13 BLACK (&) COFFEE

I have my head in my hands, as Lily and he silently sit, gauging my reaction. So basically, the whole college had somehow managed to get me to contest some stupid elections, competing with Victoria Secret for some position in a students’ group? I need to wash my face. I need to take a moment with myself. Why did I have to do all that, that day?

It’s gonna be a day worth remembering, I promise.

It was him. All of this is happening because of him. I grab my coffee cup and turn with unforeseen force as I collide into something hard that blocks my vision, the force causing me to spill my coffee all over the black surface. As the liquid sticks to the material, I slowly make out the surface to be a shirt, which implied it must be carrying a wearer along and I raise my eyes to meet the brown ones glaring back at me with shock and rage.

Speak of Zach Hayden and he appears. Wait, didn’t the phrase use the word ‘devil’? Yeah well, not much of a difference anyway.

*

“Did you just do that?” The angry voice of Zach fills me up as I look into his eyes, fuelled with annoyance.

He stands in a black shirt, the sleeves as usual folded up to his elbows, popping the veins in his lower arm, and which is now drenched with my coffee, making it stick to his chest, highlighting his toned muscles underneath. The only distraction was the face that now held a scowl, apparently waiting for an answer. Right.

“I would have really suggested a good eye clinic for you, except that I don’t know one. The current pair clearly doesn’t seem to be functioning well enough.” I reply vehemently. Though I know part of the fault was mine, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.

“Really? You’re going to give me that, when you barely have ‘half eaten, half thrown away peas’ as eyes, yourself?”

Peas? PEAS? But then, I collided with him. Naturally he had an upper hand. I think I liked him better when he was non-existent within the same mile radius that I walked in.

But why peas? No one likes peas.

“Shut up. I was just-uh going to the left when I accidentally turned right so-yeah.” I try to justify myself in the lamest way possible and I know a taunting comeback is already on its way.

“You obviously lacked knowledge about right and wrong. That I knew. But you did so for right and left too, now that’s news.” There. I expected that. I glare at him hatefully as he starts wiping off some of the coffee in his shirt.

“It’s black – the shirt. The stain is hardly visible. So relax about it, okay?”

“And you think the colour matters? Sure, why not? If it’s black let’s just throw coffee all over it because it’s hardly visible? Do you hear how stupid that sounds, now?”

I hate to admit, but it sadly does. I need to work on my comebacks. Maybe write them down when I remember them half an hour later, after the argument has ended. And then memorise it for the next time.

“I think you’re just making a big issue out of it, really.”

“Oh sweetheart, believe me I haven’t even started.”

Started? What does he mea- I am taken aback as a gush of liquid falls all over me, with force enough to make me stumble back in the process. My face stands shocked and drenched as I see a satisfied Zach with an empty bottle of water in his hand.

“Now, we’re even.”

“Are you cra-“ I don’t complete as Zach twists my wrists behind me which brings me unbearably close to him. My breath hitches as I realise our proximity. Our drenched bodies are almost pressed together and my lungs stop co-operating.

His hold on my wrists erupts a wild fire within me and I momentarily forget that we have an audience. My nostrils betray me as well, as an irresistible smell enters and I recognise it to be his fragrance, cologne and coffee. Holy Mendes.

“Be thankful it’s just water.” I hear his voice, loud, clear and unaffected. With one last final look into my eyes, he releases me and leaves the cafeteria without another word.

How does he do that? HOW DOES HE DO THAT?

The looming silence hangs over me as I catch my breath and find the entire population staring at me and where Zach previously stood. Lily sits stupefied while Nathaniel has his face palmed by one hand, propped up on the table by the elbow.

I silently make my way over to the restroom and desperately get on with fixing my appearance.

I look into the mirror when I’m nearly done. It’s not completely dry, but it’s satisfactory. Not catching a cold is the primary concern right now. Talk about sinus sensitivity.

I walk out hastily, not wanting to be late for psychology, when I accidentally run into someone. Again. Thankfully, it’s not him this time.

I notice the girl to be vaguely familiar, with wavy brown hair that fell beautifully over her shoulders and brown orbs that hold my sight.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching. Oh, it’s you – I was, uh, looking for you, actually.”

She was wearing a small, comfortable smile and that’s when I recognise her. I met her that day at The Founders’ Brunch, when she had been crying. But why was she looking for me?

“Me?”

“Yeah. I wanted to thank you for that day. I was in a bad place.” I agree she was, and I’m almost tempted to ask her the reason behind it but I stop myself.

“That’s absolutely fine, as long as you’re okay now.” I return her smile and she forwards her hand.

“I am. I’m Britannica, by the way. Uh, Brit.” I take her hand into mine, giving it a gentle shake.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m-“

“Adalanna Callister , I know.” She shrugs with a casual laugh and I remember the posters, giving a resigned nod.

“Um, just Alanna. Well, Brit, it was lovely to meet you but I’m running late for class, right now, so I’ll see you later?” I reply awkwardly.

Everyone knows my name now, how creepier can it get?

“Oh yeah, me too. No problem.”

“Yeah. Why don’t we meet at lunch break some time, yes?”

