𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐭 • 𝐄. 𝐎𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐧

1• First Day Nerves

"Stell!" A voice called from beyond the girl's door, which swung open moments later, revealing her best friend stumbling in with a drink in hand. "Come and join the fun! There are attractive guys out there," she declared, plopping down beside Stella, who leaned against the headboard of her bed. "And girls," she added with a mischievous wink, causing Stella to sigh in annoyance.

"Thanks, Vic, but I'm content where I am for now," Stella shook her head, setting her book aside. Her intoxicated friend groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I want my bestie out there! Come on, be my wing woman," Vicky pleaded, extending a drink toward Stella. Its contents remained a mystery, but it seemed potent. Stella took the offered cup and grimaced at the sight of the swirling blue liquid inside.

"Who's out there?" Stella inquired, considering her friend's offer if the gathering was small enough.

"Um... friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends," Vicky listed, and Stella dryly chuckled, returning the drink.

"No way," Stella shook her head, picking up her book again and finding her page.

"You're no fun," Vicky staggered up from the side of the bed and headed toward the door. She downed the drink in her hand before turning back to Stella. "Love you," she slurred before closing the door behind her. Stella sighed heavily, removing her black reading glasses and placing them on the bedside table.

Doubting her ability to sleep that night, Stella decided to review her class schedule for the following day. First days always made her anxious, especially at the start of a new year with unfamiliar faces everywhere. English literature was her initial class, and the teacher had already posted the speaking notes for the lesson. Stella always appreciated well-prepared professors, as they had become a rarity. The class's first reading assignment was A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play by Shakespeare that Stella particularly enjoyed for its myriad of interpretive possibilities, which lent themselves well to her theses. Stella clicked on the placeholder image for the professor, but to her surprise, there was none, suggesting a new faculty member.

Noticing the late hour, the brunette closed her computer and surveyed the room, searching for something relaxing to do before her big day. She walked over to her vanity and settled into the small chair in front of her makeup mirror, taking in the meticulously arranged products. Stella was known for her penchant for tidiness—her room was always orderly, her books neatly arranged, and her day meticulously planned. Any deviation from this norm made her feel uneasy. In other words, she was a self-professed neat freak.

Opening a drawer beside her, Stella retrieved a sheet mask. She secured a fluffy pink headband around her head to keep her loose hair at bay and delicately placed the cool mask on her skin. Beside her, a matchbox sat, and she carefully lit a candle on the vanity, observing as the flame flickered and danced in the circulating air.

To pass the time, Stella decided to file her nails, meticulously shaping and smoothing them before applying a thin layer of nude polish. She despised seeing unkempt nails.  The room was enveloped in a dim ambiance, with soft rays of sunlight filtering through the partially closed blinds. The sound of an alarm clock broke the tranquility, jolting Stella from her peaceful slumber precisely at 7 o'clock. Normally, waking up came effortlessly to Stella, who thrived in the early hours of the day.

"Stell! Help me, I'm dying!" a distressed voice called out, causing the door to swing open abruptly, revealing Vicky in disarray. She wore the same dress from the previous night, her makeup smeared haphazardly across her face. Vicky collapsed onto Stella's bed, groaning as her head throbbed mercilessly.

"I'll fetch you some painkillers, and if you manage to get ready quickly, we can grab some coffee," Stella sighed, rising from her bed and retrieving the pill packet. She handed it to Vicky along with a glass of water that had been sitting on the bedside table. Vicky groaned as she sat up, a pained expression etched on her face as she swallowed the pills. "Now, which outfit?" Stella opened her closet, pulling out two pairs of pants and holding them side by side.