Your Dangerous Game

Chapter 2. The Nerdy Mindy

(Mindy Esmond’s Perspective)

Life was not about to be the same again, the eighteen-year-old Mindy Esmond was assured of it.

Since the last holiday, besides reading a bunch of cheesy romantic books and watching sad drama on TV, she had been doing yoga and a peaceful meditation for herself. She tried to set a positive mindset every day. She wanted to be perfect in everything. Moreover, she had to be able to get straight A in all the classes she would attend. She wouldn’t settle for being less.

She kept telling herself the same thing, over and over about it. She was just feeling a little bit on edge about getting into a college. She was basically a shy girl. The last time she attended a place in public was a high school in Philadelphia. She didn’t make friends with anybody. She looked completely like a loser and she hated herself for being bullied like that. Therefore, she assured herself that everything would be just okay during her freshman year.

Attending the University of Pennsylvania was the key to her successful academic life. She wouldn’t want to disappoint her parents. She had promised them that she would study hard.

After she had eaten her omelet during the short breakfast, Mindy quickly grabbed her sling bag and opened the front door.

“MOM! GOODBYE! I’M GOING NOW!” Mindy shouted out loud at the doorsill. She was about to go to college all by herself. She was thinking about getting on a bus.

From the dining room, her dad quickly closed his morning newspaper to approach her.

“MINDY!” He shouted out hurriedly before she left the foyer. “Wait! I will not let you go alone on your first day! I have to give you a ride on my car!”

She sighed and shook her head disagreed, “Dad, please don’t worry…”

And then her mom, who had just done washing the dishes in the kitchen, hurriedly came forward to see her in person. “Oh, Mindy! You haven’t even kissed my cheek before you go!”

Mindy quickly approached her mom to kiss her. And she also kissed her dad’s cheek before she waved goodbye at them both.

“Okay, I have to go now! Wish me luck!” She shouted out as she glanced at her digital wristwatch. “I can take the bus in the neighborhood. Really, don’t worry for me, Dad…”

Her parents finally nodded at her. As they waved at each other, Mindy quickly went away.

It took about less than an hour from her house to the university by the bus trip. And as soon as she arrived, her eyes gazed out around to see the huge field there. The university’s building looked like an old English cathedral. And she had done her little research about this place, which was owned by the Ivy League. The founding date was stated to be established in 1740.

She wanted to enroll herself here as an English Literature student because she loved books. And she loved to be seen as smarty pants. She was so nerdy that all she cared was about how many books she could conquer to understand.

On her first day of freshman year, Mindy wore an army parka jacket, a white shirt, denim jeans, and brown boots. She let her long reddish-brown hair hanging loosely on the back.

Mindy quickly took out a piece of paper in her bag, then she checked on her schedule. Her first class would be the Literary Analysis class on Monday. And it was the first thing in the morning.

Her heart pounded nervously as she walked toward the long corridor in the building. And once she found her first classroom, she hurriedly searched for a comfortable seat.

As she sat down in the middle of the classroom, there was a girl dressed in a denim jacket that already sat in front of her. That long light-brown hair girl turned to see her and smiled.

“Hello! Nice to meet you here. My name is Brittany Parker. Just call me Britt for short,” she kind of had a witty tone when she talked.

Mindy immediately smiled back as she exchanged a handshake with her. Then she said, “Hello, Britt. It’s nice to meet you too here. I’m Mindy Esmond. Just call me Mindy.”

“Huh, you know what? It’s so great to finally see the people who are also interested in majoring in English. Let’s be friends from now on,” Britt was super friendly. Mindy immediately felt comfortable by being around her.

“Okay, let’s do the pinky promise friendship then,” Mindy offered the friendship as she thrusted her little finger to her. Brittany quickly intertwined her little finger into hers.

“Ugh, I think it’s even better if we declare it with the pinky friendship rings,” Britt suggested the idea to her. “I’ve seen some dramas on TV. It’s just so cool, you know.”

“Oh, right?” Mindy giggled cheerfully. “We should go shopping online for the rings then.”

Afterward, their attention got disturbed by the arrival of two boys in the classroom. Those boys were wearing a leather jacket. One of them was taller, skinny, and blonde. He was wearing a blue-red leather jacket like a motorcycle racing champion. And the other boy also looked tall, fair white skin, dark hair, and also had a thin dark beard. He was wearing a plain black leather jacket, making him looked more like a street fighter than a college student.

Every pair of eyes in the classroom looked at the two of them back and forth. But everyone looked more bedazzled at the dark-haired boy who sat in the back of the room. Something about his vibe seemed pretty mysterious. Was it because he wore all black?

And then suddenly, they heard the skinny blonde man clapped his hands and shouted out at everyone, “Yo, people! Please give a big applause to me and my pal over there!”

Mindy and Brittany immediately exchanged a quiet stare. They both got bewildered when he was shouting annoyingly like that.

“We are the almighty bikers of Pennsylvania, Woah!” His voice echoed like a drum bell throughout the room. “Nice to meet you all here! I’m Brandon. And he is Alain.”

Brittany immediately looked at her again and whispered, “Have you heard the most epic rumor yet when you arrived here?”

Mindy pinched her eyes perplexingly. Then she quickly shook her head. “No…”

Soon, Brittany told her, “That boy behind you…”

Mindy looked at her eyes observantly when she talked.

“I heard there was a senior party last night in the frat house. I guess, the people there talked about him. That must be the boy everyone talked about.”

“About what?” Mindy wondered.

“Alain Elwood… he joins the most notorious illegal motorcycle club in Pennsylvania,” Brittany said carefully as she stole a glance at that guy named Brandon. Then she added, “Just like what that guy said earlier.”

“Illegal? So, these boys are the infamous illegal bikers in the city?” Mindy murmured bewilderingly. “And so, why does it make such important news on campus?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because he is handsome and charming, but at the same time looks like a hot bad boy,” Brittany giggled as she spoke. “I heard he lives in the frat house,” Brittany stole a glance at the boy who sat behind her. “He seems dangerous though. Gotta be careful.”

Mindy immediately turned her back to steal a glance at him. But then, that boy suddenly caught her staring in his direction. He nodded his chin and waved his hand at both of them. Mindy and Brittany quickly looked away.

Mindy pretended to clear her throat as she felt embarrassed when he looked at her way.

“He doesn’t seem so dangerous when he waved his hand at us,” Mindy murmured. “And isn’t he in the same grade as we are?”

“I have heard the rumor. He’s a senior! For God’s sake!” Brittany snapped out energetically. “He must be so dull to repeat the same class all over again! I can’t believe it… I was just wondering if he only has such a pretty face without a real brain!”

Mindy bulged her eyes out. She was kind of surprised when Brittany got so worked up when talking about that bad boy.

Then Mindy snapped back, “Gosh, he must be dangerous and lame then.”

They both giggled along.

As soon as a male lecturer arrived in the room, the class was about to start.