Just My Luck

What is with my luck these days? Horrible, since I can get nowhere without causing something that makes me want to disappear. My entire life is pretty much a disaster now.

I’d gotten a thirty out of sixty on some exam paper, and found out that I hadn’t turned in an assignment for physics and that it was a month overdue. Besides college problems, I also was having problems outside of school. First, I’d gone to Starbucks, and ordered my usual cappuccino; instead of that, I got a frappuccino. When I complained, the cashier gave me a murderous glance, and I’m the type of person who hates when people give me “I hate you” looks. Then, I went to meet up with my friend Melanie, and saw her making out with Jackson, the guy I’ve had a crush on for a month.

You can pretty much see my social and academic life is going down the drain.

Right now, I’m walking down the cement sidewalk of New York, sipping my new cappuccino, licking the whipped cream. I know, I know, how fattening. I see a painter standing on a ladder, propped up right in the middle of the street. Instead of just walking under like a normal person, I cross the road and walk around like a superstitious freak. I know the painter is staring as I walk off.

Lately, I’m just trying to ward off the bad luck as much as I can. Yes, that would mean spitting on the baseball bat and running away from black cats and mirrors. Opening my wallet, I realize that one of my tens is gone. Looks like not walking under a ladder didn’t exactly help. How terrific.

I sigh. I need some time alone. So, I get into a cab and make my way to downtown, deciding to indulge in some apple crumb pie. Yet another curse; I grow fat as I get worse luck.

Outside the bakery, I catch sight of some small green clovers peeking out from the cement crack. How strange; you never see clovers growing freely around New York. Since the line is so freaking long, I kneel down. Surprisingly, one of them is a four leaf. Eh, might as well try again for some luck. I try to pluck it, and it uproots from the soft dirt. However, my coffee spills over, and I jump away just in time before the brown liquid splashes on the ground and onto nearby buyers’ shiny shoes. Grunts and curses are muttered throughout the line. I think it’s better to leave before I cause anymore trouble. People are already glaring at me.

Shopping has always been a stress reliever for me. By the time I exit the boutique I entered, I’m juggling several bags of clothes. Oh, crap. The bags start tumbling down, and I have no way to rescue them before they fall into the puddle of muddy water in front of me. This is going to be the biggest waste of money that’s ever happened to me. And I’d been hoping to get a chance to wear that pretty peach colored blouse I’d just bought.

I close my eyes, waiting to hear the huge flop and splash. It never comes. I open my eyes, and end up being face to face with a twenty-something Greek god. Okay, I’m exaggerating. We’re not face to face, instead it’s face to neck. The guy’s taller than me by about ten inches. He also has his fingers balancing the three shopping bags I’d thought were going to fall into the nasty puddle.

I’m not kidding about the Greek god part. How can anyone’s arms be so toned and muscular, and not even in long sleeves, during a New York winter? He probably goes to a stylist to get his sandy hair so artfully tousled, with gold highlights streaking through. I don’t have an excuse for his clear green eyes. They look like glass. He probably has access to an optometrist who’s been doing technology on how to change eye color?

“I thought you needed some help.” He handed me the bags, and I try not to gasp at the warmth of his hand, even though he was only wearing a t-shirt and basketball shorts with the hint of an iPod earphone dangling outside. Probably on a morning jog.

“Thanks,” I mutter, blushing with embarrassment. Smooth, Julie, I chastise myself, before locking my blue eyes with the stranger’s again. “I’m Julie,” I introduce myself, holding out a hand, feeling awkward and embarrassed. “Thanks again for rescuing my bags. They cost a fair dollar,” I laugh. The guy is staring at me.

“Um…”

“Oh, sorry.” He snaps out of his reverie. “You look like one of my girlfriends.” I look away. Not exactly what a girl wants to hear. “Ex-girlfriend, actually,” he corrects himself, taking my hand and shaking it. He has a strong grip, but it’s comfortable and gentle too. “I’m Adam Oakley.”

“Well, alright. I guess I should go now…” I didn’t exactly want to leave this attractive stranger, but I couldn’t exactly stall and make him to stay with me, could I? Then again…I turned around, surprising him. Scribbling my name and phone number onto a slip of paper, I pressed it into his palm. He looked at me, confused. “Here’s my number. I won’t be expecting a call, but I do owe you. So, until we meet again.” I gave him a brilliant smile and turned to leave. I felt spontaneous and smart then. At least I knew he didn’t have a girlfriend.

“Hey, Julie Gladden!” he yells. Several people stop and stare.

“Yeah?” I ask, looking back over my shoulder.

“Expect a call.” With that, he plugs his earphones back in and started jogging away from me, merging with the crowd of people during rush hour.

