Summary: An AU series. When MC first imagined who her off campus roommate might be, her mind flipped through all kinds of possibilities. But there was no way she could have predicted that she would wind up rooming with Chris Powell, and there was no way that she could have prepared herself for what came next.
Chapter 3: Freshman Year
Freshman year lent itself to creating bonds between MC and Chris. She had begun to get to know him on that first night they both slept in the apartment together, noticing how he had shut down at the mention of his absent father, and how he had acted as though it didn’t affect him. It didn’t take long for MC to see that Chris was a kind soul with a few bumps and bruises. He was a motivated individual, a stand-up guy and a quality friend.
The autumn air brought on cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes and football fever. The night before the Hartfeld Knights’ first game of the season, MC and Chris met up with some friends at an annual pre-game bonfire party. MC hadn’t originally been thrilled to go, but with some persuasion from her new friend, Kaitlyn, she agreed to her first college party experience.
MC had met Kaitlyn Liao in a film appreciation class and it had been friends at first sight. They bonded over classic movies and Kaitlyn gave MC some recommendations of ones she hadn’t seen yet, particularly horror films, as those were her favorite to watch. Kaitlyn had long, raven hair, and eyes almost as black. Her smile was infectious and her attitude frisky, and she welcomed MC into her life with open arms. Kaitlyn lived in a suite on campus with three roommates whom MC had heard so much about. She had been so excited to meet them all, but, it wasn’t until the night of the bonfire that she realized just what freshman year and all of these people really had in store for her.
“So, you said your roommate is on the football team, right?” Kaitlyn had looked at MC as she shouldered a book bag.
“Yeah, Chris. Why?”
The two girls had sauntered out of their classroom among the shuffle of students. Kaitlyn scrolled through her phone until she found a social media post she was looking for. “Well then, you might want to go to this?” She smirked, turning the screen so MC could see.
“Pre-game Bonfire?” she read aloud.
“Yeah, every year the team celebrates a new season and the incoming freshmen with a bonfire. It’s recognized as a school event but mostly run by the students, so it’s not stuffy. What do you think?” She grinned.
MC gave it some thought, eyeing her friend as they walked along campus. “I don’t know… a bunch of jocks gung-ho for a football game? Sounds like a gathering of Neanderthals”.
“Aw, come on, MC… it won’t just be the team. So many people will be there! You can introduce me to Chris and finally meet my roommates. It’ll be so fun!”
MC had looked at Kaitlyn and watched the growth of an ear-splitting grin across her face.
“We have to go!” she said, squeezing MC’s arm.
MC laughed, “… Alright, fire makes for pretty cool photos, I guess”.
“Yes!” Kaitlyn tipped her head back as she exclaimed. She had knocked MC off balance for a moment as she grabbed her in a side hug, making her giggle.
The night was crisp and the bonfire crackled, creating an orange glow over the faces of many, many students. The football team, cheerleaders, friends of the players and party-going freshmen alike laughed and mingled over the muffled sound of music. MC and Chris had met up with Kaitlyn there, who had introduced them both to her roommates, Zack, Abbie and Tyler. MC felt as though she made fast friends with Zack, a tall, thin boy with brown hair and blue eyes. He must have felt the same way about her, too, she thought, because it wasn’t long before he was telling her horror stories about old boyfriends and asking her for romantic advice. She had learned that Abbie was an artist who was sweet and reserved and that Tyler was smart and interested in computers. Zack had given MC the inside scoop about Tyler’s crush on Abbie and how it drove him and Kaitlyn mad that neither of them would make a move on the other.
The night got interesting when a large group of people gathered and sat in a circle to play a game called ‘Never Have I Ever’. MC sat between Kaitlyn and Zack. On the other side of Zack was Tyler and Abbie, and on the other side of Kaitlyn was Chris. At least eight other students sat amongst them, widening the circle as they came. Each person held a drink of choice. MC was familiar with the game, whose rules were for each person in the circle to state something he or she has never done, and any player who has done it needs to take a sip of his or her drink. It was a good way to get to know people through their pasts, their experiences and their secrets.
