St. John University, 1 pm

After a ride around the campus, Dale, Kelly, Sarah and Lauri have started to feel hungry.

They decided on the new coffee shop on campus, the Scrumptious Nibbles Cafe. When they arrived there, it wasn’t very busy, but it gradually got crowded and ended up booming with a great atmosphere.

Sarah: So, Cho, how did your make-up exam go?
Dale: It went well, or at least better than the previous one.
Kelly: The teacher overruled his previous grade, so his GPA was intact.

Lauri: Oh, that’s great, congratulations Dale.
Dale: Thank you.
Sarah: Well, Lauri and I have some good news too.
Dale: Really, what is it?
Kelly gasps and gets ready for anything…

Sarah: Okay, so Lauri and I both agreed to go to Lucky Palms together.
Kelly breathes a sigh of relief.
Kelly: Oh, really?
Sarah: Yep, Lauri finally realized it is the best for her.

Dale: Seriously, Lauri? I thought you hated the idea of working with my brother.
Lauri: And I still do, but I thought I’d feel safer with Sarah in Lucky Palms than, well, alone in Bridgeport.
Dale: You wouldn’t be alone in Bridgeport.
Kelly: Dale…

Kelly: Leave her alone, she’s made her decision, hon.
Dale: A pretty rash decision, if you ask me.
Sarah: It’s not rash, Lauri had plenty of time to think about it.
Lauri: That’s right.
Dale: Okay, if that’s what you two want…

Dale: I guess I can’t do anything except wish you luck.
Sarah: Thanks, Cho. luck is what we’ll need most while working in a casino.
Kelly: Or with Terence.
Sarah: Nah, I spoke to his associate, Jaycen, he says he’s a fair boss. And he pays extremely well too, so that sealed the deal for me.
Kelly: Well, then, I wish you both the best of luck too.

In the face of the girls’ unquestionable decision, everyone leaves the subject and continues to eat peacefully, until a pleasant guitar music reaches their ears.
Lauri: Nice sound. Do you know who’s playing?
Kelly: That’s Eddy Mullis.

Sarah: Who the hell is Eddy Mullis?
Dale: A fan of Kelly’s.
Kelly: Oh, please, Dale…
Dale: No, seriously, he’s so obsessed with her that he stalked her at the gym once.
Kelly: That was Brian Petersen, Eddy was a misunderstanding; it’s been cleared up now.

Eddy’s music is so captivating, that the girls couldn’t resist and as soon as they finished their lunch, they went to hear him play. Dale didn’t join them, as he hadn’t finished, and besides…

Dale: So much fuss over a beginner… I mean, he’s good-looking, I give him that, but he’s not that good a guitar player.

Kelly obviously disagrees with Dale, cause she seems hypnotized by Eddy’s music. Is it just the way he plays the guitar, or is it something else?

As soon as he finished lunch, Dale went to tend the bar to practice his mixology skills, and to keep an eye on Kelly from there just in case.

Dale: I swear, if that idiot Mullis even thinks of making a single wrong move on Kel…

In truth, Eddy hasn’t even noticed Kelly’s presence, or that he’s being monitored by Dale, for that matter.

But when he finishes playing, Kelly doesn’t hesitate to go over and express her admiration.

Now the two have struck up a conversation, Kelly is showing a lot of interest and Eddy seems very enthusiastic about it. This doesn’t look good…

Eddy can’t take his eyes off Kelly. Dale wonders what she’s saying to him that makes him so excited.

Dale doesn’t consider himself the jealous type, he was keeping an eye on Kelly just to be on the safe side, but now he is seriously concerned.
Dale: What? Who the hell does Mullis think he is?

Luckily for Dale (if you can call that luck), another student, a tall, handsome guy, comes up to talk to her, a fan probably. And Kelly, who has never snubbed a fan in her life, is forced to ignore Eddy in order to attend to him.

The blond guy, who has introduced himself as Sid Shell, apparently has a lot to say, so he monopolizes Kelly’s attention, while Eddy slowly starts to fade into oblivion.

