Not You

Chapter 1

Amelia

   Looking down on my shaking hands, everything goes quiet and all I can hear is the ,pounding pulses in my body, every single one of them. "Is everything all right?" a voice addresses me, but I have already lost contact with reality. I am floating now. My soul left my body.

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  When my consciousness returned, for a few minutes all I could hear was murmurs. Now I am making some words out of what they are saying and I am suddenly aware of people being around me, looking at me as lay on the cold floor. 

  I open my eyes, everything is a blur at first, but as the minutes pass by, I see clearly. "Hey there, how are you feeling?" The professor asks me. I sit up abruptly, "I am fine, thank you" My cheeks are heating up as I become aware of the students around me. "What happen-" The bell ringing cut him off. Thank God. I run outside of the classroom as quickly as possible and rush to the bathroom. I want to be alone. 

  "Amelia! Wait!" Of course, Ava won't let me alone. When I finally stop walking, she proceeds to run towards me and crushes into me and hugs me tight. I couldn't contain my tears any longer. "Hey, it's okay, it happens to everyone. What were you thinking this time?" she wipes away my tears and holds my face to make me look at her "I just started thinking about the finals...Ava I will not pass. I don't want to lose the scholarship and disappoint my parents." 

  A sincere yet comforting smile crosses her face, and her eyes soften as if she knows something I don't "You will pass. The professor said for this semester we are going to do a project with a partner that he will choose. This project will be the 50% of our GPA and our finals will be the other 50%" 

  There is no way.  Why on earth did I not know of that?  I wonder to myself.

"Really?" I exclaim in confusion yet delight "Yes, really! Didn't expect that, huh?" No, I didn't, my silence answered her question and I suddenly feel embarrassed as fuck "Yeah, thought so. Moral lesson? Before you start stressing out about everything, talk to ME." I roll my eyes knowing damn well she is right.

  After lunch is over, we head to our next class, legal writing and research, the most boring class of them all. "Honestly, can't we just skip this class, Ava?" I look at her in desperation "No, we can't. Come on, it will be over before you know it. Also, your beloved one will be there too" she smirks at me "Shut up" I snap, and she raises a brow "Ugh okay let's go" I finally give in "You're pathetic Amelia. I would never be like that for a man, ew." She laughs and I try to look annoyed while containing my laughter. "Yeah, sure maybe not for a man...But for Julia..." she looks startled "What?No. I don't like her" I can't help letting out a stifled laugh "Yeah, yeah sure you don't" 

  "Let's just get in class" she groans I nod in agreement while following her inside. While we enter the room, I realize that we are late because the professor has already started his lecture and many students turned to look at us in disregard.

    My eyes examine the room and I spot Bruce sitting at the penultimate row, his eyes pinned on the board. Ava nudges me to stop staring. "Let's go sit behind him." she whispers in my ear and even though I refuse she has already moved there.

    A long time passes by, and I am about to fall asleep, when the abrupt creak of the door opening almost scares me to death. Three guys enter the class. For fuck's sake why are they being so loud. I think out loud. Ava turns to look at the two men walking in. "They must be the competitive swimmers everyone is discussing about" she assumes. 

  "Why the hell are competitive swimmers taking law classes?" I finally utter puzzled "I guess they would rather specialize in more than one field since no one assures them that swimming is going to work for them." Ava responds  

  "Ladies, would you like to share with us what you have been talking about for 15 minutes now?" the professor asks annoyed "Not really" I murmur and a laugh escapes Ava's lips. "We are sorry Mr. Graham" 

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  "Finally, lunch time. I am hungry as fuck, let's go eat" I grab Ava and we rush to the student cafeteria. I order a burger with fries and a large coke. "Aren't you going to order anything Ava?" I ask her "No, I can't, we have swimming lessons next period. We are not allowed to eat before practice and now that I am thinking about it, you shouldn't eat anything too." Shit she's right. This school year we are obliged to do swimming. "Oh, I see. Well, I can't participate today because I am on my period, so I can freely eat" I lied but I can't tell her the truth. not yet.

 "Why do we even have to do swimming? It's a freaking law school" I continue "This university has a shit ton of excellent swimmers from all around the world, Amelia. The principal had to build pools and get good trainers for them." she explains "Okay, I still don't get it. Why do we have to take these classes?" she pauses to think and finally responds "I don't know, I suppose just for the university to be popularized" 

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  "Excuse me Mr. Grayson, may I speak to you for a minute?" I ask hesitantly the coach "I have to train these folks, so it better be quick. What's your name kid?" I clear my throat "Amelia Raven." his eyes sharpen making his frustration clear to everyone "Where have you been Mrs. Raven and why on earth are you not wearing a swimsuit?" He begins lecturing me and my friend Nick sneaks from behind "Shit. He looks pissed. You are fucked" he whispers on my ear for me to hear only, and I shush him. "I am sincerely sorry Mr. Grayson; I just can't participate in your course because I am on my period." his face reddens in embarrassment and turns around to grab his notebook to write something down. "Okay too much information, I didn't ask. However, so be it. I will allow you not to follow my training program for a week but after that you are going to start proper lessons. Understood?" he asks "Of course" I promise, and I realize Nick is right. I am actually fucked. I proceed to walk away when he stops me "Hold on young lady, you are not leaving until the end of the period. You may not be able to practice at swimming but that doesn't give you the alibi to just leave the class and do whatever you wish" Fuck. I got on his nerves once again "Um yeah of course, I understand that" 

  I sit on the bench beside the swimming pool for a long time before Ava comes out of it. "Amelia, you came!" she sits next to me "Yeah, Mr. Grayson wouldn't let me skip unfortunately" 

  "Ugh look at the competitive swimmers, they took the chance to show off. They are all so arrogant and boastful. I can't stand them." I complain and Ava turns her attention to them and nods in agreement.

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  In criminal law I sit next to Nick, since Ava is not coming. "Hey there" I greet him "Hey, you seem upset, what's up?" he asks "Not much. I just really hate swimming class and our showoff classmates don't make it any easier." I complain "So you're telling me you don't like seeing them in swim trunks?" He smirks "No, of course not, ew." I heated up unwillingly but tried to hide it. "Then why are you blushing?" he laughs "I am not! Shut up they are coming"

  It's been 20 minutes since Mr. Collins began his lecture and honest to God the dudes behind us haven't stopped talking for a second. My fucking ADHD won't let me focus. "Hey, can you be quieter?" I finally build up the courage to ask them as politely as possible "No." One of them responds and the other laugh "Just shut the fuck up assholes, you have been acting like Gossip Girls for the past half an hour." I snap frustrated "What did you just say princess?" The tallest of them asks, looking annoyed while kneeling down towards me to look at me in the eyes. "I said, shut your mouths because you are getting on my nerves." I snarl while Nick is trying to restrain me. "Not my problem" he seems so calm whilst I am losing my temper. "Amelia, all eyes are on us. Please calm down." Nick whispers to me and I turn around and sit back down, because I don't want to cause any more chaos. It's the last class I have for today after all.