Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1) (3 page)

“Wait a minute,” I interjected. “You hate heights. It’s the one thing you’re scared of that I’m not!”

“I know, I know,” she countered, biting her lip. “But, while I was standing there this guy came behind me and whispered in my ear: “What’s the problem? Life’s not worth living without taking some risks…” she blushed. “I turned and there stood the most beautiful guy I’d ever seen in my life. Zoe, you have to see him.”

“Well, what does he look like?” I played along.

“For starters, he’s ripped, but not in that nasty, bodybuilder way. He’s just solid muscle. He has black hair, which is actually almost as dark as yours. And his eyes, Zoe, you have no idea. They are this deep, midnight black. Oh, and he’s about as tall as you are,” she said in a trance. I grimaced at the reminder of my Amazonian appearance.

“Anyway, I turned and told him that I was afraid of heights and didn’t trust the stairs, and was seriously scared of falling to my death,” she said, with the look of love in her eyes. I’d never seen Annie so love struck by a guy before. It started to frighten me a little bit.

“He said he’d protect me if I got scared. So, you know me, I gave in right away. About half way up, I looked down and realized how high up we were.  I freaking’ slipped on the stairs and almost fell over the side of the rail!”

Not noticing the look of concern in my eyes, Annie continued on.

“I grabbed his shoulder and the weirdest thing happened,” she said thoughtfully.

My muscles all clinched in worry, expecting the worst.

“I felt this… I guess you could call it an electric shock,” she giggled. “It was a really weird feeling, but it didn’t hurt at all.”

“Then what happened?”

“I did it! But, unfortunately my stomach didn’t and I lost it as soon as I got out of the pool at the bottom,” she sighed. “He teased me and then asked me if I wanted to hang with him and his friends.”

“Wow…” I sighed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“How do you do it?”

She snorted and crossed her arms. “It’s not that hard Zoe.”

“For me it is,” I admitted. “Guys just don’t flock to me like they do to you. Never have and probably never will.”

“Look,” she said in a friendly voice, “I know it seems like it won’t ever happen but I promise it will. You are beautiful, and someone will notice one day. We just need to get you in the right position for it to happen.”

“Like you were?”

“Exactly. What if you were there with me? I’m sure they would have been all over you too. No doubt.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Maybe someday we’ll find out.”

“We definitely will,” she responded, with a soft hand on my shoulder. “But, what do you think of Liam?”

Only Annie could make such a quick transition from others to herself. I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Liam?”

“The guy Zoe, the guy! Try to keep up!”

“Oh, well, he sounds cool I guess,” I started.

“You guess?” Annie said, with a slight hint of suspicion.  “What do you mean you guess?”

“To make you go on something you were scared of going on doesn’t seem very nice,” I said.

“Liam was just trying to talk me out of my fears,” she replied quickly. “He’s really a cool guy, you just don’t know him. Besides, it’s no different than me trying to get you out of your shell.”

She made a good point. Even though this guy Liam didn’t appear to be the best influence on Annie, what he did wasn’t really much different than what Annie was trying to do with me. There was something about him from her story that didn’t sit well, but I hated seeing Annie upset more than anything in the world. My thoughts and judgments would have to take a back seat.

“You’re right,” I said. “You always are, as scary as that sounds.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. He asked for my email so I gave it to him. I hope he writes soon. Zoe, you’re just going to melt when you see him, I swear.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I lied. “Maybe I’ll even get the courage to say hi.”

“We’ll work on it,” she smiled. “Anyways, how was your afternoon?”

My mind raced through the events of earlier, trying to pick out what to tell her. So much happened but yet I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell her about my dream. But, telling her that a stranger accidentally spilled his ice-cold water on me would probably save face for the day.

“You’ll never believe this, but I kind of met a guy today too,” I started to say as we began to pack up our bags and head out of the park. Annie froze mid-step and stared at me in shock.

“Oh, no! Not like that!” I added quickly, realizing how bad it sounded. Annie seemed to thaw out after that, but she still looked at me skeptically while we continued to walk.

“Then what was it?” she asked.

I proceeded to tell her the story of my water wake up call. Annie laughed, but when my face turned sour, she stopped almost immediately.

“Um, did you at least talk to him?” she asked hopefully.

