Chapter 15

Avoidance. Yep, that was it. If she dodged the issue altogether, no harm would be done. Ally could leave gracefully without jeopardizing the chance of a lifetime. Then she could take some time to think things over and decide how to handle the situation. Of course with creative writing class just over 24 hours away, her time to think was limited, but it would do. At the very least it would address the current situation, and for the moment, that was all she really wanted.

With a warm smile, Allison pulled back. "You know, if I'm going to make those changes to the story before class tomorrow night, I'd better get going."

He smiled back, pleased with her dedication. "Sounds like a plan. I'll see you tomorrow night at my house then?"

For an instant, Ally panicked. She had forgotten class was moved there. Once she remembered, she recovered quickly. "Yeah. I'm catching a ride with Mandy and Erica again."

Allison wanted to see Professor Salinger's reaction to the mention of their names. They were gorgeous young women who would logically tempt any red-blooded male. But he didn't respond, not in the least. He just gazed fondly at his young protégé as she repacked her backpack. Maybe he knew Mandy and Erica were lesbians, she justified, unwilling to accept that he could be so taken with her and only her.

"Great. And if you can, take some time to look over the outline I gave you, too. Take notes of anything that comes to mind from suitable character names to scenes that pop into your head. We've gotta get moving on this puppy; our editors are getting restless."

She loved the sound of that. 'Our editors'... Having an outline and being told to think of character names and such made it all so real, too. Finally, her dream of becoming a writer was becoming a reality!

Giddy with excitement, Ally waved goodbye and headed for the door. Her mind was so far gone, she didn't even remember walking to the lobby. At least not until the oppressively humid wall of hot air hit her as she exited the building. Ally had never been so excited in her life. If only she could share the news... But she knew that was out of the question. Professor Salinger's job depended on it. For now, it would simply have to be their little secret.

Allison was beaming when she caught up with Kaija and Barclay for dinner at the dining commons.

Kaija couldn't keep a straight face. Laughing hysterically, she said, "Jeez, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you got some today!" Barclay couldn't help but laugh at her comment as well.

"Oh puh-lease!" Ally giggled, rolling her eyes. For the first time in days she wasn't preoccupied with Barclay. Even though she sat right across from him as they ate, her mind was fixed solely on Professor Salinger and their top secret project.

"Well at least tell us why you're in such a good mood then," Kaija pressed.

Getting feisty, Ally countered, "Not until you guys tell me how you made up!" She stuck her tongue out at them and then took a bite of her chicken fried steak. Just as she thought-the twosome quieted instantly. Ally had her suspicions though. She would have bet massive amounts of money that Kaija had seen the light and made the first move toward reconciliation just hours after Allison told her about the kiss. She was definitely touched by Ally's declaration of Barclay belonging to Kaija, so it made sense that she would move swiftly toward a reunion. Especially with so many women on campus being drawn to Barc... One more thing to be happy about, Ally smiled, scooping up a spoonful or corn.

"So what's up for tonight, guys?" Barclay asked.

Kaija shrugged, but Ally begged off instantly by saying she had to stay in and work on her story for tomorrow night's class.

"I thought you had finished that," Kaija said.

"I'm close," Ally responded. "I just have a few edits I want to make."

"Ohh," Kaija grinned, "don't we sound professional!" She couldn't resist poking fun at Ally's use of the word 'edits' in place of something simpler like 'some changes'.

Ally's heart skipped a beat in fear that she had dropped one too many clues about the project, but she hadn't. Kaija just simply loved giving her a bad time. And Ally had to admit that there were a lot of times she was more than an easy target.

After dinner, Ally headed for the dorm while Kaija and Barclay headed somewhere else. Ally suspected they were on their way to his place for some alone time. Talk about 'getting some', Ally giggled to herself.

Since Kaija had given her permission to use her laptop again, Ally settled in to her roommate's desk. She could wait to finish touching up her story so she could move on to the outline. Ally hadn't even taken a peek at it yet. She was saving it as a reward for finishing her work, and it appeared to be working. Halfway through the story, Ally treated herself to a bag of buttery microwave popcorn. Both the smell and the flavor soothed her as she continued to work.

After much inserting and deleting of text, Ally was finally happy with the result. She couldn't wait to hear her classmates' reaction to the story tomorrow night. It was a rare event when she was truly inspired, so it was something worth celebrating. Ally emailed the story to the English office so the secretary could photocopy sheets for the class and then shut down the computer.

Curling up on her bed to read the outline seemed much more appealing than sitting on the hard wooden desk chair. She could tell by the brief synopsis that the book was to have a humorous slant, something she felt was among her strengths. And it, of course, looked terribly romantic, too. Ally leaned back on her pillow as she imagined being the heroine Professor Salinger outlined. Oh to be that sought after, loved, and prized by the man of your dreams! She could only begin to imagine what that would feel like...

When she tried to picture her dream man, the strangest thing happened. The man's face morphed from Professor Salinger's to Barc's and back again. Over and over one face was replaced with the other, and worst of all, Ally could see tremendously redeeming values in both men. The professor was so worldly and accomplished not to mention very complimentary about her talents. Barclay, on the other hand, was wild and crazy on the outside, but a total marshmallow on the inside. She loved being with him. But the professor made her feel warm and safe. Yeah, being with a professor on a personal level was inappropriate, but so was lusting after a friend's boyfriend. If only she could meet someone who was kind, unattached, and not off limits... The unobtainable goal strikes again, she groaned.

Ally had no sooner managed to refocus her energy on the outline when Kaija and Barclay walked in.

"Hey, roomie, how's it goin'?" Kaija asked cheerfully.

Allison looked up, inadvertently making eye contact with Barclay first. She quickly shifted her attention to Kaija. "It's going well, thanks," she managed. "Thanks for letting me use your laptop. It really helped speed things up."

"I'm glad," Kaija smiled. She looked over at Barclay and giggled. Ally wondered what was going on between them, yet in some ways she really didn't want to hear the details. Yes, she acknowledged that Barc was Kaija's, but that didn't mean she'd be able to be totally indifferent about their sexual escapades. Not after that kiss...

Barclay grew uncomfortable. "Uh, I think I'm gonna head out now, ladies. Catch ya at breakfast?" The girls nodded, and Barclay was on his way.

"Did I do something to make him uncomfortable?" Ally asked, looking concerned.

Kaija waved off her comment. "Nah. He just knew what was coming, that's all."

Ally would have assumed Kaija had been seriously angry with her if it weren't for the grin she wore. "Okay, what's going on," Ally asked, tossing the outline momentarily aside.

"Barc and I got a present for you," she giggled, pulling a brown paper bag out from behind her back. She handed it to Ally. "Go ahead, open it," she prodded. "I think you'll see why Barc was in such a hurry to leave!"

Not knowing quite what to expect, Ally grabbed the bag tentatively. She was almost afraid to look inside given what Kaija had said. But with a deep breath, she reached cautiously inside.

"Oh my God," Ally cried as her hand made contact with something long and rubbery.

The poor girl was already blushing in embarrassment Kaija noted with a smirk. "Come on, pull it out. It won't bite!" she laughed.