Kaitlyn nudged MC in the arm as everyone settled into the circle and refilled their cups.
“Psst… I’m gonna learn all your secrets,” she winked, her words flowing in sing-song rhythm.
MC shook her head, chuckling, “I told you, Kaitlyn, I’m not keeping any secrets from you”.
“We will see about that, now, won’t we?” She squinted, a sly smile spreading across her face.
The game began with a girl across the circle from MC whom she had never met. Players went around the circle presenting their statements, followed by some giggles, some awkward silences, and several gulps taken by players all around. When it was time for Kaitlyn’s turn, she rubbed her hands together and cocked her head to the side as if she were in deep thought.
“Never have I ever…” she paused, “kissed my roommate”.
Despite Kaitlyn’s performance, MC knew she had been waiting to say that since the idea of Never Have I Ever came up in the first place. Externally, she shook her head. Internally, she wondered why Kaitlyn was so insistent on the idea of her having a thing for Chris. She had told her more than once that Chris was her roommate and her friend only, nothing more. And, with this coming up now, she hoped Chris wouldn’t get the wrong idea from Kaitlyn’s antics.
While Zack focused his attention on Abbie and Tyler’s blushing cheeks, Kaitlyn’s gaze oscillated back and forth between MC and Chris, watching to see if either of them would sip from their drinks. Chris sat forward with his arms perched on his knees, taking a quick glance in MC’s direction. He then looked around to survey the other players in the circle. When she looked back at MC, the brunette was sitting still and lifting both eyebrows at her as if to say, ‘Happy now?’
Next, it was MC’s turn to play. After a little bit of thought, she looked out into the circle and said,
“Never have I ever been arrested”.
A few snickers and whispers could be heard over the music as two to three players drank from their cups. Before anyone could share stories, a voice rang out from one of the guys on the football team,
“Powell?! No way, man!”
MC perked up as her eyes flickered toward Chris, surprised to see him squirming around uncomfortably. She could tell that, although his expression was relaxed, he felt disconcerted. He lowered the beer from his lips as thirteen sets of eyes peered in his direction.
“Guilty…” he shrugged, looking at the boy who’d addressed him. His lip curled slightly as he tapped his foot against the ground.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“Couple of buddies and I tried to steal a car. Big mistake,” he scoffed, casting his gaze down to his shoes.
“Damn, Powell! I would have never guessed”.
Chris nodded as he shrugged his shoulders again, mindlessly taking a large gulp of his beer. Players continued drinking and sharing their stories, most of which were playful, sexual, embarrassing or funny. When it came back around to the girl across the circle from MC, she prompted everyone with the following statement:
“Never have I ever been in love”.
Many adolescents sitting shoulder to shoulder lifted their cups immediately to their lips without question. Others sat idly as they watched things unfold. As MC remembered her high school boyfriend and how she had experienced her first love, sweet but fleeting, she let the liquid in the plastic cup slide between her lips and down her throat. Glancing up, she saw Chris hesitate before he slowly tipped his cup and downed the rest of what was in it.
It wasn’t long before they moved on to “Never have I ever used a dating app”, prompting giggles from all sides, but just as Kaitlyn started to share about her weirdest Tinder date, MC heard the sound of an empty cup hitting the grass and looked up to find Chris walking off without warning. Zack shot MC a worried look to which she replied by shaking her head and shrugging. Most everyone had continued on without him, but she didn’t feel right about doing that. She stood from her place in the circle and followed after Chris.
After passing the bonfire and pushing through some mingling freshmen, she found him leaning against the bark of a tree with the blue light of his phone glowing in his face. He wore a faraway look in his eyes. MC frowned as she approached him.
“That game got real pretty quick, huh?” She forced a chuckle, bumping her shoulder into his a bit.
At first, only his eyes lifted to acknowledge her while his head and body were hunched over the screen in his hand. But, seeing her genuine concern, Chris sighed and stood up straight as he shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“You okay?” She asked, eyebrows knitted.