“Sounds cool. Done.” She smiles genuinely and I know I like her instantly. She is sweet as sunshine. With a final smile at her of my own, I make my way off to class.

I enter the class, just in time and notice Lily has saved me a seat by her, which I casually take, ignoring the chocolate brown eyes staring at me viciously from a few rows behind.

“Alright students, settle down. So this year, in Human Psychology we will cover the intensity and variety of psychological effects and issues. I am Ms. Xavier and you, as my students, will call me just that.”

I can literally feel eyes piercing holes at the back of my head. Well this one class will be interesting, considering it includes almost everyone I’ve met, troublesome or otherwise.

Zach is sitting with Nathaniel, and one of his friends a few rows back and just beside his row is Victoria Secret with her barbies. I can spot Brit seated with her friends, while Lily is just beside me.I heave a deep sigh and turn my attention back to the professor – Ms. Xavier.

“So, to start off, I’m sure many of you will know, and agree with supporting experience, that emotions play an extraordinarily huge part in our lives. Truth of the matter, however, is they will play as much of a part as you let them.

As young adults, there are practically six major emotions you deal with, them being, love, hate, anger, fear, happiness and sadness. We start with emotion analysis tomorrow – how, and why the people react to them in the way that they do. For today, let’s just engage in an interactive discussion about variety of emotional processing among the genders, shall we?

So who do you think are happier, men or women?” I see Ms. Xavier fighting an amused, excited smile and I blink in confusion as my mind starts forming an answer to that.

I am happy, of course but then that won’t mean that every woman is. And then there’s always the fact that men can be happi-

“Miss Callister ? Considering your recent public engagement in emotional display.”I see her amusement intensify and I almost spot a glint of pride in her eyes.

“Why don’t we hear it from you first?”

“Uh, I am definitely happy, but I cannot undermine the fact that many other women might not be, and then the men, at least the ones I know, don’t seem to be particularly competing about the same so-“ I have no idea what I was blabbering but I have to say something.

She has caught me completely off guard, with a personal answer still under construction in my mind.

“Yes, Mr. Hayden? Something you would like to add?”

Damn. I sigh heavily, closing my eyes. He just had to, didn’t he?

“Men are happier, it’s no question. Considering that women, at least the ones I know, are evidently much too interested in other people, to actually pay attention to their own happiness.”

“O-kay, that wa- yes miss Callister ?”

“Ms. Xavier, I’d like to point out that the question very clearly mentioned ‘men’ and ‘women’, and not ‘you’ and ‘I’, hence taking other people into consideration is indispensable. And I for one, believe that thinking about others, even a little bit, contributes to your happiness, which by extension, supports that women are happier.”

“Thinking about others is merely a self invited source of unnecessary and unwelcome stress, which most women mistake to be happiness.”

“For someone for whom thinking about others always involves a negative aspect, it clearly is stress. Positive thinking about others definitely induces happiness which is exactly what women take happiness to be. Selfishness for one thing doesn’t seem to be a contributing factor.”

“And selfishness is concerned here?”

“Thinking strictly about just one’s own self is pretty much what I think selfishness is?” I turn around violently locking eyes with Zach’s ardent ones.

“If selfishness does ultimately lead you to happiness, I don’t see the harm in it.”

“Actively ignoring the disgusting sound of that idea, I don’t believe selfishness can quite possibly lead one there.”

“Apparently you are bad at navigation.”

“Apparently you are bad at virtue.”

“Flowery, but the question specifically states happiness, and not virtue, which seems to be on the heavier side for men. All women can be associated with, are complications, which definitely take away happiness.”

“Complications that men throw at them.”

“Complications that women cook up due to their own actions.”

“Oh, are we even going to start on actions regarding happiness. Because I don’t think that’s a bright area for men.”

“And it is for women? One of the examples being throwing away beverages at the other gender? That induces happiness?”

“Professor I don’t think it-“

“Mr. Hayden, no personal comme-“

“Apologies, professor. But I think my point is made here that men indeed are happier because they don’t usually indulge in questioning their emotions or resorting to pathetic actions in the name of pursuit of happiness.”

“Pathetic actions for happiness is definitely one thing, you, as a representative of the gender, should not be preaching about. Women at the end of the day are happier and questioning their emotions protects them from their feelings going haywire, which does for some men, seeing their inability of finding happiness in one person and trying to search it in every second person they set eyes upon.”

Zach’s eyes should have fallen out of their sockets by now, considering how hard he’s glaring.

“Pursuit of happiness and finding it in one or more, doesn’t really define the degree of happiness, does it? All I can say is women invest everything in one person only to make their happiness dependable and vulnerable.”

“The happiness of that investment, dependency and vulnerability is surreal, exhilarating and all consuming and I won’t be surprised if some men don’t have the emotional range to feel that.

And I feel sorry for them.”

A deadly silence prevails. I let out a sigh and I turn back my head after silently gazing into his brown eyes with a gentle expression.

I rest my case. And I take it that he has too.

Author's note:

Tea, coffee or catfight? ;)

There will be blood on the debating stage. (No gender bias or sexism intended in the above segment.)

Anyone who likes peas, please let me know if you exist, BTW.

Like, vote, comment.

Love me some coffee.