The Golden Lily

Jill's face brightened, and I left her so that I could return the suitcase to my room. Angeline's arrival and my work in busting Keith had earned me my own private room in the dorm, something I treasured. Inside it, everything was quiet and orderly. My perfect world.

The one place that the chaos of my life couldn't touch. The neatly made bed was asking to be slept in. Begging, really. Soon, I promised it. I hope.

Amberwood Prep was divided into three campuses, East (where the girls were housed), West (where the boys were), and Central (containing all the academic buildings). A shuttle bus ran between them on a regular schedule, or brave souls could walk between them in the heat. I usually didn't mind the temperatures, but walking seemed like a lot of work today. So, I took the shuttle to West Campus and tried to stay awake.

The lobby of the boys' dorm was a lot like my own, people coming and going to either catch up on academic work or simply enjoy the Sunday off. I glanced around, but Eddie wasn't here yet.

"Hey, Melbourne."

I turned and found Trey Juarez approaching, a grin on his tanned face. He was a senior like me and had picked up the Melbourne nickname after one of our teachers proved incapable of remembering Melrose. Honestly, with all these names, it was a wonder I knew who I was anymore.

"Hey, Trey," I said. Trey was a bona fide high school football star - but also pretty brainy, no matter how much he tried to hide it. We got along well as a result, and my help in restoring his athletic status last month had gone a long way to raise my stock in his eyes. A backpack hung on one of his shoulders. "Are you finally going to finish that chem lab write-up?"

"Yup," he said. "Me and half the cheerleading squad. You want to join us?" I rolled my eyes. "Somehow I doubt there'll be much work going on. Besides, I'm meeting Eddie."

Trey gave an easy shrug and brushed some unruly black hair out of his eyes. "Your loss.

See you tomorrow." He took a couple of steps and then glanced back at me. "Hey, are you dating anyone?"

I immediately started to say no, and then a panicked thought occurred to me. I had a tendency to take things very literally. Friends of mine here, Kristin and Julia, had been trying to train me up in the subtleties of high school social life. One of their chief lessons was that what people said wasn't always what they meant - particularly in romantic matters.

"Are you... are you asking me out?" I asked, taken aback. This was the last thing I needed right now. How should I respond? Should I say yes? Should I say no? I'd had no idea helping him with chemistry homework would be so alluring. I should've made him do it on his own.

Trey looked as startled by the thought as I was. "What? No. Of course not."

"Thank God," I said. I liked Trey, but I had no interest in dating him - or figuring out what the appropriate way to say "no" would be.

He shot me a wry look. "You don't have to look that relieved."

"Sorry," I said, trying to mask my embarrassment. "Why'd you ask?"

"Because I know the perfect guy for you. I'm pretty sure he's your soul mate." We were back in familiar territory now: logic vs. lack of logic. "I don't believe in soul mates," I said. "It's statistically unreasonable that there's only one ideal person for everyone in the world." And yet, for half a moment, I wished it was kind of possible. It'd be nice to have someone who understood some of the things that went on in my head.

Trey rolled his eyes. "Okay. Not a soul mate. How about just someone you could maybe go out with once in a while and have a nice time with?" I shook my head. "I don't have time for anything like that." And I didn't. Keeping everything in order with the group, and pretending to be a student, was a full time job as it was.

"I'm telling you, you'd like him. He goes to a public school and just started at Spencer's." Spencer's was a coffee shop Trey worked at, an arrangement that yielded me discounts. "The other day, he was going off on unaerobic vs. aerobic respiration, and I was thinking, 'You know who this sounds like? Melbourne.'"

"It's anaerobic respiration," I corrected. "And it still doesn't mean I have the time. Sorry." I had to admit, I was immensely curious about how that topic would have come up between baristas, but figured it was best not to encourage Trey.

"Okay," he said. "Don't say I never tried to help you."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I assured him. "Hey, there's Eddie."

"My cue to go then. See you guys." Trey gave a mock salute to Eddie and me. "Don't forget my offer if you want a hot date, Melbourne."

Trey left, and Eddie shot me an astonished look. "Did Trey just ask you out?"

"No. He's just got some co-worker he wants to set me up with."

"Maybe that's not a bad idea."

"It's a terrible idea. Let's go outside."

The desert heat didn't seem to care that it was October, and I led us to a bench right by the dorm's stucco walls. Partial shade from some nearby palm trees offered mild relief.

People swore the temperature would taper soon, but I'd seen no sign of change. Eddie handed me my car keys and a shopping bag from a local superstore.

"I had to guess at size," he told me. "When in doubt, I went big. Figured it was safer that way."

"Probably." I sat down on a bench and rifled through his purchases. Jeans, khakis, a few solid colored T-shirts. They were very practical, very much something a no-nonsense guy like Eddie would pick out. I approved. "The size actually looks right. Good eye. We'll have to send you out shopping more often."

"If that's what I have to do," he said, face serious. I couldn't help but laugh in surprise.

"I was joking." I put the shirts back in the bag. "I know that couldn't have been fun." Eddie's face gave nothing away. "Oh, come on. It's okay. You don't have to play stoic with me. I know you didn't enjoy it."

"I'm here to do a job. Doesn't matter if I enjoy it or not." I started to protest but then thought better of it. After all, wasn't that my philosophy too?

Sacrificing my own wants for higher goals? Eddie was intensely dedicated to this mission. He never backed down. I expected nothing less from him than single-minded focus.

"So, does that mean you're up for some experiments tonight?" I asked.

"Of cours - " He stopped and reconsidered. "Are Jill and Angeline coming?"

"No. Angeline's still under house arrest."

"Thank God," he said with visible relief.