“Yeah,” he replied, “I guess I didn’t expect things to get that personal. But, it’s cool”.
“You didn’t expect it to get personal? Haven’t you ever played this game before?” MC laughed as she teased him. He offered an unconvincing chuckle in return as he toed the dirt under his feet, but didn’t say anything. MC paused, “…I’m sorry I said that thing about getting arrested”.
“Nah, it’s fine,” Chris said, “You didn’t know”.
“Well, you should have had the choice to tell me when… if you wanted to”.
Chris stayed quiet for a long minute, staring out at the embers floating off the fire. “Does it make you look at me different?”
“Do I know the whole story?” she asked.
He broke his concentration on nothing in particular to settle his blue eyes on her brown ones. He cleared his throat before his voice came out hoarse, “No…”.
“Well?”
“It was in middle school and, for a while, I fell into what you would call ‘the wrong crowd’ of kids. Call it stress from home or… whatever… but, I just felt powerful when I was with them. It started out with just pranks, and then sneaking out late at night and hanging out in places we weren’t supposed to be, and then…”
“And then you tried to steal a car,” MC nodded, showing no judgment in her face.
Chris pulled in his lips, “…Yup”.
“And what happened?”
“I got incredibly lucky is what happened. The coach at my school saw something in me and deemed me worthy of a second chance. He offered to try me out for the football team and, once I got into that, I made some really great friends and got started on the right track again”.
MC offered a soft smile, “And you loved it?”
“And I loved it. I still do. I’m so grateful,” he stopped, gathering his thoughts, “for my coach, for my team, and my mom…” he trailed off, turning his face away from her. “I never meant to disappoint her. And even when I was selfish, when I should have been at home, helping her out, she still supported me”.
MC’s shoulder length hair blew around slightly in the September breeze. She wondered what was happening just beyond that veil that Chris was hiding behind. His words were touching but were spoken with little emotion. She was thankful that he shared them with her at all.
“Well you’re her son, Chris. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Hell, she introduced you as her pride and joy, for Christ’s sake. The woman adores you”.
Chris’s lips turned up gently on either side into a smile and then he breathed out a laugh into the night air. “Yeah, I… I guess she does”.
“And honestly,” MC said as a twig snapped underneath her shoe, “it seems like she has every reason to. You’re a good guy, Chris”.
He looked at her face to find a friendly smile and kind eyes looking back at him. Smirking, he arched an eyebrow, “Oh yeah? I’m a good guy?”
The brunette rolled her eyes and grinned. “Yeah, well, you clean up your messes, you share the TV and you haven’t burnt down our apartment so far…” She mocked, scratching the side of her head.
Chris and MC allowed their laughter to spill out into the autumn sky. A quiet settled upon them and they stood comfortably in it for a few moments before she tapped him on the arm and said,
“Alright, then, what do you say we get back to the game?”
The nights grew chillier and the leaves began their descent to the earth as fall turned into winter and winter turned into spring, bringing new life to the campus as classes started up once again. As the warmer temperatures thawed the ice hanging from tree branches and along rooftops, it also welcomed rain showers almost daily. It was a Saturday evening in April when MC sat near the windowsill of her living room, wrapping herself in a wool blanket. She trained her eyes on the twilight sky which was quickly turning a dark, stormy gray. She shivered as the clouds loomed above the city of Hartfeld and flashes of lightning cracked open the sky. The bright, jagged streaks of light reflected in her dark brown eyes.
“How’s it looking out there?” asked Chris as he emerged from his bedroom.
