Chapter 4

A week later, Collette was passing through the 'Horseshoe' group of buildings on her way from one class to another, preoccupied with fretful thoughts about when she would find the time to do all of her homework assignments.

She heard a couple of quick running steps on the path behind her before her lower back was impacted by something warm and firm. Two arms wrapped around her waist, and a mass of red hair appeared between her arm and torso, over a face grinning up at her.

"Patty!?"

"Hiya!" her friend replied. She let go long enough to move in front of her, and the two girls hugged each other tightly.

"What are you doing here?" Colette asked after they'd released each other.

"I got accepted into an AP music program here, for conducting," Patty said, beaming with pride.

"Wow, really? They don't take a lot of people into those, do they?"

"Nope; but one of the professors I met at the summer music camp I go to recommended me, and I got in!"

"Congratulations, that's great!"

"Thanks! I just got out of the first session. I get an early dismissal from high school twice a week, and this will be my last period of the day. I asked Bobby where and when your classes are, and I've been stalking around here hoping to catch you."

"This is so cool. But I do have to get to class. Walk with me? You could even sit in if you want."

"I'd love to," she said enthusiastically. Her head was swiveling from person to person as they passed, with a somewhat star-struck expression.

Collette laughed. "You've always liked hanging out with an older crowd, haven't you?" she teased.

"I suppose before Morton," she conceded, quickly pushing memories of being drawn to the older Van Dadock out of her mind, "but you never complained before."

"It's had its benefits," Collette agreed with a blush for her former, younger, lover.

Collette's class was Oceanography 101. It was a popular freshman course taught in a big auditorium seating several hundred students, so the addition of Patty wouldn't be noticed.

Collette led them up to the middle-left area where they spotted a couple empty seats.

"Hey, ladies," one guy said as they scooted past. "Hey, how's it going?" said another. "Hi, Collette, who's your friend?" said a third. To all of which Collette just smiled and nodded cordially, but without stopping.

"Do you know all those guys?" Patty said softly as Collette dug out her spiral notebook and pen. Collette suppressed a sense of alarm as she noticed Patty's nipples becoming visible through her blouse.

"Oh, some more, some less. Most are just guys to talk to, here in class," she replied with a grin, "although they'd like to get to know me better than that."

"Geez, I'll say. Some of 'em are pretty cute, too," she observed, looking around and returning the inviting smiles of a few of them.

"Yes, and I'm sure they'd be happy to help you find your way around campus, too," Collette said dryly, "including giving you a tour of their dorm rooms or frat houses."

Patty laughed. "But I've already had sex with a college student," she semi-whispered.

"I wasn't in college at the time, young lady," Collette said sternly.

"Same thing."

"We were both innocent and underage at the time. These guys move a lot faster than we did back then."

"And how would you know that?" Patty asked mildly.

"I live in a co-ed dorm, remember? I can see it all right outside my door. Hell, I can see it inside my door, too."

"Oh?"

"My roommate's already hooked up with someone I know on the floor."

"Wow. Hey ... could I come see your dorm after class?"

The segue made Collette look at her questioningly, but she simply said "Sure."

She could see Patty continuing to look at guys seated around them.

"How are things with Morton?" Collette asked in typically direct fashion. Collette and Bobby had helped resolve some problems between Patty and her boyfriend concerning Morton's sister Leticia; she hoped her friend wasn't getting itchy feet already.

Patty shrugged. "They're great, couldn't be better."

"Is there a 'but' coming?"

"No; but – I guess that is a 'but', isn't it! We are still in high school. I'm not looking, but I'm only eighteen. We're not married."

The professor began her lecture, and Patty found it mildly interesting. Collette was scribbling in her notebook, which gave Patty lots of time to do more looking around at the other students.

When class was over they headed for the exit, with a repeat of the greetings and overtures from guys as they passed. They made it to the dorm, with Patty following with wide eyes as they passed guys and girls on the way to her room.

"Hey, beautiful," said one particularly tall guy, actually intercepting her and giving Collette a hug as Patty looked on with wide eyes.

"Hey, Clay," Collette replied with a friendly grin before pulling away. "This is my friend, Patty," she said.

"Nice to meet you," Clay said cordially though briefly before nodding and moving on.

Collette unlocked her door and closed it behind them, then flopped onto her bed with a sigh of exhaustion.

Patty did a quick tour of the room, which didn't take long. She looked out the window at all the students passing by as Collette lay with her eyes closed.

She moved to sit opposite her on Cynthia's bed, back to the wall with her feet dangling over the edge.

"Collette..."

"Mmmm?" When she didn't immediately continue, Collette opened her eyes and looked at her.

Patty looked at her searchingly. "I just..."

"What is it, sweetie?"

Patty took a deep breath. "When I see ... I knew it would be something like this, but when you actually see it ... well, all this..."

"All what?"

"All the guys! You're living on your own, with all these good looking guys checking you out. I remember you complaining about guys being afraid to ask you out in high school. Well, that's sure over with."

Collette didn't answer. She knew where this was heading.

"I mean, two years of this, Collette? Before Bobby gets here?"

She sighed. "I know it's a long shot for us; that's why I encouraged him to date other people if he finds someone he likes. But he wouldn't do it; this is what he wants."

"What he wants?"

"It's what I want too, Patty. This first quarter's going to be the toughest, that's all."

"You know it's gonna happen, Collette, and when it does..."

She stopped at seeing Collette's scowl. Then she laughed at herself, somewhat bitterly.

"Listen to me. When I fucked things up with Bobby, I really hurt him. I guess I'm just hoping when the time comes ... okay, if it comes ... you'll be able to break up with him without hurting him like I did."

"Patty, I'm doing my best to reassure Bobby all the time. Please don't say anything like that to him, okay? And don't worry - if I ever change my mind, he'll be the first to know. And I'm sure he'll do the same for me."

Patty could only nod. Then she smiled slyly. "That Clay guy was cute," she observed, "and tall, too."

"Stop it. He's one of the guys my roommate's hooked up with. Believe me, I know him, and he's not looking for anything but hookups - as in multiple hookups."

"Ah. That's terrible; could be fun, though."

Collette barked a sharp laugh. "You're horrible. Remember, Bobby's still coming by to ring my bell regularly. It makes it pretty easy to resist people like that when you're already satisfied. You remember being satisfied by Bobby, right?" she said teasingly.

Patty stood up and moved to sit next to Collette, looking up at her friend and former lover. She laid her hand over Collette's, which was resting on her thigh.

"Yeah - once, anyway. And Morton really is a wonderful lover. So ... we've got the best, so who needs the rest?"

"Exactly," said Collette. She hesitated a moment before continuing. "Besides, you need to stop looking at guys like intellectual exercises, Patty."

"Say what?"

"Don't give me that. It's like what you did with us in bed, studying me to figure out where all my buttons are."

Patty looked at her with an un-readable expression.

"You're going to get bored if you think you've figured Morton out after you've been with him a while. Don't do it with him just because you're seeing a lot of guys on the USC campus that you know so much less about."

"Geez, thank you Ms. Sigmund Freud!" Patty exclaimed with mock umbrage.

Collette smiled at her friend and intertwined their fingers. "This is nice, having girl talk with you again, Patty. I do miss being around you and Sammy." She brought her friend's hand to her lips for a soft kiss on the palm.