The next month was spent falling into the routine of attending classes and doing homework. Once or twice a week, Ashley would either speak with or write to her aunt and her friend Joy. She and Joy had been friends ever since she moved to New Mexico. Joy had been a great support after her recent loss, along with her aunt, the only living relative she had left. Her aunt was getting older, though, and had health problems, with emphysema being one of them, so she tried not to burden her with too much and helped out around the house as much as she could. With her gone to college, since she had no husband or children to help her, she’d hired a housekeeper to make things easier on her.
Ashley let the others set up the kitchen and decorate the living room as they saw fit and concentrated just on her own room.
The rules were simple. On a dry-erase board in the kitchen was a list of the household members’ chores, which rotated weekly. These chores consisted of dusting and vacuuming the living room, wiping down and mopping the kitchen, and cleaning the two bathrooms. They did their own laundry. The washer and dryer were just off the kitchen in a small utility area by the back door. They bought their own food and washed their own dishes. They were also responsible for the upkeep of their own rooms. The campus had people who mowed the grass on a weekly basis.
The layout of the house, which had no cellar, was simple as well. Beige wall-to-wall carpet filled the house. A long hallway that ran from side to side divided the house into two halves. The front half, from left to right, was where Nicolette, Rose, and Ashley’s rooms were, along with the living room. A bathroom was sandwiched between Nicolette and Dalene’s room at the left end of the house, while the back half, from left to right, housed Dalene’s room, the kitchen, the other bathroom, a closet, and then Katelyn’s room.
Ashley hadn’t even been at the school a month, yet she’d already received a few propositions. She turned them all down. Not because she didn’t think she’d like them, but because Ashley was gay. One hundred percent, very happily gay. She refused to associate with any straight, hard-headed bigots, so when Joy had assured her she wasn’t the least bit homophobic, the two began their friendship, discussing both guys and gals whom they fancied.
She knew her aunt knew she was gay, be it by intuition or just by the fact that Ashley, who wasn’t exactly bad looking with her aquamarine eyes and light brown hair that fell in waves to her waist, wasn’t interested in dating. If her aunt had any qualms about it, she kept them to herself.
“Rose, you have a phone call,” she heard Nicolette call out from the living room next door to her. Then she heard Rose’s door open next to her on the other side. She wished she were in one of the corner rooms rather than in the middle of the house. She was the closest to the living room and the kitchen, so trying to sleep in on weekends wasn’t always so easy. Katelyn’s room was sort of close to the living room, but since the hallway ran between that room and hers, it didn’t seem as close as it was. Plus, her closet bordered most of the hallway wall. You passed by the side of the closet when entering that room.
Ashley closed her textbook and placed her elbows on her desk. Then she rubbed her tired eyes just before she rose to step out into the hall. After she used the bathroom that she and Katelyn mostly shared, seeing that their rooms were the closest to it, she glanced into the living room where Nicolette and Rose sat watching sitcoms before going into the kitchen.
She was both surprised and not surprised that Dalene turned out to be the one who kept mostly to herself. She was surprised because Dalene didn’t seem shy, but not surprised because she was pretty sure that Dalene felt herself to be too good for the others.
What did surprise her was Rose’s obvious desire to mingle with others, as she seemed one of the more shy and insecure girls she’d met. She was sitting in the living room chatting one evening with her and Nicolette and noticed Rose’s discomfort whenever she asked her questions about her life. Yet she didn’t seem to want to hang out by herself in her room. It was as if she believed that that’d make her feel lonely, alienated, and unwanted, so she put up with the discomfort of being around others.
Katelyn was more in the middle. She wasn’t a loner, nor was she overly sociable. The girl seemed confident and cheerful around others, and based on her tomboyish appearance and overall mannerisms, Ashley had the fleeting impression every now and then that she might be gay.
She made herself a cup of salted caramel tea, then took it into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Rose. Nicolette sat in a matching plush chair closer to the TV.
“Hi,” Ashley said to Rose.
