Chapter Fifteen

Midweek, Karyn encountered Shirley for herself. They each found themselves in the copier center, in a far corner of the library. Karyn had recovered her composure, and Shirley faced the more usual, slightly regal, Karyn.

“I believe we have a mutual acquaintance,” Karyn introduced herself. “You know Laurence Shield?”

Surprised, Shirley was unsure how to evaluate this interest. “Are you an ex-girlfriend of his?” she inquired. Shirley was prepared to be astounded. Karyn had a commanding presence, and Laurence's stock would redouble in Shirley's valuation of it, if he had managed to claim Karyn's favor, even temporarily. 

“No, hardly,” Karyn laughed. “I just think he keeps the campus lively. I was wondering if you had any success in making him see why he got into trouble with Bitumen.”

“We talked,” Shirley answered cautiously. “What did he say to you about it?” If Karyn wasn't in Laurence's past, Shirley wanted to be sure that Karyn didn't intend to put herself in his future. It was a remote possibility, but, for all her cavalier bravado, Shirley liked Laurence. 

“It's not that,” Karyn replied. “My boyfriend, Frank, was just talking about him.”

The change might not be permanent, but the moment that Shirley had spent thinking that Laurence had a shot with someone else, had won him a “bump,” in the stock market of Shirley. Meanwhile, she did a quick mental computation. Frank was an ass, and Frank's society girlfriend wanted to know if Shirley had had any success “getting anything into Laurence's head.” Well, the society girl must be trying to get something into Frank's head.

“From what I gather, that phreq, Tyne Bitters, tried to tell him that Bitumen had her daddy wrapped around her finger. Laurence is just that bone headed, he thinks he can write a History of Europe that will explain all the mistakes, and end the reason for war, without getting a clue about why kings and nobles are at each others' throats.” Shirley planned on graduating, and she didn't have very much invested in anyone.

“Guys!” Karyn replied. She was at a good stopping place, so rather than linger, Karyn squared up her copies, and prepared to head over to the automatic stapler. “I'm pretty much done here,” she said, by way of explanation. “It was nice meeting you.”

So Bitumen was a “daddy's girl?” Turning this new information over in her mind, Karyn smiled a little. Laurence might be a society version of a pig in a poke, but he had nevertheless managed to get both Shirley, and Tyne, interested in him. “And me too?” Karyn wondered. She was always ruthlessly honest with herself, about that kind of thing.