Cambridge
To the Diner Again
“Henry, no!” He grabbed my wrist as I turned the side of my head, waiting for the blow to come any second. But it didn’t. I quickly looked back at him and found that the man in the black hoodie restrained his arm.
“Mate, it’s rude to raise your hand at a woman. Pick on someone your own size ya jackass.” He growled in a deep voice and curled his fist in a ball, letting it connect with Henry’s jaw, making him stumble to the floor. Henry’s grasp on my wrist was broken, as I looked back at the man in the black hoodie.
“Nooo!” I heard the shouts from around me; I looked to the sides to see that no one was there. There were more screams and shouts but I looked everywhere to find that no one else was there. I quickly glanced at the ground where Henry had sprawled out after the punch he took, but he had disappeared. The only person in the diner was the man in the black hoodie.
“Hello?” I asked as I cautiously came towards the ominous figure. Just then, I felt that that feeling, again. The feeling like this man had seen me before; like I had seen him. How was it possible? How could I know the man whose identity was a mystery? Was I just imagining things? I felt it in my gut; I truly knew this man. But who was he?
“Thank you for saving me… Do I know you? There’s something oddly familiar about you.” I finally managed to say as I brushed my hand through my hair nervously.
The black hoodie held the sides of my arms, “Hope. Hope, wake up.” I heard a warped noise come from the figure. I tilted my head questioningly, trying to understand what was going on. “Hope. HOPE! Wake up!” The figure said again, as his hand brushed across my face softly.
“HOPE, WAKE UP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”
“Ahhh!” I woke up and gasped as I heard Clara shout in my ear.
“Dude, what are you doing back in your dorm?” Clara said with her hand on her hips.
“Oh my god. Don’t you know how to wake a person up?” I yawned and looked at the clock on my beside table that read, “12:40 pm”. “After class I was really tired, so I decided to come back to my dorm and take a quick power nap before my afternoon class at 4.” I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
“Dude, you left class without me! You left in such a rush that you didn’t get to hear what I was going to tell you before class about the rumor.” She huffed as she sat on Niki’s bed, which was right across from mine.
“I honestly don’t want to know.” I sighed as I felt a pit in my stomach.
“I promise you, you do want to know about this.” Clara replied.
“Okay, fine. What rumor has been going on this week?” I jumped out of bed.
“Apparently, Henry has been telling everyone that, ummm…” She scratched her head.
“What, Clara?”
“He’s been telling people that you two have ummm…” She tried again.
“Clara! Just tell me!” I said.
“He’s been telling people that you two have had sex. He’s telling everyone that he took your virginity and that you’ve been really clingy ever since.” She said almost immediately with a regretful expression.
“He what?!” I blurted, furious. My mind went back to last night when Sam had said, “Give us some more time. You guys can screw around whenever else you want.” He had told people that we had sex? That I was just begging to be with him? My blood began to boil the more and more I thought about it. “Why would he start a rumor like that?”
“I don’t know, I guess he wanted to prove how sleazy he was.” Clara shrugged, just as confused as I was.
After everything I had been through with him, he made me sound clingy and helpless. I was the one that brought him back to campus safely all these years. I was the responsible one. I was his girlfriend, the person that he loved. If he loved me, why would he hurt me like this? Embarrass me like this and make me look weak? This rumor was totally not true. The truth is, I’ve always been pretty reserved about having sex. I was still a virgin and I didn’t plan on giving it up anytime soon. When I met Henry it didn’t feel right so I trusted my gut and played it safe. He would always huff and sigh when I told him I wasn’t ready.
“Hey, it’s okay. You should just dump that jerk.” Clara came over and gave me a hug.
“I’m done with him for right now… I had a dream though.” My mind went back to the vivid scene I had just envisioned.
“What do you mean?” Clara asked.
“I had a dream about last night. About the man in that black hoodie. Whoever he was, I knew him. I felt it in my gut, Clara. I knew him and I’m going to find him.” I stood up and looked back at her.
“Why are you so hell-bent on finding this guy?” She questioned.
“Because I have to thank him properly… and I just need to know him.” I smiled.
“How are you even going to do it?” She followed me to my closet as I picked out clothes to wear.
“I don’t know. I know that he was with a friend in a black hoodie too. I think I might go back to the diner today and just ask the waitress on shift last night if she knew anything or found anything in particular.” I picked out a sweater and a skater skirt and pulled them on in front of a mirror.
“You’re serious?” Clara chuckled.
