Chapter 14

Ally's eyes were red and puffy from crying when Kaija returned. All the while, she had been debating how best to tell Kaija what had happened. There was no getting out of it, yet she didn't want to get Barclay into any more trouble. She hid her tired and bloodshot eyes behind the laptop's display as she hunted and pecked her way through the story.

"Hey, roomie," Kaija greeted, her voice noticeably brighter. "Anything exciting happen while I was out?"

If she only knew, Ally groaned to herself. She bit her lower lip, trying to find the words to describe what had happened between her and Barc. She decided on an approach that had elements of humor mixed with loads of concern and compassion. Ally wanted to do as much as possible to minimize Kaija's anger over the situation.

"Actually something did happen"

"Do tell," Kaija said, kicking off her sneakers. She must have been out running Ally assumed. "I could use a little excitement."

"Barclay stopped by," Ally said, testing the waters.

"Kaija tossed her shoes into the floor of her closet. "Interesting. I told him I needed some time away from him. We had a bit of a disagreement last night." She hopped up onto her bed. "So what did he have to say for himself?"

"Uh, I have a bit of a confession to make." Allison looked down as she spoke, staring at a scuff mark on one of her shoes. "I asked him to come over."

A look of annoyance flashed across Kaija's face. "Why in the hell would you do that?"

Ally cleared her throat nervously. "I was trying to get him to come and see you," she explained in a near whisper. "You looked so miserable... So when he logged on to the IM server, I pretended to be you and invited him over."

A big grin spread across Kaija's lips. "Way to go, girl," she said, nodding in approval. "You're already picking up on the finer points of dealing with men. Nice work!"

"Well, you might want to hold off on the compliments a bit." Ally stood up and started pacing the room. She folded her arms to keep from fidgeting while she spoke. She just wanted to get the whole thing over with! Ally turned to Kaija, a serious expression on her face. "He didn't come here expecting to see you, Kaija. Somehow he knew it was me behind the keyboard instead of you."

Kaija looked puzzled, but continued to listen attentively.

"Barc thought I had had a change of heart and was coming on to him."

"Whoa, back up a minute. A change of heart? You two have discussed having a relationship behind my back?" Kaija tried to remain as even-tempered as she could.

Ally's brow began to sweat. "No, it's not like that. I was telling him how much you loved him one day, and I got the distinct impression his feelings weren't as strong as yours. In fact he pretty much said that."

Kaija's voice was getting louder. "So you took that opportunity to make a move on my man?!?"

The accusation was so foreign and funny to her, Ally couldn't help but smirk at the thought of it. "No, I did not make a move on him. In fact, I threw him out after he kissed me."

"You WHAT?!?" Kaija's eyes were huge. After a few tense moments, they both burst into fits of laughter. The image that popped into their heads was truly priceless. Too bad the reality didn't live up to the hype, Allison thought with a grin.

Ally smiled proudly. "Yep, I kicked him out. And that was only after I told him he was yours."

"You didn't," Kaija moaned in faked exasperation. "What did he say?"

"He was none too happy, let's put it that way."

"I'll bet he wasn't. He's used to getting everything, and every one, he wants." Kaija couldn't wipe the Cheshire grin off of her face. "Wow, I can't believe you gave up a hunk like Barclay for me!" She was practically gushing. "That's so incredibly sweet of you!"

With a casual shrug, Ally said, "No biggie." And she wasn't about to tell Kaija otherwise.

Ally managed to finish her story after Kaija fell asleep. She was too wound up to sleep after talking to Kaija and the words were flowing, so she decided to take advantage of the situation. While the story wasn't bad, Ally felt it needed something more. What, Ally wasn't sure.

Since she had no classes on Tuesday, Ally planned to take her story over to Professor Salinger during his office hours that afternoon. She figured it was better to meet with him and get the story in tip-top shape before class rather than go into an honors course unprepared. Even if it meant being alone with the hunky professor.

The sun beat down on Ally's head as she crossed campus. She could almost feel her arms tanning in real time it was so hot out. A cool breeze hit her heated body as she yanked open the heavy door to the English building. The comfort of the air conditioned building was almost enough to make her wish she had class every day. The sweltering dorm rooms were murder after awhile. No bigger deterrent to sex than hot, smelly bodies she grinned to herself as she approached Salinger's office.

She shifted the weight of her backpack and knocked on the solid wood door.

"Come on in," Salinger's muffled voice called out.

When she opened the door, Ally was stunned to find the room totally dark. "Are you in here, Professor Salinger?" she asked, squinting her eyes to help them adjust to the lack of light.

"Yeah. Go ahead and flip on the lights."

Ally did as he requested. Professor Salinger spun around in his swivel chair to make eye contact with Allison, and instead found his jaw dropping at the sight of the goddess standing before him.

"Wow," he gasped without thinking. "You look terrific!"

His expression reminded Ally of the story of the princess and the toad and how she must've looked when the ugly toad turned into a handsome prince after she kissed him.

She smiled, pleased with his reaction to her but not wanting to be. "Thank you," Ally returned shyly.

It took a few moments for the professor to regain his composure, but when he did, he finally asked Allison why she was there.

She dropped the printout of her story on his desk. "My story... It's missing something, but I can't decide what. I was hoping you could help me so I could fix it before class tomorrow night."

Professor Salinger picked up the small pile of papers. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing toward the couch. "Let me have a quick look-see." He was dying to ask her what was up with the radically changed appearance, but opted to distract himself with her story instead. It was better that way, he rationalized.

But still, he couldn't get over the difference. Her harshly tied back mousy brown locks had been replaced by a lighter head of cascading curls. The style did a lot to soften Allison's face. And her casual baggy clothes gave way to snugger fitting jeans and a midriff-bearing shirt. Was this all for him? Surely there had to be something going on in that head of hers. People don't make major changes in appearance overnight for no reason at all. One change maybe, but not a complete personal overhaul.

Professor Salinger soon discovered his gaze had wandered over to Allison again. She sat on the couch, her long slender legs crossed, pouring through a book. It wasn't his romance novel this time. Had she finished reading it already, or did it not appeal to her? He shook his head to clear his mind, and then shifted his attention back to her story.

Allison had a lot of potential, he decided. Her descriptions were vibrant, and her dialogue made it effortless to spot the different characters merely by the way they spoke. But plot development, most specifically the inclusion of conflict, was her downfall.

Seeing he had finished reading her story, Ally looked up hopefully. "Well?"