“Looks like it’s about to pour any second. The lightning’s started, which means…”
MC trailed off and carefully watched the sky as lightning flashed and she began to count the seconds in her head. One-Mississippi… Two-Mississippi… Three-Mississippi… Four-Mississippi… before the first rolling thunder sounded. That meant that the storm was less than one mile away. Chris stood next to MC, ducking his head to peer out the window himself. His eyes searched the angry clouds above them and, sure enough, not a minute later, raindrops started falling against the glass. They danced on the pavement outside and began to form puddles in the street, growing in size and picking up speed. People below rushed to their vehicles or stepped under awnings for cover. Those waiting at the bus stop huddled closely together under the roofed enclosure. Soon, it became harder to see through the storm and the fogged up glass of the window.
“Well, I guess it’s safe to say I’m in for the night,” Chris said as he plopped down onto the sofa and crossed his ankles on the coffee table. He pointed the remote control, pressed a button and the television screen lit up.
“Yeah,” MC stood from the windowsill and wrapped the blanket tighter around her, “I wouldn’t count on this clearing up any time soon. I’m gonna text Kaitlyn and ask to reschedule”.
She turned the corner and into the tiny hallway that led to her bedroom, searching for her phone. It lit up from amongst the messy sheets and blankets of her bed and she took it in her hand, opening her text conversation with Kaitlyn. Just as she was typing up a message, a loud crack of thunder boomed, practically shaking the floor. The lamps in the room went dark, leaving only the glow of her phone screen to illuminate her face.
“Shit! The power went out,” she heard Chris call out.
Lifting her head, MC joined him out in the living room to see that all of the lights in the apartment had gone out. The digital clocks on the cable box and microwave were blank. As it hadn’t yet gotten completely dark outside, the apartment reflected the grayish blue light coming through the windows. Chris turned around and rested his chin on the back of the couch, pouting at MC. She shrugged.
“I’ll light some candles”.
The blackout seemed to affect most buildings, street lights and even traffic lights in their vicinity. As time went by with Chris and MC sitting silently on their phones, they began to realize they wouldn’t have much choice other than to spend some time together unplugged for the remainder of this storm. MC sat down next to Chris. He looked over at her with a soft smile.
“So, what do you think we should eat?” he asked.
“Good question,” she said, standing up and heading for the refrigerator. She opened it and frowned. “All we’ve got is frozen pizza and protein shakes”.
Chris scratched his head. “Great, and anything else we have requires a working microwave”.
“We could just go downstairs and load up on snacks, if you want,” MC suggested.
“Nah, I think I deserve a good meal if I’m gonna be cooped up in here with you the rest of the night”. He teased.
Her jaw dropped in feigned offense. “Well then, what do you propose? I’m sure as hell not going out there in… this,” she motioned loosely toward the window.
“You don’t have to,” Chris stood, “I will”.
“Oh, you’re gonna brave the storm,” She posed more as a question than a statement.
“Chinese?” He asked as he slipped into his sneakers, ignoring her commentary.
“Mmm,” she hummed, imagining the aroma of potstickers, egg rolls and Lo Mein.
Chris chuckled. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes, please’”. He slid his left arm into a navy blue hoodie and zipped it up, flipping the hood up over his head. “I’ll be right back”.
“Wait, Chris, take an umbrella! You’re gonna get soaked”.
He waved her off, stepping one foot over the threshold. “It’s two stores down. I’ll be fine”.
As he was shutting the door behind him, MC called out, “No you won’t!”
The door was shut before she could protest any further. MC shook her head slightly with a smirk and slid her socked feet across the kitchen floor, heading back towards the window. Looking down, she saw Chris’s hooded figure sprinting through puddles. She could faintly hear him cursing at the rain as he disappeared from view.
About twenty-five minutes later, the apartment door swung open. Chris called MC’s name in a huff. Peeking over the back of the couch, she caught a glimpse of the top of his wet head, hoodie soaked through and brown hair dripping rainwater down his nose. She put down the book she had been reading and walked over to him. Looking at his stillness and his uncomfortable expression, MC stifled a laugh. She took the large shopping bag from his arms.
“What happened?” She pressed her lips together, mockery threatening to spill.
Chris toed off his shoes at the door and ran a hand through the hair that was flattened to his head. “I just braved the storm and brought us back dinner, is what happened”.
