A TANGLE OF LIGHT

By Tessa Harvey


    Ella and a group of Adrienne's friends were chatting in the student cafeteria.
Concern shifted from tutorials and overdue assignments to Adrienne's unexplained absence the last few days from college. There were a wide variety of courses offered. Adrienne and Ella were interested in Health Care work, but knew it was going to be arguably a much greater challenge in these days of the COVID pandemic than formerly.
    A tall confident young man approached their table. The guys in the group stiffened, wary. Unconsciously, the girls sat up straighter and stared at him. 
    Jonathon was older than most students and read their reactions easily, carefully concealing his amusement and disdain.
    With affected concern he inquired about Adrienne. Ella was suspicious however. Adrienne had confided in her how pushy Jono was being, not taking no for an anwser. She shrugged and talked about something else. Jonathon stalked off, annoyance visible in the still set of his shoulders.
    Fine. He knew how to fix A.D. - bring her down a peg or two. No girl expressed an interest in him then backed away. Jono did enough study to get by. His real business was drugs.

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