrible nanny jobs for the brattiest kids in town, who also happened to be neighbors. We bonded by taking them to the same park every day and sitting on the bench while they ran off their energy or just inflicted it on other unsuspecting kids. I called her as soon as I knew I was transferring, and she set me up with a job.

“You’re just lucky that normal people don’t like the early shifts. You could almost get full-time hours if you just took every morning slot.” Which I could possibly need if I had to pay for an apartment by myself.

I nodded, following her out of the back room and into the main area of the store. Brewster’s Beans was the only coffee shop on campus and was full of bistro tables, brightly colored couches and over-stuffed chairs for study spaces. Everything was decorated in the school colors of red and black, even the long counter with shelves of red bags of coffee sitting above all the machinery.

“I guess you’re not much of a partier, either.” She smiled, pouring a bag of coffee beans into the giant grinder, pressing a large, silver button, and then collecting the grounds in a big filter.

“There are better ways I can think of to spend my Saturday night.”

Like having an impromptu dinner with a governor’s son and watching my roommate get busted for pot.

“I think we’re going to get along just fine as co-workers,” she said, placing the full filter in one of the large coffee brewers and moving a big carafe underneath it.

“So, is it usually going to be this busy in the morning?” I looked around at the empty room.

Melanie shrugged. “It’s the first weekend of school. You may get a few stragglers in around eight and then on week days it should get a little more crowded before class.”

I didn’t realize just how empty it would be until we actually started working. We didn’t get a single customer until after I’d already been there two hours, and by that time, I had learned to make every drink on the menu and filled all six carafes of coffee that sat on the counter. Of course, the first customer was just looking for the bookstore and didn’t buy anything. It wasn’t until ten that we started to get quite a line.

I stood at the register, wrote the drinks on a cup, and took the money while Melanie went through making the drinks. The ten o’clock person didn’t show up, so Melanie asked if I could stay until noon. I agreed, knowing that I wasn’t exactly sure what I would have waiting for me at my apartment.

“Why, hello, Miss Remy, it’s a pleasure seeing you here.”

I looked up to see the smug smile of Trey Chapman and next to him stood a moose of a guy with choppy, brown hair and Greek letters across his chest.

“I didn’t realize that cockiness got up this early,” I said, not able to keep my sarcasm in check.

There was no one in line behind him, so I couldn’t use that as an excuse to get him to move on and obviously he didn’t care that I was working.

“I was up early; someone was banging on my bedroom wall at two this morning.”

I blinked hard. “Um, that wasn’t me. That was my roommate.”

He slammed on the charm. “I figured you would have a better vocabulary than she does. I noticed how fluent she was in cursing when she was getting arrested.”

I sucked in a deep breath. At least he knew it wasn’t me, but I also didn’t know our bedroom walls connected. My mind drifted to thoughts of where his bed was, and if he was a boxers-or-briefs type of guy. I quickly had to shake the visions out of my head. It had been months since I had any sexual thoughts about a guy. Not that I was turning into a lesbian, but it was like a switch went off, and I had no interest. Now it was as if someone was slowly turning on the dimmers and I was squinting, trying to find my way back to the light.

“Is this the lib you were telling me about?” The moose guy asked.

“The lib?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, John Boy, this is Monica. She’s my new neighbor who tells me that I need to do some research on women’s rights, but hasn’t told me how she plans on helping our depressed economy.”

“Oh, hey, Lib.” John Boy smiled and waved a thick hand.

“Monica, this is my big brother, John Boy. We were just meeting for coffee to talk about some fraternity business, but if you want to join me for a croissant after your shift I would be happy to tell John Boy to find something else to occupy his time.”

I rolled my eyes. The self-righteousness oozed off of Trey. I wondered if other girls fell for his charm so easy. I hated to admit that there was something about challenging him that I really enjoyed, but I couldn’t get past the dress shirts, belted dress pants, and the major fact that his dad thought every girl should just go without birth control.

“I think I’ll take a pass. Some of us actually have to work. But you probably already knew I was working here and conveniently made it your meeting place of choice.”

Trey flashed his political smile. “I assure you I had no idea this was your place of employment. It’s good to see that someone who lectures me on the depressed economy happens to be gainfully employed.”

I put my hand to my chest. “And us little people thoroughly enjoy how you talk to us. So proper. I don’t know what a little ol’ middle-class girl like me would do without your help.”

“It’s good to see that you see the humor in the way I choose to talk, Miss Remy.”

“And it’s good to see that someone with such a large stick shoved u—”

“Monica!” Melanie elbowed me in the side. “I understand that you have a friend here, but I do believe you should finish taking his order before we get another line.”

I bit my lip to restrain what I really wanted to say. “He’s not my friend. He’s just my neighbor, the beloved governor’s son, Trey Chapman.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Melanie is it?” Trey put out his hand and shook Melanie’s, briskly. “At least that is what your name tag says.”

“Um…yes…yes it is Melanie.” She moved her hand away and stared at him, with her eyebrow raised and her lip slightly curled, as if she was trying to figure him out. I was trying to figure out the same thing. Exactly what was with the governor’s son?

“Are you going to order? Or will you leave me standing here, like I’m sure your dad has done to plenty of union workers,” I asked with extra snark.

Melanie elbowed me again in the ribs. Trey opened his mouth to say something, but John Boy interrupted.

“Okay, that’s enough political talk. I’m hungover as shit and need a large coffee and a glazed donut.”

“One large drip and a glazed donut,” I said through gritted teeth. “And for you, Trey?”

“Besides another date with you?” He leaned in on the counter. He had smug written all over his face. No matter how much I argued with him, he just couldn’t stop.

“We never went on an actual date. You showed up where I was eating. It’s just like you are doing now.” I sighed. “Now please just order something off the damn menu.”