MC set down the food on the counter and watched as Chris peeled his soaking wet, once navy but now black, hooded sweatshirt off his body. He grimaced slightly as he hung it up. Running into the bathroom, she fetched a towel and handed it to her roommate to dry off his face and hands.
“You were right. Who needs an umbrella?” She smirked and Chris shot her a dangerous look from behind the towel. But the moment she broke out in laughter, he did, too.
Chris changed out of his clothes and joined MC for an intimate, candlelit, Chinese takeout dinner. They laid out the food across the coffee table and each sat on the living room floor, munching away. They spent the evening slurping noodles, chatting, and playing cards to the sounds of the thunderstorm.
“I wish I knew a game other than Rummy,” MC said as she placed three cards of the same suit on the table, creating a sequence of six, seven, eight.
Chris eyed her playfully. “I do. Strip poker?”
“You wish, Powell”. She laughed, shaking her head.
Setting his eyes back on the cards in his hand, he mumbled, “Trust me, I don’t”.
MC threw a crumpled up napkin at his nose and he laughed.
After a few moments’ pause, MC spoke again. “So, dark night in the rain, no electricity, candle light… You didn’t want to use this to your advantage for a blackout and chill with a pretty lady?”
Chris placed down four Queens of different suits. He smiled up at MC. “Isn’t that what I’m doing now?”
“No, I mean like in a romantic way, dummy”. She grinned.
He gave her a questioning look. “Oh… nah. I’m not talking to anybody like that right now”.
“Really?” MC arched an eyebrow. She found that hard to believe.
“Yeah, MC, just like I told you. Classes, football and friends. No girls. Remember?”
She cocked the other eyebrow at him. “Come on. You really meant that?”
He made eye contact with her as he nodded. “Yeah, I really did”.
MC nodded to herself and began fidgeting with her cards. A thought popped into her head and, before she could stop herself, she was saying it out loud.
“Man, she must have really done a number on you”.
“Huh?”
She scolded herself internally, pressing her eyelids closed. Shit. Looking up at Chris, he was leaning forward. MC bit her lip.
“Uh, nothing, I don’t know”.
“No, it’s okay, MC. What did you say?”
She exhaled, setting her playing cards down in her lap. “I said she must have really hurt you–your ex-girlfriend–for you to be swearing off girls altogether”.
Chris paused, seemingly to gather his thoughts. He lowered his eyes to the mess of playing cards and egg roll crumbs on the table.
“Nicole and I… Nicole, that’s her name. We were together for three years. Everyone thought we were so good together. And so did I for a long time”.
“What happened?”
Chris looked at MC and shrugged casually. “Senior year came around and she started acting different. Then, once we were looking at colleges, she got more and more distant until finally she just told me she didn’t want to be with me anymore”.
MC frowned, furrowing her brow. “How come?”
“Didn’t want to bother with long distance, I guess”. Chris shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.
MC’s dark eyes reflected the glow of the flickering candle flame as she looked across the table at Chris. “I’m sorry, Chris. Did you love her?”
He took a deep breath and let it out all at once. “Yeah… Or at least I thought I did”.
They each paused a few moments and listened to the rain accompanied by the light tapping of Chris’s fingers on the wooden table. His gaze was fixed in front of him.
“You know, I know what it’s like to lose your first love, too”. MC offered, lifting her eyes to Chris’s face. He wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“Yeah?”
“Mm-hmm. We weren’t together as long as you were with Nicole but, it sure felt like something”.
“And what happened?” Chris asked, sounding only half interested.
MC shrugged her shoulders gently. “The same thing that happens with a lot of high school relationships, I imagine: We grew apart. In the end, we weren’t right for each other”.
Chris looked as if he was on the verge of asking a question or making a statement. His blue eyes appeared to be searching. But, just as MC was about to open her mouth and encourage him, he stood up, dropping a few cards to the floor.
“I don’t think I want to play anymore. You okay if we call it a night?”
MC stuttered, “Yeah, uh, are you alright?”