“Not really. I kinda yelled at him instead,” I said sheepishly.

Annie’s jaw dropped. “You yelled at him?”

“Well he just walked away! What else was I supposed to do?”

“He didn’t even apologize?”

“Not really. He gave this insincere apology and then walked away.”

“Wow, what an ass!” she exclaimed. “Did you even see his face?”

“No, the sun was in my eyes and my glasses had fallen off while I was sleeping,” I said.

“Don’t you worry Zoe, that one doesn’t count,” she said, giving me a friendly push. I smiled and pushed her back.

It may not have been the day I was expecting, considering the fact that the only guy I met was the one jerk who dumped water on me and walked away. And on top of that, the eerie dream about my parents and the random fire just made me wonder what was really going on inside my head. But the purpose of the day was to relax and spend some quality time with Annie. Although we didn’t spend all day together, the last few minutes where we just walked, talked and joked had pushed all of the negatives out of my mind, even if it was only for a day.

Chapter 2: Surprises

The sun was blazing early when we stepped out of our condo the next morning. All around us, groups of students had flocked out of apartments on their way to campus for orientation. Annie and I chose our complex because the school built it specifically to give new students a chance to get that “living on your own” feeling. They were nice, modern looking homes, with two units per building.  There was a single driveway per building, big enough for two cars, although Annie’s was the only car in ours since we moved in. It was two stories and painted a rich, southwestern adobe color. There was a lawn of rust color pebbles that lined our entire front yard, which was encased by a white picket fence. It looked like we were living on the moon, without a glimpse of green anywhere in sight. It was quite a difference from our traditional northwestern desert of evergreens. Finally, a curvy sidewalk went from the driveway, around the lawn, up to a single staircase that led to our home. As we were walking down the stairs, we noticed two girls emerging from the downstairs unit.

“Hey!” Annie exclaimed as we reached the bottom.

Both girls turned immediately as the taller of the two sported a very welcoming smile.

“
Hi,” she replied enthusiastically. “You the girls that live upstairs?”

“Yep, I’m Annie and this is Zoe,” Annie replied, putting her arm around my waist in a half hug. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks in embarrassment.

“Nice to finally meet you guys. I’m Steph,” she said as her wild emerald eyes excitedly jumped from Annie to me, “and this is Hope”.  Hope just gave us a half smile and a lazy wave of her hand while Steph shook both of ours. “We’re just off to The Pit to get a quick bite before Orientation, you guys in?”

“Sure!” Annie said overly enthused as the four of us started out for the cafeteria. “Wow Steph, I love your hair!”

“Thanks,” she replied, throwing her perfectly curled, fire-red hair over her shoulder where it rested nicely. “It’s impossible to keep it curly here though. It’ll be straight by the time we get to campus!”

Steph’s hair was just the beginning of what was an extremely beautiful girl. Her cheekbones were perfectly defined on her thin face, which was covered by a few auburn freckles and her body was toned like that of an Olympic swimmer. I would have been surprised if she had an ounce of body fat anywhere. She covered her natural beauty with heavy eyeliner, blush and ruby red lipstick. She wore a very tight lime green strapless t-shirt and high riding khaki shorts, which just emphasized the perfection that was her body. After studying her, I glanced down at my own slim but un-toned body and felt a twinge of jealousy.

“I know what you mean,” Annie said, tugging on her own frizzled locks. “When did you guys move in?”

“Yesterday. I actually came upstairs to say hello, but you guys weren’t home.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. We went out to Soaking Wet,” Annie said as the two of them started to break off from the pack, leaving Hope and I slightly behind.

The two of us walked in silence for what felt like an eternity as Annie and Steph were talking enough for the four of us. My eyes and ears were locked onto them as they had started talking about how gorgeous the guys were in Vegas.  Every now and then, my eyes peeked over at Hope who just kept her head down and stammered forward. After a few minutes, things just started to feel awkward.

“So, how do you and Steph know each other?” I asked hesitantly. 

Hope’s head jerked up so fast she had to re-position her thick glasses back into their normal spot.

“Huh?” she asked surprised. “Oh, well we went to the same high school,” Hope said, barely loud enough for me to hear.

“Where’d you go?”

