The Underclassman Ch. 30

Winning the Lottery

When Mick woke up on Monday morning, the day after his quarrel with Abigail, mentally he still felt like shit. Due to their falling out, he found it difficult to study for exams on Sunday and was unfocused at work later that evening. Today was the start of the last week of the school year which meant final exams, and this was not how he intended for it to begin.

Later that day about 6:00 p.m., Mick walked the short distance down the hall from his dorm room and knocked on Abigail and Zoe's door to try and make amends and ask Abby if she would like to study for their calculus final which was the following morning. He made several attempts but no one ever answered. Mick returned to his room and sent Abby a text message apologizing once more and asking if she would like to review notes, but she never replied.

On his way to the calculus final on Tuesday morning, Mick stopped by and knocked on Abigail's door again as they usually walked to class together. When the door popped open, he saw Zoey standing there. "Hi Mick," she said bashfully. He inquired if Abby was there and Zoe informed him that her roommate had departed for class a short time ago. Mick let out a deep sigh as he was obviously frustrated by the situation. "I don't know what to tell you Mick," Zoe said to him, "I've never seen her like this... she is really upset."

When Mick walked into the calculus lecture hall, which was a fairly large space with stadium style seating, he immediately began to search for Abigail but did not spot her. He walked to where they normally sat and took his seat, then began to keep a lookout for his friend. Right before the examination was to begin, Mick watched Abby enter the classroom and take the first available seat she came to.

By the time Mick had completed the test questions, only a handful of the other students had managed to finish before him. He gathered up his belongings, walked to the front of the class and turned in his answer sheet, then exited the lecture hall. Outside the classroom, he struggled with deciding if he should wait for Abigail to come out but then figured, if she did not want to walk with him to the calculus final that morning, her disposition was unlikely to have changed in such a short time. Feeling very much deflated, Mick set off for the library to put in some time reviewing his notes for the next day's chemistry final as it was still too early for lunch.

Over the next two days, Mick sent Abby several more text messages apologizing profusely for having hurt her, but she did not respond. While taking a break from his studying on Thursday evening, he checked his cell phone again and still found nothing. Tomorrow was Friday, the last day of the academic year, and Mick resided himself to the likelihood that Abigail would never speak to him again. "This is how the school year ends," he said to himself, "Our friendship is over." They had shared so much during the year and he was very fond of his dormmate, even though she could certainly annoy him at times. It was a painful thought for Mick to bear, and he did his best to bury it in the back of his mind so he could continue to prepare for his physics final early that following morning.

Mick's alarm roused him on Friday at 7:15 a.m. as intended. After a quick shower he made himself a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk to quickly check his emails before getting in some last-minute studying for his final. About twenty minutes before the test, he placed his notes, laptop and textbook in his backpack and headed out the door. Walking past the door to Abigail's room made him feel sad and the only thing Mick could do was to try and put it out of his mind to the best of his ability so he could focus on the physics test.

Turning in his last final exam to the instructor brought Mick a great deal of both joy and relief. His freshman year of college was now officially complete and he felt very confident that he had excelled in the spring semester. On his way back to Bradley Hall, Mick stopped by the bookstore and purchased a roll of packing tape. He had snagged some boxes from work and intended to pack up most of his room on Friday because on Saturday, Mick would be vacating what had been his abode for the past nine months.

When Mick unlocked his dorm room door and stepped inside, he found a white envelope bearing his name lying on the floor. Immediately he opened it and discovered a green Tyvek wristband inside. "Casino Night!" blurted Mick out loud. Between the play, his row with Abigail and final exams, he had pretty much forgotten about it. Mick remembered that Abby had told him she had a wristband for him and he figured that she must have slipped it under his door earlier.

Was this a good omen Mick wondered... maybe a thawing of the ice? Or was Abby just giving the wristband to him as promised? As a member of the student association, Mick could not imagine that Abigail would skip attending the event and suddenly, he had one last glimmer of hope that he might get the opportunity to try and smooth everything over with his good friend.

