Sanctuary

"Taryn, we care about you," Hallie said slowly, watching her from across the table.

Oh, God. This was it. The intervention. Was she surprised? Not one bit.

"You talked to Matt," Taryn said with a sigh, taking a bite of her salad. Hallie nodded, watching her roommate. They were sitting alone at a campus café, grabbing some lunch on a sleepy Sunday afternoon.

"Yeah, I did. Parker came to me with some concerns Matt was having. They're worried."

"God, I'm so ashamed. I really had a chance with him, and I blew it."

"Have you talked to him?"

"No. He hasn't answered any of my apologetic messages, and I don't think he's going to anytime soon. I'm glad to hear he cares, at least, but I feel so awful."

"Dont," Hallie said. "But you can't ignore this anymore. It's getting worse."

"God, everyone probably thinks I'm, like, some crazed sex addict or something," Taryn said, hanging her head in her hands.

"No, not exactly. But everyone's worried that…I don't know, that you're drinking too much."

Taryn paused for a second, thinking back to the last few weekends she had spent on campus. There was no denying that she had gone out countless times, and God knew how much alcohol she had consumed.

"I know. And it's something I want to fix, for sure."

"Well, that's good to hear," Hallie said with a supportive smile. "Are you sure everything's okay? There must be some reason you're leaning so heavily on this."

"Yeah. I just need to get my frustration out some other way. You know, maybe start running again or something," she replied, taking a sip of water.

"That's a good idea!" Hallie exclaimed. "And maybe Audrey can help you out. She's a psych major, you know. And she's specializing in counseling, so she's really good to talk to when someone needs her."

"Maybe…I just don't want to push away any more friends than I already have," Taryn said sadly. "It's going to take all I have to repair my relationships with Matt and Parker."

"Trust me, they'll forgive you. They're honestly just concerned. Matt's sister had some alcohol issues when she was in college, so he really just wants to make sure you're okay. And Parker's his best friend, so obviously he wants to help."

Taryn's heart sank. She knew Hallie was trying to help, but hearing of Matt's sister only made Taryn feel more guilty. Matt might have actually sincerely been interested in her, and she blew it by getting drunk and pulling forth bad memories of his sister. What an asshole she was.

"I'll call him later, I guess," Taryn said, gathering her trash to throw away. "I think I'm going to go for that run now."

"Okay," Hallie said, pulling her sweatshirt on as she and Taryn stood up. "Text me when you're on your way back to the room. Maybe we can head to the library later with everyone or something."

Taryn nodded, patting her backpack to make sure her journal was still in there. She was, of course, fully intending to go for a run, but she had a different destination in mind.

***

"So how have things been going?" Shae asked slowly, tapping his pencil on the table. He was sitting beside Taryn in their shared math class, waiting as the professor distributed exams from the week before. The old man was making his way up and down the aisles, his slight deafness making things difficult as he called out names of students. "You know, with your new life plan."

"Pretty well, actually," Taryn laughed, adjusting her patterned scarf. "I have done absolutely nothing for the last three weekends. Aren't you proud?"

"I guess I am," Shae said, nudging her forearm. "But should I really be condoning laziness?"

"I'm not lazy," she argued playfully. "I just haven't…gone out. I've actually done a shitload of homework. And I think my grades might actually be better."

"Yeah, according to all former advice from parents and teachers, that's what's supposed to happen."

Taryn smirked. "I still feel like I'm doing something that's not quite right, but I guess I'll get over it. I think I need a new hobby or something."

"Why don't you go out for the cross-country team or something?" he suggested, leaning back in his chair. "Hallie says you like to run a lot."

She paused, choosing her words carefully. She hadn't exactly told Hallie that she had been going back and forth to the clearing. And she wasn't sure she really wanted anyone to know.

"Perhaps. Or maybe a sorority?" She flashed a wide grin, throwing her hair back over her shoulder and looking over at him.

"Please. Those girls would eat you alive."

"Hey. They're not all bad."

"Seriously?" he scoffed. "Paying to wear dumb letters and to meet friends? They're horribly elitist."

"Well, you only see one side," she pointed out.

"Oh, sorry. Forgot to mention the illegal and useless hazing and antiquated initiation ceremonies."

"Well, someone's a little…bitter?" Taryn joked, watching as the professor handed Shae his exam. He slid it down on the table, rubbing his face in his hands. He sat up, scooting closer to Taryn.

"Okay, I take it back. If I say you'll make a perfect sorority girl, will you PLEASE help me pass this freaking class?"

She looked down at the table as her test was placed in front of her, a giant red 'A' scribbled at the top. Next to Shae's D-, she began feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Fine. I'll help you pass the class…and you help me restore my rep with everyone? I don't plan on being Skank Extraordinaire any longer."

Shae pointed to the front door of the room, where Shane was entering. He handed a slip of paper to the professor before scanning the room for the first open seat.

"You sure?" he whispered. "I think the biggest threat to that plan...just walked into the room."