Sanctuary

She zipped up her duffel bag, sliding it onto the floor beside the open door. It was the day before Thanksgiving break, and her last class had ended hours ago. She had somehow convinced her brother to pick her up that afternoon, postponing her arrival home as much as possible. She and Hallie had gotten lunch a few hours ago, retreating back to their room to slowly pack and prepare for the long weekend.

"You gonna be okay?" Hallie said, smirking at the frown on Taryn's face. Taryn flopped back onto her bed, running her fingers through her wavy hair.

"Yeah," she groaned. "I honestly know I should be grateful that I get to go home and see my family, but it really sucks when I don't want to."

"Well, just hang out with your dad," Hallie suggested, throwing her backpack on and grabbing her small wheeled suitcase. "You like him."

"Yeah, but he's the one that always organizes Thanksgiving dinner so he's always so busy. I'll just be with my brother the whole time, honestly." She shook her head, standing up. "Sorry. I'm being stubborn and bitchy. I'll stop."

Hallie laughed, leaning in to give her roommate a hug. Hallie's flowery perfume filled her nostrils and she squeezed her a bit harder.

"Call me every day, okay? No matter what happens," Hallie said, rubbing her back. "It's only five days. You've got this."

"I know I do," Taryn said, nodding as Hallie pulled back. "Thanks. Have an awesome break!" She smiled, watching Hallie as she pushed her bags through the door. With a small wave, she was gone, leaving Taryn with the room to herself and entirely too much space to think.

She grabbed her purse, throwing it over her shoulder and pocketing her cell phone. It was about time she took Danielle up on that invitation.

"Hey," Alex said, popping up in the doorway right as she arrived at it. She halted in her tracks, her eyes widening as they met his. "You leaving now?" He motioned to the bag by the door.

"Not yet. Just...going to hang out with some friends." She pushed past him, pulling the door shut and turning to face him.

"Oh. Well, just wanted to stop by and say I hope you have a good break. I saw Hallie leave, so I figured you wouldn't be far behind."

"Thanks. I hope yours is good, too." He held his arms out and she smiled, hugging him and breathing in his cologne. God, he smelled nice.

He pulled back, but not before letting his fingers linger on her wrist a bit longer than they needed to. She ducked her head, feeling her cheeks burn as she locked the door and tried to meet his eyes again.

"See you next week," she said with a smile, pivoting on her heel and heading for the elevator. With a sigh, she stepped in, leaning against the cool wall and closing her eyes. Yes. Next week.

***

"Sandwich?" Shae said, holding out half of a peanut butter sandwich. Taryn shook her head, flashing him a polite smile.

"And so Shane is just totally ignoring us, when he's the one who brought us to the party in the first place. And he starts playing beer pong with his friends and we're just standing along the wall, like, what the fuck? And eventually we get bored and just leave," Danielle ranted, adjusting her aviator sunglasses. She was mid-story, recalling the events of the prior weekend. Apparently Shane had taken Danielle and some of her other friends out, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Taryn was finding herself sort of jealous.

"It's like, I don't want to go out with him anymore, you know? He's just...not a nice guy. At least not when he's drunk."

Taryn bit her lip, training her eyes on the table below her. Danielle's phone buzzed on the table, and she picked it up, her fingers flying along the screen.

"Shit. My mom's almost here," she said, standing up and adjusting her red skinny jeans. "Listen, have a good break, guys, okay?" Shae and Taryn stood up, giving her quick hugs and watching as she walked away, chatting on her phone and biting her fingernails. Taryn sat back down, followed by Shae. He watched her as her eyes followed Danielle's departure.

"She told you about us, right?" he said bluntly. A smirk played on the corner of his lips, and he tugged at the corners of his light gray beanie.

"What?" Taryn said, her voice quiet. She blinked.

"Danielle. When you guys were sitting up on the ramp the other day." His blue eyes flickered over to the ramp where he had joined in their conversation earlier that month.

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. She wasn't sure why he was choosing to bring it up.

"I just...didn't want you to ever feel awkward around the two of us. I swear, there's nothing going on."

"It's not a big deal," Taryn laughed. "Everyone's got a past." She picked at her nail polish.

"Including you, which you never talk about," he joked, balling up the trash from his sandwich and tossing it back onto the table. "I just realized that I know absolutely nothing about you."

"I'm not that interesting," Taryn said, blushing as she bowed her head. "I'm no Danielle."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, standing up and straightening his skateboard. He stood on it, rocking back and forth as he looked down at her. "You aren't jealous of her, are you?" He raised his eyebrows, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.

"No," Taryn said, obviously bluffing. Her shoulders slumped and he laughed, inching his skateboard to her side of the picnic table.

"Stop," he said, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her to her feet. "Why do girls always do that?" She didn't answer him.

"Do you know how to skate?" he asked, stepping off his board.

"I have an older brother. And I spent months watching him and his friends perform tricks. You don't think I used to want to try?" He held up his hands, motioning to the board and watching as she planted her feet on it. She was a little rusty, but she remembered most everything. She bit her lip as she concentrated on the ramp ahead of her, hoping she wasn't going to wipe out and look like an idiot. He was watching her as she performed what little flips and tricks she could, and as she circled around and came back to rest in front of him, he clapped his hands together, nodding his head.

"Alright," he said, impressed. "New Girl's got game."

"Aw, not you too!" she joked, shoving his shoulder. "I can't handle you AND Shane with that nickname!"

"Hey, it's unique. You should be grateful," he laughed, hopping back on the board. "But after that little show, I guess you don't really need to set yourself apart. You can skate, which is more than I can say for most girls."

He skated a tight circle around her and she stood still, feeling his head come up close behind hers. "Including Danielle." He pushed away, looking back at her with a smirk as he took off for the ramps. She turned around, trying not to smile as she grabbed her things.

"Have a good break," she called after Shae as she headed toward the gates of the park. He turned around, waving as he approached the half-pipe.

She supposed she could head for the student union next. The coffee bar was probably still open, and she'd be able to hang out with some of her class friends if they were still around. And then maybe she could go for a quick run. Or maybe write some more.

Her phone buzzed with a text from James. He was meeting her at Radnor Hall in five minutes.

With a heavy sigh, she pushed through the gate and turned back for her dorm. Never mind her attempt at wasting time. She had officially exhausted every last possible minute on campus.