That will probably be the only thing that happens to me that doesn’t involve me getting mortally embarrassed and wanting to die today. But I’d still trade academic and social happiness for a hot guy any day.

I throw down all my stuff on my kitchen counter in my apartment. My roommate, Elena, isn’t home yet. Since she’s Mexican, and knows how to make amazing food, I decide to not eat lunch yet. Instead, I think I’ll do something productive, such as emailing my physics professor and begging for a second chance.

I sigh. Elena’s probably the only friend I have now. Of course, the general population of people at my college like me, but not enough to, say, put me on their top Myspace friends.

Sipping my coffee, I turn on my MacBook. My cell phone buzzes with yet another text from Melanie, asking me to meet her somewhere with her new boyfriend, whom I’m pretty sure I already know.

I walk in the direction of my bathroom, texting back a lame excuse about how I need to work on a physics assignment. Okay, I do have to work on it. Just not today.

Then, as I reach for my mouthwash, the stupid device falls out of my hand. I swear, the phone’s like a retarded bouncy ball. It bounces right off the sink and into the toilet. Nice.

I grimace and prepare to reach my hand into the disgusting water, all thoughts of Adam Oakley and getting a call from him being replaced with thoughts bemoaning my bad luck and stinky sewer water.

--

My cell phone rings, and I expect a call from Melanie, although she usually contacts me through texts. Why is she so darn set on getting me to meet her new boyfriend? Maybe, it’s a call from my professor, though. I deleted Melanie from my address book a long time ago, and the number is unfamiliar. Smiling apologetically at Elena, who’s busy daintily dipping a nacho into her homemade mole, I excuse myself from the table. I still cringe every time I flip open my cell phone, thinking of the bathroom disaster last week. Luckily, my contract with AT&T ends soon and I can switch phones. This one will probably go into the trash. Or back into the toilet.

“Hello?”

“Hey, is this Julie Gladden?” The voice is a male’s, deep and echoing through the receiver. I don’t recall any of my professors having a voice like this.

“Um…yes. Who is this?”

“Forget me already?” The voice chuckles, amused.

“I guess…A hint, please?”

“Well, I saved your precious clothes from a soaking a muddy water.”

“Adam?” I’m shocked. He still has my number?

“Well, you said you owed me. I’m calling to collect.”

“Okay…how about that small place near Starbucks that sells breakfast, tomorrow at eight?” The place was off the top of my head. I have wanted to try it for a while, though.

“Wonderful. I always wanted to try their scrambled eggs.” Then, he hangs up. I listen to the dialing tone of the phone for a while before hanging up too, dazed. Do I have a date now with one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met?

“Looks like someone’s been struck by the love bug,” a melodious voice floats from the corridor. I see Elena watching me, arms folded over her pink sweater, resting over low slung denim jeans. She always has a sense of style. It is nice to have a friend who can dress you up when you needed. However, she also has a fondness of chasing me around the apartment with mascara and lip gloss.

“Spill, mija!” she sings, coming over. “What’s his name?”

“Um…Adam….”

“Ooh. You can double date now, with me and Carlos!”

“No, I just owe him. After all, he saved my new clothes from drowning in a pond.” I shrugged, trying to pass it off as if it were natural that a boy saved my clothes everyday from falling into a pond.

“Okay. But I’m always here for gossip!” Elena grinned.

This is getting me depressed. An overly peppy friend can sometimes become a negative asset. I sigh and go to my bedroom, noticing the four leaf clover I picked still sitting on my vanity table. Hmm. Is my luck really starting to change?

A huge banging noise alerts me to my over-laden bookshelf’s wooden plank cracking under the weight of twenty something books, and said books falling, making clunking noises as each thumps onto my dusty floor.

I think not.

--

“Sorry I’m late,” I pant, rushing into the restaurant. It’s impossible to get a cab at seven in the morning to go anywhere.

“It’s fine. Sit down. As long as you pay, I’m happy.” Adam smirks. “By the way, I ordered for you. Hope you like scrambled eggs, sausages and buttermilk biscuits.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Fatten me up for the slaughter, huh?” I sit down, feeling nervous. It’s not every day that I sit down to breakfast with a good looking boy.

“Are you on some crazy diet? Like the messed up one where women only drink water, mint herb, and orange juice?”

“Actually, it’s basil and lemon juice,” I correct. “And no, I’m not on the ‘messed up diet.’ It does work, though.”

“Yeah, it makes you become a walking stick. That’s every female’s dream, isn’t it?” Adam shakes his head.

“No, they just do it to boost self confidence.” I shrugged. “I think. I’ve never tried one of those diets before.”

“They don’t have to necessarily not eat, though. See, guys just work out more. I don’t see how girls can’t do that either.”

