Just Another Pretty Face in the Crowd

Chapter 6 – Which One Is It?

Math class came and past. Nothing really happened, besides the fact that I was a little irritated that Tony decided to skip. I wasn’t gonna complain thought. It wasn’t my failing grade, it was his.

I slowly walked down the pathway that connected the buildings. My gym bag was hitting my side rhythmically as it was hung from my shoulder, along with my book bag. I had decided that I would actually go to the gym today and attempt to win Coach Nolan over again.

I was almost there when I heard my cell go off, playing Reach by Eyes Set to Kill. Even though I had the ringtones set to different people, I checked the caller ID.

“Hey, Sadie,” I said with a smile.

“Hey, darling,” she said. I could almost hear the smile on her face. “Do you want to go to another Pens game with me tomorrow?”

“Do you have to ask, honey bunny?” I answered back. “What time are you picking me up?”

“I was thinking 5:30 again,” she replied.

“Okie dokie,” I said. “See you at work, bright and early this time.”

“I'm sure I will! See you tomorrow, darling.”

And with that, the conversation was over. I heard her hang up the phone and I pocketed my own. I walked into the weight room and headed straight toward the locker room to change out of my street clothes.

I walked out about five minutes later wearing black shorts and a grey PITT shirt. My blonde hair was high in a ponytail that swung back and forth as I walked.

“I see you actually stopped by today,” Coach Nolan said, almost bitterly. She really didn’t appreciate that I was so sour yesterday.

“I know,” I said hesitantly. “I’m sorry about being so rude yesterday. I was just having a really bad day.”

“I’ll let it slide this time,” she said before went back into her office. I knew that I had a lot of work to do if I was to ever be forgiven.

‘Might as well start off with the treadmill machine,’ I thought to myself. I stepped on the treadmill and started it up. I started off with a jog but gradually I went faster. After an hour of running, I was nearly sprinting.

“Damn girl, are you trying to overwork yourself?” I heard a familiar voice say. I glanced over to my left to see Tony walking into the weight room.

“What do you want, Tony?” I asked, turning my attention back the treadmill so I wouldn’t fall and hurt myself. That would surely make the coach proud.

“Who bit you in the ass?” he asked, noticing my anger towards him.

“You skipped math again,” I stated. I hit the Stop button and the machine gradually slowed down enough for me to get off.

“Yea, so?” He was clearly not that concerned.

“How are you even passing college?” I asked as I walked toward the triceps machine.

“I never said I was,” Tony muttered, looking down at the ground. Apparently the ground was very fascinating to him.

“Tony,” I looked over at him and stopped working out. “What are you getting at?”

“That’s the thing, Dru. I’m not passing,” he said, looking up at me cautiously.

“You got to be kidding me, Tony!” I couldn’t believe this but at the same moment I could.There was always that possibility but I really wasn’t expecting for some reason.

“I wish I were,” he said, sadly. I knew that he was actually quite angry with himself for failing, even though he played it off pretty damn good.

“Then why aren’t you showing up for your classes, trying to improve your grades?” I demanded to know, suddenly quite angry with him as well.

"I thought why even bother trying when you’re failing.”

I let out a heavy sigh and pointed at him sternly, “I’m gonna help you. There’s still enough time to get your grades up to at least a C.”

“You will?” he said, sounding hopeful.

“But!" I began my compromise."You have to promise to show up to class every time!”

“Yea anything! I just don’t want my parents finding out,” he said with a smile.

I just rolled my eyes, “Are you hanging out with the boys again tonight?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

I just shrugged a little then started working out again.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” he said, pointing at me accusingly. “You like one of them! Is it Marc?”

“What? No! He's married!”

“Kris?”

“No! He's married, too! Do you really think I'm a home wrecker?” I questioned.

Tony just ignore my rhetorical question. “Max? Please say no.”

“Yes, Tony! I’m madly in love with Maxime Talbot and we’re running away to Las Vegas,” I answered with a straight face.

“Really?”

“Oh please!"

“Staalsy?” He continued on.

“No.”

“Sidney?”

“No.”

“It has to be one of them!” Tony was really pushing hard to find out if I indeed liked one of them.

“I told you! I don’t like any of them more than a platonic way,” I said, slamming the weights down with a loud and ear splitting crack.

“Sure you don't!” he said. “Then why are you getting so frustrated?”

“What do you mean 'frustrated'?” I answered with air quotes.

“If you didn’t like one of them, you would be joking around and having a good old time with it. But no, you are getting frustrated and annoyed with the subject,” he said with a smirk.

“Shut up, Tony. You don’t know what you are talking about,” I said, walking toward the leg lifts.