“Hi,” she said so softly that Ashley wondered if she’d really spoken at all.
The trio sat in silence for a while, then Ashley stood up to bring her mug into the kitchen. She passed Katelyn exiting the kitchen just as she entered it.
“Hi,” said Katelyn in her usual cheery voice.
“Hello,” Ashley said, turning to smile back at Katelyn, who had also turned back for a second or so with a smile of her own.
The days passed by, and finally, it was nearing Halloween. The weather was cooling down, making sweaters and light jackets a necessity at night. After her last class of the day let out one sunny Friday afternoon, she decided to head over to the strip mall after dropping her books off in her room. She really enjoyed the small Chinese fast-food restaurant, and she treated herself to one of their scrumptious combos once a week.
The eatery was deserted when she entered it.
“Hello there,” said the Chinese man behind the counter. “It’s Ashley, correct?”
Ashley nodded, aware that the young man desired to serve her with more than just food as she scanned the combos. “I’ll take the number nine this time,” she said after a moment.
“Number nine, coming right up, pretty lady,” said the man, scurrying to fill her plate. “So how are you doing?” he asked as he worked.
“Okay.”
“Been studying hard?”
“Too hard,” Ashley said with a roll of the eyes.
“Then why not come to my place tonight? Some friends of mine are going to hang out with me and party the night away. Think you’d be interested?”
“No, thanks. I really have a lot to do, though I appreciate the offer.”
“Perhaps some other time,” the man said with disappointment dripping from his voice as he handed Ashley her plate.
She took it with a brief smile and sat down to eat. Though she was constantly being undressed by the man’s eyes while she ate and wished other customers would arrive to take the attention from her, she enjoyed the food just the same. When she was done, she snatched up her purse and went in to use the bathroom before heading back to the house. No sooner had she entered one of the bathroom stalls did she hear someone finally enter the store.
Now you come! she thought to herself as she peed. It occurred to her then that the feminine voice she was hearing sounded familiar, though she couldn’t put a name to it. They spoke very briefly, even though she could never make out what was being said through the wall that separated the restaurant from the bathroom.
Just as she flushed the toilet and pulled up her panties, someone entered the bathroom and the stall next to hers. Oddly enough, when she peered underneath the wall between the stalls, she noticed that the small feet clad in brown loafers stood just inside the stall, feet facing the toilet, deathly still and quiet.
Well, aren’t you going to pee? Ashley wondered.
The person continued to stand completely motionless.
Odd, Ashley thought. Who would enter a bathroom stall and simply stand there?
Unless they were waiting.
But waiting for what?
Ashley’s heart rate sped up. She was about to pull the door to the booth open when the person suddenly turned, exited their stall, and proceeded to head towards the door as if they’d decided at the last minute that they didn’t have to use the bathroom after all.
Next thing Ashley knew, the room was plunged into total darkness. Because there were no windows in the room, she was rendered completely blind.
Panic seized her as she flung open the door to the stall. Relief then washed over her when she saw the strip of light coming from underneath the door to where the restaurant was. Now she could hear another customer enter the place and begin giving his order.
Ashley began to move towards the door, assuming the bathroom’s fluorescent light bulb had simply blown out and that she was alone in the bathroom, when a sudden movement blocked out the strip of light.
“What the… Who’s there?” Ashley demanded, knees turning to butter.
Suddenly, whoever was in the bathroom with her grabbed her and tried to shove her back further into the room.
“Let go of me!” Ashley cried before a hand quickly cut off her cries.
The person now had her back against them, with Ashley facing the door and desperately struggling to break free of the psycho that held her and run towards the life-saving strip of light. She couldn’t tell the person’s gender or height, but she could tell that they were rather heavy. She struggled to hang onto her purse, assuming that that was what her silent attacker was after.
