Chapter 11
Jess
The universe had a lot of nerve. Jess’s horoscope had warned her that trials and tribulations awaited her this week – thanks to her Moon in Virgo, the asshole – but she thought it would end with Shannon’s awkward display at the teashop. Unfortunately, the fun had only begun. By Tuesday, Jess was on the phone with one of her biggest SEO clients, on the verge of cracking her professional veneer.
“Yes,Mr. Thompson,” she reassured the elderly gentleman on the other end of the line, “you’ll have your articles about David…”
“KingDavid.”
“Yes, sir, King David. I’ll have the articles about his life by tomorrow evening. 500 words each, fully optimized for Google.”
“Thank you so much, Ms. Mills. As soon as I confirm their arrival, I’ll send the second half of the payment.”
Can’t come soon enough!She had rent to pay. She always had rent to pay!
She hung up with an exasperated sigh. By the time she dragged her hand off her phone, she had realized that she had dumped her book chronicling the known life of King David back home at her parents’ house. So much for using her best source on hand. She would have to refer to her copy of the King James’ Bible and whatever she could find on the internet to fill in the holes. Jess could not say that she majored in King David, specifically, even if she were an Abrahamic historian.
Still, five articles at 500 words each by the end oftomorrow?The things she did for money!
Mr. Thompson was one of her biggest clients, though. The man ran and edited a Christian website dedicated to “the facts” from the Bible. Which cracked Jess up, because the man had such a loose definition of facts that all she needed was the Bible saying “King David existed” for it to be good enough. Even though everything she learned in college – including from her professors, who were mostly ordained ministers – said that there was great debate about the veracity of “King David.”“If he actually existed, then I shit myrrh,”one of her most devout professors had said.“More than likely, he was based on a much smaller king who was blown up for morality tales and inspiration.”
Well, Mr. Thompson wouldn’t like that, so Jess was pressed to come up with a narrative that could be told in five bite-sized chunks. She could already see the representation on the website now: a slideshow, complete with Mrs. Thompson’s amateur illustrations.
Whatever. This Religious Studies major needed to make money, and some couple out of Iowa was willing to pay her for her college educated expertise. They never asked if she were devout, and she never asked if they were hypocrites.
It’s going to be a long two days.On one hand, Jess wanted to scream. On the other, it would be a grand distraction from that mess Shannon put her through Sunday night. She was good at making Jess’s life a mess.
***
Memory #11
Senioritis had never made a girl so depressed. I reached the point in my studies where I realized I would never get a job, or at least there were no jobs in my field that appealed to me. If I were lucky, I could get a job in academic editing. Fact checking. Cross-referencing the Bible and other religious documents with the texts scholars wrote. Suffice to say, those jobs were few and far between. I was better off teaching English abroad.
I rarely saw Shannon that fall semester. She had moved to a different part of campus, while I remained chained to sophomore dorms because of the shit the housing department put me through. But at least I had a single room now. At least I had a quiet place to sift through my dark thoughts.
That doesn’t mean I stopped looking for her.
Occasionally I gleamed glimpses of her and the beauty that continued to captivate me. Sometimes she passed me by in the dining hall, going to sit with friends I now recognized but didn’t know. Mostly, though, her life was completely independent of mine. We never shared classes. We didn’t have the same social circles.
That frat party was one of the first and only times I saw her for the first two months of senior year. She had been such a mess, unlike I had ever seen before – and I had seen my fair share of messes at that college. Even Sara claimed that Shannon had, “A bigger death wish than a keg of beer,” which now we both find in poor taste. Back then, though, it summed up what had happened at that party. If somebody hadn’t helped her get home to her campus apartment… I don’t know what would have happened to her. Things I would rather not think about.
She left me a note on my door, and I was sad to have missed a rare appearance on my side of campus.
“I’m sorry for the other night,”the note had said.“Let me know how I can make it up to you.”
I could think of a few ways. None of them good for either of us, of course.
My birthday was fast approaching, and I intended to have two parties. One for all of my friends, and one that was a simple, intimate affair with a chosen few. After seeing that note, I decided I might change that to a simple dinner date with Shannon Parker. If she would agree to it, of course.
While I ruminated on what I wanted to write on my note back to her, I happened to bump into her outside of the university center. She sat on a ledge, reading the label on a package in her lap.
“Hey,” I said. Even after being her acquaintance for so long, I still had to work up the courage to say hello to her. “How you doing?”
I didn’t expect a smile in my direction. “Hey back. Doing okay. You? Senioritis killing you yet?”
She had noooo idea. “Mind if I sit?”
“Go ahead.”
