his chair and jumped when Lexi nudged me.
‘Just go and bloody see him,’ she said firmly.
‘What?’
‘You’re somewhere else Mia, you’re daydreaming and doodling his bloody name. Go and sort it out.’
I looked down at my pad of paper. She was right, I’d scribbled his name all over my book, like a bloody teenager with a crush. Well I guess I was, but more like a teenager in love and lust than with a crush. Crushes faded, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get over Gabe. I couldn’t even sleep without dreaming about him and everything seemed to remind me of him. I felt like I was hollow inside, nothing I did was filling the void left by the lack of contact with him over the last few days.
‘No,’ I sighed. ‘It’s still too soon.’
Lexi sighed, shook her head and carried on with the lecture as I tried desperately to focus. I gulped back the coffee she came back with after break but refused the muffin which made her tut and roll her eyes at me. Milo bounded down the stairs as the lecture ended and smiled at us.
‘Ready to go? Some of the boys are going to meet us in the bar.’
‘Yes. I. Am.’ I announced firmly as I stood and shoved my books in my bag. I’d never been so keen to go and drown my sorrows as I was now. We dumped our bags in the gym lockers and headed back to the student bar, which was already busy. It was only just after five, I was amazed. How did all these students afford to be out drinking on a Thursday at this time? If it wasn’t for my dad’s allowance and Mum and Gerry paying my bills and food, I’d have to work most of my free time to keep the apartment going, let alone be able to afford to drink. I nodded as Milo asked if I wanted a beer.
‘You ok?’ Lexi asked, bumping me on the shoulder.
‘Yes, sorry. Just wondering how all these students can afford to drink all the time.’
‘Maybe all of them have Dad’s who pay their allowances. I’m thinking I need to get a job after Christmas, I can’t keep relying on you and using my student loan money.’
‘I was thinking the same, I’m not keen on having this monthly allowance from Dad when we don’t even have a relationship.’
‘You’re going to look at bar work or waitressing too right? That’s what I’m thinking about.’
‘Are you joking? Pay and hours are rubbish. I told you if I’m going to work I’m going to do it at Peppers. Shaking these bad girls I could earn a weeks wages in one night.’
‘O my God. I thought you were half joking! I thought Gabe was against that?’
‘No, he said he’d let me try again and I want to. Anyway if we are going to work this out I don’t see why I should let him tell me what I can or can’t do Lex. Even more so after this last week. I need to be able to make my own decisions and not be bulldozed by anyone.’
‘Christ that’s really not going to go down well.’
‘What’s not going to go down well?’ asked Milo as he handed us our bottles of beer.
‘Us hustling you and your mates at pool,’ I smiled as I shot Lexi a warning glance. I didn’t want Milo knowing that I was planning on doing pole or lap dancing to earn my cash.
‘Think you can beat us do you?’
‘Care to wager something on it?’ asked Lexi with a smile. She’d spent as much time in the pool hall as I had, even though she’d agree I was a better player. Milo called a few of his friends over and we agreed on the loser buying rounds. The lads were mortified when they realised how good we were and we spent the next three hours playing, laughing and drinking without spending a penny. I felt more relaxed than I had all week and incredibly merry, very quickly and when the DJ came in to set up I was first onto the dance floor and Lexi couldn’t drag me off.
I was happily dancing on a table with all the guys cheering me on and Lexi standing to the side shaking her head at me. The combination of too many beers and very little to eat in days suddenly hit me, hard. I swayed and pinched the top of
‘Just go and bloody see him,’ she said firmly.
‘What?’
‘You’re somewhere else Mia, you’re daydreaming and doodling his bloody name. Go and sort it out.’
I looked down at my pad of paper. She was right, I’d scribbled his name all over my book, like a bloody teenager with a crush. Well I guess I was, but more like a teenager in love and lust than with a crush. Crushes faded, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get over Gabe. I couldn’t even sleep without dreaming about him and everything seemed to remind me of him. I felt like I was hollow inside, nothing I did was filling the void left by the lack of contact with him over the last few days.
‘No,’ I sighed. ‘It’s still too soon.’
Lexi sighed, shook her head and carried on with the lecture as I tried desperately to focus. I gulped back the coffee she came back with after break but refused the muffin which made her tut and roll her eyes at me. Milo bounded down the stairs as the lecture ended and smiled at us.
‘Ready to go? Some of the boys are going to meet us in the bar.’
‘Yes. I. Am.’ I announced firmly as I stood and shoved my books in my bag. I’d never been so keen to go and drown my sorrows as I was now. We dumped our bags in the gym lockers and headed back to the student bar, which was already busy. It was only just after five, I was amazed. How did all these students afford to be out drinking on a Thursday at this time? If it wasn’t for my dad’s allowance and Mum and Gerry paying my bills and food, I’d have to work most of my free time to keep the apartment going, let alone be able to afford to drink. I nodded as Milo asked if I wanted a beer.
‘You ok?’ Lexi asked, bumping me on the shoulder.
‘Yes, sorry. Just wondering how all these students can afford to drink all the time.’
‘Maybe all of them have Dad’s who pay their allowances. I’m thinking I need to get a job after Christmas, I can’t keep relying on you and using my student loan money.’
‘I was thinking the same, I’m not keen on having this monthly allowance from Dad when we don’t even have a relationship.’
‘You’re going to look at bar work or waitressing too right? That’s what I’m thinking about.’
‘Are you joking? Pay and hours are rubbish. I told you if I’m going to work I’m going to do it at Peppers. Shaking these bad girls I could earn a weeks wages in one night.’
‘O my God. I thought you were half joking! I thought Gabe was against that?’
‘No, he said he’d let me try again and I want to. Anyway if we are going to work this out I don’t see why I should let him tell me what I can or can’t do Lex. Even more so after this last week. I need to be able to make my own decisions and not be bulldozed by anyone.’
‘Christ that’s really not going to go down well.’
‘What’s not going to go down well?’ asked Milo as he handed us our bottles of beer.
‘Us hustling you and your mates at pool,’ I smiled as I shot Lexi a warning glance. I didn’t want Milo knowing that I was planning on doing pole or lap dancing to earn my cash.
‘Think you can beat us do you?’
‘Care to wager something on it?’ asked Lexi with a smile. She’d spent as much time in the pool hall as I had, even though she’d agree I was a better player. Milo called a few of his friends over and we agreed on the loser buying rounds. The lads were mortified when they realised how good we were and we spent the next three hours playing, laughing and drinking without spending a penny. I felt more relaxed than I had all week and incredibly merry, very quickly and when the DJ came in to set up I was first onto the dance floor and Lexi couldn’t drag me off.
I was happily dancing on a table with all the guys cheering me on and Lexi standing to the side shaking her head at me. The combination of too many beers and very little to eat in days suddenly hit me, hard. I swayed and pinched the top of
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