The Boyfriend

“Heeeyyy girlfriend!” Kelsey’s voice greeted her through the phone. She was in her baby blue bathing suit she bought before going on an exotic island summer vacation. She video called once a week throughout summer, sometimes more often whenever she needed a girl talk while she was on her solo getaway.

“Hey babe … wow you look really tan there, are you still out on the beach?” Julie can only see parts of her perfect body and perfect face through the small screen.

Kelsey lifted her phone to show where she was, a beautiful white sand beach in the Bhorma Island where it’s always sunny. People lying around on beach towels enjoying the sun. There were people running in the background, she could hear the waves mixed with the sound of seagulls. Then the camera went back to her face lying on the beach with her hair fall back under a beach hat.

“You could’ve been here with me if it weren’t for your geek mode that decided to turn up before summer, how’s your study going?” she asked.

Julie put aside her books in front of her and showed Kelsey the site of the campus cafeteria. The almost empty seats with only a few international students who didn’t go back to their home countries for the summer. Trays of campus cafeteria food on their tables. Some sat alone with their books just like Julie.

“Jeez … I don’t know how you’re not sick of that place, we were there every day for the whole entire year … you could’ve get suntanned, drink Pina Coladas with me here, watching half-naked men running on the beach and get laid!!” Kelsey was not letting her off the hook for not coming with her on that vacation.

“I need to finish all my credits early Kells, I can save some time and money next year … you know that, I got A’s for business management and statistics,” she announced proudly.

“Shit! You took those already? Now, who am I supposed to get my cheat sheet from? You’re really ruining it for me Jules,” she whined. Julie laughed it off.

“Hey, I met someone a few days ago … he’s super hot, sexy lips, gorgeous eyes, great body … I was planning to check him out tonight, you know … if he’s got a big rock hard cock!!” her voice was echoing in the quiet cafeteria Julie had to turn down the volume.

She giggled at Kelsey’s silliness, she had always been the girl who gets the guy. Ever since they were friends in kindergarten, she never had a memory of Kelsey not getting a guy she wanted.

“Sounds like you’re gonna have a hot date tonight? Be careful though, do you have anyone who can check on you out there?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You’re supposed to be that person! But you bailed on me for Business Management and Statistics, remember?”

Julie sighed, “You’re not letting this go are you? I’m currently studying Digital Marketing if I haven’t mentioned that already, and I’m gonna ace this one too!” she made a face on the screen to tease her. Kelsey laughed out loud. “Are you sure about this guy? Do you know anything about him?” Julie was often worried about how careless Kelsey can be.

“He’s a nice guy, MOM, you know … the kind who likes to read stuff, I actually met him at a bookstore when I was looking for a gift for you … can you imagine? Of all the places on this island, I actually met a guy at the bookstore … oh and he loved that poet you always talked about so I pretended I was interested, and that’s how I got the hot date tonight!!” her laugh can be heard by the people at the other table across from Julie’s.

“I guess it worked out pretty well, I kinda helped you hook up with him … indirectly, right? Just be careful Kells … check in with me before and after your date, kay?”

Kelsey was the wild one, and Julie was the quiet one. It’s always been like that since they met for the first time when they were four years old. It was an opposite attraction that developed into a symbiotic mutualism, they were like sisters from a different planet, but somehow it worked.

Julie took her books and her folder with Steven Tyler’s face plastered on it, she walked towards the library after the call. She was finishing up her study for her next exam in the summer classes she took.

Summer was almost over, she traded the bikinis for the books this time. She would’ve gone with Kelsey to Bhorma Island but something happened, and it was too tempting of an opportunity to miss when she could take 3 classes early for the exchange of an internship the next academic year, so she took it.

She didn’t come from a wealthy family like Kelsey. When her parents divorced, remarried, and had their own children, Julie felt left out and decided to go to college away from them. She applied for a scholarship and got into University Of Gastonburry with a full scholarship. She toiled in school and was determined to finish as soon as possible to start her own life.

Spending time at the library until dark was her usual day at campus, if it’s not the library, it would’ve been the bookstore or the reading cafe they had so many of in Gastonburry. She walked back to her dorm with books clutched in her arms. The walkway was almost empty with only a few students here and there. She can hear her footsteps as well as other people not far from her. Some students were back from their summer holiday, she thought.

She walked up the stairwell through the back door and came out on the third floor where her room was. She liked to take the stairs for the exercise. When she walked in the corridor, she saw Preston hanging out with a couple of his band buddies, she looked away.

It was Kelsey’s idea to stay at the mixed dorm so she could occasionally hook up with one of the guys. Julie always wanted to stay in the girls’ dorm but she couldn’t refuse her best friend’s plea. Kelsey didn’t want to share a room with anyone other than her.

Preston was glancing at her from the corner of his eye, she rushed to her door. She didn’t know he was back. They hadn’t spoken since that night she tried so hard to forget. She rejected every call he made and blocked his number altogether.

Her heartbeat was quickening, she felt his gaze even from a few doors down. She went into her room, closed the door behind her, and turned the key.

A few minutes later, her phone rang. It was Preston. She had recently unblocked his number for reasons she still couldn’t understand. She let it ring until it stopped ringing, she knew he was right outside her door. Her heart was throbbing from beneath her chest, she waited … but it didn’t ring again.