As Mick set about packing up his effects, he could not get the evening's upcoming festivity off his mind. It was not just because he hoped to cross paths with Abby, but due to past experience having taught him that when circumstances arose where a considerable amount of dorm residents were all trying to shower at the same time, the overflow commonly ended up in his bathroom, and Casino Night had the potential to be one of those times. Having one last romp in his shower would be the ultimate culmination to the school year, thought Mick.

After a well-timed trip to the food court for dinner, Mick returned to Bradley Hall with the intention of hitting the shower about an hour prior to the scheduled start of the event as he believed that was when it was most likely that his private lavatory might contain uninvited but welcomed guests. He shed his clothes and put on his bathrobe and shower slippers, then grabbed his toiletries and a towel before heading down the hall. When he entered the lavatory, Mick immediately spied that one of the stalls doors was closed. "Bingo!" he said to himself as he walked back to the shower area to drop his toiletry bag on a bench and hang up his robe.

Mick returned to one of the sinks with his toothbrush and paste and commenced to brush his teeth rather leisurely while buck naked. About half a minute later, he heard the lock to the stall rattle and the door swing open.

"Whoa dude! What the fuck?" shouted a male sounding voice.

Mick spit his toothpaste into the sink and looked up to find some strange guy averting his eyes. "What are you doing in here?" Mick asked of the unexpected interloper.

"What do you think I'm doing in the men's room? Man, cover your shit up!" the intruder indignantly commanded.

The unwelcomed visitor hurriedly rinsed his hands in one of the sinks before snatching a bunch of paper towels from the wall dispenser. On his way out the door, Mick heard him mumble under his breath, "Fucking weirdo."

Throughout the entire school year, Mick had never seen another male in what he considered his own private bathroom. It had not occurred to him that maybe a boyfriend or father might be visiting one of the girls in the dormitory and Mick might run across them in what was still for all intents and purposes--a public men's room. Mick guffawed and found the whole thing so hilarious that he was not even skeeved out by another guy catching him standing there completely nude. "That's one way to end the year," thought Mick as he continued to laugh his ass off.

Mick finished up at the sink then went about taking a shower, lingering for some time in the hope that one of his fellow residents would join him, but it was not to be. He did not let the disappointment quell his good spirits and returned to his quarters to get dressed.

Fifteen minutes after the start of the function, Mick waltzed into the student center fashionably late. He showed his green wristband to the gentleman at the door who then requested to see Mick's identification to confirm he was of legal drinking age. He was directed to a nearby table where he picked up his one hundred dollars in gaming chips and two free drink coupons. A student explained to Mick that he could buy more chips at any time if he wanted and when betting was closed later in the evening, he was to trade in his chips for tickets to the raffle drawing.

Mick walked into the main hall and began to look around to get the lay of the land. There were multiple blackjack, roulette and craps tables stationed around the room, a DJ on an elevated platform with a dance floor was positioned off to one side of the venue, a bar and appetizer table on the opposite side, and towards the back were several tables containing the raffle prizes. Mostly, Mick was looking to see if there was anyone he knew, specifically Abigail.

"Abby!" called out Zoe excitedly as she tugged on her friend's arm. "Look!" she instructed her roommate while pointing across the room.

Through the crowd, Abigail could see Mick standing in the center of the hall. He was wearing a charcoal wool suit and an ivory button-down shirt complete with a cobalt blue necktie and matching pocket square, and black wingtip Oxfords. Around Mick's neck hung a long, white silk scarf. There was no denying, he looked quite handsome and exceedingly debonaire. In a very casual manner, Zoe said to Abby, "I'm not into guys," then further whispered, "but I'd let Mick bang me."

"Zoey!" exclaimed Abigail, as she was taken aback by her friend's unexpected ribald comment.

