“Good morning,” she said.
“Uh, good morning,” I said back. Was I in an alternate reality?
She didn’t say anything else and I didn’t push it. Just the fact that she said anything normal was a win in my opinion. But to say I was confused was an understatement. The way Major described her behavior when he picked her up yesterday, I was sure she was going to hate me forever. I didn’t understand what was going on, but right now, I wasn’t going to question it. Neither one of us said anything else for the rest of class, and when the professor dismissed us, we went our separate ways.
It was the same in Computer Science. She sat next to me, said hi and then left when class was over. I really wasn’t sure what to think, so I sent a text to Kayleigh to call me when she could. I had no idea if she’d tell me anything, but it was worth a shot.
I went to the closest coffee shop and ordered a coffee and sandwich and found a table in the back. My phone rang a few minutes later, it was Kayleigh.
“Hey,” I said when I answered. “Thanks for calling. Are you around Karma?”
“No,” she said. “Do I need to be?”
“No, I wanted to talk to you about her.”
“Okay. I don’t know how I can help.”
“Did she tell you about yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“This is going to sound weird, but she said good morning to me and didn’t yell at me.”
Kayleigh giggled. “So, what do you want to know?”
“I’m confused. Does Karma hate me or not?”
“I don’t think she hates you. She’s still hurt and a little mad, but I had a talk with her and made her see things from a different perspective.”
“Ahhh, okay. Thanks.”
“Bodie …”
“Yeah?”
“You really care about her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do,” I admitted.
“Well damn,” she said. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“There’s not much to say. Thanks for explaining this to me though.”
“You’re welcome. I just want her to be happy.”
“So do I.”
I hung up and stared at my coffee. This was just a strange situation and I really didn’t know what to think about it.
An alarm went off on my phone, reminding me Karma and I were supposed to meet in ten minutes to work on our Spanish project. I was positive she wouldn’t be meeting me, and I knew she couldn’t afford to let her grades slip so I decided to finish it and turn it in. After all, it was my fault she wasn’t comfortable around me.
I was working on the translation, when someone sat down across from me. It was Karma. I was shocked she was there and I’m sure it showed on my face.
“Uh, hi,” I said quietly.
“Is that our Spanish project?”
“Yes. I figured finishing it was the least I could do.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she said. “It’s a shared grade, that means shared work.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah. Let me see what you’ve got so far.”
Karma and I spent the next hour finishing the project. I told her I would email it to the professor then she left the coffee shop. I gathered my books and went back to the dorm. Major was watching TV when I got there.
“Hey,” he said with a smirk. “How was your day?”
“Kayleigh called you, didn’t she?”
“Yep.”
“I was expecting an irate Karma, having her be civil threw me off. I needed Kayleigh’s advice. And get this, Karma and I just spent the last hour working on our Spanish project.”
“Maybe she’s not as hot headed and everyone thinks.”
“No, I think Kayleigh was able to talk some sense into her.”
“You sound disappointed by that,” Major said.
“I think I would feel better if she did get mad at me, yelled at me, something.”
Major shook his head. “Maybe she’s building up to that. You never know what’s going to happen when Karma’s around.”
“True.”
Karma could be very unpredictable, but that was one of the things I liked about her. She was never boring.
Chapter 25
Karma
Four days had passed since the big bombshell had been dropped. I’d been civil to Bodie, but that was it. I also hadn’t talked to Anthony yet. I texted him that I needed time and he seemed to be giving me what I needed.
I focused on school and diving and tried not to think about anything else. Kayleigh spent as much time with me as she could until I told her to go see Major. I didn’t want to be the reason they had any kind of trouble in their relationship. Besides, I was a strong independent woman that could do anything I set my mind to, and right now my mind was set on ice cream.
I’d already eaten all the pints in the freezer, so it looked as if I was going to have to go out and get some. I’d just picked up my purse when my phone dinged. I was surprised to see who it was.
Bodie: Open your door and look in the hallway
The saying curiosity killed the cat was totally me so I had to look out the door. There was a paper bag with a note on it.
Karma,
Kayleigh said you were out of ice cream and that if I was any kind of gentleman at all I would get you more. So here you go.
Bodie
Despite everything, I had to smile. I picked up the bag and looked inside. It was full of all different kinds. I brought it in and started putting them in the freezer. When I got to the bottom of the bag, I found another note. PS – I didn’t know what kind you liked so I got a variety.
I grabbed a pint of strawberry and sat down on the couch to text him back.
Me: Thank you. I was just about to go to the store to get some.
Me: Also, I love all kinds of ice cream
Bodie: Good. You don’t seem like a picky eater.
Me: I’m not. I like pretty much anything.
Me: Thanks again Bodie
Bodie: Any time
It was nice to text him. The longer I’d thought about what he did, the more I understood why he did it. I knew he didn’t like Anthony, I wasn’t sure why, but I knew he wasn’t a fan, yet he did it to prove my innocence.
That got me thinking about something I’d overheard Anthony say to his father, that he had plans for me. I wondered what that meant. I guess it was time to call him. I grabbed my phone and found his number.
“Hello?”
“Hi Anthony.”
“I’m glad you called,” he said. “How are you?”
“Better. I shouldn’t have run out the other day. I should’ve let you explain.”
“I totally understand. I was just as shocked as you were. I still haven’t spoken to my father. I’m so sorry he thought that about you.”
“I’m not mad anymore. I’ve had time to think about everything and I can kind of see it from everyone’s point of view. Your dad was protecting you.”
“It’s none of his business who I spend my time with.”
I heard the anger in his voice. He was obviously still pissed at his father.