“Um, this high school down in Tucson, you wouldn’t know it.”

“Oh, so you guys must have been friends for a while then?”

She just shook her head. “They just put us together because of that.”

“Ah, well that’s too bad,” I said, not really sure what else to say. “Are you enjoying it here so far?”

“It’s fine I guess,” she shrugged. “Better than Tucson that’s for sure. What about you?”

“We came from Seattle so it’s a pretty big change but we’ve been here for two weeks already. I’ve gotten used to it.”

She nodded and seemed to relax just a bit as her shoulders slouched a little and she had picked up the pace. “How do you two know each other?”

“That’s a long story,” I sighed. “Let’s just say we grew up together. She’s my best friend.”

“Cool,” Hope said with a soft smile. Her smile was quite a change from the somewhat awkwardness of her appearance. She had shoulder length black hair, but it was completely matted and uncombed. It rested on top of a very round and chubby face. Her deep brown eyes were hidden behind extra thick glasses, which rested on a long and pointy nose, as pimples and other random blemishes covered the rest of her face. A pair of really baggy jeans covered her legs, and a plain yellow t-shirt covered her undefined chest. She wasn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn’t in the same ballpark as me, Annie or especially Steph.  But Hope had a friendly and innocent vibe about her, something I found deeply refreshing.

As we walked on in silence, listening to Steph and Annie continue to chatter like hens, I realized how bizarre the whole situation truly was. It was like looking into a mirror. Annie and Steph were the long lost siblings, who looked dazzling and impressive, whereas Hope and I were the shy, unaware younger sisters that tagged along for the ride. 

“Have you met any of the other people in the complex?” I asked.

“Yeah, yesterday we saw a group of guys moving in next door while we were moving. There was also a guy and girl moving in below them at the same time,” Hope said.

“Were they nice?” I asked.

“Yeah, they were pretty cool,” Hope replied. “The couple was from here in Vegas. Emily and Sean I think their names were. And the two guys were your typical jocks, Chase and Tyler if I remember correctly. Didn’t really talk to them much, but the guys seemed rather cocky and kind of on the dimmer side.”

“I’m sure Annie will be introducing us in no time,” I sighed. “Can’t wait to meet them.”

Our conversation continued for another five minutes before we arrived at The Pit. Annie and Steph had finally finished their conversation; realizing how far back Hope and I had drifted as we approached the massive double glass doors. The place was extremely crowded. I couldn’t believe how many options there were to eat. There was everything from omelet and cereal bars to pancake and waffle irons. Not to mention the abundance of fresh fruit and five separate juice options. I finally was able to understand how the phrase “freshman fifteen” started. Hope and Annie only grabbed a few pieces of toast, which I believed was a sign of their nerves. Steph and I, on the other hand, loaded up with as many carbs as we could find. Steph was clearly calm and excited to be where she was, but Annie had started to quiet down a little bit since we got there. I could only guess she had started to get nervous about school starting.

The common area was a huge room decorated with all types of school logos, pictures of famous alumni and murals of a Spartan, the school mascot. Tables were scattered all over the floor and were full of advertisements from different clubs all around campus inviting new students to join. The tables extended all the way to the windows, which covered the wall just like the Johnson’s kitchen, except these windows extended over twenty feet in the air. That wall of windows overlooked Spartan Stream, a manmade stream that ran through the middle of campus. We sat down in chairs that definitely didn’t meet my expectations, especially because of what tuition cost. They were rock hard, and had no cushioning on either the butt or the back. I wondered if it would be a bad idea to bring in a pillow to protect from eventual bruising. Then again, Annie would probably kill me for social status assassination.

As we finished up our breakfast, which Steph had controlled for the most part with her thoughts about fraternity parties and college guys, we headed towards the University Center for orientation. The UC was the biggest building on campus. Every person, office or department that we’d ever need seemed to be in the one building. Our orientation was in the main conference hall on the seventh floor, and because so many students were coming in at once, we decided to take the stairs instead of waiting forever for the elevator to empty. Once at the top, we waited in a short line to receive our orientation packets before we entered the hall.