Her attacker then removed one of their hands to fumble with something metallic, which they dropped. The instant it clanked to the tile floor, Ashley lifted her right leg and kicked her attacker in the knee. This momentarily stunned them, and Ashley wasted no time. She flew to the door, flung it open, and ran through the brightly lit restaurant and out the door, leaving the counterman and the few customers who were now present gaping in wonder at her.
She hadn’t wanted to stop to tell the counterman that a nut was in his bathroom for fear of them coming out and shooting at them. Instead, she ran to the pizza place three doors down and headed straight towards the pay phone. She called the police and, as quickly as she could, relayed what had happened to the dispatcher. She watched for the police from the pizza place’s window. When they arrived, she ran out and explained to them in more detail what happened.
“Stay put right here while we go check it out,” one of the officers told her.
She waited, pacing nervously along the walkway, peering into the Chinese restaurant. She could see the look of surprise and concern on the counterman’s face. After a few minutes, they came back out of the restaurant.
“Well,” said one of the officers, “he doesn’t seem to know who could’ve attacked you. He did say, though, that he witnessed a plump woman enter the bathroom around the same time you did and that she left a good five minutes or so after you, but that’s all he seems to remember. He couldn’t say what hair color she had because she had a bandana on her head.”
“All I could tell was that the person was on the chubby side. It was simply too dark to see anything else,” said Ashley.
“Yeah, but I’m afraid all we can do for now is make out a report. Hopefully, there’ll be no more incidents like it.”
“I sure hope not,” said Ashley. “Meanwhile, I think I’ll refrain from using public bathrooms for a while.”
With that, Ashley turned and headed back towards the house. She walked with quick strides, nervously looking around her as she made her way. She was still a little shaken up when she opened the front door where Rose, Nicolette, and even Dalene sat. Rose and Nicolette were watching TV while Dalene was gabbing on the phone. She talked and laughed so loud that she couldn’t imagine how Rose and Nicolette could even hear the TV.
“What happened?” asked Nicolette, taking note of her nerve-wracked appearance.
She began to tell them when Dalene interrupted her. “Hey, will you be quiet? I’m trying to have a conversation here that’s long-distance, and you’re being rude.”
“Come on,” said Nicolette, turning to face her, “ease up. The poor girl was attacked.”
Ashley continued, not caring about being quiet enough for Dalene. Rose and Nicolette listened attentively while Dalene, who was now talking a bit more softly, half-listened, though if she had any empathy for Ashley or concern for her own safety, she didn’t show it.
After a few more minutes, Ashley headed into her room. She heard Katelyn enter a moment later and the murmur of voices at the same time she heard heavy footsteps tread down the hallway, past her door, then what sounded like Dalene’s door closing.
Ashley opened her sketchbook and began sketching a calming, serene scene depicting an ocean with romantic cottages and relaxed people.
Time passed as she sketched. Dalene and Rose took off as they usually did on Friday night, but Nicolette and Katelyn stayed behind.
Eventually, she realized that her pencils had gone blunt and that she had forgotten to take her electric pencil sharpener, which she planned to get when she went home for Thanksgiving. She opened the top drawer in her desk. The little sharpener she’d purchased at the university’s shop was not there. She realized she probably left it in her last art class but checked the other drawers as well just in case.
Still no sharpener.
She looked at the digital alarm clock that sat on the small nightstand by her bed. Its red numbers said it was just a few minutes before nine. Still early enough to see if she could use someone else’s. She rose and stepped out into the hall. She could go left to Nicolette’s room or right to Katelyn’s.
She decided on Katelyn’s and headed right. Light shining underneath the door suggested she was still awake. She knocked softly on the door in case Katelyn had fallen asleep.
A second later, she heard movement behind the door, and then the door opened. “Yeah?” Katelyn asked with a smile, shaking her bangs from her eyes.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Ashley began.
“You’re no bother.”
“I lost my pencil sharpener somewhere and was wondering if you had one I could borrow.”
“Sure, come on in,” said Katelyn.
Ashley followed her into her room. The neat, organized, and comfortable-looking room was more rectangular-shaped than square like her own room was, Ashley noted as Katelyn began rummaging through one of her desk drawers.