“Okay, I can see when your patience is running low. I’ll just take a large coffee as well and maybe a croissant, and a walk with you for later.”

I pressed a few buttons on the cash register. “Okay, that’s two large coffees, a glazed donut, and one large cup of no-way-in-hell-I’ll-ever-go-out-with-you. That will be $5.35.”

Trey stared at me, his eyes locked onto mine like I was the only person in the room. His gaze didn’t say he was angry, more like intrigued.

A gust of cool air shot out from behind my back followed by the loud clicking of heels. “Sorry I’m late, overslept!”

I broke my stare down with Trey and looked behind me where a tall blonde fastened on an apron. As she lifted her hair I caught a glimpse of a golf ball size hickey on her neck. I was sure that love bite wasn’t from sleeping.

I smiled at the blonde, seeing her name on her nametag was Betsy. “Oh good, you can finish Mr. Chapman’s order here.” I gestured my hand in Trey’s direction.

“Oh, hey!” Her eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “You’re Trey Chapman! The governor’s son!”

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to hear the gush fest and took off my apron. “I’ll see you later, Melanie,” I yelled over my shoulder as I headed for the back room.

“I hope to see you later as well!” Trey’s voice carried over Betsy’s, but I didn’t turn around to acknowledge it.

***

When I finally got back to my apartment I paused, taking in a deep breath before I actually unlocked the front door. I had no idea what shape the apartment would be in or if Sam would even be there. Either way, I wasn’t in the mood for a fight.

I pushed open the door and there was Sam, still in her pajamas and sitting at the breakfast bar with a bowl of cereal. She looked up from the bowl, and we made eye contact. Her face was streaked with mascara, her eyes were blood-shot. I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for her at that moment or to just ignore her.

“Hey,” I said, breezing past the kitchen and to my bedroom door. Just as I put my hand on the doorknob, she spoke.

“Look, Monica, I’m sorry.”

I spun around, crossing my arms over my chest. “Well, this is going to be good.”

She sighed, spinning her stool before she dropped down, her bare feet hitting the tile below with a soft thud. “I should have asked you before having people over, and I really shouldn’t have barged into your room.”

I huffed. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

“I promise it won’t happen again, it’s just...” She sighed. “School’s back in session, and I was finally out of the dorms, so I wanted to have a good time and relax. I guess I was stupid not think the cops wouldn’t show up, especially with Mr. Governor’s son right next door.”

“No shit.”

She took a step toward me, rubbing her elbow with her opposite hand. “Look, I’m not saying that we have to be friends, but I can’t afford this place without a roommate, and there’s no way in hell I want to go back to the dorms. So, if we can just work out some ground rules then maybe we can make this work?”

I stared at her blood-shot eyes and wanted to be mad at her, but we were both stuck in the same boat. I couldn’t afford the place without her, and there was no telling what other kind of weird roommate I could get if I threw myself in the dorms or another apartment search.

“Okay, but no more parties unless you ask me first, no barging in my room unannounced, and definitely no smoking pot in the apartment, but I’m sure after you were released from jail they told you that.” I listed off the rules on my fingers, hoping to get my message across.

She continued rubbing her elbow. “Actually the charges were for assaulting a police officer; they couldn’t find the pot, just the paraphernalia.”

“Whatever, same thing. Look, either way. I don’t want it around.”

She chewed on her bottom lip and then stuck out her hand. “Okay, deal.”

I took her hand and shook it lightly. “Deal.”

She dropped our hands. “But is it still cool if Mac comes over sometimes? At least just to hang.”

“I guess as long as there is no pot or any other random parties.” I pointed a finger almost directly in her face. “And no more pounding on Trey’s wall. I have to deal with enough shit from him, and I don’t want to add to it.”

She widened her eyes. “Seriously? Have you seen that much of him?”

I dropped my hand and groaned. “Ugh, he actually showed up at Brewster’s where I work at and made some cocky remark about it.”

“Ughhhh! What is it with conservative douchebags? Did he give you some speech in that high-an- mighty tone he has? Miss Remy, the drug problem in our country is a very prominent issue for America’s youth,” she lowered her voice for the last part, straightening out an imaginary tie.

I tried to stifle a laugh. “That sounds exactly like something he would say.”

Sam sat back on the stool, and I set my bag down and sat on the stool next to her.

She took a bite of her cereal and then put the spoon down. “Did you know when I first moved in that I got stopped by one of his security guys and then Trey had the nerve to knock on the door and introduce himself? After I get the third degree, he thinks he can just waltz in the apartment with a big smile, and I pretend he didn’t just violate any freedom I have?”

I put my hands to my chest. “I got stopped by those goons too, but I don’t think that’s an everyday thing.” I wasn’t about to tell her that I knew for a fact that it wasn’t. I’d take any little bonding time I had with her, and didn’t want to bring up the fact that I had talked about it with Trey just an hour before he probably called the cops on her.

Sam shook her head, taking another bite of cereal. “I haven’t seen them around since yesterday, but hopefully not. I can’t deal with that.”

“As much as a little extra security would be nice, that would take it to an extreme.”

She nodded her head slightly. “So, does this mean we’re cool now?”

The tough girl from yesterday was gone. I guess a night in jail could do that to someone, especially when their roommate actually confronts them about it. I guess that month of self-defense classes I took actually paid off. Now if only I could confront my real problems as well as I could with my roommate.

I paused for a minute, looking down at my hands. There were coffee grounds stuck under my nails, and I knew there was probably cocoa powder caked on me, but that didn’t matter at the moment. If I wanted to stay in the apartment, I needed a roommate. If I didn’t have one, I’d probably have to pick up so many shifts that I’d be living at Brewster’s anyway.

“Yeah,” I said, sliding off the chair. “For now.”