The Cho Dorm, 10 am…

Another day at Uni. It’s the Sunday before the start of the new term, the last one for Dale and Kelly – hopefully.
Sarah: Here you go, enjoy breakfast, not made by me, of course. Cho made it for us before he left.
 Kelly: Dale went out?
Lauri: Yep.

Kelly: Did he say where to?
Sarah: Not to me.
Kelly: Lauri?
Lauri: He didn’t tell me either.

Kelly: And why didn’t you ask him?
Sarah: Hey, leave Lauri alone, she doesn’t know anything.
Kelly: Oh, so you two are siding against me?

Lauri: No one’s against you, we just don’t know where Dale went, but for what it’s worth, he said he’d take the clothes to the laundromat.
Kelly: The laundromat? There’s a washing machine here.
Sarah: He probably wanted you to relax without having to do chores.
Kelly: Well, he does most of the laundry, not me.

Sarah: (To herself) That’s true. Maybe what Dale wanted was not to be here for breakfast so he wouldn’t face Kelly, he’s probably embarrassed by his behavior yesterday. And he should be.

That is exactly what Kelly thinks…
Kelly: Laundry, my a**, he’s just avoiding the moment to talk to me cause he has an awful lot to explain.

Kelly refuses to believe that Sarah doesn’t know anything, she’s close friends with Lauri, she must hold valuable information, not only about this morning, but about what Lauri and Dale were talking yesterday, and about that mysterious phone call too.
Kelly: Come on, Sarah, there’s nothing Lauri won’t tell you.

Sarah: Okay, I’ll give you the short version, Dale believed that the reason Lauri didn’t want to go to Bridgeport, was because you and her had an argument, so he apologized on your behalf.
Kelly: Oh, so that was the apology she was talking about.
Sarah: Yean, Dale thought, like me, that you’d never do so, and decided to step forward.

Kelly: But I was going to apologize… eventually. I was just waiting for the right time.
Sarah: Yeah, sure.
Kelly: Okay, forget that, and tell me, do you know who called him on the phone?

Sarah: That was Carol Chen. She wanted to invite him to her end-of-term party, but Dale of course said no.
Kelly: Carol, huh? Was she who he met at the gym?
Sarah: Yep, but don’t worry, nothing happened between them. I know it’s hard to believe at this point, but Cho does love you and is faithful to you. Doesn’t mean Lauri and I approve of the way he treated you, and so we have let him know.

Kelly: Oh, so maybe that’s why he avoided breakfast, because he felt embarrassed by whatever you guys told him.
Sarah: I hope so, because that was not exactly cool behavior.
Kelly: Well, that was highly unusual from Dale, maybe he was just cranky and tired from all the stress of the exam. I guess I should’ve given him my full attention instead of attending to those fans at the cafe.

Sarah: Probably, but that is not an excuse for him to behave that way, and he knows it, that’s why he ran off.
Kelly: Dale is not the type to run off. Maybe he just needed space, so I’ll give it to him.

A few minutes later, Dale is back in the dorm.

Sarah is playing darts in the living room and is the first to see him arrive.
Sarah: Wow, it’s about time.
Dale: Yeah? Why? Do you need something?
Sarah: Not me. But a certain someone needs to talk to you. For a hint, her name starts with a K.

Dale knows he can’t keep putting off his talk with Kelly, but…

What is he going to tell her? How is he going to justify being a jerk? True, Kelly was talking to and praising Eddy Mullis, and let’s face it, for the first time, he felt a little jealous. But he’d better get used to it, cause it’s bound to get worse when Kelly becomes a famous and sought-after model.

Anyway, it isn’t her talking to Mullis which made him react that way. It’s something else, this imbalance between what Kelly demands of him and what she allows herself to do. If he talks to or hangs out with other girls, Kelly flies into a rage, but he has to put up with a small-time musician like Mullis devouring her with his eyes, while she praises him like he’s a rockstar? Not to mention that Mullis might actually become a stalker.

Does she understand the stress he went through at that cafe, having to be on the lookout in case the guy got smart with her? The stress that is in general, having to watch over her from all the guys who follow her like hungry wolves? Perhaps he should ask Terry for advice, he’d certainly know what to do. Maybe he should accept his invitation to Lucky Palms. Kelly sure won’t like the idea, he’ll need to convince her, but first he needs to settle things with her, preferably today.

Kelly, for her part, is much calmer after talking to Sarah, and has decided to give Dale all the time and space he needs. Despite what has happened, she trusts him and is sure that there is a very good explanation for his behavior. As soon as they talk, they’re sure to figure out how to fix everything.