Dale: Ha! Sorry, Eddy, good luck next time. Now let’s hope blond a**hole f*cks off too, for his own good.

Eddy seems fed up with Sid’s chatter and is about to leave when…

Kelly turns to him and tells him something, Dale can’t hear what it is, but the way Eddy’s eyes sparkle, it must be something very nice. Dale can’t take it anymore.

He’s about to go and smash his face in, but his phone starts ringing. He answers thinking it might be Terry or someone from his family. It turned out to be Carol Chen, from the gym, asking him to help her training. Carol is one of Dale’s most hated friends to Kelly, He had promised her he’d never hang out with her again.

But he’s had enough of Eddy Mullis, that blond guy, whatever his name is, and the other Kelly fans, so…
Dale: To hell with it, I’m out of here!
Sarah: Huh?

Meanwhile, after saying goodbye to Eddy and Sid, Kelly continued to attend her fans.

Her presence in the cafeteria caused quite a stir. Everyone has seen her modelling in the school sports magazine and want to express their sincere admiration.

Which, apparently, was too much for Dale, causing him to rush towards the cafe exit.
Kelly: Dale? Where you going, baby? Our outing isn’t over yet.
Dale: Sorry, I have to go take care of some business.
Kelly: What business?

Dale: I’ll explain you later, I’m in a hurry now. Here’s the keys, you can take the car.
Wait, did Dale just brush her off? ‘You can take the car’ means she’ll have to go home alone. What the hell is going on here?

Sarah: Yep, there’s definitely trouble in paradise. And it looks like it’s not Kelly who’s jealous this time.

After Dale’s abrupt departure, the mood in the cafeteria didn’t decline, the girls continued to party without him, but Kelly is a bit puzzled. Dale didn’t seem himself. Is it just her impression, or was he angry with her? Was it because she was catering to her fans? That’s weird, Dale has never been bothered by that.

ONCE AT THE GYM…

Dale: Well, here I am, what can I do for you?
Carol: Wow, it took you a while.
Dale: I had to go change, and I don’t have much time, so…
Carol: Okay, like I said, I need you to help me with my training again.
Dale: That’s it?
Carol: Yes.

MINUTES LATER…

Dale: Come on Carol, you’re not giving one hundred percent!
Carol: Sorry, I got distracted thinking.
Dale: Thinking what?
Olga: You and your relationship with Kelly Randall.
Dale: What about it?

Carol: I don’t know, you two are so… different.
Dale: What exactly do you mean?
Carol: Well, you guys seem to have good chemistry, but in terms of character compatibility… I think you deserve better.
Dale: Really? And who should I be with then in your opinion, you?

Carol: Well, why not? We’ve known each other since we were kids, I’m sure our families would approve of us.
Dale: Yeah, sure…
Carol: No, seriously, we could have something great. Maybe we should try again?
Dale: Uh, sorry, but we’re not in high school anymore. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should go back home.

Carol: What about my training?
Dale: I taught you the basics, you can continue on your own.
Carol: As I recall, you taught me more than just the ‘basics’, darling.
Dale: Fine, then you can take it from there. Gotta go now, bye, Carol.

While Dale runs away from Carol as fast as he can, Kelly goes to say goodbye to Eddy.
Kelly: Well, Eddy, it was nice to meet you.
Eddy: Nice to meet you, too, Kelly. Uh, I saw your boyfriend left early, would you like a ride?
Kelly: Oh, no, Dale lent me his car, but thanks anyway.
Eddy: Anytime; be safe, Kelly.

“I saw your boyfriend left early.”
Kelly struggles not to feel humiliated, but it’s hard. What’s gotten into Dale? Is he still upset about her row with Lauri? Cause she didn’t apologize to her? Or maybe she’s pulled his strings too far with her jealousy and has tired him out?

Those and many other questions stuck with Kelly all the way home.

And one more: Where the heck did Dale go? What business could’ve been so urgent to leave her stranded without an explanation and without even a goodbye kiss?
Kelly: Dale is not like that. Something’s wrong with him and I’m going to find out what it is…. Wait a minute. Could this have been because of Eddy? Oh, no, Dale, honey...

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