Unable to locate Abby in the throng of students, Mick decided to cut a path to the bar and procure his first adult beverage of the evening. While working his way through the sea of people, Mick did spot Whitney Harrington standing all by herself. She was adorned in a gold, floor-length satin dress flaunting an asymmetrical halter neckline that wrapped around her neck, with an elegant sash that hung down her back past her derriere. Her flowing, dark brown hair had been done up in these splendid, bouncy curls which even Mick could tell had not come from a curling iron. He was floored by how absolutely exquisite Whitney appeared as she evoked memories of the starlets from Hollywood's golden age.

"Hey, Audrey Hepburn," said Mick as he walked up beside Whitney, "Care to dance?"

Whitney spun around to find Mick standing there. She looked him up and down and smiled before retorting, "You're looking pretty Clark Gable yourself."

As they began to converse about how their semesters had gone, a young man walked up and handed Whitney a drink. He was as tall as Mick, had black hair, blue eyes, was meticulously groomed, and appeared exactly like the type of guy that Mick envisioned Whitney would date. "Mick, this is Brooks Rafferty," she said.

"My friends call me Raffy," he declared as they shook hands.

"Everyone calls me Mick," he replied, "It's nice to meet you."

The three of them spoke for a moment before Mick inquired as to Lauren's whereabouts, and Whitney informed him that her friend was around somewhere. He asked Whitney to please tell Lauren hello for him in case he did not happen to run into her. Raffy then politely requested that Mick excuse them as Whitney had promised him a dance. "Of course," said Mick before telling them both to enjoy their evening. As he watched Whitney walk to the dance floor with her date, Mick felt disappointed... even a smidge jealous.

"I'll dance with you," said a familiar voice from behind.

Mick wheeled around to come face-to-face with Abigail. There was so much he wanted to say but as he looked at his friend, all coherent thoughts abandoned him. She was wearing a sleeveless, A-line dress which flared at the waist and featured a hem several inches above the knees. It was lilac in color and was covered by a tulle fine mesh which was adorned with pearl beads and white embroidered leafed vines that trailed down the fabric. The garment was cinched at the waist with an ornate silver and rhinestone belt which complemented her satin silver ankle strap, flat heels which had a pointed toe box also embellished with rhinestones. Abigail looked beyond beautiful which put Mick at an even further loss for words.

You look stunning," Mick finally blurted.

"Thank you," Abby decorously replied.

His nervousness was quite obvious by the expression on his face, as was the anguish. She took a step closer to Mick before saying to him with a measured voice, "Promise from this moment forward, that you will always be honest with me, even if you believe it may hurt me."

"I swear on my life--I promise," Mick resolved. "I don't even know why--" he started to continue, but Abigail placed two fingers gently upon his lips to calm him.

"I still don't understand it," began Abby, the hurt now evident by her countenance, "but I've made my peace with it. Let's move forward from here with a better understanding of one another."

"I'd like that very much," stated Mick sincerely.

Mick told his friend that he had really missed her this past week and she replied likewise. He asked Abigail if he could get her a refreshment but she said she was fine for the moment. As they continued to converse and the wall between them crumble, Mick asked her if Zoey had come. Abby turned and pointed to her roommate who was still standing over in the corner of the hall. Mick smiled and waved at Zoe who was beaming, and she clapped as seeing the two of them together talking made her very happy.

When Mick further inquired about Abigail's boyfriend Jimmy, her entire demeanor suddenly changed. "He decided to skip this evening and pack his room up tonight," said Abby, before further adding, "He's insistent that we head out for New Mexico first thing in the morning." Mick quickly let the subject go as it had made Abby noticeably uncomfortable.

Drawn to the piano introduction of a melody that had begun to play, Abigail cocked her head and briefly glanced away as she listened intently to the music. She looked back at Mick and smiled, telling him, "I like this song." Holding his hand in her own ever so gently, Abigail asked him to, "Come dance with me." Before Mick could refuse her request, Abby began to lead him over to the dance floor as the song continued...

