An Old Trope with a Different Twist

All of my writing is fiction, and the stories and characters are products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. All characters within the story that need to be are 18 years of age or older. I hope you enjoy! And take a second to vote and comment.

I'd be interested in seeing comments about whether you think this little twist I've added works. The story ends up as you'd probably suspect it was going to, but it goes a little out of the way to get there.

~~~

Alex

I sure didn't want to sit near the front of the hall for this class. It was titled Personal Finance and covered, well, personal finances, I guess. It was notorious as an advanced basket weaving type class for seniors looking for that last elective to complete their undergraduate education. It was supposedly an easy A, but I was sure it would still require time and effort, and I didn't know what benefit it would provide.

"Are you a senior, too?" she asked with a chuckle as she dropped her backpack and sat down in the chair next to mine.

I glanced in her direction. "Am I that easy to read? Yeah. What major did you wander in from?"

She shrugged. "Social work, but I'm not sure where I'm going from here." She bent to dig through her backpack, straightening with a notebook and a ballpoint pen. She glanced at me. "I'm old-fashioned, and this works for me."

Her big smile in my direction revealed deep dimples, straight white teeth, and what appeared to be clear blue eyes. It was difficult to tell with the glasses she was wearing. I decided that sitting next to her the entire semester was maybe the best part of a bad situation.

I held up my pen. "Great minds," I said, returning her smile.

"As long as we're sitting beside each other, I'm Lark," she said, extending her hand.

As we shook, I said, "Alex, and is there a story that goes with Lark?" I'd never come across that name before.

She snorted. "My mother's name is Raven, and she thought Robin was too unsophisticated."

"Well, Lark, it is, then. And I think you are the first Lark I've ever run into, person or bird."

She laughed. "I'm not surprised. The Horned Lark is the only one found in North America." She cleared her throat and looked away for a second, then back. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I dated a guy in high school who did a little research and told me he hoped I was a horny Lark."

I was a little surprised that she had said that since her cheeks had turned very rosy.

But it struck me as very funny as I pictured it happening, and I laughed loud enough that the instructor, who'd just walked in, gave me a dirty look. "No more dates for him, I bet," I said, but kind of hoped she'd taken his dare. She wasn't beautiful at all with her short dark hair and horn-rim glasses, but was still pleasant to look at. I had always been a sucker for dimples.

"You've got that right, but we'd better be quiet, or we'll get another look." She gestured toward the instructor, who'd begun to speak.

We were able to stay quiet except for a few whispered comments about the idiosyncrasies of the instructor for the duration of the hour -- actually fifty minutes.

Lark stood as the echo of the bell faded. "Hey, see you tomorrow, Alex."

"Take care now." I watched her climb the few steps to the top and exit the hall.

Even though I had no interest in relationships, I wasn't about to complain about sitting next to a girl that I found somewhat attractive and also apparently friendly.

~~~

Lark

It certainly wasn't what I'd expected. I knew I'd have to sit beside someone, and since there were few empty seats by the time I got there, the bespectacled redhead was the most innocuous person I could find.

We chatted before class, and he seemed, well, not exactly harmless, but that description would do until I found another. I surprised myself when I told him the horny Lark story, but he didn't tease me about it or make any untoward remarks, so I decided I'd sit beside him again tomorrow. In the meantime, I was meeting my sister for lunch.

We met in the cafeteria in the student union, Laurel already there when I arrived.

"I hate math in the morning," Laurel grumbled, spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

"I hate math," I echoed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "And why are you eating a bagel for lunch?"

An almost sneer on her face, she took a bite of the bagel. "It may be lunchtime, but I'm having breakfast. I mis-set my alarm, missed breakfast, and had to run to class."

I snorted. "You ran?"

"I lucked out with parking, so it wasn't that far. And I didn't run the whole way. Damn first day of classes. Otherwise, I'd have just been late... or skipped."

"I had to take a fill-in course. It'll be boring, but I sat beside a guy that could be kind of interesting."

"Oh, a new boyfriend," Laurel said, laughing a little too loudly.

"You can't have a new boyfriend when you've never had an old boyfriend."

"You need to change that, you know. It's great to have a guy slobbering over you."

