I made it back to my dorm room around lunch time.  Thankfully, it was Saturday, so I hadn’t missed any classes.  As I stuck my key in the lock, Lilli-Mae ripped the door open.  Her hazel eyes narrowed.   I sighed.  I’d hoped she’d be out when I got back.

“What in heaven’s name happened to you?  You know I had to lie to Professor DeMille?  I told him you were sick.  Where were you?”  She yanked me into the room, pulling out her phone and firing off several texts.  Informing everyone I was fine, I assumed.  She snapped the phone shut and settled onto her bed, her legs crossed and looked at me expectantly.

Lilli-Mae and I had been best friends since we’d managed to successfully ‘pilot’ a space shuttle back to earth during space camp.  I’d been pilot and she commander.  She always was better at bossing people around than me.  We’d clicked instantly, sharing a love of learning.  Lilli-Mae tended to keep hers under wraps though.  After that first summer, we stayed in touch.  The next summer we both applied for another camp together and met up again.

None of that changed that I was mad at her.  I crossed my arms and glared at her.  “You want to know where I was?  How about why you didn’t wake me up before you left for the dig?”

She bit her lip and her eyes darted to her comforter which she picked at.  “I may or may not have left early to meet someone.”

I rolled my eyes at her and she smiled unrepentantly.  “Uh huh.  Whatever, it must have been one special boy to get you up early.” I said.  She shrugged then gave me a no-nonsense look and pointed at my unmade bed, telling me to sit down and explain.

I clearly wasn’t going to get out of this, so I plopped onto my bed, pushing my pillow and pajamas out of the way.   I took my time though, plugging my cell phone into its charger on the desk and taking a huge drink of water from the bottle sitting on the window sill. 

Our room was the typical tiny dorm.  Two beds on either side of the room with a double desk in between.  All bathed in a hideous shade of greeny-beige and florescent light that made even the healthiest person look sick. 

I had gotten the bed next to the window, thereby giving me the coveted extra space of the ledge.  Lilli-Mae had gotten it the summer before.  It almost made up for not having a nightstand.  My closet door was open on the opposite wall as well as all my drawers.  In my mad dash to get dressed and out the morning before, I had completely neglected to put anything away.  Honestly it looked like Lilli-Mae’s side did all the time.  I just didn’t have the added bonus of a dresser top covered in lotions and potions.  If I really wanted any, Lilli-Mae had brought enough to start her own store.

She was always lamenting the waste of all my potential.  My mouth twitched at the thought of her last tirade.  I had absolutely refused to put makeup on for our first day and I thought she might have a heart attack.  I told her it was okay because she had on enough for both of us.  Somehow she didn’t find that as funny as I did.

Lilli-Mae cleared her throat, letting me know she was done waiting for me to settle in.  I took a deep breath prolonging it just a bit more.  She gave me an agonized look and I took pity on her.

“Okay, okay.  My alarm didn’t go off so I woke up late.  I decided I could catch up in my car, so I googled directions.  I hadn’t even made it halfway when my tire blew.”

She gasped, one manicured hand over her heart.  You could always count on a good reaction from her.  I continued, “I managed to put on the spare.  I knew it wouldn’t be safe to keep driving out on it so I turned back.  Five minutes later it was flat too.”

“Bless your heart, what did you do?” Lilli-Mae asked, completely enthralled.  I shrugged.

I sat there hoping the bus would be back by.”

“Why didn’t you call someone?” she asked.

“No cell signal.  Besides, who would I have called?  It’s not like I know anyone around here.  Mom’s a three day drive away and you don’t have a car.”

She pursed her lips, unwilling to admit defeat.  “So how’d you get back?”

Collin’s strange reaction to me and mine to him flashed through my memory and I decided to edit the next part a bit.  “I started hiking to the nearest civilization and got picked up by some guy who took me home after I got sick from dehydration.  He fixed my tire and sent me on my way.”

Despite my best effort to downplay the end, Lilli-Mae gaped at me, her mouth hanging open.  “You know you’re gonna start catching flies soon,” I joked.

She shut her pink lips with a snap.  “You were rescued by a hot guy?  Who took you home? How do you get all the luck?”  She clasped her hands to her chest and swooned back onto her bed.

“It was hardly romantic.  I passed out from dehydration and woke up in a strange house.  They fed me toast.  Not exactly fairy tale material,” I said.  I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling my headache coming back.  “Besides, who said he was hot?”

Lilli-Mae gave me a knowing look.  “I could tell by the way you left it out.  If he hadn’t been, you would have made a big deal out of it.  I know you.”

I rolled my eyes again.  “That’s what you would have done.  Look Lilli, I’m exhausted.  I’ll tell you more at dinner ok?”

