Falling for Destiny

Chapter 7: Dealing and Improvising

Monica noticed Seth standing alone in the corridor with earbuds plugged in; she was crushing on him from the very first day. Since Gloria wasn't around, she decided to say 'hi'.

She went and tapped him on the shoulder. He was expecting Destiny, so finding Monica before him, totally transformed, was a surprise.

"Hey," he said awkwardly, removing his earbuds.

"Wassup?" she asked with her biggest smile.

"Same old," he replied, "are you sure you should be talking to me right now?"

Monica went red in the face, clearly embarrassment. Seth apologized and told her that he didn't mean it a bad way. She was lucky to get into the high ranks and it would be foolish to mess it up over him.

"By the way, you look great," Seth told her, "this new look suits you."

Monica blushed, noticeably pleased to hear him complement her. She thanked him and asked about Destiny, but he quickly changed the subject to their upcoming psychology presentation. He then caught sight of Gloria approaching, warned Monica, and disappeared around the corner.

"Why were you talking to that train-wreck?" asked Gloria mockingly.

She could see the color draining out of Monica's face; she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Gloria produced an evil chuckle and told her to relax.

"Don't worry, I'll make him worth your while," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Monica was bamboozled and wondered what she was up to. Gloria put her arm around her shoulders reassuringly and told her to wait and watch.

"Don't you trust me?" she challenged.

"Of course," replied Monica, plastering on a smile to hide the dread budding inside her.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was six in the evening and Jeremy was bored to death hanging around his apartment all by himself. He decided to call Alfred and take up on his offer to give him a tour of the city.

"Hey Alfred, any plans this evening?" he asked hopefully.

Alfred was pleasantly surprised to get a call from him because he was under the impression that Jeremy didn't like him that much. He appeared to have several reservations, an introverted personality, and a distant formal attitude.

"I was going out to buy a birthday present for my nephew who's turning fourteen next week," provided Alfred, "wanna tag along?"

"Yeah why not,"

"I'll come get you in fifteen,"

Jeremy hopped off the couch and changed into a fresh pair of black corduroys and shirt. He decided to add another layer as it was slightly chilly outside.

Alfred greeted Jeremy with a triumphant smirk as he settled in the passenger seat of his car.

"What?" raised Jeremy.

"This smart casual ensemble suits you," he replied.

Alfred has always seen Jeremy in a suit, and he was happy that they were becoming friends.

"No wonder all the female students dig you," he added, "you have that irresistible boyish charm."

"You're not gay, are you?"

"Straight as an arrow, unfortunately,"

The guys laughed and then Jeremy asked where they were going. Alfred told him they were heading to this town called "Lime Village" where there was a huge music store called "BEATs". His teenaged nephew had been pleading for a guitar for the past couple of months, and this place had the best to offer at reasonable rates.