a chuisle mo chroí ♡ JFK ✔️

𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈; 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 🔥

"You're gonna be fine," Alex said, holding the car door open for Alice.

"Easy for you to say."

Her condescendence did not amuse him.

"I'm your bodyguard, Alice. That's the hardest thing for me to say." Her eyebrow quirked at his retort for a second. "We do our absolute best to protect—doesn't change the fact that we worry anything could pose a danger."

Alice immediately deemed it an exaggeration.

"All right, gee. No need to get all secret 'service-y.' It's just college."

Alex audibly breathed out his nose, taking a glance at the students walking by.

"I'll be around the area." He handed the fake leather bag to Alice, giving her hand a little pat in the process to reassure her it would all go well. He knew even small gestures like that actually helped her.

She collected every ounce of might she could find within herself and smiled at him with pursed lips. Behind his sunglasses, Alex's eyes had that soft way of looking at her that was difficult for him to repress.

Alice opened the map of the campus grounds before setting off.

There was something endearing in watching her walk away as her head turned in different directions, trying to find the right route. Embarking on a new adventure like an explorer.

The White House had been good while it lasted, and an invaluable experience. One that she would never forget. But college was where she needed to be at that moment. Above all, Alex wanted to see her achieve her dreams.

With no issues, she found the first classroom, and waited outside with an intense crowd of other students.

A man and a woman who, by the looks of it, were professors, made their way through that crowd to open the doors, soon revealing rows of elevated seats much like the stands of an amphitheater.

The enormous classroom was nothing that she was familiar with. It was intimidating, but it would have been more so if she hadn't had a couple of years practice toning down her anxiety.

Feeling people pushing around, Alice decided to step back, lest she got elbowed in the face because of her lower-than-average height.

As a result, she didn't have much choice over which seat would be hers for the time being. Thankfully, it wasn't too far or too close.

Arranging a notebook and a pen in front of her, Alice then focused her attention to the two professors standing in front of the blackboard. They introduced themselves as Mr. Schneider and Mrs. Bucarelli, and went on to make a few light-hearted jokes to 'break the ice'.

"Now you know who we are, however, we can't get to know every single one of you personally. But academically, we can," said Mrs. Bucarelli.

"That's why we've decided to test your general knowledge with a quiz and see where you stand." Almost the entire class gasped or complained. Mr. Schneider made a gesture with his hands for everyone to tone it down and listen. "Don't worry too much about it. We understand many of you are highly nervous already with it being your first day and all. Think of it as your first taste of the next few years."

So the professors handed out the tests, and all the while, Alice's leg couldn't keep still.

Do not bite your pretty pink nails. You spent over an hour painting them!

Time flew by, because, as it turned out, despite being inter-disciplinary questions, she knew all the answers.

To Alice's surprise she was the first one to finish it. Well, along with another girl at the other end of the row who was getting up from her seat at the same time. Surprise shouldn't have been a factor—after all, how many of them had learned from the Attorney General and President? Alice was ahead, even if she hadn't been aware of it until then.