“Yes. I need to find this guy. It bugs me that I can’t even understand what’s so familiar about him, geez.” I pulled my hair, wracking my brain.
“Okay fine. Then I’m coming with you.” She smiled back at me.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to. I can do it on my own, but thanks for offering.”
“Dude, I’m serious. I’m coming with you, and so is Niki! I texted her and she’ll be here in five minutes.” She chuckled.
I looked back at her and nodded. “Thank you.” I hugged her.
****
“Hi, I was here last night, and I was wondering if you were on shift?” I came into the diner and found the waitress who looked familiar from last night.
“Oh, yes.” She grimaced, probably remembering the scene from last night.
“My name is Hope Campbell and I don’t know if you remembered me from last night.” I looked at my feet; feeling embarrassed just talking about it.
“Yes, you poor thing. Are you alright?” She patted my arm and frowned. Her bright pink lips curled into a smile once she realized that I needed to ask her something.
“I have a question, last night the two men I black hoodies, did you happen to overhear a conversation or take their order? I just need something significant to help me find them.” I looked over at Clara and Niki who nodded in agreement.
“Well, I’m sorry darling. I don’t think I can help you.” She sighed as she grabbed a white towel and wiped the countertop in circular motions.
“Are you sure?” I asked pleadingly.
“Yeah, are you sure there isn’t anything distinctive that you remember?” Clara pitched in.
“Well…” The waitress rubbed her forehead, pondering in thought. “Nothing really stuck out. They seemed like normal guys. I don’t know I’m sorry I can’t help you.” She replied.
“Nothing? Are you sure? Did you hear anything in particular? Please, I have to find this guy.” I followed her as she made her way to the front of the diner.
“They seemed like normal guys, they talked about the assignments they had in class, I think they were both talking about a Pyschology assignment or something and how it was due today in class. I’m not sure honey, but I really hope you find them.” She smiled as she walked away from us.
“Oh my god.” I stood frozen in my step. “You guys, they go to Cambridge too. These guys have Pyschology class, it’s the only class today and it’s at 5 pm.” I turned around in disbelief.
“Okay! So we walk on over to Professor Remington’s Psych class at 5 pm and maybe figure out a way to get a roster and take a look at all the people in the class. We could probably even narrow down the names.” Niki said as we all group hugged and made our way back to campus.
“Mate, it’s rude to raise your hand at a woman. Pick on someone your own size ya jackass.” He growled in a deep voice and curled his fist in a ball, letting it connect with Henry’s jaw, making him stumble to the floor. Henry’s grasp on my wrist was broken, as I looked back at the man in the black hoodie.
“Nooo!” I heard the shouts from around me; I looked to the sides to see that no one was there. There were more screams and shouts but I looked everywhere to find that no one else was there. I quickly glanced at the ground where Henry had sprawled out after the punch he took, but he had disappeared. The only person in the diner was the man in the black hoodie.
“Hello?” I asked as I cautiously came towards the ominous figure. Just then, I felt that that feeling, again. The feeling like this man had seen me before; like I had seen him. How was it possible? How could I know the man whose identity was a mystery? Was I just imagining things? I felt it in my gut; I truly knew this man. But who was he?
“Thank you for saving me… Do I know you? There’s something oddly familiar about you.” I finally managed to say as I brushed my hand through my hair nervously.
The black hoodie held the sides of my arms, “Hope. Hope, wake up.” I heard a warped noise come from the figure. I tilted my head questioningly, trying to understand what was going on. “Hope. HOPE! Wake up!” The figure said again, as his hand brushed across my face softly.
“HOPE, WAKE UP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”
“Ahhh!” I woke up and gasped as I heard Clara shout in my ear.
“Dude, what are you doing back in your dorm?” Clara said with her hand on her hips.
“Oh my god. Don’t you know how to wake a person up?” I yawned and looked at the clock on my beside table that read, “12:40 pm”. “After class I was really tired, so I decided to come back to my dorm and take a quick power nap before my afternoon class at 4.” I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
“Dude, you left class without me! You left in such a rush that you didn’t get to hear what I was going to tell you before class about the rumor.” She huffed as she sat on Niki’s bed, which was right across from mine.
“I honestly don’t want to know.” I sighed as I felt a pit in my stomach.
“I promise you, you do want to know about this.” Clara replied.
“Okay, fine. What rumor has been going on this week?” I jumped out of bed.
“Apparently, Henry has been telling everyone that, ummm…” She scratched her head.
