"I never thought I'd actually hear these words fall from my lips, but I can't wait for the weight room tomorrow," Lindsey exhales as her butt hits the bench beside the track.
If I had enough strength left in me, I'd laugh at her dramatics. But I'm pretty sure I just lost a bit of my soul on that field today. I knew D1 conditioning would be a real bitch, but I never thought the term run until you puke was a real thing. I like to think I'm in shape, and maybe the fact that I was one of the ones to actually hold my breakfast in is proof of that, but the fact that my legs are still shaking and my breath is still working to find its rhythm tells me I'm nowhere near where I need to be.
With the first day of cardio now behind us, we have the weight room to look forward to tomorrow.
"You really think it will be any less brutal?" I question, plopping myself down beside her.
"It's worse," Natasha, our starting center fielder, comes into view now. "I remember thinking the same thing my freshman year. That cardio had to be the worst day of training. Truth is, they all pretty much suck. Not one day feels better than the one before it."
"Ugh," Lindsey's theatrical exhale causes her to fall back against the bench. "You mean I have no relief to look forward to?"
"You have the weekend. At least, when we don't have a game. But on the bright side-"
"There's a bright side to this?" Lindsey questions, causing a glistening smile to emerge across Natasha's face.
"The bright side is that it gets easier. Your body adjusts and the training becomes second nature."
"I don't see this becoming second nature," Lindsey rolls her eyes.
"Come on, Linds," my shoulder taps hers. "Where's that spunky roommate of mine?"
"She died on that field."
"If you two think this is bad, just wait until we have to do the stadium."
Both of our eyes fly over to Natasha who has a knowing smile on her face. I don't like that smile.
"The stadium?" I question, giving Lindsey a break to breathe.
"Yeah. Coach loves having us run the football stadium stairs in the fall. Now that is hell."
"Like, all of them?" Lindsey nearly whines.
Natasha nods, her smile widening. I don't exactly know how many stairs are in a college football stadium, and I sure as hell am not looking forward to finding out. I'm all for a challenge, but this year is really going to test me.
Lindsey nearly leaps forward, her eyes filled with a new sense of life I thought had vanished during the last sprint. "At least tell me the football team is out there when we have to run them. I could really use some eye candy while I slowly dig my grave."
The dramatics.
"They're usually there, yeah. But trust me, you won't give two shits about the sights once you're a few flights in."
"Oh," Lindsey smirks. "I think you underestimate how much a pair of abs can motivate and distract these eyes of mine."
"Linds, it's football. They'll be covered in pads."
"Okay, so then a tight ass. It's all the same. Abs, ass, ridiculously ripped arms."
My head is already shaking back and forth as hers clearly enters dreamland. I lift a hand to her face, swiping my finger across her chin, "You're drooling."
"I'm dreaming, leave me alone."
From my boy crazed best friend this summer to an even crazier roommate.
"Alright, dreamer. I'm gonna head back and attempt to shower before my first class. You coming?"
"No. I'm going to see the trainer, get some ice for my far too out of shape muscles. I'll see you back at the dorm later."
*****
There's something about the first day of class. I don't think it matters how old you get, there will always be this sense of anticipation and excitement of what's to come. Okay, maybe not exactly excitement, but there is a sense of intrigue. But the first day of class at a new school? That carries a whole other level of mystery, of thrill.
After this morning's workout, I rushed back to the dorms for a quick shower and somehow managed to grab a cup of coffee before making my way past the famous red brick buildings that make up campus. It's a little overwhelming trudging across such a vast campus, trying to navigate the various routes and set up a routine that's going to work for my schedule. It's all about finding the most efficient path and carving out certain patterns.
I managed to arrive at class ten minutes early, which wasn't bad for my first try to get that very routine down. Unfortunately, I am learning pretty quickly that being early doesn't necessarily mean too much around here seeing as the door was still locked. I took out my phone as soon as I noticed the dark lighting inside just to double check I was in the right place. After looking over the building and class number about five different times, I realized that I was indeed at the right place.
Thankfully, I only had to wait a few minutes before a young man showed up with a key. With a brief smile and short introduction as the TA, Chris, I was in.
