After All

Chapter Three

A few days later, I was woken abruptly in the middle of a dream that may or may not have had something to do with lacrosse sticks and strong arms wrapped around me. Groaning, I smacked my alarm clock repeatedly to halt the incessant beeping. Cassie shot up in bed. "What is that?" she yelled, obviously disoriented in the early morning hour.

"It's just my alarm," I reassured her, slowing climbing out of bed. "First day of class, remember?"

"Aww, man. I completely forgot we're actually here to learn."

I giggled. Cassie was right. We had arrived at school three days before classes started, supposedly giving us the chance to adjust to college life. Cassie and I had spent the time making our room feel a little more home-y. We took the shuttle to the mall and wandered around for hours, picking out posters and colorful knickknacks for our room. In an effort to make more friends, we wandered the halls of the dorm, popping in any open door we found. I'd even found a little time to sit outside and sketch some landscape around me. It surprised me at how quickly I carved out a little niche for myself in this new place.

Despite our obvious personality differences, Cassie and I bonded tightly in just a few days. She was wilder, louder, and definitely more scatter-brained than I was, but we made a good pair. I helped rein her in, while she pushed me to be bolder and move outside my comfort zone.

The only thing I hadn't done was see Ryan again. It wasn't that surprising considering there were a couple hundred freshmen, and we didn't live in the same building. I shouldn't have even given it a second thought. Wasn't I strong in my conviction to not get involved with anyone romantically for the foreseeable future? Plus, the warning Alexis had given to me the first night still rang in my ears. I didn't want to judge him without really knowing him, but I'd yet to hear of a guy being called a player when it wasn't actually true. But at the end of the day, I was still a girl. He seemed to have enjoyed my company, and even went out of his way to bring the ice, and it bugged me a little that he hadn't at least sought me out again.

"I swear 8:00 a.m. classes are some sort of torture device," Cassie grumbled as she pulled on a pair of jeans.

"I know what you mean. And I have a feeling they're only going to get more painful as the semester goes on," I stood in front of my drawers, rummaging around, attempting to find something appropriate to wear.

"What's your day look like today? Can you meet in the dining hall at 12:30?"

I looked at the schedule on my desk I had yet to memorize. "Yeah, that works. Good luck today. I'll see you then!"

***

Of course my very first college class had to be math, my very worst subject. I'd barely passed it in high school, how was I going to survive the next level? Taking a seat in the last row, I hoped to keep myself invisible. Students filed in, looking as tired as I felt. I slunk further in my seat, keeping my eyes trained on the floor, waiting for the professor to arrive.

"Hey there, Sunshine Girl," a male voice snapped me out of my daze.

I looked up, shocked, as Ryan slid into the seat next to me. "Hey," I choked out.

"How've you been?" he asked, pulling out his books and a pencil.

"Umm, pretty good," I stumbled over the words, a million different emotions coursing through my body. "How about you?"