“What, Clara?”
“He’s been telling people that you two have ummm…” She tried again.
“Clara! Just tell me!” I said.
“He’s been telling people that you two have had sex. He’s telling everyone that he took your virginity and that you’ve been really clingy ever since.” She said almost immediately with a regretful expression.
“He what?!” I blurted, furious. My mind went back to last night when Sam had said, “Give us some more time. You guys can screw around whenever else you want.” He had told people that we had sex? That I was just begging to be with him? My blood began to boil the more and more I thought about it. “Why would he start a rumor like that?”
“I don’t know, I guess he wanted to prove how sleazy he was.” Clara shrugged, just as confused as I was.
After everything I had been through with him, he made me sound clingy and helpless. I was the one that brought him back to campus safely all these years. I was the responsible one. I was his girlfriend, the person that he loved. If he loved me, why would he hurt me like this? Embarrass me like this and make me look weak? This rumor was totally not true. The truth is, I’ve always been pretty reserved about having sex. I was still a virgin and I didn’t plan on giving it up anytime soon. When I met Henry it didn’t feel right so I trusted my gut and played it safe. He would always huff and sigh when I told him I wasn’t ready.
“Hey, it’s okay. You should just dump that jerk.” Clara came over and gave me a hug.
“I’m done with him for right now… I had a dream though.” My mind went back to the vivid scene I had just envisioned.
“What do you mean?” Clara asked.
“I had a dream about last night. About the man in that black hoodie. Whoever he was, I knew him. I felt it in my gut, Clara. I knew him and I’m going to find him.” I stood up and looked back at her.
“Why are you so hell-bent on finding this guy?” She questioned.
“Because I have to thank him properly… and I just need to know him.” I smiled.
“How are you even going to do it?” She followed me to my closet as I picked out clothes to wear.
“I don’t know. I know that he was with a friend in a black hoodie too. I think I might go back to the diner today and just ask the waitress on shift last night if she knew anything or found anything in particular.” I picked out a sweater and a skater skirt and pulled them on in front of a mirror.
“You’re serious?” Clara chuckled.
“Yes. I need to find this guy. It bugs me that I can’t even understand what’s so familiar about him, geez.” I pulled my hair, wracking my brain.
“Okay fine. Then I’m coming with you.” She smiled back at me.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to. I can do it on my own, but thanks for offering.”
“Dude, I’m serious. I’m coming with you, and so is Niki! I texted her and she’ll be here in five minutes.” She chuckled.
I looked back at her and nodded. “Thank you.” I hugged her.
****
“Hi, I was here last night, and I was wondering if you were on shift?” I came into the diner and found the waitress who looked familiar from last night.
“Oh, yes.” She grimaced, probably remembering the scene from last night.
“My name is Hope Campbell and I don’t know if you remembered me from last night.” I looked at my feet; feeling embarrassed just talking about it.
“Yes, you poor thing. Are you alright?” She patted my arm and frowned. Her bright pink lips curled into a smile once she realized that I needed to ask her something.
“I have a question, last night the two men I black hoodies, did you happen to overhear a conversation or take their order? I just need something significant to help me find them.” I looked over at Clara and Niki who nodded in agreement.
“Well, I’m sorry darling. I don’t think I can help you.” She sighed as she grabbed a white towel and wiped the countertop in circular motions.
“Are you sure?” I asked pleadingly.
“Yeah, are you sure there isn’t anything distinctive that you remember?” Clara pitched in.
“Well…” The waitress rubbed her forehead, pondering in thought. “Nothing really stuck out. They seemed like normal guys. I don’t know I’m sorry I can’t help you.” She replied.
“Nothing? Are you sure? Did you hear anything in particular? Please, I have to find this guy.” I followed her as she made her way to the front of the diner.
“They seemed like normal guys, they talked about the assignments they had in class, I think they were both talking about a Pyschology assignment or something and how it was due today in class. I’m not sure honey, but I really hope you find them.” She smiled as she walked away from us.
“Oh my god.” I stood frozen in my step. “You guys, they go to Cambridge too. These guys have Pyschology class, it’s the only class today and it’s at 5 pm.” I turned around in disbelief.
“Okay! So we walk on over to Professor Remington’s Psych class at 5 pm and maybe figure out a way to get a roster and take a look at all the people in the class. We could probably even narrow down the names.” Niki said as we all group hugged and made our way back to campus.
Notes
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-N.^-^
