Saving Grayson

Chapter 5

Undecided.

It's a word I used a lot today, more than I thought I would. As I went through each class, they were all the same. Each professor asking us to either talk to the person next to us and introduce ourselves, do an introduction to the entire class, or both. Each introduction was the same.

"Tell us your name, what year you are, major, where you're from, and one fun fact about yourself."

My responses were the exact same every time. And when people heard that I was undecided, the professor would look at me, give me this phony smile and say, "Well since you're a freshman you have plenty of time to figure it out" or "That's okay a lot of people come into college undecided, but I'm sure you'll find something." By the time I had gotten through my second class, I was over it. I'm just glad that it was one day thing and hopefully by next semester I'll have my major declared and won't have to endure the same responses repeatedly.

I have one more class and that's my freshman seminar with Dr. Marie Campbell. It was the one class I was looking forward to because I had a feeling it would be a larger class in a real lecture hall so there wouldn't be any introductions towards the class. Maybe partner ones but that's as far as it would go. That class didn't start until three and it was only one-thirty. I spent the time in the library, going over the syllabus from my morning classes and starting on my homework. The real work begins Wednesday but today's assignment is to go online and fill out some sort of questionnaire for the professors to get to know us better. What do we expect from the class, what are some of our strengths and weaknesses, etc.

"Hey roomie," Monica greeted cheerfully as she entered the room. "How was your day?"

"Repetitive," I responded with a sigh, turning my chair towards her. "Apparently being undecided is something that gets you a mini lecture even though a lot of students come to college undecided. It feels like everyone has their life figured out but me."

"You're going to feel that way for awhile but don't worry, a lot of people come to school not knowing what they're going to do. But you're going to be fine regardless."

"I guess. But enough about me, how was your first day?"

"I think I'm going to love my Spanish class. Then again Spanish has been my favorite language since high school, but my professor said that on Friday she's going to bring empanadas to class to celebrate getting through the first week."

I laughed. "Don't get too comfortable because that nice phase won't last forever."

"I know," she pouted. "But do you want to go grab lunch? I skipped out on breakfast, and I've had classes back-to-back, and I haven't had time to get real food. I've been running off a Snickers bar for the past two hours."

"I'll have to pass. I have class in an hour, and I really want to finish these assignments before I leave."

"Maybe dinner then. I'll see you later."

The door to our room slammed shut and I heard Olly's cage rattle. I'd have to talk to her about closing the door a bit more gently, so it doesn't scare my baby. Turning my attention back to my laptop I filled out the all about me sheets from my previous classes. Each took at least fifteen minutes because I kept getting distracted by Olly running on his wheel. Maybe my dad was right about Olly coming to school with me. At first he was so against it because he thought he'd be a distraction and a financial burden since pet food and supplies can be costly. It would be additional work because I'd have to go off campus to get the things he needs. Turns out Olly is kind of a distraction, but I can't help it if my hamster is the cutest hamster in the world.

I was in my seat by 2:55. My theory on my freshman seminar being held in a lecture hall was correct. There had to be at least one hundred seats in here which made me feel a bit more comfortable. The chances of being cold called are slim.

The room filled minute by minute as students filed in, unpacking their materials and getting comfortable for the fifty minutes we'd spend in here. A woman, Dr. Campbell walked in and the first thing that caught my eye was her dark orange red hair. None of my other professors had dyed hair which made her stand out to me the most. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a red blouse with puffy sleeves that reached the elbows. Dr. Campbell might be the most interesting professor I have here.

"Alright everyone my name is Dr. Marie Campbell but since we're all adults here and since I'll be addressing you by your first names, you can call me Marie. For those who like to use professional titles, you can call me Dr. Campbell or Dr. C. Prior to this class you should've gotten an email with the syllabus so please pull that up so we can go over it."

As everyone pulled out their laptops and searched through their emails, the door opened, and all eyes were on the person who was walking in. A boy wearing a white hoodie and black jeans with rips at the knees walked in. Marie turned her attention towards him, giving him a light smile.

"Glad that you've joined us. Please take a seat and pull up the syllabus I emailed you."

He didn't say anything as he scanned the area for an open seat. And the only open seat was the one next to me. I quickly turned my attention to the screen in front of me so I wouldn't look creepy for staring at him. He set his stuff down at his feet and took out his laptop. My mistake. His MacBook Air. His scent was heavenly. He smelled of fresh pine which reminded me of some woodsy area my dad took me to on a camping trip years ago. His curly brown hair peeked from his hood, trying to go unnoticed I assumed.

"Before we get started with the syllabus, turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself," Monica said drawing everyone's attention to her. "Since this is a larger class and we only have fifty minutes with each other, I want you to get to know at least one person in here. Obviously things happen and you can't attend every lecture, I'd like you to get the notes from someone else, ask questions, whatever you need to do. I'd prefer you do this before reaching out to me. I'll give you five minutes to introduce yourself, get some form of contact information, then we can go over the syllabus."

If I heard the word syllabus one more time today my head was going to explode. My body slightly shifted to the right and the boy next to me seemed so captivated by whatever was on his laptop that he didn't even realize I was looking at him.

"Hi," I spoke trying to get his attention. "My name is Wren."

Then he finally looked at me. Deep brown eyes, unruly chestnut curly brown hair with lighter streaks that resembled the color of honey. Oval shaped face with a fairly strong jawline and rounded chin. A cute, button type nose that you just couldn't help but want to boop every time you saw him. He didn't smile though and getting a smile out of him would've been nice. Not because I find him attractive or anything, but because I don't think I was coming off too strong to scare him away.

"Grayson," he finally responded in a soft tone.

Something about the way he spoke made me think he wasn't the social type. That he only talked when someone initiated the conversation.

"So, um... if you're not comfortable with giving your number to me I can add you on Snapchat or Instagram if that's alright. Otherwise, we can exchange email addresses even though I rarely check it."

"We can exchange numbers it's fine."

He pulled out his phone and I couldn't help but notice how he has the iPhone thirteen while I'm still on the eleven. Based off what I've seen, it's no question as to whether he comes from money. His clothes say otherwise though. He handed me his phone and I felt as if I was a bull in a China shop, doing my best not to break anything. An impossible task. I quickly typed in my full name along with my number and handed his phone back to him. My phone vibrated from my desk as an unknown number popped up on the screen.

"I just texted you, so you'll have my number," he said answering my unasked question as if it weren't obvious.

I nodded and saved it as Grayson from Seminar. Easier to remember than getting his last name. Marie called the class to order, and I saw she had the syllabus pulled up on the projector as well. She went over the expectations and rules of the class, assignments, etc. It took the rest of the time we had together to get through everything, including a few questions that were answered on the document. Once three-fifty hit, Grayson hurried out of the room leaving me left to wonder what is with that kid.