Stay

Chapter 1

I wake up to the morning sun caressing my face like honey on a platter. The window is slightly propped up enough to feel the early autumn breeze nipping on my skin fresh from just waking up. I lay there in bed for a few more minutes contemplating whether to get up and have enough time to make myself breakfast or ponder around looking at the blank walls until I'm almost late. I don't even have enough time to go by my regular coffee shop to even get a simple muffin. I turn to get my phone that's sitting on the nightstand next to my bed. It reads 6:45 am. I sigh to myself and leave my phone back to where it was.

Bothered and lazy, I reluctantly get up from my bed, scratching my head. I slowly creep to my bathroom to wash up. Showering for a little too long for other people's liking. Growing up, people would tell me that the loneliest people take the longest and warmest showers. To feel the warmth from the water that they couldn't get from the people around them. Wishing time would go by slower, I get out of the shower. I stand in front of the mirror looking at the person staring back at me. They look familiar but unknown at the same time. I see the bags under their eyes that carry the hours of all the sleepless nights. The blotchiness of their skin being foreign but comforting. The freshly dyed hair that turned from a warm chestnut to a jet black. A known person that slowly became foreign to me. I get out of the washroom and head to my wardrobe. Choosing a navy-blue turtleneck with a pair of dark plaid slacks to go with it, along with a leather belt and a golden necklace with a ring on it that was given to me by my grandmother. I head downstairs to grab my bag and a pair of shoes. Looking at the time it reads 8:30 am. My first class is at 10 am, I head to my usual coffee shop.

I put my car in park outside of the coffee shop and headed in. I open the door and the smell of different coffee beans along the different pasties they have baked surround me, almost as if they were greeting my presence with a hug and telling me good morning. I walk in and Sofie greets me in. "Good morning Skylar," I greet her back with a good morning.

Within coming to this coffee shop I've grown to like Sofie. I mean who wouldn't. She's quite the girl. Hazel eyes that hold in the beauty of nature within them. Long wavy hair that hugs her face beautifully but with such tenderness. Her skin that holds the beauty of melanin within it. No taller than 5'5. Overall simplicity but beauty held within her as most people would say.

She stares back at me with the pearliest smile on earth, "The usual right?"

I nod my head in agreement.

"Okay then, that would be 5.63" I hand her my card and after a few seconds, she hands it back. "Alrighty then one mango green tea and a blueberry muffin coming right up," She says, her eyes glowing with happiness.

I step back and I head over to the waiting area. I check the time, seeing that I had about a good hour before 10. I hear my name being called and I go over to grab my order. I bid thanks and goodbye to Sofie. She tells me to have a good rest of my day and I head off to class.

I arrive at my university within 30 minutes. I put the car in park and I grab everything I need for the day. I step out and feel the breeze slightly chill my body. I grab my coat from the back seat and I start walking. There is a small road that heads from the parking lot to my designated building. I grab my earbuds from my coat pocket and I plug them into my phone. Canceling the world and letting the music run through my body while I walk. Trees glooming over me almost as if protecting me from any danger that comes from above. Leaves falling to my feet like raindrops, gentle, but quiet. I watch people as they go by worrying about their own lives, while I worry about mine. A couple on a bench embracing each other while whispering sweet nothings. A young lady rushing to class with her hair in a messy bun looking as if she had just woken up 10 minutes ago.

Getting to class I see that there are already people flooding in, so I take a seat in the middle towards the back rows. After a few minutes, I see that almost the entire class had arrived and now waiting for the professor. I hear a few seats in front of me two young ladies asking each other where the professor is, seeing that it is 5 after 10.

"Welcome to your Freshman English class," I say loudly while standing up. With confused looks, I see the students looking to where the voice was coming from. I head to the front of the classroom, feeling everyone's stare on me and nowhere else, whispering asking the person next to them what the hell I was doing. I sit on my desk and set my bag next to me and I take off my coat. I wait quietly glancing around the room to see everyone waiting patiently and a little confused about what was going on.

I go on repeating myself, "Welcome to your freshman English class. This is English 1A, creative writing, and composition."

I pause and I gaze over once more to the students, most confused stares are still present so I continue, "My name is Professor Goodwin."

By the time I finish saying who I was all of the confusion had cleared from the air and had left the room. "Refer to me as professor Goodwin or professor. Please do not call me by my first name, well at least not until we have had the time to get to know each other but for now, any of those two options I have said before will do. So, continuing, if anyone wants me to answer any questions of myself, I will gladly do so. I'm pretty much an open book." Before anyone had the chance to raise their hands, I state one more thing, "Before I start answering your questions, if you do wish to ask one, you will have to stand up state your name, your major, and then you may ask your question."

I stay seated on my desk but in a much more comfortable position. A petite young lady slowly stands up and begins to talk in a very delicate voice, feathery like. "Uh... Hello, my name is Pearl Mccoy. I am a biology major... and I wanted to ask how old you were since you look fairly young?"

While introducing herself I look at her. I noticed that she was too shy to be the first one to ask anything but was fairly impressed. A big move for a shy person. Chestnut hair, shoulder-length straight but most of her hair gets in the way of her eyes. I silently sit there surprised but impressed, however, I try to suppress any emotion that arises within me. "I expected it to be the first question asked. I am 28." I say with a straight face, however, they don't seem to keep their cool. Shock was written all over their faces.

"Okay then, next person?"

A tall lanky boy stands up, wearing a dark green hoodie and dark denim jeans. His hair brown keeping it slightly messy and a bit longer as if he missed his hair appointment for a good month.

"Hello, professor."

I nod in response.

"My name is Theo Brooks. I'm a Computer science major and I wanted to ask you, with all due respect of course, if you had a boyfriend?" I lock eyes with him, wondering why the sudden question. Then again, they are young adults. "No, I do not. I am very single and, with all due respect, of course, I am not looking for one any time soon." He sits back down with a slight pink shade painted on his cheeks.

"Well then," I say as I stand up from my desk and head 10 steps closer to where the front row sits. I look at my watch noticing that it is 10 minutes before 11. I silently sigh knowing that I have 3 more classes before I have the chance to go back to my sanctuary of a home. "Alright, I think that will be all for today. Be prepared to start the semester next class." Students start to stand up and slowly start to leave, dreading to go to their next class. Some wondering what their next professor is going to be like and what the next class holds for them. Wondering what kind of new things, they're going to be able to be introduced to.