Change Of Season (25 page)

Eleven pages later, Autumn felt a gentle tapping upon her arm and startled, glancing up to see a weary Andrew beside her.

“It’s ten to.  We should bail before they sic the hounds on us.”

“Whoa, I didn’t even notice it had been so long.” 

Tucking her things quickly into her purse, Autumn was somewhat embarrassed to note that Andrew had shut down his terminal and packed his things without her noticing.

“You seemed to be on a roll.  Story finally taking shape?” he asked warmly.

Autumn nodded, following him out into the hall.  “Whole thing is outlined.  Now, I just have to finish writing it.  If I can hammer the rest out tomorrow, I can type it up Thursday for class.”

Andrew locked the suite door, pocketing the key.  “Well, it seems we both were granted mercy by the midterm gods:   I picked the footage for the intro of my film and slapped it together into rough shape.  A little fine tuning and music and it’ll be ready for Gretchen’s eyes.”

“That’s great!” Autumn enthused.  “I love the feeling of things just falling into place.”

They took the stairs briskly, well aware of the clock ticking invisibly.  Were they to swipe into the dorms even a few seconds late, there would be a report emailed automatically to Logan’s office for review the next morning.  Autumn knew this because Veronica had been busted the previous week.  She’d been let off with a warning, but given Autumn’s status, the consequences could be far more dire.

“I’ll walk you back to Ashbury,” Andrew announced as they stepped into the cold.

“You don’t-”

“It’s a whole thirty second detour for me.  Besides, you’re my lucky editing charm. I can’t chance anything happening to you before finals,” Andrew teased.

“Oh God forbid!” Autumn replied sacrastically.

“Seriously, though: if writing in there helps you, you’re welcome to share my space.  I could probably even get Gretchen to write you a note in case someone ever questions you.”

Autumn turned to stare at him, completely confused.  “Why would you do that?”

“Why not?  I don’t see the point in the restrictions to begin with, and I told you that Gretchen’s super nice.  I only ask for one thing in return.”

Autumn swallowed hard, suddenly anxious.  “What’s that?”

“You have to help me find the right songs for the final film, because you are blatantly more knowledgeable in the realm of music,” Andrew answered casually.  “Deal?”

“Deal.”

They’d reached the front steps of Ashbury in record time.  A twinge of disappointment struck Autumn as she dug her FOB out of her purse.  Why had she even begun to worry?  Andrew really was a Veronica – and the offer for a writing hideaway was too good to resist, what with her unwanted roommate wreaking havoc on her study time and sleep.

Enough living in the past.  This place is safe enough.  He’s not here and he doesn’t know your whereabouts, Crazy Girl.

“See you tomorrow, then?” Andrew asked.

Autumn smiled a little.  “Yeah, I’ll be there, with music in hand.  Eight-ish maybe?”

“I’ll ready the hot chocolate.  Goodnight, Autumn!”

“Night.”

He jogged off down the road towards Trudeau Hall without a backward glance, backpack slapping lightly against his coat.  She slipped inside her own dorm at two minutes to curfew, nodding to her housemother and muttering about midterms and the library.  Lorraine, thankfully, seemed unfazed  – she couldn’t be the only student returning just in time for bed, after all.  With a weary sigh, she unlocked her room and entered, tossing her purse onto her desk with a resounding thump.  Too tired to do much of anything, she hit the bathroom quickly then peeled her clothes off as she headed towards her bed. 

She yawned and stretched as she slipped beneath the sheets, her eyes fluttering heavily.   It was nice having a friend who understood the crafting of a story, who knew what it meant to need to submerge in a narrative, to breathe characters and build the skeletons of dialogue and meaning.  Andrew was a guy, but so was Keenan.  Evan was a guy, too.  It was unfair to brand everyone with a penis with the same warning label. 

“Not every man is a monster,” Autumn whispered to herself, struggling to believe it.

A quiet sobbing from within the walls begged to differ.

FIFTEEN

Oakville; October 25
th
, 2011

“Do you think Jesus Calculus has a girlfriend?”

Autumn glanced up from her homework, eyeing Veronica in confusion.  “Um, random?”

Veronica continued, oblivious to her friend’s stare.  “Or a boyfriend, although I don’t get Gay-dar from him.  Don’t you ever wonder?  I mean, the staff live on campus, for the most part.  How awkward would that be?”

Dropping her pencil, she reached across the table and slapped Veronica’s arm lightly.  “Okay, do you need the nurse?  Why do you want to even consider the staff… ick!”

“I don’t know.  It just came to mind.”  Veronica shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich.  “What did you get for thirteen, by the way?”

“Still on that one,” Autumn replied.  “Also, I prefer not to ever think of the staff here that way.  It’s the same as thinking of parents having sex.”

“What’s wrong with that?  My mom needs to get laid. I’d be cheering her on.”

Autumn gasped, shaking her head in disbelief.  “Yuck!  I’m trying to eat here!”

Veronica tossed her hair over her shoulder, twisting it loosely.  “Fine, fine.  Let’s talk about
my
love life then.”

“And how is Evan?” Autumn asked, grinning as Veronica immediately flushed.

“He’s lovely.  Wonderful.  I mean, we’ve hung out a few times – nothing huge – but he’s so funny, and he’s really smart.  Three more days…”  With a wistful sigh, Veronica shoved her books aside.  “You know, it’s not too late to change your mind.”

“I don’t do dances, V,” Autumn mumbled.

Veronica pouted, leaning forward and snatching her friend’s pencil away. “But you should be there to make sure I don’t make an idiot of myself!  We could dance and spike the punch and possibly find a way to trip Logan down some stairs!  It won’t be the same without you.”