“Dru, you know that I know everything there is to know about dating. You like someone on the Penguins,” he said, leaning against the wall next to me.

“You got it all wrong,” I said. “They are like my brothers.”

“Sure,” Tony said. “Not from what I saw when you were hugging Sidney last night.”

I glanced up at him confused, “What? Now you are spying on me?”

“You hugged him longer than Max and I. Right in front of the door no less,” he said, stating the obvious.

“You know what?” I said, not realizing that I didn’t have a comeback till it was too late, “Fuck you.”

“You really would like that, won’t you?” he said with a smirk.

“Oh don’t get me started on that subject, honey,” I replied back.

He smirked at me, “Well, I got to get going.”

“Okay, see you later, maybe?”

“Maybe,” he replied then left the weight room.

The conversation left me pondering in my thoughts, something that I’ve been doing a lot of lately, especially since I was living alone with only my dog as company. I couldn’t help but wonder if I did have feelings for one of them, the question was which one.

I knew that Max was definitely a no. He was too much like my brother and seemed like player with all the flirting he did. Kris was also a no. He was just too shy and quiet for my liking. One thing I knew about my men was that they had to actually start a conversation with me. Marc was also a no. I mean he isn’t a bad guy but he just isn’t my kind of guy.

So, Jordan or Sidney?

“Hey, Dru?” Coach Nolan called from her office. “Can you please come here?”

“Sure,” I said. I put the weights back on the rack then walked over to her office. Her office was adjacent to the weight room. I don’t really know what it was meant for originally but definitely not an office because it was a little tiny. Almost like it was supposed to be a supply closet. “Yea?”

“Sit,” she said, crossing her hands on the desk in front of her.

I gulped a little but sat down none the less.

“So,” she started calmly. "You going to tell me what's up?"

My nerves calmed a little but I didn’t drop my guard down at all, “Nothing, I guess. Just hanging out and trying to focus on my grades.”

“That’s good,” she said. “Why didn’t you show up yesterday?”

“Like I said, I was having a really bad day,” I said. A frown was growing on my face.

“You have to elaborate on that,” she said now leaning back in her office chair.

“Where to start? I overslept first of all causing to arrive to work late. When I got back home from a really crappy day of work, I found out that Caesar tried redecorating my couch. That’s when my headache started pounding on my head horribly.” I said. “I guess that’s when you called and I didn’t really need to be bitched at for not showing up.”

“Dru, you know if you would have just explained the situation to me, I would have been fine with it,” she stated, calmly.

“I know, but when you have the day I was having yesterday, you really can’t think straight,” I said suddenly finding my T-shirt hem fascinating.

“So, when’s the next time you’re coming in?” she asked with a smile on her face.

“I don’t know, maybe on Monday?” I suggested. “I’m going to the Pens game tomorrow with a co-worker.”

“That works. See you then,” she said.

“Yep,” I replied back, exiting the room. I walked over to the locker room with my pending thoughts invading my brain again.

I quickly changed into my faded, skinny jeans and my Black Veil Brides T-shirt. I pulled on my winter coat, gloves, and hat after stuffing my gym clothes into my bag.

I walked out of the building, heading toward to my apartment where my lazy dog was eagerly waiting for my return. It only took me twenty or so minutes to get to my apartment building.

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” the door man said, opening the door for me with a welcoming smile on his face.

“Afternoon,” I said returning the smile. I walked to the stairwell and climbed the stairs, feeling the strain that working out caused on my muscles already. ‘I’m getting too old for this.’

I finally got to the third floor and went over to my door. I unlocked it and for a split second saw my apartment torn to shreds before I actually opened the door. When I did open it, I saw that nothing was touched and that Caesar was lying on the couch, peacefully.

I walked down the hallway and threw my gym stuff into my bedroom along with my school work. I walked back to the kitchen and quickly made lunch, since it was around noon time.

“God, the whole damn day and nothing to do!” I shouted out loud while pulling out a frozen dinner from the freezer.

As if on cue, my phone let out the text message tone. I looked at it and then the name which read Tony. I opened it up and quickly read the text: Have anythin goin on tonite?

My reply was simply: Mind reader, much?

He texted me back a couple minutes later, he was probably attached to his damn Xbox again: That didn’t answer the ?

I sighed and replied: Sorry. Nothing’s going down in the Thompson residence, why do you ask?

His answer came within the minute: B/c the guys & I r goin to Coyote again. Wanna come?

I couldn’t help but smile: Sure :)

I stirred the sauce and noodles of the fettuccine alfredo together and sat down at the table. I was about to take a bite when my phone called out with a text from Tony again: Ok

I rolled my eyes at the simple reply and started to eat my lunch. ‘Typical Tony.’