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said, changing the tone of his voice a little. “It could be the food. My stomach feels a little off”. He didn’t look back at her as he made a beeline for the bathroom, picking up a flashlight along the way.
MC watched as the door closed behind him, leaving her hanging in the uncertain quiet. She reflected on the conversation they had just had and ran through his responses again, envisioning his face. She remembered the way he withdrew from uncomfortable feelings. The way he masked his pain with indifference. The way his eyes glossed over in a second. Checking her phone, she saw the screen display that it was 10:19 P.M. Slouching, she sighed and reached into a bag on the table, crunching on a stale Chinese noodle.
The rainstorms of spring eventually let up, leaving beautiful blooms of pink flowers on the trees and freshly cut, green lawns across campus. Students crammed for final exams as they impatiently waited for summer break to begin. It had been the first time in eight months that MC was away from her college apartment for longer than a week or two. She attended a party at the end of the semester to hug her friends goodbye, as Chris was returning home to Maine and Kaitlyn was heading back to Texas, where she hails from.
MC, on the other hand, took an hour long drive to her home in Milford, which is located southwest of Hartfeld near the coast of Connecticut. She spent time with her family and visited with her cousin, Avery, while she enjoyed the summer heat, which allowed for tan lines, overall shorts, clubmaster shades and wide brimmed hats. She basked in the sunshine from mid-May to mid-August when it was time to return to Hartfeld, settle back into the apartment and begin the ever-dreaded purchasing of textbooks.
Wheeling her suitcase behind, she unlocked the door and stepped a thin, tanned leg into the apartment, sliding a backpack off of her shoulder and onto the floor. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she folded her sunglasses and hung them from the neckline of her shirt.
“Oh, my god,” she complained, “Why is it so hot in here?”
Walking into her apartment felt almost like stepping into a sauna. Okay, maybe like a few notches below a sauna but, still, she had expected the air conditioning to blast her face in a cool, refreshing escape from Connecticut’s 86-degree heat. She turned her lips down into a disappointed frown.
“Chris?”
“I’m right here,” she heard him reply. Turning around, she found Chris across the living room on his knees in front of the air conditioner. His back was to her and he was shirtless. As she walked up to him, he stood up and wiped his brow.
“Gross. Put a shirt on, Powell”.
“Yeah, real funny,” he huffed. “Spend an hour more in this heat box and you’ll be shirtless, too”.
“What’s going on with the A/C?” she asked, pointing to the unit he had just been tampering with. There were panels open and screws on the floor. She looked up at Chris with an arched eyebrow. Her cheeks and her wavy brown hair had both been kissed by the sun.
“I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure it out since I got home but, so far, no luck”.
“Seems like this isn’t quite your expertise,” MC said as she turned to drop her luggage inside her bedroom. “Stick to throwing a football, alright?”
“Hey, I’ve been known to be pretty handy back at home when things needed fixing. I’m not totally useless. Just seems like this A/C might need a new piece, or something”.
“Really makes me regret the fact that we never installed units in our bedroom windows…” MC said as she rested a hand on her hip, sighing helplessly.
“I guess we better go talk to Niko and see if he can have it repaired,” Chris suggested.
Chris and MC descended the steps from their apartment to Maria’s store and walked inside, immediately rejoicing at the sensation of cool air on their skin. Walking up to the counter, they asked Niko for a moment of his time and alerted him to the problem they were having. Niko slowly made his way from behind the counter and carefully up the stairs to assess the unit, returning to report that there was, in fact, a piece that needed replacing to get the air conditioner back up and running again.
“I’m sorry, you two, I’m going to need to call the repairman to come and fix it. It shouldn’t be more than a few hours”.
Reflexively, Chris and MC both breathed a heavy sigh of dismay.
“A few hours?” MC echoed. “There’s no way I’m hanging out up there that long. You better give me something to do, Maria, because I’m not leaving this shop until that air conditioner is fixed”.