They turned towards one another and Mick awkwardly took hold of Abigail's free hand but he was not sure what to do.

Once more she smiled at Mick, trying to put him at ease.

"Like this," said Abigail as she positioned his right palm around her waist and the two began to sway back and forth. Mick was not holding his partner at arm's length exactly, but it did appear like he was dancing with his sister.

"You can hold me closer if you like," Abby told him.

Mick moved in a little closer but Abby longed to be right up against him.

"I don't think I slept two whole hours this entire week," stated Mick.

"Since you shut me out," he said further.

"I'm really glad you found in your heart to give our friendship another chance," Mick told her.

"Knowing that I hurt you has torn me up," he continued.

"And the thought that I may have permanently lost you as a friend was impossible to bear," added Mick.

"I didn't get any sleep either," admitted Abby.

"The thought of not having you in my life overwhelmed me with sadness as well," she told him.

"It was so painful for me that I concluded I had to let it go and embrace forgiveness," stated Abby.

"Then I realized that you had come to mean more to me than just a friend," Abigail confessed.

"Which is why what you did hurt so badly," she added.

"You're going to laugh at me, aren't you," Abby asked him.

"I feel the same," professed Mick, which filled his friend's heart full of joy.

"You can hold me closer," Abby told him once more.

"I'm afraid if I do, when the time comes to let you go... I won't be able to," said Mick.

"Then don't," replied Abby as she moved in and put her arms around him.

Holding each other tightly, the two continued to slowly circle around one another while the song's outro played. Abigail looked up and said, "Mick..." but then hesitated.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"During the love scene in the play," began Abby, "I imagined that I was the girl."

Mick looked at her perplexed, unsure if Abby was trying to say what he thought she was saying.

"I fantasied that it was me you were making love to," said Abby reluctantly. At first Mick was speechless, but then he smiled.

Mick and Abigail stood clinging to each other in the middle of the dance floor as the song ended, affectionately gazing into one another's eyes. Both struggled internally with giving into their desires and kissing the person with whom they were embraced with, or taking the prudent road and remaining close friends. Mick leaned down and placed his forehead against Abby's and said, "Abigail, I--"

"What is going on?" exclaimed Jimmy who was obviously riled.

Mick immediately stepped back from Abby who replied in an irritated tone of her own, "It's called dancing Jimmy, not that you would know."

"Uh, that was something more than dancing," her boyfriend asserted.

"Why are you here anyway?" she asked brusquely, "Didn't you have more important things to do?

"I got finished and thought I'd come spend the evening with you," he told her, "but it appears you weren't missing me."

As she started to walk off the dance floor, Abby curtly informed Jimmy that, "I'm not doing this here."

Mick watched as Abigail continued to storm off with Jimmy following right behind her. "I need a drink," he told himself. Mick walked over to the bar and asked what rum they had.

"Captain Morgan and Malibu," the student behind the counter informed him.

"Ugh," muttered Mick, "Nothing about this evening can go right," he thought. Mick ordered a Captain and Coke then hit the gaming tables, except for blackjack which he considered to be a sucker's game.

A little over an hour and two drinks later, Mick had gone bust and he had yet to catch sight of Abby again. He was not sure if he wanted to buy back in because up to that point, his luck for the evening had not been good. Mick decided to mull it over while he made a quick trip to the men's room. One of the members of the student association helped point him in the right direction and Mick headed down the hallway to the left as directed.

When Mick exited the bathroom, he immediately ran into Terri from the softball team who was standing in the corridor speaking with another girl.

"Hey Mick!" said Terri exuberantly when she spotted him. Terri told the girl that she would catch up with her later then turned her attention towards her teammate. "How's it going?" she asked. Mick admitted to Terri that lady luck had not been kind to him so far. "The evening is still young," she remarked before telling him while sporting a mischievous grin, "Maybe you will still get lucky."