#Chapter2
College party
Mack
I don’t even know why I agreed to go to this party. I don’t even like parties. I showed up, and Bob greeted me. He was wearing God knows what? The dude lacks fashion sense.
/"Guess who finally showed up?/" Martin asked.
/"Yeah, contain your excitement. This is a rarity,/" I said.
Martin shook my hand. Miguel, Ian, and Chad found their way to me. We talked. Paige entered with that asswipe, Aaron.
/"Go talk to her,/" Ian said.
/"Oh, and become the third wheel? Right./" I rolled my eyes. /"Excuse me./" I walked away, needing something to drink. I grabbed a bottle of water and leaned with my back against the counter.
Paige strolled into the kitchen a few minutes later and grabbed a drink. /"If it isn’t Mackenzie Bennett./"
/"I prefer Mack./" I shrugged and sipped my water.
/"Mack, who calls people by the wrong name on purpose to be an ass./" She smirked, taking a sip of her drink.
/"It’s part of my charm./" I winked and smiled.
She walked over to me and stood next to me.
/"Shouldn’t you be with your boyfriend?/"
/"Who says Aaron is my boyfriend?/"
/"You’re always together. Usually, when that happens, it means you’re together./"
/"And what if I said we weren’t together, and someone else had my attention?/"
/"I would say you have an issue./" I shrugged, keeping my composure. I knew what Paige was doing with her evil ways. No way would I have a woman play me. No, sir.
Aaron strolled into the kitchen like clockwork and snaked his arm around Paige’s waist. /"If it isn’t Mackenzie. How the hell are you, buddy?/"
/"First, it’s Mack. Second, I’m not your buddy,/" I told him.
/"Aw, is someone butthurt that I got the most beautiful girl in the world?/"
/"Funny, considering your girl told me she didn’t have a boyfriend./" I smirked.
His smile disappeared, and they started arguing. With that, I walked away.
I went home. I didn’t need to witness this gross excuse of a relationship. My friends tried to get me to stay, but I refused. Why stick around and watch everyone suck face? That wasn’t happening.
I started walking back to my apartment.
/"Wait up!/" Someone said.
I stopped. Paige ran towards me.
/"Shouldn’t you be bickering with your man?/" I asked Paige.
/"A, he’s not my man, and B, I prefer another person’s company./"
/"Is that so?/"
/"Why don’t we have coffee and talk?/"
/"Are you trying to seduce me with coffee?/"
/"Are you seducible with coffee?/"
/"It’ll take a lot more than coffee to seduce me. I’m difficult, you know./"
/"Damn, and here I assumed with one cup, we could run off and elope./"
Her comeback made me smile. I like this one. Paige had a sense of humor, which was vital. I hated girls that assumed they were funny, only they weren’t. They’re the ones that make jokes, and the jokes are lame.
Sarcasm was also another thing people misunderstood. Some misuse it and end up being rude. Sarcasm should be funny.
We walked to a diner on campus and found a booth. The server brought us two coffees and a slice of apple pie, my favorite.
/"That is an interesting choice, simple yet classic,/" Paige mentioned.
/"I like simple things. People like complexity. They prefer to make things more complicated than they need to be. Take this piece of the pie, for example./" I held up a fork with a bite of pie. /"It has everything you need in one bite. Sweet, tangy filling, not a real sweet crush, which is a delicate balance./"
/"What about ice cream?/"
/"It takes away from the flavor. People argue it doesn’t, but it does. When one flavor overpowers another, you have a problem. People add things, expecting to enhance the flavor, disguising the real deal. It’s the same way with people and their facade./"
/"How so?/"
/"When you meet someone, they show you one side. After you’ve been together, the person shows their true nature. It’s like the person removes all the extra stuff, like the ice cream or toppings. People say the other person changed. No, they didn’t change. They hid their true self. I would rather be true than fake any day. People don’t like it, fuck them./" I shrugged.
/"You have an interesting perspective. It’s refreshing./" Paige sipped her coffee.
/"Oh, you have no idea. I’m full of life’s analogies. I like to view things for what they are and not what someone thinks they should be./"
It was true. Too many people pretend to be something they’re not because they think it will gain them more. Remove the mask or layers and find the horror beneath. It was a better way of seeing things.
We talked while finishing our slice of pie and coffee. Afterward, I walked Paige home. It was the right thing to do. After bidding her good night, I turned and strolled to my apartment.
Paige Moore had more to her than what meets the eye. I’ll remove all those layers to find out.