I stared in awe as we walked into the conference hall. There must have been at least five hundred solo desks laid out similar to an amphitheater, with a long desk at the base. The ceiling rose high into the air, which gave the room a convention center feel. Behind the long desk were four large whiteboards, and an overhead projector screen was pulled down, covering the middle two boards. The place was moderately full, but we were able to find four seats right next to each other about half way up. After about ten minutes, the room was completely full, and some late stragglers actually had to stand along the walls and take notes standing up. After another minute, an older, balding man and a younger, more attractive man entered the room and stood at the podium, dressed very professionally in full, black pin striped suits.

“Good morning, and welcome to the University of Las Vegas. We’re so delighted to see you all here this early. You know, one of the first things I notice every year is how excited students are to know that classes start two hours later than in high school!” the older man said cheerfully to a resounding applause from the packed house. “I’m President Goodwin, and this is Dean Bradley.”

“The next four years of your lives are going to have many ups and downs, abundant surprises and many happy memories. Our goal with this orientation is to give you a basic idea of what to expect your first few weeks here. We want you to know where all campus services are located, how to utilize your ID cards, and also to explain how campus advisors work,” he continued.

“This first week of school is designed only for freshman, to help you get a feel for the campus and how things work, without the craziness that accompanies upperclassmen. As the week progresses, you’ll meet with all of your professors and start your first class, Perspectives. It’s a course designed specifically for freshmen to get used to the rigors of college academia. You will listen to fascinating lectures from some of the top scholars in the country, take notes and participate in intense discussions and debates. Finally, you will be writing three papers over the course of the semester to familiarize yourself with our writing guidelines and expectations.”

At that point, I glanced at Annie whose face had gone colorless, with her eyes bulging out of their sockets.  I patted her knee and smiled encouragingly, trying to let her know she’d be fine, which I knew would be true.

“The students in your Perspectives class are also the same students in your orientation group. After your class today, each group will be meeting with your orientation leaders, who will give you a campus tour. If you look in your orientation packets, you’ll find your schedule with all the classes you registered for earlier this summer. On the bottom left-hand corner of your schedules, you’ll see the names of your two upperclassmen leaders,” he said, giving us a minute to find and look over our schedules. As I reviewed my schedule, I noticed Simi Miller and Liam Talbott in small print at the bottom. I looked over at Annie’s sheet and saw we were in the same group and a huge smile had replaced the look of fear.

“Do you think it’s the same guy from yesterday?” she whispered excitedly.

“Liam isn’t really a common name, so it’s definitely possible,” I shrugged, observing the rest of my schedule. Something inside was hoping it wasn’t the same guy. He sounded too pushy and assertive trying to get Annie to do something she wasn’t sure of doing.

“Remember, your orientation leaders are here to help you with any problems you may face with your transition onto campus. They are your friends and will lend a helping hand, or ear, if you need them. Their guidance extends all year long so don’t be afraid to use them if you have any troubles,” he said sternly.

“Now, before you leave here and go to your Perspectives class, our Dean of Students has a slideshow presentation on the city, and what types of services you may find useful during your time in Las Vegas. Dean Bradley, the floor belongs to you…” he finished, to a round of applause. They shook hands as the Dean took the stage.

Dean Bradley gave a much less personable welcome.  After a few seconds, the lights dimmed and the presentation started. It was twenty minutes of insanely boring maps, photos and telephone numbers of local hotspots. Since Annie and I had already seen a majority of the places during our first two weeks, my eyes wandered to the schedule sitting on the desk. I squinted in the mild darkness at what was to come that semester. Even though I had registered a month ago, I couldn’t help but review the fun that was on the horizon: Philosophy, Statistics, Intro to Religion, Perspectives, and finally, to get my Exercise Science credit out of the way, Yoga.  Everything looked so exciting, so new. Maybe things were going to turn out better than I expected. Suddenly, without me even realizing it, the presentation was over and Annie was pulling me up in an attempt to get us out of there as soon as possible, with Steph and Hope waving goodbye as we left for our separate classes.

Perspectives was exactly what President Goodwin warned. Lots of lecturing, note taking and discussion; all of which turned out to be way over Annie’s head. Our topic for the semester was Comparative World Religions, which shocked me seeing as I had never taken a religion class in my life and now I’d be taking two in one semester. But she survived, though she almost hyperventilated when the professor asked her if she thought religion was good or bad for society.