Our food comes, and I stare at Adam’s omelet, bursting with tomato, cheese, potatoes, and pretty much everything in jealousy. “That looks good.”

“It is,” Adam says through a mouthful of egg. “You want some?”

I look away. “Eh, you don’t have to.”

“Oh no, I want to. Go ahead, grab some omelet.” He nods towards my fork and knife.

“Um…I barely know you.”

“So? I’m planning on taking some of your sausage. It did look pretty good on the menu.” He gulps down some orange juice.

I like balance, and since he’s so resolute on stealing my food, I might as well do the same to his. Using my fork, I scrape out a piece of omelet and stuff it in my mouth. Delicious.

“And you think I’m a pig,” Adam says, watching me eat. He quickly snags a sausage from my plate and tosses it into his mouth.

“I’m hungry.”

The check comes, and I dig in my wallet for a twenty, when I realize that all my money has disappeared. I have no flipping idea how to explain my sudden money loss. I remember Elena asking for money for some party she had to attend. Oh, God. If I thought I was going to at least avoid mortification at this breakfast, I was so sadly wrong.

Adam raises and eyebrow at me, obviously noting the fact that I haven’t slapped down money yet.

“Uh oh,” I mutter. This has to be the worst thing that’s happened to me in the history of unlucky things.

“You’re broke, huh?” He dug a hand into the pocket of his basketball shorts, dumping a twenty on the table. I felt my cheeks tinge pink.

“Keep the change,” he said to the waiter, before yanking me out of my seat and dragging me out. Dear God, is he gonna rape me?

“Care to explain?” he demands. “Because I just wasted movie ticket money, and I want to know why.”

“My friend took my money,” I sigh in defeat.

Adam snickers. “Right,” he drawls sarcastically.

“I’m serious. I’ll pay you back, I swear.” I feel suddenly tired. “Hold on, let me find an ATM.”

His hand is still gripping my wrist. “No need. You know, you could’ve just mentioned the fact that you didn’t have any money on you instead of mortifying yourself in front of the waiter.”

“I didn’t realize it until now!” I protest.

“Sure, and-” He stopped, his eyes widening. “Holy shit,” he hisses, ducking into a store. Coincidentally, it’s the same boutique I entered before my clothes got saved by him. Weirdly, I’m still attached to his hand, and I get pulled along.

I look for the object of his curse, and see a pretty girl that looks so much like me, it’s scary. She has the same black hair and pale face as me. She also looks to be my height. I shudder. Creepy.

“My ex,” he says, his voice muffled by a frilly pink dress. I stifle a laugh.

“You weren’t kidding when you said she looks like me.” I see the girl enter the store. Snickering, I tug the pink dress out of the way. Adam looks so freaking hilarious, all of his masculinity gone in his attempt to hide.

“Did she break up with you?” I hope I’m not prying.

“Nope. Other way around. That’s why I have to hide. She’s been calling me nonstop.”

“What’s her name?” This situation is a tad funny. Okay, cross that. It’s freaking hilarious.

“Jane.”

“Holy crap, her name is like mine too.”

“I know. Scary, huh?” He rolls his eyes. “You sure you two aren’t sisters or something?”

“No…” I watch the girl as she gets closer to us, bending over to look at a fake green flower.

Then, she looks across the aisle and sees me watching. Giving me a disgusted glance, she moves away from my direction.

Yup, my luck is definitely not changing.

Adam suddenly appears next to me. “I think it’s safe now. Let’s go.”

He starts dragging me, yet again, towards the door.

“Adam?” The voice is high and surprised.

“Damn!” he curses.

Jane nears us and Adam suddenly pulls me to his side. “Just play along,” he mutters out the side of his mouth.

“Who’s this?” Jane casts me a cursory glance.

“Oh, this is Julia, my girlfriend.”

“What?” Jane looks like she’s going to have a heart attack.

“Yeah. If you’ll excuse us, we have somewhere to go.” He winks at me, and I smile back, trying my best to look flirty.

Outside, Adam breathes a sigh of relief. “I hope the texts stop soon.”

“I think they will. Anyway, I guess I should go. Sorry about the whole money thing.”

“You paid me back by helping me with Jane. And I wasn’t kidding.”

“About what?” I’m confused.

“Let’s go somewhere.”

“What? I thought you were just using that phrase to get away from Jane!”

“So? I like you. You’re cute. You’re coming with me.” He drags me off again and pushes me into his car.

“What the heck! You can’t just kidnap me like that! I’m not going any-” His lips are suddenly pulling mine, gently sucking my flesh.

Adam pulls away, smirking. “Shut up, ‘kay? We’re going somewhere, and you can’t do anything about it.”

I see a four leaf clover outside the window. Maybe my luck is finally taking a turn for the better.