"That's gross," I said, feigning the finger gag.

She shrugged. "I don't know, Lark. When you're naked, and the guy is --"

"-- Shut up," I interrupted. "You know I don't want to hear that stuff." Like I was going to be naked with a guy.

With a laugh, Laurel took another bite of her bagel, chewing with her mouth open, ďsomething she knew I couldn't stand.

"I don't see how any guy could stand you." Somehow, they had, though. Laurel had always had a boyfriend, at least from the sixth grade, she had.

"Are you still reading those romance things?" She was looking at me from the corner of her eye.

"Sure. I enjoy them."

"You need to live some of them."

"One of these days, I probably will. No hurry."

"Maybe I should write up some of my experiences. They're pretty hot. Shit, I'm getting wet just remembering." She was panting and squeezing her legs together but couldn't keep from laughing.

I wondered how disgusting it would be to read about my younger sister's sexual adventures. Ugh. I felt my stomach rebelling just thinking about it.

"So this guy you're sitting beside, is he hot?"

At least she'd changed the subject. I pictured Alex as best I could, the reddish hair and glasses being his only memorable characteristics. I didn't think he was particularly hot, probably because he didn't seem to be trying.

"Just to satisfy your misplaced curiosity, he's anything but hot. He was fun to talk to and kind of innocuous, I guess."

"Sounds like your perfect guy, Lark," she said with a chuckle.

"I'm going through the line and getting some lunch. I'll be right back."

An egg salad sandwich, some yogurt, and unsweetened tea, and I was back at Laurel's table. I knew she'd nearly been late for her differential equations class. It seemed the STEM genes had zoomed right past my DNA and attached themselves to hers. Laurel always said that my natural immunity to STEM genes was the reason I had so much difficulty with math. Whatever.

I managed to get through my lunch before Laurel had to run to some sort of physics class. Ugh.