Her bottom lip pushed out in a pout but she nodded.  I flipped over, putting my back to her without even bothering to take off my shoes.  I was out in seconds.

XXXXX

Something landed on my face and I jerked awake.  One of Lilli-Mae’s throw pillows obscured my view and I pushed it to the floor.  My eyes felt like sandpaper and my mouth tasted terrible.  I grabbed the water bottle off my desk and guzzled it.  Guess I’m not completely back to normal.  Lilli-Mae stood at the end of my bed, bouncing from one leg to the other.  

“Do you have any idea how expensive this was?” She asked, picking the pillow back up before chucking it onto her bed.  I rolled my eyes.  “Come on, it’s dinner time and I’m starved.”

More likely there was some guy she wanted to flirt with.  I glanced down at the clothes I was still wearing.  They were rumpled and not quite so fresh anymore since sleeping in them.

“Give me a sec,” I said.  I put on some clean clothes, wishing I would have thought ahead and showered before now.  Oh well. 

“Okay, let’s go,” I said.  She eyed me then shook her head.  “What?” I asked, annoyed.

“You are aware of the fact that we’re on a college campus, full of hot college guys, right?” she asked.  I frowned down at the clothes I’d put on: jean shorts and a white polo shirt.

“I look fine.”

She gave me an incredulous look and said, “If you say so, honey.”  She smoothed down the baby doll tee she wore that proudly declared “boys r toys” and straightened her short shorts before heading to the elevator.  Her curled hair bounced against her neck in its cute ponytail, a perky bow topping it off.  She knew exactly how to dress so she looked just innocent enough to be intriguing but skimpy enough not to lose attention. 

Several guys eyed her speculatively as she pranced by, careful not to make actual eye contact.  She’d explained the tactic to me once before but I honestly didn’t understand it, nor did I care to.  I’d learned the only lesson I needed about guys at the age of ten.  At best they were fickle.  At worst they were rats that would say anything to get what they wanted.

By the time we got to the dining hall, it looked like most of our group was there already.  It struck me as odd since it was Saturday, but we did have scheduled meal times during the week so maybe it was easier to just stick to it.

Lilli-Mae waved at one of the boys in our group, Steven, I think.  He winked at her.  I grabbed a tray and loaded it, suddenly starving.  I hadn’t eaten anything since my quasi-breakfast with Kay and Collin.  The whole experience felt surreal, like it had happened to someone else or I’d seen it on a movie.

We made it through the line, running our food cards under the scanning machine and headed toward an empty table.  Lilli-Mae spent the majority of the meal pointing out various guys.  I couldn’t disagree with her taste but I kept my mouth shut.  Danny, one of the boys in our program, ended up sitting with us which put an end to her boy watching.

With his curly honey brown hair and bright blue eyes, I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t on Lilli-Mae’s list to watch.  Then again in her world, his cute hipster glasses were probably a negative.

“Ava, where were you yesterday?” Danny asked around a mouthful of fried chicken.

“Didn’t you hear?” Lilli-Mae started before I could even open my mouth, her eyes wide.  “She broke down in the middle of the desert trying to catch up to the bus and was rescued by a real Indian.”

“The pc term is Native American, Lilli.  Technically an Indian is someone from India,” I tried to distract them from what I knew was going to be a grilling session.  She just waved me off.  Danny stared at me, an exact replica of Lilli-Mae when I’d told her. 

“I’m fine,” I reiterated.

“You really should be more careful.  What if no one had come along?  You might still be out there,” Danny admonished.  He was from Arizona so I guess he would know the dangers more than the rest of us.  I shrugged it off.  I just wished they’d let it drop.  Everything had turned out fine…

They continued to discuss it.  I kept silent.  Something kept bothering me though.  I hadn’t told them about Collin’s strange reaction to the jar.  I wondered why that artifact in particular would upset him like that or if he somehow knew I’d done something to it. 

“What do you say, Ava?”  Danny’s voice broke into my thoughts and I flinched.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.

“Do you want to go play pool in the student union after dinner?”  He glanced from me to Lilli-Mae and I knew the invitation was offered to me more out of pity than an actual desire for my presence.  She’d had already left the table and was holding her tray behind him.  She caught my eye and shook her head frantically, telling me no way.

“Um, no, I don’t think so.  I’m pretty wiped after yesterday, but thanks anyway,” I said.

Danny turned to Lilli-Mae, a hopeful look on his face.  “How about you Lilli?  I could show you how to shoot.”

Looking insulted Lilli-Mae said, “It’s Lilli-Mae and thanks but no thanks Danny.  I really should stay with Ava.  After all, she just survived a terrible ordeal.  She needs someone to take care of her.”

Danny’s face fell.  “I understand.”

He left and we dumped our trays.  As we left the dining hall, I gazed towards the campus museum.  A half formed idea flitted through my head.