Between the Pipes (Offsides #3)

by J.J. Mulder

“Where do I go from here?” Anthony asks, peering through the windshield like he’s trying to find a sign. “I don’t know where the faculty housing is.” “Oh, right. It’s…” Sweat beads on the back of my neck as I squint through the window ineffectually. I can’t see beyond the light provided by the street lamps, and even that is shadowy. I have no idea where we are on campus right now. “Uh, you can just let me out here. I’ll walk.” He looks over at me, disbelievingly. “I’m not letting you out here, what is wrong with you? It’s the middle of the night and this is an empty parking lot. You could get mugged, or something.” “You just pointed out that it’s empty.” “Do you argue every single fucking thing?” he snaps. “Okay, just…go that way.” I sound confident, and with an exasperated shake of his head, Anthony drives forward. My eyes ache from how hard I’m squinting right now, looking out the window desperately. I just need to recognize one thing, and I’ll know where we are. When we finally pull up in front of my cottage, I’m supremely embarrassed. Twenty minutes of driving around, and at one point I’m pretty sure I had him driving in a circle. I make a mental pact with myself to only leave the house for work from now on. Fuck dating, I’ll die alone. “It’s confusing here, in the dark,” Anthony says, unbuckling his seatbelt. This is a kind thing to say, and I hate him for it.