Was he hot? That was important to Laurel. I didn't need a hot seatmate.

~~~

Alex

Dumb courses, like Personal Finance 101, were the crabgrass in the lawn of life. Unlike crabgrass, which could be pulled up, this course had to be endured. Girls with dimples had always fascinated me, but never enough to make me want to date them. I was sure the same would be true with Lark, even though talking with her, albeit briefly, had been pleasant.

When I got to my seat on the second day, she was already in hers, working to finish her bagel.

"Slow down," I said. "We still have five minutes, and what's-his-name will probably be late as well."

She looked up at me, chewing hurriedly so she could reply. "You'd better get used to this if you're going to sit here. I like a late breakfast, and why are you grinning at me?"

"It's the very alluring glob of cream cheese attached to your chin."

"Oh, shit." A quick wipe cleared away the cream cheese. She grinned at me. "Do you have a napkin?"

I held out both arms in that familiar helpless gesture.

"Well, lean over, and I'll wipe it on your shirt."

That made me laugh, and a girl in the row in front of us offered a Kleenex.

"Uh-oh, here comes Mr. Boring." That brought back memories as I had a chemistry teacher in high school whose last name was Boring.

We quieted down, occasionally jotting little notes in each other's notebooks, usually a sarcastic comment on the instructor's presentation. If I managed to make her smile, the dimples appeared, and that became my mission. We became more daring as the hour progressed since Mr. Boring was clearly talking to the first two rows and hardly ever looked up to the top rows where we were sitting.

At last, the second day of agony was over.

"Do you have a class now?" Lark was stashing her notebook in her backpack.

"Naw, not today. I was going to the snack bar to get a coffee or something. Hey, want to come along?"

"I should probably study, but I don't know if I want to study right this minute. Sure, if you don't mind me intruding."

"No problem." I'd invited her, so she wasn't intruding. I didn't mind that she was a female -- I had no predilection regarding females. They were okay... if they were okay, if you know what I mean. Some day, perhaps. So, having coffee with Lark was simply having coffee with a friend, and there was no lecherous intent involved.

I hoped her feelings corresponded with mine.

We sat opposite each other, of course, and sipped our coffee.

"Ouch!" Lark squealed, her cup slamming down, coffee splashing onto the table.

"Are you okay?"

"Damn coffee is always cold here. Today, it's still boiling." Her tongue was extended, and she was suckling in air in an attempt to cool it.

I jumped up and retrieved some napkins.

"You don't need to do that," Lark said as she grabbed the napkins from my hand, her tongue still extended.

"She wants you to do something with her tongue, dude," the jerk walking past our table said through his laughter.

Lark sneered at his retreating back, but her tongue did disappear into her mouth. "Don't take it personally, but that's why I'm not a big fan of men." The frown on her face emphasized what she'd just said. I wasn't sure what to do or say next.

She finished cleaning the table and tossed the napkins into a nearby container.

"Be careful with that coffee," she said, chuckling.

I carefully sipped the still-very-hot coffee while gazing at the lady across from me. I decided to pursue what she said.

"So you hate men?"

She curled her nose. "That isn't what I said. I probably should have said that I tolerate men."

"Any particular reason for that?"

She sighed. "I don't talk about this very often. I mean, after you hear what I say, one of us may need to find a new seat for our favorite class." She raised her eyebrows in a questioning look.

"I'd like to hear it." She wasn't aware of it, but I had similar feelings about women.

She shrugged. "It's not complicated. I've never had a man in my life, from birth to today, that wasn't a cheat, a liar, a drunk, a pervert, or a bum. Some were a combination of those vices. Are you beginning to understand?" She took a deep breath. "My dad didn't fit that description, though."

"Would you like another coffee?" I wanted another to help me stay focused for the rest of the day.

"Are you buying?"

"Hell no."

"Good. See if you can work a deal on one of their stale donuts." She handed me some money.

Since it was getting closer to noon, I was able to get two stick donuts for the price of one.

"Those are good for dunking... and need it."

We dunked, ate, and drank, the coffee now drinkable.

"So, are you going to argue with me?"

I chuckled. "Should I?"

"You can, but nothing will change."

"I don't need to because I have some of those feelings too."

Lark smiled. "No shit? You have a thing for women?"

"A thing about women."

"I misspoke," she said, "but wow. Do you date at all?"

"I have, but it was not very satisfying. You have to have dated some, too. I mean, you're kind of a cute girl."

"See, you're a dork, too. I'm a cute girl? I can put up with 'cute, but I'm twenty-one and not a girl any longer. And, like you, I've had a few blah dates."

"See there, great minds, and we ended up sitting together."

"It's good to find someone I have something in common with."

~~~

Lark

"Stupid phone," Lark grumbled, pushing her textbook aside. "Oh," she added. "Hi, Mom."

"Hello, hon. After two days of school, how's everything going?"

"Not much has happened yet, so all's well."

"Are your courses supposed to be hard this semester?"

"A couple are, but a lot depends on the professor."

"Really?"

Mom had never gone to college, so she didn't understand what a huge effect a professor's attitude, ability, and country of origin could have on both knowledge acquired and grades achieved in a course.

"Yeah, but the ones I have are okay. A little boring, maybe. What's happening at your place?" I pulled the textbook back in front of me. Maybe I could mark a few of the multiple-choice questions at the end of the first chapter.

"That's good to hear. Guess who was here for dinner last night?" I heard a small giggle and sighed.

"Who would that be, Mom?"

"Your Aunt Linda and cousin Alice."

The excitement in her voice told me this was about more than dinner. Alice was a year younger and hadn't gone to college. I knew she'd gone to work, but not what she was doing.

"What's Alice doing?" We'd lived just a couple of blocks apart during elementary and middle school and had played together a lot. We'd lost touch in general, and I've been planning to look her up on Facebook. It just never seemed to happen.

"She's the receptionist for a small engineering company, but here's the best part. There's an engineer there who's taken a liking to her."

I couldn't keep from rolling my eyes even though there was no one there to see it. I knew what was on the way.

"She's engaged."

I didn't know that, but she wasn't through.

"And she's pregnant."

Hello! Little Alice has been doing the deed, and not in a safe manner, it seems, and now she's going to be a mama?

"What does Aunt Linda think about that?"

"Don't be silly. She's thrilled. Honey, she's going to be a grandmother. It's wonderful."

I could picture the look on her face because I'd seen it so often in the past. It was always for me, but had never been because of me. And she was waiting for my response.