Maria stepped up next to her husband and smiled sweetly at MC and Chris. “You’re welcome to spend time here with us, but why do that if you can go out?”
“Yes, why don’t the two of you go out somewhere and kill some time together, eh?” Niko added, winking at Maria.
Chris looked at MC and shrugged his shoulders. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she looked back.
“There is this little vintage movie theater in town that I’ve been wanting to check out,” she mentioned.
“Alright,” Chris agreed, “and we can go for pizza afterward…?”
“I could eat,” MC shrugged.
“Sounds good,” Chris declared as he turned his body toward the door. “Thanks, Niko. Call one of us when the piece is replaced, yeah?”
Waving goodbye to Niko and Maria, the two of them exited the shop together. When they arrived at Art Cinemas, MC and Chris stepped foot into a little hole-in-the-wall movie theater that was decked out in red curtains and multicolored lighting. It looked like it hadn’t been renovated in many, many years. The moment they were through the door, MC’s face lit up with delight while Chris frowned in disapproval. The signs displayed in the lobby read that all of the films showing that day were either independent films, foreign films or both.
MC gasped. “Oh! I’ve been wanting to see Strange Weather for so long!”
Chris hesitated. “Aren’t there any… you know… normal movies? I haven’t heard of any of these”.
“That’s the fun of it, Chris. These films are so different and stylized. Plus, most of them are nominated for awards!”
“Awards for what? Least embarrassing?”
“Oh, come on. I promise you’ll love it. This director is amazing”. MC grabbed Chris by the wrist and dragged him to the ticket booth, paying a small price for two tickets. He rolled his eyes as he followed.
She grinned giddily as they stood in line for popcorn and then sat down in their seats. The theater had stadium seating but with old, creaky auditorium chairs. The carpet was red and black and covered in popcorn crumbs. Chris lifted his shoe, relieved not to find any sticky residue on the bottom. He shifted in his chair as he tried to get comfortable.
The movie started out alright until the dialogue began and Chris realized that it was in French. Subtitles appeared on the bottom of the screen and he let out an audible sigh, slumping in his chair. MC nudged him, but that didn’t stop him from leaning over every ten minutes and asking “what the hell” was going on. When he would pout and groan in frustration, his movie buff roommate would throw popcorn at him.
When the movie ended, they discussed their thoughts, opinions and critiques all the way to the nearest pizzeria. Chris bought them a small pizza pie and they sat together at a booth to have themselves a hot, cheesy feast.
“I’ve gotta say…” Chris began while he was still chewing and swallowing, “That movie was awful, but I’ve had a pretty good time with you”. He laughed, pizza still in his cheek like a chipmunk.
MC wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “I will admit; I did kind of appreciate your terrible voice overs”. She giggled despite herself.
“It’s way more fun than reading, right?! I could write a movie, no problem”.
MC threw her head back in ridiculous laughter. She held a hand to her heart. “Oh, could you, now?”
“For sure! I’ll write it; you direct it. And film it, obviously”.
“Well, then who is going to star?” She asked.
“Oh, didn’t you know?” Chris cocked his head to the side, “I’m a triple threat”. He winked before taking a sip of his soda through a straw.
MC shook her head at him, pausing. “Seriously, Powell, stick to throwing footballs”.
They chatted a bit longer before cleaning up and heading back home, stopping in first with Niko and Maria. The couple was happy to report that the air conditioning had been fixed and running, welcoming their young tenants back into a cool, comfortable home. Chris offered his golden boy smile before extending a handshake to Niko and thanking him for all of his help.
Niko sent Chris upstairs to check that the apartment had started to cool down, while MC stayed behind to shop for some feminine hygiene products. As she placed two boxes atop the checkout counter and reached into her wallet, Maria began ringing her up. She rested her gaze on MC’s youthful brown eyes as muscle memory guided the money into the register and the items into a bag.
“So, honey, did Christopher treat you well on your date? She asked.
“Oh, no,” MC smiled politely as she zipped up her wallet, “It wasn’t a date. Come on, Maria. You know Chris and I are just friends”.
