After my escape, and yet another but brutal last year at the same high school, my school sent me their condolences and made sure to inform my future college of my past. I didn't bother to say goodbye to my "friends" or Preston, my ex.
The poli...
I get up out of bed, raise the temperature to 72 degrees, and start getting ready for the next meeting on the Welcome Week schedule. I know I'm getting ready a bit too early, but I want to be able to catch a glimpse of the campus before it's packed with students. I take out my black overalls and a gray long sleeve shirt from my drawer. I put them on and check myself out in the full body mirror on the back of our door. Liking the look I have going for me, I grab my black booties from my closet and wear them with black socks. I mess around with my hair before finally deciding I want it down. My natural curls may be a bit out of place, but they still manage to look great. "Perfect" I say aloud, when I feel satisfied with my look.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I go over to my desk, and start gathering a few of my things, including my portable charger, into my over the shoulder purse. I see Jace's leather jacket on my chair and decide to wear it. Surprisingly, the jacket makes my entire outfit look ten times better.
Moments later, Tania comes out of the restroom with a questioning look when she sees I'm already dressed. Before she can ask, I tell her, "I'm going to walk around campus for a bit. Meet up at the Student Union later?"
"Yeah. Sure." she says complying yet still wondering.
"Great! See you then." I say as I make my way to the loo. In there I do my necessities and exit once I'm done. I grab my purse from my desk and put on Jace's jacket. I look up at Tania who's giving me a dumbfounded look, but decide not to say anything about it. I'm sure she'll find out soon enough from Lucas, that is if I see Jace today.
I wave goodbye to Tania, turn around, and walk out of my dorm. The hallway is empty as I walk out into the lobby. Once I'm outside my residence hall, the sun's brilliance is amplified. I continue to walk around campus, until the sun's rays become too much for me to handle without a pair of sunglasses. I look through my purse for my glasses, while keeping my pace. Reaching the corner of a building, I grab my glasses, and collide with a hard object.
Argh! I touch my head and rub it, before looking at whatever I just collided with. I see the outline of a body, and slowly raise my eyes up to try and see a face. I try to block the sun with my hand but fail. It's only when the figure bends down that I see it's none other than Jace. He picks up my glasses from the ground, and hands them to me. I thank him, and put them on before looking at him again.
When I see his outfit, I'm taken aback. It's the school's, and by the look of it, it seems to be the school's baseball team. He has a few green and orange like stains on his outfit. "Baseball? He plays baseball?"I say aloud unaware of the words leaving my mouth. He chuckles at me and says, "Yes. I play baseball, and you're wearing my jacket." I freeze the moment he answers my question and give him a nervous smile. I take off his jacket, and hand it back to him. He gives me a short thanks, after I tell him my intentions for his jacket.
"Well, I guess I'll see you around. Bye Jace." I say awkwardly, as I begin to walk away. Before I'm able to pass him, he stops me and says, "Wait! I still don't know you're name."
Ceasing the opportunity to mess around a bit, I respond with, "I thought you already knew. But if you don't, I'm sure Lucas can tell you." I walk away, and leave it at that.
I walk around campus some more, and check my phone. It's now 2:01 p.m. and the meeting is at 4 p.m. I decide to text Tania and tell her to meet me in the Student Center. I put away my phone, and hear the text chime. When I pull it back out, her message reads, "Already there. Hope you don't mind if the boys tag along. : )"
"Great. The boys will be there." I exhale profoundly before continuing to walk with my phone in my hand. In the distance, I see a blonde girl seated on a bench crying. I walk towards her even though I know nothing about her. "Hi there." I say as I sit down next to her. "I don't know if can be much solace to you, but if you need a shoulder, I'm here. Literally." She turns her head towards me, and sniffles. I see her light blue eyes reddened by her crying. "I'm making a scene aren't I? I swear I'm not trying to, but I miss my family, and my home. Everything is so different now, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for the college life."
"That's completely understandable." I say understandingly, "I can't say I miss my hometown very much, but I do miss my father a bit. " "And hey, If you weren't ready for college, you wouldn't be here. Since you are, it means you're ready, but it can still be a scary thing." She starts to stop crying by the time I finish talking. "You're scared too? You don't have to agree to make me feel better."
I smile and respond,"Honestly, I'm terrified. It's college. It's a new slate for everyone, and I don't want to mess anything up, but mistakes are inevitable. They're apart of life, and they help us grow. If I thought about all the things that can go wrong, I'd never enjoy this experience. Here's a thought. Why don't you come and join my friends and I for lunch? I promise you wouldn't be a burden."
After a brief moment of silence, she agrees to come. She cleans her face with her hands before standing up, and starts walking next to me. Next to me, you can see she's only a few inches taller than me. Well, almost everyone on campus is taller then me, since I'm only 5'2. "Thank God I didn't wear makeup today, or else I'd look like a mess." she says while laughing at herself. I laugh with her, and realise I still don't know her name. "What's your name? I forgot to ask," I question as we reach the entrance of the Student Center.
"I'm Jenny. Jenny Crowner Mance."
"Melody Ravenna. Nice to meet you Jenny." I say walking through the entrance of the Student Center. I look at her and she smiles. She turns her head away from me, and I see her face light up at the sight of Jace.
Sincerely,
Melody N. Ravenna
P.S. The Student Center and the cafeteria are the same thing.
