Nobody

Last night…

I don't want to think about last night.

But I did this morning when I almost failed to recognize the person staring back at me through the bathroom mirror. I'm sure I was the most attractive girl on campus today. Red eyes, limp hair, feet dragging on the pavement.

I saw Somebody this afternoon. She was coming out of the library and was waving to him. I ducked behind a post.

They didn't see me.

Somebody didn't have red eyes. Nor limp hair. Nor was she dragging her feet on the pavement.

Somebody was "…bright, vivacious, charming, and sweet…"

I watched her hug him, fitting neatly into his arms. I watched them walk off, his arm tight around her waist.

And I followed.

They passed by my favorite haunts so it didn't feel unusual.

Until I realized I was being followed too.

I turned around.

Nobody was behind me.

I glanced around furtively, intending to give whoever was following me a bit of a scare.

Nobody was behind me.

I continued to trail them. They passed the coffee shop, loitering around at the entrance, debating the merits of caffeine at this late hour. They left but I lingered for a bit longer, soaking up the laughter and talk radiating from the open door. Aaah, coffee.

A quick movement from the corner of my eye alerted my attention to my unwanted follower.

I turned around.

Nobody was behind me.

I gave it up to nerves and quickened my pace to catch up to them. They were sitting together on a bench underneath the overhang of Rochester, the industrial engineering building. Somebody was smiling. He was smiling too. They were holding hands, fingers entwined like the vines of a honeysuckle around an old tree.

He kissed her.

I stumbled on the narrow ledge of my vantage point and stubbed my toe, plummeting into the bright street light.

Shit.

"What are you doing here?!"

His face was a mixture of emotions-disbelief, incomprehension, and anger.

Somebody's cheeks were delicately tinged scarlet from embarrassment.

My face joined my red eyes in their depths of crimson.

Then I saw her.

My follower.

She was no longer a thin wisp in the corner of my vision, but a full, ugly image. Her form was clear to me through the aid of the bright street light and Rochester's reflecting walls.

I turned around to confront her.

Nobody was behind me.

A/N: (edit) 3/1/06. I can't believe I got so many responses for this dinky little one-shot! A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially Gilee7. I've never gotten such an in-depth review before. It helped immensely! -squiggle