From Me to Us

Chapter Two

OLIVIA

I wake up early the next morning and decide to go for my morning run. Going for a run would ease my nerves that still hadn't faded since walking through the doors. I would always go for a run back home when I needed the release from life. It helped me a lot so maybe it would do me good to try it out here as well.

I could explore the campus a bit more and have a look at what this school has to offer. It's huge and it would be amazing to get a better look at the infrastructure of the buildings and any sporting teams that may be out for practice early this morning. I've always loved sport, volleyball being my favourite so maybe I could join an athletic extra-curricular while getting through my first semester.

I get up and push my sheets back then head to my closet. After putting on my gym clothes, I check the time to see that it's six in the morning. Usually, when I lived back home, I would go for a run around four or five in the morning. Not all the time though, mostly just when I couldn't sleep which to be honest would be all the time.

I need to get back into the habit of a routine and having an early morning run would be great to have in it.

I slip out of my dorm room not before grabbing my earphones and pad towards the stairs. Once outside, I take a deep breath and exhale. The air is cold it fresh and there is a gorgeous sunrise painted across the sky in beautiful yellows and oranges.

I put in my music in my ears and start jogging across the grass and onto the footpath, following it around the dorm buildings and towards what seems to be the football field. There is rubbish everywhere. All over the grass and on the scrubs and bushes. All the upperclassmen have seemed to be partying real hard last night. Making use of the little freedom that they have left before classes start in a few days.

The music that was being played and the chants of college students was all I heard last night as it all blasted through the halls of my dorm building going on and on 24-fucking-7 but it was okay because it's college and I had expected it but God, I hope it wasn't like that every night. I would never get any sleep.

Everyone was so full of life and was having fun while I was stuck in my room all night by myself. I needed to get out there more and be more confident but that was really fucking hard when you get random panic attacks that spring up on you whenever and wherever. I can't catch a break.

I had been an extreme introvert all throughout high school and I promised myself that I wouldn't be like that in college. This would be my fresh start and to be far away from the assholes in high school who I wanted nothing to do with unlike Zoey whom kept in contact with nearly all of them.

Zoey... crap I have to call her later to see if she's settled into her dorm yet. I'm so grateful that we are going to the same College. I never would've thought that shed get accepted for a transfer. Her dad must have donated some big bucks for her to get in.

As I get closer to the football field, I see a bunch of the players doing their morning drills. Some doing burpees and stretching while others throw the ball to each other. I see some players in front of me a few meters away, only just getting to the field now so this must be when they begin.

As I get to the side line of the field I start to slow my pace along it. My breath needs to catch up so I decide to just walk past the field.

For some reason I feel eyes burning through me but I don't dare look over to the guys on the field. Yes, it was cold outside but I didn't bring my jacket and my sports clothes were on full display so I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious in my yoga pants and sports top. I don't know what I was thinking with not wearing a jacket.

My music is blasting in my ears but I hear faint voices over the music. Finally, my curiosity overrides my shyness of not looking at them and take my earphones out and turn my head towards the field, still walking straight past it though.

"Heads up!" Are the first words I hear when the music leaves my ears. Coming from a guy on the far end of the field who kicked it to his friend but did it a little too hard. Making it soar right over his friend and towards me.

The football is spinning high in the air, aiming right for me and with my shit reflexes I decide the shield my head with my arms instead of moving out of the way but before impact, I feel a strong arm wrap around my bare waist and tug me a foot or two to the side.

A really tall guy at least a foot taller than me with a football uniform on pulls me away from getting hit and he manages to successfully catch it with his arm that isn't around my waist. Holding me tight to make sure I don't fall.

Cheers and chants come from the guys on the field but I block it out because I'm too shocked that I didn't get hit by the ball.

The guys big, strong arm leaves my waist and I feel a sense of coldness replace where his arm once was. Giving me a weird feeling that I try to brush off. He ignores his teammates and sets his eyes on mine. He's wearing a helmet so I can only really see his eyes but I can tell he that his face is serious. Sharp emerald green colour eyes close to my own scan my face. The only difference from mine is that he has blue flecks while mine has gold brown around my pupil.

Heat rushes to my cheeks but I try to conceal it from him as I straighten myself up and focus on the football in his right arm. Jesus, I'm so embarrassed. I just know that if I look at the field to my left that all the guys, including the coach is staring at us. It's quiet. They aren't talking so that's how I know their attention is set on both me and this big guy in front of me. God, they probably think I'm a moron for not getting out of the way when the guy yelled "heads up" for fuck sake. Of course, this shit happens to me when I haven't even spent twenty-four hours here. Great.

"Are you okay?" His voice is deep as fuck and breaks me from my overthinking but I don't miss the sincerity in it. Like he actually wants to know if I'm okay which is kind of refreshing.

"Y-yeah," I stutter like an idiot once my eyes land on his again but I take a moment to clear my throat "I'm good, uh, thanks...for that." I tear my gaze away from his eyes because my bashful, reclusive self takes control. He's one intimidating guy, his height and big muscles make him that way but his face also holds something else in it. Something I can't quite catch.

"That's okay. Maybe be more careful next time when going for a run around the boys on the field. They can get a little rowdy, especially since it's the start of the season. See you around." He jogs off to the field and greets his teammates which some are still staring at me.

He passes his friend the ball back and I can't faintly hear their conversation. The guy playfully nudges his friend in the shoulder and turns back to me for a second. He lets his gaze linger for a bit while walking backwards to the starting line on the field.

Still feeling shy and somewhat embarrassed, my cheeks heat up again and I head back towards my dorm building. I don't feel like continuing my run anymore after all that. It's already seven-fifteen so maybe I could go take a quick shower now and miss the morning rush.

As I walk back to the dorm, that guys eyes are the only thing that is in my head. Who was he? I didn't see his face, only his eyes and I stupidly didn't check for any personal characteristics that could pin him out from the group of football players if I were to see him again.

I walked into my dorm room. Thinking about this had made me become completely unaware of anything around me or more so... anyone around me.

I stop in my tracks when a slim, dark skinned girl is setting up her side of the dorm. Her back is turned to me and her hair is as long as mine, down to the waist but she has dark black hair like raven unlike mine which is chestnut brown with big fluffy curls bouncing around when out. Hers was Beautiful and straight, but I feel like it's not naturally like that.

She turns around when she notices my arrival and a grin sets on her beautiful face.

"Oh, you must be my roommate. Hi, I'm Ronnie Tate. Well, Veronica Tate but I prefer to be called Ronnie. It's nice to meet you!" Her smile is genuine and it makes me smile in return.

"Hello, yes I am. I'm Olivia Clarke. It's nice to finally meet you, too." I go for a hand shake but she has other ideas and brushes it away, then goes in for a hug. She seems extremely friendly and that's exactly the type of person that I need around me.