PEYTON
There were young, college-aged people - like me - milling around everywhere near the campus center. The weather was seasonal for late August in South Carolina, hot and sunny. The students had dressed accordingly; various short shorts and tanks for the girls, and athletic shorts and t-shirts for the boys.
We - and by that I mean my mom and me - drove slowly past the crowds, trying to avoid hitting any of the more careless students as they crossed the street without paying too much attention to the cars trying to get through. It was move-in day for the college freshmen and the campus was buzzing with activity.
"You need to make sure you watch where you're going, Peyton," my mom commented in her familiar judgmental tone, even though I was sitting in the car next to her, watching the same thing she did.
"I can't believe all these kids are walking like they own the damn street, without a care in the world. This is an actual street, you know," she lectured like I'd thought anything different. "Not just some college walkway that gives preference to students on foot. You actually have to pay attention."
"Yeah mom, I know."
"I'm just saying this isn't like high school. There are over thirty thousand students at this place and they all seem to think they are invincible..."
That wasn't true. The campus was crowded, but it was far from full. The upperclassmen moved in later in the week.
My mom shook her head and continued to mutter something under her breath, but I ignored it and turned my focus back to the view outside. Majestic buildings with perfectly manicured lawns lined the street across from the campus. Many of them had Greek letters above the doors. Even though I had absolutely no idea what they meant, I knew it symbolized some kind of sorority or fraternity.
The area was beautiful. We had visited the University for a tour before I got accepted, but I hadn't paid too much attention to the space surrounding the campus. I'd been too busy imagining what it would feel like to attend the school. To get out of our small town...
The campus had an old world feel with its mature trees, cobblestone lined walkways and brick buildings. There were some newer buildings too, especially the science and engineering ones, but they were tastefully constructed and somehow fit in with the rest of the area.
The dorm rooms and the library were a little outdated, but they were charming. A little different from the cookie-cutter ones I had seen at other campuses, and that was one of the things that had made me choose this school.
My mom continued her rampage about the dangers of college life and I tuned her out. I'd heard it all before - many times- and knew from experience that she'd continue to complain and stress over everything that was going on around us, especially if I acknowledged it. It was what she did when she felt overwhelmed, and me moving into a college dorm was clearly out of her element.
She had been a stay-at-home mom for most of her adult life. Her days comprised cooking, cleaning, and caring for her family. School drop off and pickups, scheduling play dates when we were younger, and shuttling to soccer and football practices for me and my brother as we got older.
I understood that this was all new to her. It was new to me too. My mom had never gone to college, and since I was her oldest child, I was also the first one to leave. She wasn't used to change and was never one to step up and take charge on her own. She left that up to my dad.
He, on the other hand, had no problem bossing people around and telling them what to do. He was always busy. Even today. Me getting dropped off at college couldn't interfere with his important job. He was on a flight to Indianapolis for another one of his conferences.
We were lucky to find a parking spot down the street from the campus. A blonde girl in a flashy red convertible backed out right in front of us, which caused my mom to have to slam on her brakes. The girl didn't even notice and just drove off.
I was prepared for another lecture about the reckless youth and their driving skills, but she didn't say too much, probably because it was a good spot. And after having spent the last four hours in a car, I was happy we could get out and stretch our legs.
We left my stuff in the car and walked towards the student center where I'd get the key for the dorm. I wiped my sweaty hands over my jeans shorts as I took in the young men and women that were hanging around the shady areas of the park near the main office building. They all looked so much older than I did and so much more put together. It made me regret the simple ponytail and no makeup look I was sporting.
As we got closer, I realized that there was no way any of them were freshmen. The guys looked like men compared to the scrawny and pimply guys I had graduated high school with. At least I hoped they weren't freshmen, because compared to them, I looked like a small-time country bumpkin and there was no way I was going to fit in. At least if they were upper class-men, there was hope.
"There's a lot of students here," my mom commented the obvious. "I'm surprised. I thought it would only be freshmen on campus today."
