Not your Romeo

Chapter 3

My next two classes go on to be pretty interesting as I am not welcomed by Derek or any of his disastrous behavior.
Finally, my first day of college ends. I walk out of the building to find Abby and Josh waiting for me in Josh's car. I am really thankful that I don't need to take any kind of public transport for traveling between college and home. I climb into the car and Josh drives off the campus.
"So... How was your day one at NYU?" Abby asks, turning back to look at me.
"Yeah, it was good. This Derek guy is such a pervert!" I remark and she cringes adorably.
"Jazz you stay away from him." Josh looks at me through the rear-view mirror. "I am sure you will not enjoy his company." He laughs casually and Abby gives me an apologetic look. I know Josh is right. Who even enjoys Derek's company? Venice's words play in my mind - " He is our college's Romeo..." Okay, so maybe there are people who wish to have his company.
"Let's go to the mall in the evening. I need to buy some new clothes for college," Abby squeals and clasps her hands together.
I need to get a break from today's chaos. I need to breathe and the best way to do that is to spend some quality time with some 'good' people around me. I never expected my flatmate to be so caring and sweet. Abby is such a sweetheart and Josh loves her so much. It will be great to spend time with them.
We reach the apartment and Josh quickly orders three pizzas. Josh and I argue about the payment of the bill. But finally, he ends up paying for all of us.
The three of us freshen up and get dressed. I wear a black pencil skirt with a pink top. I avoid wearing heels and put on simple sneakers. Abby and Josh are twinning in white. Josh looks extremely handsome and Abby looks so sexy.
"You ready?" Aby asks, her green eyes shining with excitement. I nod at her and return the smile. Within minutes, we are out of the apartment. Josh pulls onto the highway and I look out of the window with wide eyes and a warm heart. The streets are bright and loud, filled with vehicles and people, shops are decorated with colorful eye-catching lights and loud music is playing from the street corners. The tall skyscrapers look even bigger at night. Overall, New York looks so exquisite and I just love it.
Josh pulls up in front of a big eight-storied building with the words, 'New York Beatz ' written in big bold letters on the top. It is decorated with bright blue lights and many advertisements and movie posters are stuck on it. Abby and I climb out of the car while Josh drives into the parking lot.
As soon as Josh joins us again, we step inside the mall. It is crowded with people as usual. Different announcements about the sales are made. Huge shops with extravagant antique items, gifts, cosmetics, and furniture are lined up on different floors. Abby points at a shop named- 'YOU'. We enter the shop and it looks so amazing and so elegant. It is filled with only yellow, pink, and lavender-colored dresses. There is no trace of any other color dresses and a woman wearing a white coat approach us.
"How can I help you, ma'am?" She asks, smiling. Abby takes a look at the huge stacks of dresses and I notice that the shop is quite big. It has three different sections. One for men, One for women, and the last one for the kids. The lights inside the shop follow the same pattern of yellow, pink, and lavender. Meanwhile, Abby calls out for Josh and he follows her. I look around the shop a little more closely. It is not crowded as I thought it would be. Soft music is playing in the background and I am impressed by the vibe.
"Jazz..." Abby waves at me and I walk toward her. As I come near, she holds up a pink dress at me.
"It looks good Abby." I grin and she rolls her eyes at me. Josh chuckles and I realize that the dress is actually for me. "Here, try this out." She steps forward and hands over the dress to me. It is a pink knee-length frock with purple flowers printed on it. It looks beautiful and I like it. But the dress looks expensive and before I can turn it to see the price tag, Abby pushes me in the direction of the trial room. For the sake of our friendship, I give her a small nod and walk to the trial room. As I reach for the door handle, there is a small moan from inside. I shift uncomfortably. I am not sure what I should do. Should I knock or just leave? Unfortunately, there is only one trial room in the shop.
This time there is a louder moan and I am pulled out of my thoughts. What the hell! People are making out in the fucking trial room? I decide to interrupt them. It's a public place and you have no fucking rights to do this type of shit inside a trial room. I knock on the door and the moaning stops. Good. I knock again, harder.
"Fuck off!" A male voice yells back at me. It is a familiar voice and I have heard it before. I knock again. How dare he tells me to fuck off! I can say that the guy inside is manner less and adamant. But I am tough too. Restlessly I knock again and the door slams open. My mouth drops at the sight of seeing Derek standing right in front of my eyes. He is dressed in all black and I am already flattered by his appearance. His eyes are wild and his lips are wet. I gulp and he scowls at me. "Which part of fuck off didn't you understand?" He raises his voice. I notice a girl behind him and she is wearing the same white coat as the other staff in the shop. Oh... so she is working here. I cringe at the thought of Derek making out with the sales girl. Why is he always around me? He is so disgusting and as I am getting to know him better, I am sure that this is not the worst thing he can do.
"Hey!" He snaps his fingers at me. I need to stay away from this disgusting prick. He is so cheap! But I decide to fight him. He is not someone who he thinks he is and I need to prove it to him.
"I need to change, so get out," I say without looking at him. The girl behind him slowly tries to leave the small room. But Derek grabs her wrist, "We are not done yet." He looks at her with wild eyes.
My growing annoyance for this boy is something I don't want to show in public. He doesn't need to know how affected I am by his presence. He is so shameless and I know it.
"Just fuck off!" He remarks and pulls the girl inside. Before I can say something, he slams the door in my face. Fucking hell! Why do I always keep meeting him? I needed some peace and now I am completely pissed again. I come back to Abby and she smiles at me brightly.
"Did it fit?" Josh asks and I nod. I don't want them to know what's going on in the trial room. It's so awful for me to even say it out loud.
Abby, Josh, and I exit the shop as soon as possible. Abby pays for my dress and I thank her. I am happy that Derek doesn't know about me being in the same college. Lucky enough that he didn't recognize me. Josh buys a shirt from the 'Raymond's' and I pay for him. It's nine p.m. when we exit the place. My visit to the mall is also ruined by Derek. I wonder if he is still in the trial room with that girl.