With every plea, it grew increasingly difficult to dodge the subject of dating with Veronica.  Autumn was at her wit’s end, wavering between a claim of being asexual and telling Veronica about
him
– and neither option was particularly appealing.  Her third option – a phobia of disco balls – had been shot down by the lack of such an atrocity in the planned décor for the Halloween dance.

“Veronica, I told you: I don’t do dances.  I’m sorry, but it’s not an option.”

Her voice was harsher than she’d intended, and she regretted it immediately.  Veronica shrunk slightly in her chair, her attention returning to the mountain of homework they’d been given for their test review.  With a sad sigh, she drummed out a melody on her textbook, struggling to dislodge the apology she was choking on.  Veronica meant well.  She couldn’t be blamed for not knowing the history behind Autumn’s aversion to dresses and DJs.

“I’m sorry, V. It’s complicated.”

Veronica shrugged, sipping her Coke. “Whatever.  I’ll drop it.”  Setting the can down noisily, she added, “Why’s he looking this way?”

“Huh?”

Autumn’s eyes followed Veronica’s, her lips curling into a smile as she spotted Andrew near the entryway.  He smiled and waved, a gesture she returned quickly before he turned around and exited. 

“Okay, you are going to
spill
!” Veronica squealed, shoving her books aside and leaning forward.  “What the hell was
that
?”

“A greeting?” Autumn offered weakly.

“Well, no shit!  I was referring to the fact that you were greeting Andrew Daniels, the guy who never talks to anyone.”

Autumn’s eyes widened.  “Whoa, wait a second:  what do you mean?”

Veronica glanced around, lowering her voice.  “I mean that Andrew doesn’t talk to anyone female, and scarcely anyone male.  It’s not for lack of trying – there are plenty of girls falling over themselves to date him.  But he’s quiet, dodges conversations.  Hasn’t talked to many people for the entire time he’s been here.”

“That’s so odd,” Autumn said softly.  “I talk to him for hours at a time.”

“
How
have you been hiding this from me?” Veronica demanded excitedly.

“
Spring Awakening
rehearsals.  And besides, I didn’t… well, it’s no big deal.  I write a lot in Media Studies, and he’s always editing upstairs for his documentary.”  Autumn shrugged, eyes averted.  “I didn’t know this was a new thing for him.”

Veronica rolled her eyes.  “When a guy talks to you for
hours
at a go, it’s a big deal to begin with.  But when he’s the recluse orphan-”

“Orphan?  Back up, V.”

Veronica took a deep breath, calming herself.  “Okay, so here’s the story:  almost two years ago, Andrew’s parents died.  His aunt took custody as his only living relative, but she’s apparently a loner and also rich as hell.  She pays extra to keep him housed in a single room, and he lives here all summer, too.”

“You mean, she won’t let him stay with her?”

Veronica shrugged.  “Apparently not.  He seems pretty happy with the arrangement, though.  I’d probably want to be alone too if my mom died.  In any case, this is why him talking to you is a huge deal beyond the obvious reasons.  How long
have
you been talking?”

Autumn debated her answer, eventually settling on semi-truths.  “Just over a week?”

“No more secrets!” Veronica admonished lightly.  “What’s he like?”

Autumn rolled her eyes.  “I’m not dating him, V.”

Veronica was not dissuaded. “Whatever!  I still wanna know.”

Giving up on her homework, Autumn shut her textbook and packed it away.  “He’s funny.  He plays on words a fair bit, and he’s smart.  He knows politics, which is refreshing.  He reminds me of you, actually.”

“How so?”

“It’ll sound silly to you,” Autumn began, hesitating.  “He just…  I feel relaxed.  Like we’ve been friends a while.  Kind of how we hit it off.”

“That’s not silly at all.  Maybe we should all hang out sometime.”  Crumpling the remains of her lunch, Veronica rose to her feet.  “I’ve got class in ten.  Did you want to finish up this stupid test package at dinner?  I have rehearsals at seven thirty but that still gives us time.”

Autumn nodded, slipping back into her coat.  “Definitely.  Maybe we should split the questions in half and trade solutions to save time.  Not like he checks, anyway.”

“Ooh!  Good call!” 

Blowing her a kiss, Veronica departed, her mood significantly improved by whatever imaginary relationship she was silently scheming about. 
At least it’ll keep her busy
, Autumn decided, heading out to her own afternoon classes.  Her mind was drawn instead to Andrew’s story, images of a lonely summer shut in on Casteel’s expansive property blurring into a personal movie screening in her skull. 
He’s broken
, she mused sadly, thinking back to his solitary strumming on the bench and the way his face seemed to fall when they parted ways.  If she truly was the only person he spoke to…

He’s so much like me
.

What a soothing and yet sobering thought.

***

It had taken the promise of a detailed chat over breakfast and a pleading stare complete with puppy eyes to convince Veronica to
not
swing by the film editing suites to meet Andrew, but Autumn had managed it in the end.  Veronica feigned a sulking fit before smiling and ushering her upstairs to see… a friend?  That’s all Andrew was, all he would ever be. 

Friends don’t dream of friends, even if in said dream the purported friend is a partner in zombie-slaying crime
.

It had been one hell of a dream, a rarity for her these days.  Seldom did she sleep long enough to cycle into REM state before the alarm chirped and chimed.  There were shades of
Zombieland
and a dash of
Shaun of the Dead
, what with her cricket bat of choice and the irrational stop to drink tea, but it was the ease with which she and Andrew traded sarcastic quips and slept on adjacent couches that lingered now.  Things were so simple, so
innocent
in her dreamscape.  The shadows were hollow, empty of threats, and no one died who wasn’t already undead.