A Heart's Promise

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Chapter Two: Someone New

Abigail Lincoln was a twenty-one year old junior in college. She was on the school's female hockey team and loved the sport very much. And though the off-season had just begun, she tried to keep in shaped all year round.

Her favorite place to go was a gym that was located about a mile from her dormitory. It had a track field she simply enjoyed running around. It was a lazy afternoon as she stretched on the field before a run as she turned on her mp3 player. When she had it programmed just the way she liked it she began her run. As she ran she listened to one of her favorite songs, though she couldn't quite remember why she liked it.

Maybe because it was a song about friendship and how you feel when you can't go on, yet know there's always someone there you can lean on. And that was the very reason she didn't like the song. Abby, as she called herself, had friends but not many, she had learned long ago if you were going to depend on someone, it should be yourself.

Despite her thoughts, Abby was a popular person, everyone seemed to know her name, but then again, she was one of the school's leading goal scorers. People would often ask her to hang out and join them for parties, but she had never really been up to those sort of things and would politely decline each time.

As she ran, she noticed a boy about her age exited out the gym and come towards the track. She had seen him before around campus during the semester. He was a transfer student from Australia or something, she wasn't quite sure. She watched him, as she passed, as he stretched and got ready for his own run.

Breathing heavily, Abby slowed down to a stop and then went to gather her things. "You're not leaving on my account are you?" the boy spoke with a faint accent.

"No, not at all." She smiled as she tossed the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder. The boy said nothing in reply as he just smiled at her before beginning his run.

Later that night, Abby was in her dorm room studying for a test she had coming up in a few days. "Geez, Abby." Spoke her roommate Kristen, better know as Kris, as she snatched Abby's book. "How much of a nerd can you be?" She asked. "It's Friday, for crying out loud. You need to get out and have some fun sometimes." She continued. "You know what they say about all work and no play."

"I know the saying, Kris." Abby took back her book and readjusted her glasses. She usually wore contacts, but they had been bothering her all day and she justgave up on them and finally took them out. "I just really need to study for this test, I can't afford another 'D'. I just can't," she stressed.

Kris sat on Abby's bed. "Look, the reason you didn't do well on that last test was because you put too much pressure on yourself. You studied I know you did, but I'm telling you-- you're brain," she knocked on Abby's head, "needs a break. You hear me, sistah girl?"

"Look, I think-" she was cut off.

"Hello!" Kris waved her hand in front of Abby's face. "Brain. Burnt. Out." She stood up and Abby watched her walk over to her closet. "So I tell you what. Tonight, we're going out." Abby opened her mouth to protest. "And don't say you can't, because 'no' is no longer an option." She reached in Abby's closet and pulled out a black leather mini-shirt. "Girl, I didn't even know you owned something like this." She tossed it over her shoulder. "Put it on." She told her as she found her roommate a top.

Kris couldn't find anything she liked in Abby's closet so she moved on to her own. "I'm letting you borrow this, so I expect it back." Kris handed her a sleeveless sequin midriff top. "Blue always looks good on you," she commented.

Abby sighed as she put the clothes on and check herself out in the mirror. "I don't know, Kris." Abby put her hands on her breasts. "It's kind of tight."

Kris huffed and moved Abby's hands. "It's supposed to be." Kris then looked into the mirror as she applied her ruby red lipstick that matched the little dress she wore.

"You look like a ho," Abby told her playfully.

"Girl, I don't know what you're talking about." Kris made a little circle, flaring her dress, and then shook her hips from side to side. "That's what I'm talking about, baby girl!" she laughed. "Now come on," Kris grabbed her purse and then Abby's hand as she finished putting in her new contacts, "we're going dancin' tonight."

Abby shook her head as she was pulled out the dorm by Kris thinking, what have I gotten myself into?

OoOoO

It had taken them forty-five minutes to get to the club Kris wanted to go to; mostly because she had to pick up the rest of her girls, which included: Anita, the self-proclaimed best dancer of the group; Dana, little miss know-it-all; and Spirit, who's really name was Rebecca.

"Bitches, get out my car!" Kris yelled as soon as they parked in the lot of the club called, Daylite.

"Kris, you need to stop cursing," stated Dana.

"Yeah," agreed Anita. "You need like Jesus in your life." Everyone stopped and looked at her. "What?"

"Like you've ever gone to church," said Spirit.

"I have gone to church," Anita said as they walked towards the club.

"When?" asked Spirit.

Anita started counting on her fingers, but then just resolved with giving Spirit the bird.

"Oh, that's real mature." Spirit slapped her hand down.

"These are your friends?" Abby quietly asked Kris.

"Don't worry, they'll grow on you." She smiled as the five of them entered the club.

The club was packed, so the girls had to maneuver their way across the room until they found a table in the corner and stole a few chairs. "I need a drink." Dana announced before asking. "You girls want something?" When they all declined she made her way to the bar.

The others were talking and getting to know Abby when Usher's 'Yeah' blasted through the speakers of the club. "Girl, that's my song!" Yelled Spirit. "Come on!" She grabbed Anita and the two practically ran to the dance floor.

"Thanks Kris, I really needed this." Abby turned to her and said.