“Wow,” said Ashley. “You definitely have the nicest room, Katelyn. It’s nearly twice the size of mine and has more of a secluded feeling to it.”
“Yeah, it does,” agreed Katelyn, momentarily glancing at her. “I’m glad I got this room.” She then stood upright.
Standing as close as she was to her, Ashley was rather impressed with her height. Katelyn was no doubt a good eight or nine inches taller than her.
“I hope this will do,” Katelyn said, handing her the sharpener.
“It will, and thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, it’s no problem.” Katelyn had a pleasant smile which showed dazzling white teeth. Then she casually placed her hands in the pockets of her jeans, looked down at the floor, then back up again, and said, “Hey, I heard about what happened over at the strip mall. That must’ve been pretty scary.”
“It was,” said Ashley. “I doubt I’ll be using public bathrooms for a while.”
“Yeah,” said Katelyn with a smile of understanding as Ashley turned and headed for the door.
“Well, I won’t keep you much longer,” Ashley told her.
Katelyn shrugged as if to say it was no big deal.
“I’ll get this back to you in a little while.”
“Oh, no, keep it. I have another one.”
“Really? You sure?”
Katelyn nodded.
“Thanks so much, Katelyn,” Ashley said with a smile. “You really saved me tonight.”
“Glad to be of help,” she said, following Ashley to the door. “So you don’t do much on weekends?”
“No, not really,” said Ashley, turning to face Katelyn just as she got to the door. “I’m not really the partying type. Besides, I don’t know anyone around here yet.”
“Yeah, me neither,” said Katelyn, leaning against the side of the closet wall. “I mean, I have acquaintances here, but no real friends. You from here?”
Ashley shook her head. “I’m originally from Reno.”
“Oh, yeah? And how do you like Albuquerque?”
“It’s nice. Where are you from?” asked Ashley.
“I’m from Belen. It’s a small town about an hour south of here.”
“I know where it is. When my parents died last year in a car accident, I went to live with my aunt Hilary in Las Cruces.”
“Oh, so you’re way down there,” said Katelyn. Then her face turned serious. “I’m sorry to hear you lost your parents and so young, too. I’ll bet that was hard.”
“It was,” Ashley admitted. “Sometimes I still can’t believe they’re gone.”
Katelyn studied Ashley a moment, then asked, “So how old are you, Ashley?”
“Nineteen, and you?”
“Twenty-three.”
She and Katelyn were silent for a moment as she studied Katelyn’s attractive dark features, then suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of self-consciousness came over her, although it didn’t exactly make her uncomfortable. She smiled, afraid she was blushing.
Katelyn smiled, too.
“Well,” Ashley said, “I guess I’ll be on my way now.”
“Okay,” said Katelyn. “Don’t hesitate to knock if you need anything else.”
“Alright.”
“Have a good night.”
“You too,” said Ashley, flashing a smile, then turning to head down the long hallway toward her room. Her small, tight, cramped little room that had barely any walking space around the sides of the bed. What little was around the foot of it was where the desk and dresser were. It was no wonder the closet didn’t stick out inside the room as well as in Rose’s room, seeing how small those two rooms were. Their closets were actually side by side, wedged in between their rooms. The only rooms without something between them were Rose and Nicolette’s rooms. She was glad that if she had to be stuck being the closest to the living room and the kitchen, at least there were a couple of closets between her room and Rose’s. Still, she’d swap with Nicolette, Dalene, or Katelyn if she could.
Oh well. It’s just a room, she told herself. Besides, it won’t be forever.
She sat down at her desk with her newly sharpened pencil and continued with her seashore sketch. She stretched her arms straight up overhead and yawned nearly two hours later, stood up, and prepared for bed.
Once snuggled down under the covers, she replayed the day’s events in her mind.
Suddenly, an image of Katelyn popped into mind, and she wondered why she hadn’t noticed just how attractive she was before that night.
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