While We're Here

Chapter Six

The first day of school arrives quickly. My first class is at 9am, so I wake up at 7 to get ready and eat breakfast. I take a quick shower and finish blow drying my hair by 7:30, then I wake up Claire.

After I blow dry my hair, I put some product in it to keep the frizz down and wear it down naturally. My hair is wavy and not too crazy, so I love wearing it down. As Claire showers, I sit at my desk and apply a small amount of makeup, only using tinted moisturizer, mascara, and eyebrow gel. I've never plucked my eyebrows, and Alicia says they're too bushy, but I love the natural look. My biggest fear is my eyebrows thinning too much. Plus, I'm afraid waxing them will hurt too badly.

I decide to wear a simple black bodysuit and a denim skirt, as it's still a bit warm out in Oregon. I put on a strapless bra since the bodysuit's straps are so thin and I cannot go without a bra. I pick out my medium sized gold hoops and a simple gold necklace; two staples in my wardrobe. I decide to wear Claire's black, Steve Madden gladiator sandals to complete the look. I only have three classes today, so I don't want to go overboard.

Claire emerges out of the shower, taking off her hair wrap and grabbing lotion from my desk. "I have no idea what to wear, and you're out here looking like a model from L.A."

I turn to her and laugh, rolling my eyes, "Partly thanks to you, these are your shoes. Why don't you wear a dress or something?"

She rummages through her closet, throwing potential items onto her bed. After minutes of acting like she's walking in a runway show, she decides on a vintage band tee tucked into boyfriend-style jeans, paired with black high-top Converse.

We sit at our desks, eating Pop-Tarts and applying makeup, though I finish before Claire because she loves to do a full face, and I don't...because I don't even know how to use bronzer or blush. I wish I did, but honestly, I suck.

Claire's first class isn't until ten, but she wants to walk around campus, so the two of us leave at 8:45. My first class is English, followed by my Cinema elective, and then I end with Biology. The English building isn't too far from my dorm, so I make it to class with minutes to spare.

Most of the class isn't seated yet, so I get first pick at a seat. I choose a seat in the middle of the third row, not too close up front, and not all the way in the back. I wanted a seat that says, "I'm here to pay attention, but I'm not a total nerd."

Third row says just that.

My English professor, whom we're instructed to address as Dr. Koft, is an elderly woman with a German accent. She spends the first thirty minutes telling us how she moved from Germany to the U.S when she was thirty-five, and how because of the U.S's political climate, she can't wait for the year to end so she can move back.

She then goes on to talk about the class and what we can expect this semester, including the different authors we'll be reading and texts we'll be evaluating. She seems sweet, but literature isn't my strong suit, so I'm still nervous.

After her introduction, we're instructed to get into groups for icebreaker sessions. To my surprise, Mark, who I met at orientation, is in my class. I join his group since he's a familiar face.

The questions we're supposed to ask are the same questions every teacher makes students answer. Where you're from, what's your major, and so on. The students in my group seem really nice, so the conversation flows the entire time.

After class ends at 10:30, I have fifteen minutes until my cinema class. It's in a different building, so I head down campus to find it. I get to the building and look for the bathroom, figuring I'll pee and touch up my look before class.

As I enter the classroom, some students are already seated. Since I'll probably only be watching movies in this class, I take a seat toward the back. Students flood in, but the seats near me remain empty. I start to question if I smell or something, because most students take a seat toward the front.