College Weekend Read Free Page B

crab enchilada?” he asked.
    â€œCrab?” She raised her eyebrows. “No. Are they good?”
    â€œGreat,” he answered. “You should go there this weekend.”
    Tina stared out the window at the starry night. “Josh hates Mexican food,” she murmured.
    â€œHe doesn’t know what he’s missing,” Chris said.
    I know, Tina thought. Me. Josh should be here with me right now.
    â€œThis is the dorm,” Chris said, pulling the Jeep into a parking space.
    Finally, Tina thought, opening the door. Be there, Josh. Be there. The words repeated in her mind as she followed Chris into the tall redbrick dorm.
    But when Chris unlocked the room, it stood dark and empty.
    â€œThe plan is for you to stay here in our room,” Chris told them. “Josh and I got permission from the RA. We’ll sleep at my studio.”
    â€œDo you think Josh is there now?” Tina asked.
    â€œI doubt it,” Chris answered, checking his watch. “It’s only ten.”
    â€œWhy don’t we call—just to make sure,” Tina suggested. She knew he wouldn’t be there. If he’d made it back to town, he would be here waiting for her.
    While Chris dialed the number, Tina chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek.
    As she expected, no one answered at the studio. Tina flopped down on one of the beds.She knew she’d see Josh soon. But she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
    â€œSee you guys later,” Chris said, hanging up the phone. “If you need anything, call me.” He wrote the number of the studio on a piece of paper.
    â€œThese dorm rooms are bigger than the ones at Blaine College,” Holly said, after Chris had left. “And look, they even have a stereo and a TV.” She picked up the remote and flipped through the channels until she found MTV.
    â€œI’m sure that stuff belongs to Chris,” Tina said. Josh could barely afford to live away from home.
    Tina glanced around the room. Two beds, two dressers, and two desks filled most of the space. Josh’s old computer sat on his desk. Chris’s desk had a color Mac with CD-ROM and a laser printer.
    Tina wondered whether Josh ever felt jealous of Chris. If he did, he never mentioned it to her.
    Geology maps covered the wall near Josh’s bed. A photo of the ocean and an announcement for a photography contest hung on the opposite wall.
    And of course, rocks and fossils were perched everywhere. On Josh’s desk. On his dresser. Onthe window ledge. Even on the floor. In every shape and size.
    Just like his room at home, she thought. He probably even dreams about rocks.
    She picked up a triangular black stone and rubbed it between her fingers. Its rough edge scraped her skin.
    Holding the rock, she stood up and paced around the room. Although everything appeared normal, something wasn’t right. Something was missing.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Holly asked.
    â€œI don’t know,” Tina answered, tossing the rock onto Josh’s bed.
    Then it hit her. Where were all the photos of her that Chris had mentioned?
    Their prom picture sat on Josh’s dresser. But that was it. She picked up the photo and gazed at Josh’s handsome face.
    Tina knew she would never forget that night. In place of a regular corsage Josh had given her one made out of layers of green mica crystals. It made her feel really special. All night long her friends commented on it.
    She turned the photo over to read the inscription on the back.
    The writing was gone! How weird, she thought.
    She had written a message to him on the back of this photo. Did Josh erase it?
    Someone pounded on the door.
    Tina hurried to open it. Please be Josh, she thought.
    Instead a dark-haired girl stood in the hallway.
    â€œNo!” the girl shrieked. “I don’t believe it!”

chapter 3
    T ina stared at the girl. “Excuse me?”
    She wore tight blue jeans over a beige bodysuit. Her short