AUGUST RUSH

Hello Hi,

Happy new month! I apologize for taking a long "break" (although it was nothing like the break you imagine) but I'm back :). Thank you for waiting patiently and so to mark a new beginning, I am sharing a story. I hope you enjoy it and as usual, please share, like the google icon and leave your comments below.

AUGUST RUSH

It was the end of June; secondary school education had finally come to an end and the girls were enjoying their farewell party thrown by the school principal. Bernice and her friends sat around a corner saying their goodbyes and reviewing their future plans. It was Anita that started the conversation;

“Grace, you will be a July rush and you, Bernice (she looked at Bernice with a little smirk), will be an August rush; so get ready. As for me, I’m already a June rush!”

“What do you mean?” Bernice asked.

“I mean that boys will start coming for you by August…when you start university.” Anita replied. “But you have to start wearing better clothes and makeup so that they can notice you.”

It was then that it occurred to Bernice that she had not thought about dating anyone. They were in an “only girls’ school” and she had never had a boyfriend before. Anita, on the other hand, was always two steps ahead of the game and probably even had a boyfriend right then. Bernice hoped that she was not the only naïve one left in the group; however, she decided at that moment that she will take Anita’s word for it and become an August rush.

The first semester of University started officially in September but ‘Freshers’ had been asked to resume in mid-August for orientation purposes. Bernice was starting her degree in Engineering unlike most of her friends who were in the medical field and so she went to a different university, one that was more suited to her course. She did not know anybody there before arriving but she was easy-natured and was quick to make new friend. One of her new friends, Susan had arrived with her elder sister, Stacy. Stacy was already a student in her second year in the same school but she came earlier to help Susan settle in. Before she left, Stacy gave Bernice and Susan unsolicited advice - to be aware of the university guys, because many of them just wanted to play around with girls. She also said that the older students who were already back to school in August were either the “very serious students” who were doing some work or the “very unserious students” who came back early to get ‘Freshers’ as girlfriends because they knew that most of the girls were vulnerable at that stage. So when Stacy left for home, to return when school officially resumed for the older students, Bernice noted in her mind that Stacy was neither too serious nor too unserious as a student.

The weekend had barely arrived when Bernice heard a knock on her door, early on Friday morning. She opened it and to her surprise, it was a cute boy that she knew back from home. His parents and hers were colleagues but he did not seem to know or recognise her.

“Hi, my name is David and I can tell that you’re a fresher because I’ve never seen this face on campus before” he said.

“Hi, my name is Bernice and yes, I am a new student.” Bernice replied.

“Well, well, we like to welcome new students so I’m inviting you for a welcome party tomorrow”, he handed out a leaflet.

Bernice looked at it, it read ‘only new females on campus are invited’.

“Erm…why are you inviting only girls to this party, if I may ask?”

“Because we already have enough guys.” He answered calmly.

“Enough guys? That are not invited?” She asked.

“Yes, because the guys who are organizing the party including me, are automatically invited.”

“Oh I see. So is it just guys organizing this party?” she continued.

He paused for a moment and looked right into her eyes before replying “Why are you asking so many questions? Do you work with the FBI?”

Bernice was taken aback, “No, I was just curious” she murmured.

“If you’re that curious, then you should come tomorrow. I hope to see you then.” He said with a smile and walked away.

Bernice knew that she was not going to attend the party as she had already made her judgement on which of Stacy’s student’s classification that David fell into. Besides, he gave her a very uncomfortable feeling – the way he stared directly at her and spoke so calmly, with an air of arrogance. She wondered why her parents had not bothered to introduce her to him. They must have known that he was in the same university but they probably had good reasons not to.

The next day, while Bernice stayed in her room, Susan went for the party along with many others. Apparently, her sister’s advice did not have much of an effect on her. Bernice had already fallen asleep when a knock woke her. She thought Susan had returned for the party and was surprised to find David standing at the door.

“Why are you not at the party?” he asked.

“Because I fell asleep” Bernice replied suspiciously. Many people had gone for the party, so how did he notice that she had not come? He must have some ulterior motives, she thought to herself.

“Why don’t you get dressed? I will wait for you”

“Sorry I can’t come. It’s 1 am and way past my bedtime so I need to sleep please”

“Are you asking me to leave your room?” he asked in a very cool manner but Bernice was too tired to have sensed the change in his tone.

“That will be very much appreciated, thank you”. She replied.

And then he exploded. He began to yell at her, how dare she ask him to leave? He said he would have slapped her but he would pardon her for tonight because she was a new student. She was to note that this as her first and last warning because if she ever tried it again….Bernice stood there in shock. She knew better than to reply especially as no one else was nearby. When he finished yelling, he left. She could not go back to sleep and decided to wait for Susan to come back.

A few minutes later, there was another knock at the door and Bernice ran to open it but it was not Susan, it was David again! She was scared but before she could beg him to leave, he started apologizing. He said he was drunk fifteen minutes ago but now he was sober and came back to say that he was sorry. All she could do was nod her head until he left.

The next day on her way to the orientation hall, she saw him from afar. She immediately changed her direction and decided to take a longer route because she had made up her mind last night to avoid him at all cost and if possible, to avoid being an August rush until the next year when she was deemed less vulnerable.

                                                                

                                                                    The End

Have a blessed month with many great things ahead :)