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Helen meets Roxy for coffee at the Fremont College coffee shop

Helen rushed up to Roxy, who stood just outside the coffee shop doors and smiled widely when she saw Helen hurrying down the hall. She and Helen hugged, then went inside and stood in line.

“How was section?” Roxy asked.

Unwilling to face the reality of her section, Helen chose something ridiculous to focus on, in the hopes that Roxy might find it amusing.

“Oh, God. One of the freshmen has a crush on me.”

“No way.”

“I know. It's so bothersome.”

“Is he cute?” Roxy said, leaned forward and dropping her chin so she could look Helen in the eye.

“No, not really. He's kind of underdeveloped, physically.”

“A nerd?” Roxy seemed to lose interest.

“Sort of. Really serious. He never smiles.”

“Weird.”

“Yeah,” Helen said. Out of the corner of her eye, Helen spied someone from her section enter the coffee shop-a sophomore guy she named Matt. Vaguely cute, but a little too short. She looked away, hoping he hadn't seen her. She shivered and yawned simultaneously. She saw the girl in front of her buy a tall, steaming cup of coffee. It looked too good to pass up. Helen knew she shouldn't drink more coffee, but she didn't know how she was going to get through the rest of the day without it.

Once Roxy and Helen both bought coffee, Helen led her friend to a small table in the corner, vacated just as they left the counter.

“I'm sorry about last night,” said Helen.

“You don't have to be sorry about anything. You just needed to get it out of you.”

“I feel so ridiculous. It's been two weeks. You'd think I'd get over it.

“Don't worry about it. Some things take time.”

Roxy grabbed Helen's hand and Helen felt her slender fingers squeeze Helen's. She wished she had hands as elegant as Roxy's. Helen's were more stubby and mannish.

“Thanks, Roxy. I just feel so stupid.”

“You need to forget about it and move on.”

“Yeah.” Helen wondered if Roxy would ever follow that advice herself, but rejected that thought as too uncharitable. Why had she become such an unbelievable bitch all of the sudden?

“Any hot prospects?” asked Roxy. “Other than the freshman.”

Helen mock pouted.

“No.”

“I would think being a TA would help.”

“Not in a lit class. The only good looking guys in literature sections are gay. Or incurably annoying.”

“Can I quote you on that?”

“Sure.”

Helen gulped her coffee. She remembered Michael again. She should have been nicer to him. She should have stopped her section from coming down so hard on him. He didn't know any better.

During the pause, Roxy had been looking outside. She looked back at Helen, and let her breath out.

“You know, I've been thinking, relationships don't seem to ever work out in Santa Zita. Look at Peter and Jamie-“ [they haven’t really been mentioned yet, so this reference may be lost on the reader.]

“Or you and Torrance.”

“Yeah. And you haven't had any better luck, either. Granted, you were with Todd for a long time, but it was very up and down.”

“To say the least,” Helen agreed. “Mostly down.”

“It's like the whole place is cursed.”

“Everyone here just has a stick up their butt, that's all.”

“I don't know. It's like the coolest people are the ones who have the most trouble.”

Helen moved her hair out of her eyes, and said “Maybe.” There was probably more to it than that. But Helen didn't feel like pursuing it any further. She didn't want to think about Todd, and even if Roxy wanted to talk about Torrance, Helen didn't really want to think about him, either. She had gotten rid of Todd-why couldn't Roxy forget about Torrance, and, for that matter, why didn't Gretchen break up with Bill? Didn't they see how stupid it was to be obsessed with guys that were such dicks?

“What's wrong?” Roxy asked.

:Nothing, Helen said. Why do you ask?

“You look kind of irritated.”

“Oh, I'm just PMSing. Or it's too much coffee. I don't know.”

Both were silent for a minute. Helen felt a sudden desire to leave the cafe, but she before she could take her leave, Roxy had thought of more to talk about.

“Jake has a date...”

“Really?” Helen said.

Over winter break Jake had broken up again with his girlfriend from Alta Lara, Christa. Helen hadn't actually been that bummed, since she thought Christa was a possessive bitch. Helen had been friends with Jake for a long time, and though she thought he was, objectively speaking, attractive, she had never really been psyched on him, and her manner towards him indicated that. They flirted, but it was the kind of flirtation that was obviously, to anyone with an ounce of perception, never meant to go anywhere. Christa's attitude towards her, then, was an indication to Helen that she was pathologically insecure-an opinion that was echoed by Jake's other female friends from Alta Lara, like Sarah and Alice.

“With who?” Helen asked.

“Some chick he met in his French class.”

“Ah, oui,” Helen said. She smiled, but at the same time she felt a little pang. Jake had broken up with his girlfriend, but now he had a date. Life goes on. At least for him.

“I should go,” Helen said. “What's up for this weekend?”

“Nada,” Roxy replied. “That I know of. I might have to study,” she said, and grimaced.

“God,” Helen said. “What's happening to us? Are we getting old?”

Roxy shrugged. “No, we’re just getting near graduating.”

“Let's go see a movie,” Helen said. “Study break.”

“Sure,” Roxy replied. “Any one in particular?”

“Crazy For Love,” Helen said, and embellished the title with a wild movement of her eyes, eyebrows and cheekbones.

“Sure, Roxy laughed. Call me when.”

“Okay. Maybe I'll call Tim.”

“I haven't seen him all quarter. Since Peter's birthday party.”

A slight inclination of Roxy's head indicated to Helen that she knew about her estrangement from Tim. Helen wondered who had told her about it-probably Jessica.

“Neither have I,” Helen said simply. “I think he's still pining away for that high school chick from last summer.”

“Are you kidding?” Roxy said incredulously. “The one that Tor’ sold weed to?”

Roxy shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Whatever on that,” Helen said. “I really need to go.”

“Alright. See you this weekend. Adios.”

Roxy bent down, and gave Helen a hug. They exited the cafe, Roxy going through the back sliding glass doors that led in the direction of Humphrey College, while Helen went out the front doors towards the Fremont courtyard. As she walked along the terraced courtyard, she took in the view of the Terra Nueva bay and peninsula, magnificent as always, luring her with its seeming independence from the rest of the land. She briefly fantasized about moving there, getting a high-paying waitress job at a swanky restaurant, and being able to afford her own place. She would still be close enough that she could keep in touch with Jessica, Roxy and her other friends, but it would still qualify as a new life.