Some People Need Hobbies

By lunchtime, Mara had completely forgotten about Joel Rutledge. This was partly because she had classes. Partly because she had assignments. And partly because she considered rich boys with superiority complexes to be a naturally renewable resource.

There was simply no practical reason to spend additional energy thinking about one specific specimen. Unfortunately, Joel Rutledge appeared determined to prove her wrong. Mara discovered this while standing in line at the student cafe.

The building sat near the eastern side of campus and catered primarily to students who preferred coffee strong enough to resurrect the dead. Naturally, Mara loved it. She had just received her drink and a sandwich when a familiar voice appeared behind her.

"You're difficult to find." Mara closed her eyes briefly. "That's disappointing."The voice laughed as she turned slowly. Joel stood there looking entirely too pleased with himself. Several students occupied nearby tables. Most were now pretending not to watch and they were doing a terrible job of it.

Mara glanced toward the ceiling. "Did I unknowingly join a subscription service?" Joel looked amused. "What?" "You keep showing up." "Maybe I enjoy your company." "You've spoken to me for approximately three minutes." "An unforgettable three minutes." Mara sighed. People like Joel always mistook persistence for charm. It was one of humanity's stranger traditions.

She started walking toward an empty table. Unfortunately, Joel followed. Naturally. The universe had clearly decided she needed character development. "You know," Joel said as he sat across from her without invitation, "most people are nicer when somebody tries to be friendly."

Mara unwrapped her sandwich. "Most people aren't me." Joel chuckled. "I've noticed." For several seconds she ate in peace. Joel seemed deeply offended by this. He leaned back in his chair. "You're not curious?" Mara shrugged. "About what?" "About me." Mara nearly laughed. "Not even slightly."

The look on his face suggested that answer had never occurred to him. Around them, nearby students had become suspiciously invested in their lunch. Several phones appeared and Mara noticed immediately. Joel apparently did not. Or perhaps he simply enjoyed attention. Both explanations felt believable.

"You know who I am, right?" Joel asked. "Joel Rutledge." "That's all?" Mara frowned thoughtfully. "Blond." His eye twitched. She took another bite of her sandwich. The twitch became more pronounced. Nora would have enjoyed this. Unfortunately Nora had class. Which meant Mara was facing the situation alone. A tragedy.

Joel folded his arms. "Do you always talk to people like this?" "Only the ones who ask for it." "I asked for it?" "You introduced yourself." A laugh escaped from a nearby table. Joel turned. The student immediately looked very interested in his coffee. Mara pretended not to notice. The poor man deserved to live.

Joel looked back at her. "I think you enjoy irritating people." Mara considered that carefully, then nodded. "That's fair." "At least you're honest." "My grandmother says honesty saves time." "What else does your grandmother say?" Mara smiled despite herself. "Mostly things that would concern lawyers." To his credit, Joel laughed. A genuine laugh this time.

For a brief moment he almost looked normal. Then he ruined it. "So where exactly are you from?" "Bramble Creek." "Is that a real place?" Mara lowered her sandwich, slowly. Across the cafe, students sensed danger the way deer sensed approaching storms but Joel remained blissfully unaware. "What do you mean?" Mara asked.

Joel chuckled. "I've just never heard of it." Mara frowned. "Have you heard of maps?" Several students coughed suspiciously. Joel's jaw tightened. There it is, Mara thought. The ego. She had been waiting for it. People like Joel always carried one. Most simply hid it better. "I wasn't insulting your town." "You sounded like you were." "I wasn't." "Then we have discovered a communication issue."

Joel stared and Mara stared back. Somewhere in the distance, a coffee machine hissed dramatically. The timing felt appropriate. Finally Joel leaned forward. "You know, everybody keeps telling me stories about you." "That sounds exhausting." "They say you don't care who people are." Mara nodded. "Generally." "Why?"

The question surprised her slightly. Not because it was difficult. Because he sounded genuinely curious. She shrugged. "Because character matters more than status." Joel laughed. The sound carried just enough disbelief to irritate her. "That's easy to say when you don't have status." The words landed between them. Mara felt her mood shift immediately and Joel noticed.

Unfortunately, he mistook the reason. "Look, I didn't mean..." "No," Mara interrupted calmly. "You did." Silence settled over the table. Nearby conversations slowed. Joel leaned back slightly. "You took that personally." Mara smiled. The expression held very little amusement. "My grandmother spent eighteen years teaching me that a person's worth isn't measured by money."

She folded the sandwich wrapper neatly. "Maybe that's why I find people who think otherwise so boring." Joel opened his mouth, then closed it again. For the first time since sitting down, he looked uncertain. Mara stood, collected her tray and prepared to leave. Then Joel made a mistake. A small one. The kind entitled people often made.

He reached out and caught her wrist. The cafe went silent. Mara looked down at his hand, then back up at him. Joel immediately realized something had gone wrong. Not because she looked frightened. Because she looked very calm. The dangerous kind.

Back home, Mara had learned an important lesson. The loudest people were rarely the most difficult. The truly dangerous ones became quiet first. "Joel." His name emerged pleasantly enough. That somehow made it worse. "Let go." He released her instantly. Very smart. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

Mara adjusted her sleeve, picked up her tray and looked at him thoughtfully. "You know what your problem is?" Joel frowned. "No." "You've spent so much time being important that you've forgotten how to be respectful." The surrounding students collectively stopped pretending not to listen.

Mara continued. "You walk into conversations expecting people to impress you." Joel's expression hardened. "You don't know anything about me." "You're right." She nodded. "And somehow that remains your strongest quality." Several students physically looked away. The secondhand embarrassment had become overwhelming.

Joel's face darkened. Mara, meanwhile, felt oddly relieved. Sometimes people accumulated overdue honesty. She merely delivered it with interest. Without another word, she turned and walked away.

The cafe remained silent behind her. Three seconds later, somebody laughed. Then another person. Then several more. Joel sat frozen at the table. Humiliation burned hot beneath his skin. Across the room, phones emerged. Messages began spreading.

By the time Mara reached the door, half the campus would probably know what happened. She didn't care. What she didn't know was that Joel Rutledge had never been publicly embarrassed before. Not like this. Not in front of witnesses. And people who built their identity around pride rarely handled humiliation gracefully.

As Mara stepped into the snowy afternoon, she felt unexpectedly cheerful. Behind her, Joel watched the door close. A slow realization settled over him. This wasn't over. Not even close. For the first time in his life, somebody had treated him like he wasn't special. And Joel Rutledge had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.