"How does Alice feel about it?" Not the response she was expecting, I'm sure.

"Oh, well, she's excited and a little frightened."

Probably so, since she was only nineteen. "Tell her I'm excited for her, too."

"How about you, honey?"

"I'm not pregnant, Mom." An ominous silence followed.

"Does that mean you have a man but aren't pregnant yet?" She'd twisted my smart-alec remark to make it fit her fantasy.

"No guy, no prospects, and I'm not looking."

I wasn't sure whether I heard the sigh or just imagined it.

"I guess that's up to you. I just think you might find lots of happiness if you had someone to share your life with."

How often had I heard that line or at least variations of it?

"I'm not ruling it out, Mom, but I want to finish school and get established in a career without distractions. If the right guy comes along then, I'm not going to chase him away." My mother had heard that before, and I felt like it was the truth. I mean, I wasn't averse to men despite what I'd told Alex... some of them, anyway. Alex seemed okay.

"I'm just jealous of Linda, who's going to be a grandmother before me." She giggled, but I didn't think it sounded sincere.

I felt sorry for Lauren, who I knew would be subject to the same sort of cross-examination if she hadn't been already.

"I'm going to get back to the books, Mom, but thanks for the update. I may give Alice a call." I was sure I'd forget about that before it happened.

"I don't want to distract you, honey. Talk to you later."

"Bye, Mom."

Despite her good intentions, I was distracted. I decided I might as well get a beer and a little bag of peanuts like they have on airplanes... or used to have before the allergy furor. It was still light outside, so I stood at the window to catch a little of the sunset. I probably had only about nine more months before I graduated, and I'd be out of this place. Nine months. I had to chuckle at the irony of that.

My phone rang again. I looked. Lauren. Well, speak of the devil.

"Hello, sister."

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Alice got herself knocked up."

"Is that the way our mother taught you to talk?"

"I learned that on my own. Too bad our cousin didn't learn about using rubbers."

"I suppose you've learned that, though."

"Damn straight. And I only buy the best brands, too."

Lauren may have just been blowing smoke, but I had no way of knowing and no interest in finding out.

"Do you have any cool dudes asking you to move in with them yet?"

"Probably as many as you have."

"I met a guy in English class today. Seems kinda nice."

"Good luck with that. You know that Mom is always after me about isn't there something I can do to help you find a guy?"

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I wish she'd back off a little."

"It's not going to happen. I'm not interested in getting married, but I've almost always got a guy hangin' around. That seems to keep her happy."

"Ugh. I need to study, sis. I'll probably see you this weekend."

"Cool. Bye, Lark."

I wondered who'd be calling next, wondering about my sex life. Mom didn't mean to be badgering me, but no matter what her intent, it was getting to me. Maybe I should just hook up with some guy. Ugh. That sounded disgusting.

Anyway, I needed to study and hoped I could get my school mind in gear.

~~~

Alex

I hated it when I woke up so freaking early. I used to go back to sleep, but that didn't seem to be happening since I was in college. There wasn't much around my place for breakfast, so I decided to stop by the snack bar on the way to class. Maybe some coffee to help me survive the boring hour that lay ahead.

I left for class early and stopped at the snack bar. Their coffee wasn't Starbucks or any other famous brand that I knew of; it was just good, and hardly a school day passed that I didn't have at least one cup. I paused for a second and then ordered two cups. If Lark didn't want it, I'd take it with me after class. I picked up a package with two chocolate chip cookies. That seemed like a healthy breakfast.

Lark was already there since, even with my early departure, I was nearly late. I set the coffee in front of her.

"I don't remember ordering this," she said without looking at me.

"It was telepathic transmission, I'm sure." That brought a chuckle.

"Is this your subtle way of hitting on me? If so, it's not working, although I do love the coffee." She was fumbling with the little flap on the lid.

"Damn, I thought I had something going."

I sat down, and it was my turn to fumble.

"Good luck," she said, taking a sip of coffee. "Oh, and thanks."

The drone of the instructor began, and both of us were jotting notes. Lark tilted her head in my direction.

"Are you going to share those cookies?"

"Shit, I forgot all about them."

I tore open the package and offered it to her.