Cool Girl

1: Summer School

"Call me when you get there." Mom says as she gives me a hug.

"I will." I promise, returning the hug.

My suitcase is already in the car. I finally get into the car and wave goodbye as the driver pulls out of the driveway and we start our hour long drive to UCLA. I'll be there for their month and a half long summer school. I woke up early to say goodbye to dad before he left for work and Sebastian before he left for his soccer practice.

Mom decided to go in to work late so that she could see me off. The driver will drop me off on campus and then return to Pasadena. Mom and dad insisted that I keep him and the car with me but I declined.

Twenty minutes into the drive, I get a message from Ben.

Have you left home?

Yes. I text back.

Claire and I are here. Let me know your room number once you arrive. Ben messages me.

Of course. I send the message and then look out my window at the highway.

Two other friends from Rushmore Academy will also be attending the summer school with Ben, Claire and me. Ben and Claire started dating just before school broke off for the summer. Ben is already eighteen, so he has his driver's license and I had initially planned on hitching a ride with him and Claire but for mom's satisfaction, I agreed to let the driver drop me off.

When we near UCLA grounds, I pull up the map that the university emailed me and instruct the driver towards the dorm building where I'll be staying.

The driver drops me off in the parking lot and takes out my luggage for me before I thank him for driving me and send him on his way back to Pasadena. I swing my laptop bag onto my shoulders and grab hold of my suitcase as I begin wheeling it towards the dorm building's entrance.

The check in counter is easy enough to spot since there's a long que of students waiting to check in, into their rooms. About twenty minutes later, I get to the head of the line and give in my name and assigned student ID. The lady at the desk hands me a key and a pamphlet with information about the building.

A quick glance at the room number on my key and then a look at the map at the back of the pamphlet tells me that my room is on the third floor which is easy enough to access via stairs given how long the waiting line to use the one elevator in the building is.

By the time I get to the third floor, my arms ache from carrying my heavy suitcase all the way up the stairs. I find my room and unlock the door. The room has a single bed with an attached bathroom, which I specifically asked for since I've never had to share a bathroom or room and don't feel comfortable doing that just yet.

I wheel in my suitcase and close the door behind me then I walk over to the window and look out. It overlooks the ground at the front of the dorm building and the dorm parking lot to one side.

I take out my phone from my pocket and call mom.

"Hey Bunny!" She answers the call.

"Hi mom. I just got to my room." I let her know.

"Everything went smoothly?" She inquires.

"Yup. I'm going to settle in now." I say.

We chat for a few more minutes before saying goodbye and then she ends the call. The bed already has a mattress but we were instructed to bring our own bedding with us. So, I unzip the second bag I had slung over my shoulder and take out the bed sheet I brought with me. Once I've made the bed and put out my two pillows and covers, the room already feels more homely.

It's only one in the afternoon and I'm not in the least bit tired so I call Ben. He picks up on the first few rings.

"Hey!" He says.

"Hi! Where are you?" I ask.

"We're at McDonald's." He gives me the directions and once I get off the call, I check it on a map and it's just a ten minute walk.

I grab my black cross body bag from the suitcase and put in my wallet, phone and room key. The room door locks automatically after me as I leave and head for the stairs. The floor is bustling with activity as students settle into their rooms but the lobby has quieted down with just a few students milling around.

I don't mind the walk to the McDonald's in the least as I'm too fascinated by LA sights that I don't get to observe in Pasadena.

The McDonald's is more crowded than I anticipated and most of the people there look about my age and some are already wearing UCLA shirts. This is must be a popular hangout spot for UCLA students.

"Hazel!" I hear Ben call out and turn towards the voice to find him, Claire, Aakesh or Ash as we refer to him and Liam sitting at a table.

"You're all together." I say, walking up to them.

"Yes, unfortunately, it's only been a few hours that we got here and haven't really talked to anybody. So, for now the Rushmore gang is all that we have." Liam says, as I pull out the chair between him and Claire and sit down.

"Did you and Ash end up taking the bus together?" I ask them.

"Mhmm." Ash nods, setting down his milkshake.

We're all catching up on what everyone's been up to for the first few weeks of summer break when a new voice suddenly says, "Do you all go to Rushmore Academy?"

Since the person's behind me, I turn around in my seat to find a boy with dark hair standing behind us.

"Yes." Ben answers for all of us.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help but over hear so I had to ask because I'll be attending Rushmore Academy too after summer break." He tells us.

"What year?" I ask him.

"High school senior." He replies.

"We'll all be seniors after summer break." Ash comments, motioning towards all the people at the table.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around more often then." The boy says and then waves goodbye before walking away.

"We didn't even ask him his name." Liam groans but soon we return to our regular chatter as we order food and chat away the afternoon at the McDonald's table.

Happy reading!

-T