Maria chuckled with a twinkle in her eye as she closed the register. “Of course I know that! Yes, of course. I just meant, did you two enjoy yourselves?”
“Yeah, we did. It was fun,” MC stated casually. She lifted the plastic bag in her hand. “Thank you, Maria, as always”. She smiled as she entered the staircase to the apartment.
The fall semester of Sophomore year came quickly and MC jumped into classes while Chris jumped into football. They each resumed their part time jobs, MC at the campus store cash register and Chris making tacos in a food truck just outside campus. As a project for her documentary class that counted for half of her grade, MC needed to identify a subject she could use to film her own documentary on. She had been given creative freedom within the limits of copyright laws and the syllabus requirements, of course, which made MC incredibly excited to get started on her first student film. The problem was that she spent day after day with a little notepad and a pen, scribbling ideas and then rejecting them just as quickly as they came. She wanted her documentary to be not only impressive, but also to be something everyone would be interested in watching.
At one of the Knights’ home games, MC shuffled across the bleachers with her friends at her side and sat down. She powered on her camera and started fooling around with video, recording the fans in the stands, the cheerleaders on the sidelines, the overhead lights and finally, the players on the field. It was a beautiful autumn night and an exciting game, as well, until panic struck for the Hartfeld Knights. With only a few more minutes in the game, Darren Taylor, a senior and the team’s starting quarterback, went down and wasn’t coming back up. MC, Zack and Kaitlyn exchanged confused, worried glances before MC zoomed in on her camera to get a closer look.
Darren was down and clutching his ankle, clearly in pain. Two trainers and a nurse huddled over him and tried to assess the damage, but it seemed even to MC that something was really wrong. They carried the injured quarterback off the field on a stretcher, the crowd murmuring their questions to one another in hushed tones. After waiting a few minutes, MC suddenly perked up. Does this mean Chris gets to play?!
She kept her camera rolling as she and her friends waited impatiently for the game to resume. Focusing on her roommate down on the bench, she noticed his leg shaking nervously and his body on high alert. It wasn’t long before they announced Chris Powell, backup quarterback, and welcomed him onto the field. He shot up immediately and pulled on his helmet, springing into action. MC screamed his name and cheered him on until he scored the winning touchdown for the Knights, leading them to victory. She turned to Kaitlyn, who threw her arms up in exhilaration and wrapped them around her in a tight hug. As she smiled down at the viewfinder and watched the Knights lifting Chris up on their shoulders, she realized she just might have the subject of her documentary.
It was Super Sophomore: The Life of a Starting Quarterback that she had finally settled on. She had played around with a dozen other titles while the idea was still fresh but none of them ever felt right. She had followed him to practice and filmed his games, interviewing Chris, his coach, his fans and even his mother along the way. She had done her research and gathered information and gone through what felt like about forty-five fully charged batteries to get all the footage she wanted. And now, as she sat in her room, sifting through clips and editing them together, she couldn’t help but beam with pride at all of the work she’d put into this project. Chris had been such a good sport and a good friend throughout the whole process and, she not only hoped that the final product scored her an awesome grade, but that it did Chris the justice that he truly deserved as well.
The night grew later and later as her eyes grew heavy. She lifted her coffee to her lips before pressing play on another clip, one that had had a lot of outtakes. One that had just been of her and Chris together. The sounds of laughter came through her laptop speakers and she tapped a button repeatedly to lower the volume, so as to not disturb Chris in the next room. As she was staring at the computer sitting in her lap, she smiled to herself and paused the video on a still frame. The image staring back at her was of Chris, mid laughter, wearing a full, wide grin. His blue eyes sparkled at the lens. Something new seemed to stir up inside of her. What was this she was feeling? She had to be overtired, right? It wasn’t… It couldn’t be… butterflies?
MC looked away and then looked back at the still frame of Chris’s face. As she stared for a few reflective moments, her cheeks began to heat up.
Oh, shit…