Kris smiled mischievously. "Don't thank me yet." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "Okay, don't look now, but that fine-ass white boy at the bar has been checking you out since we got in here."

"What?" Abby dark cheeks blushed.

"Yeah, girl." Kris looked over Abby's shoulder. "Okay, hold on. . . wait for it . . ." She said slowly. She then began rapidly hitting her hand on the table. "Look now, look now!" Abby softly laughed at her roommate as she looked over her shoulder to see whose eye she had caught. "You see him? The blonde?"

"Yeah, I see him." Abby recognized the boy. "He's a runner I believe. I saw him earlier at the track."

"Uh-huh, you go girl. So what's his name?" Kris inquired.

Abby turned back to her. "I don't know, we didn't say much."

"Well he's cute, you should go say something."

Abby shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Oh, come on, I'm not telling you to marry the boy, just go talk to him."

"No," Abby stated firmly, but it didn't deter Kris.

"Why not?" Kris asked. "I know it isn't because he's a white boy. Because you're ex-"

"Don't," Abby looked at her swifly. "I don't like talking about him," she told her firmly.

Kris sighed. "Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but you can't keep yourself closed off from the rest of the male population, Abby," she explained. When she got no response from her, Kris cocked an eyebrow curiously. "You haven't gone and changed teams on me, have you?" she asked carefully.

"Kris!" Abby looked at her in disbelief as a light laugh escaped her.

"What? You can't blame a sistah for asking," she said. "But if that's not it, you have no reason not to go talk to him."

"You're going to bug me about this all night aren't you?" Abby asked and Kris just smiled. "Fine." Abby rose from her seat. "I don't now how you talk me into these things?"

"It's my charming personally!" Kris yelled as Abby began walking to the bar.

"Hey!" Abby got the attention of the bartender. "Can I get a Banana Daiquiri with no lime juice, please?"

"Coming right up." And the bartender went to fix her drink.

Abby then turned to the boy beside her. "Hey there, you were at the track earlier, right?"

"Yeah, I was," he smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks."

He looked her over. "Are you having fun?"

"Now I am, yeah," she nodded.

"That's good to hear." He softly bobbed his head to the music and after a moment spoke again, "So, you waiting for you boyfriend?"

Well, he sure isn't subtle, is he? Abby thought before answering him. "No," she told him. "I don't have one. I came with a few of my girls."

"That's good to hear," he flirted with her. "But it's a shame someone as pretty as you doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Thank you," Abby stuck out her hand. "I'm Abigail, by the way."

The Aussie took her hand and slowly brought it up to his lips. His sparkling green eyes never left hers as he gently kissed her knuckles. "Lawrence. Gavin Lawrence."

"Gavin," she said softly as the bartender arrived with her drink. He told her the price and Abby went to hand him the money she had in her other hand.

"Don't worry, I got this." Gavin paid for her drink and Abby thanked him once again. "If you really want to thank me, you can pleasure me with a dance when you're finished."

"You're on," she said after taking a sip of her Banana Daiquiri.

A few minutes later, the two were on the dance floor moving to the sounds of Jay-Z and Linkin Park's 'Numb/Encore'. Abby sung along with music as she danced, which made Gavin laughed as she made up the parts of the song she didn't know.

As the song died down, the next cued up; it was one Abby didn't recognized. It was a slow song and all of a sudden, Abby felt a bit shy. "Would you care to sit this one out?" Gavin asked as he saw the expression on her face.

"No," she said quickly. "I mean, I feel up to it, if you are." She told him and he nodded his head. Abby shrived a bit as his cool fingers made contact with bare waist as he slid his hands around her and pulled her closer to him. Abby then proceeded to raise her arms and warp them about his neck and they swayed back and forth to the music. Abby felt as if she were floating on air as she was held in Gavin's arms. "This is nice," she whispered.

"I agree," he said in a voice that matched her own. "So, are you doing anything after this?"

Abby nervously chuckled. "I'm not that kind of girl, Gavin."

"Huh?" He didn't quite understand before he it came to him. "Oh!" he smiled and blushed. "No, no, that's not what I meant."

Abby pulled slightly away and looked into his green eyes. "Really? Then what did you mean?"

"I meant after the song. You don't have to go right back to your friends do you?"

"No, not really," she shook her head. "What? Are you trying to get to know me or something?" she asked playfully.

"Yeah, if you allow me to," Gavin told her. Abby felt stupid, she had never smiled so much in her life.

"Look at that," Kris said to the rest of the girls who had came back to the table. "First night out and my girl Abby has already caught herself a man."

"Kris, they're just dancing, it doesn't mean she's caught a man," Dana said before sipping down the last of her drink.

"Why must you always bust my bubble?" Kris asked her in agitation.

"Cuz' it's what I do," Dana stated. "Now I'm hitting the dance floor, you bitches coming?"

"Ha! Look who's cursing now," Kris teased, Dana just stuck out her tongue before heading to the floor. "Hey, wait up." Kris followed.

"We need new friends," Spirit stated as she sat alone at the table with Anita.

Then at the same time they both with, "Nah." And then followed Kris and Dana out onto the dance floor.

Transmission Interrupted. . .

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