My thoughts exactly, but then I noticed a group of guys throwing a football around and remembered reading somewhere that the athletes moved onto campus even before the incoming freshmen.
I studied them as we passed by. There were five of them, and it was obvious that they were athletes. All of them were over six feet tall, and dressed in shorts and tanks. Bulging biceps and wide shoulders were on display and flexed as they moved. It was a very nice view. I smiled as I thought about seeing that every day. I could definitely live with that.
I caught the eye of one of them as I realized I'd been staring. He must've been an upperclassman for sure. His dark, curly hair and dark eyes reminded me of the type of guy my best friend Amanda swooned over. He gave me a small nod, and I returned it. Or tried too. It's difficult to nod when your head is turned back over your shoulder.
It resulted in me stumbling over my own feet. The kind of stumbling that makes you lose your balance and flail your arms. Because why wouldn't it? It was my first day as a freshman, and this was my way of making a first impression.
I'm pretty sure I let out some kind of wimpy scream as well. Luckily for me, my mom's reflexes were better than mine. She grabbed my arm before I made a complete fool out of myself and fell flat on my face.
"Oops, easy, Peyton," she giggled. "Watch where you are going, sweetie."
At least nobody laughed out loud, like they would have at my high school, but I was too embarrassed to turn around to see if the guy or any of his friends noticed.
That wasn't the end of my humiliation, though. A couple of seconds later I heard yelling, along with "fuck," and "watch out." But I didn't watch out. I was too focused on trying to stay upright and avoid tripping over anything else. Making a complete fool out of myself - any more than I already had - was not on my agenda for the first day on campus. The 'fuck' expression was, however, an accurate way to sum up what happened next.
I closed my eyes and fought to keep the tears at bay as I lay sprawled out on the ground after being hit in the back by a football. My mom was nearing hysterics as she yelled at the athletic group of guys that came running over to see if I was alright, all while apologizing profusely.
A crowd gathered around us as I struggled to sit up. And I wished more than anything that I could go back to this morning and do it over. I would've just stayed in bed all day and forgotten all about this college thing.
"Hey," I heard a soft male voice say, and then I felt a touch on my arm. My eyes snapped open to find a gorgeous blond guy leaning over me. He had the bluest eyes I'd ever seen.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently.
I thought about it for a few seconds. Nothing really hurt, other than the spot where I'd been hit by the ball on my upper back. Well, except for my pride, which was aching a bit.
"Yeah, I'm alright."
He smiled and reached his hand out to grasp mine. "Let me help you up."
I let him, and the surrounding chatter seemed to die off as I got to my feet. Except for my mom...
"Oh my god, sweetie." She was immediately at my side and began to fuzz all over me. Her hands touched my face, my arm, and brushed some dirt off my leg. All while she mumbled about there being no hope with today's youth.
I was beyond embarrassed and assumed my face had the same color as a ripe tomato.
"Mom, stop," I plead.
The guys who'd been throwing the ball around - I presumed were part of the football team since they were all tall and very, very fit - gathered behind the blond guy with the deep blue eyes. Granted, one of them really needed to work on his aim.
They watched curiously as my mom continued to hover.
"Are you alright, honey?" she asked, not bothered in the least that I asked her to stop, or the fact that several hot twenty something-year-olds were watching us. "Do you think you have a concussion? You feel like you have to puke, do you?"
Seriously?
"Mom..."
"Do I need to take you to the hospital? Where even is the hospital around here?" She looked around like she'd be able to see it. "How come we never thought to find out how far away the hospital is? What if there isn't one near campus?"
I groaned. She was making a scene. Again. Fuck my life.
"Mom," I tried again. Louder this time. "I'm fine."
She huffed, but did actually, for once, stop her tirade.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I caught the eye of the blond guy. I could tell that he was holding back a grin and, for some reason, that changed my scowl into a smile. This whole situation was just too ridiculous. Even for me.