The best part about being early is getting to pick your own seat. Now, there's an art to this. It's not as simple as picking a seat in the front row where you have the best view of the board and a clear shot to the professor. Sitting in front carries a sense of eagerness that I don't exactly want to portray yet. I also don't want to sit in the back. Showing up early only to grab a backseat shows that I'm here to hide, to slack off and browse the internet instead of paying attention. And sitting in the middle means getting lost in a sea of students, also something I don't want to do.
I decide to go with the second row, right on the aisle. This gives me a good view of the board and I'm in close proximity to the professor to clearly hear what he has to say. It also limits the people around me to only my right side. It's not that I don't want to meet new people, it's just I don't want the distraction.
Once settled, I take out my laptop, logging in and opening a new doc to take notes. Next, I reach for my notebook, opening and folding it back before grabbing a pen and a highlighter. There are some notes that just need to be handwritten, others that need to live a digital life in a folder I can access on the go.
As more students begin trickling in, I double check I have everything set, ready for my first official day at college. The small vibration of my phone has me jumping slightly as I reach into my bag. My mom's name appears across the screen and I can't help but smile. I open the text reading her message wishing me luck. It's quickly followed up by one from Tommy and then my sister and Lucas. I can't help but smile as I respond to their encouragement. Before putting my phone away, I set it to silent and sit up in my seat, grabbing my pen.
"Let me guess," an all too familiar voice slides down my back, causing my heart to pause. "You were here fifteen minutes early getting yourself all set up for your first day?"
The pounding in my chest ignites, infiltrating my ears and sending a blast of heat to my cheeks. My eyes jump to my right as all questioning thoughts become clear. Grayson...
Dark hair, chocolatey eyes, one heated night, Grayson...
He jumps over the chair beside me, sliding into the open spot as he flashes me that goddamn cocky ass smile.
I can barely choke out words. "What are you..."
"Aw. Be careful, Tink, you're looking a little panicked," he winks, yes he freaking winks as he brushes a finger along my cheek.
My heart jumps at his touch, the thought of our last encounter flashing in front of me. We weren't supposed to see each other after that. It was one time. One moment of giving into something and that was it. Goodbye Grayson, goodbye impulsive desire.
But he's here.
He's not supposed to be here.
"You're supposed to be at Syracuse," I whisper, for what reason I don't freaking know.
He dips his head closer, leaning his arm along the desk in front of me. "You're supposed to be at Cal Poly."
"What?"
He leans back, falling against his seat as he continues to smile. "I haven't talked about Syracuse in years. Looks like your intel got mixed up somewhere. I signed with UCLA months ago."
I repeat, what?
"Your turn," he bumps my arm with his elbow, effectively jump-starting my thought process.
"I never even looked at Cal Poly."
"Yeah, I gathered that. But come on, Tink. You have to admit this is a whole lot better, isn't it?"
Better? How is this better? Grayson fucking Adler is here, at UCLA, in my class. The boy who had me writhing on top of him, panting his name in a way I haven't actually done before. And now he's sitting beside me, giving me those sparkling chocolate eyes, complete with a confident smile and a cap pulled backwards over that prized possession hair of his.
Holy fuck, the hat.
What is it with guys and a backwards hat? It shouldn't be a thing, but shit, it's totally a thing right now.
Nope.
It's not a thing. It's a hat.
A hat, Mia.
"Good morning," a voice from my left takes over the front of the room. "Welcome to Psych 101."
"Don't forget to breathe," Grayson whispers, leaning his shoulder against mine as his eyes stay locked in front of us.
"I'm breathing just fine."
His arm lingers against mine, the sides of his mouth turning up and flashing within the corner of my eye. I don't tear my gaze from the front as my hand tightens around the pen in my hand.
"And your hand," he nudges the back of mine with his. "Relax."
"I'm perfectly relaxed," I loosen my grip on my pen and shrug my shoulders, brushing his arm from mine.
The professor begins explaining the basics of the course, complete with dates and upcoming assignments. Some weighted more than others, some requiring more time and effort, others much smaller and more often.
When I decide to spare a brief glance at Grayson, I notice he still hasn't taken anything out. My page is filled with various notes, complete with highlighted dates and key assignments. The doc on my laptop has something similar, a few items and words linked to various websites and resources mentioned.
"Are you planning to write any of this down?" I whisper, unable to ignore the fact that he's just sitting there, lounging in his seat like he doesn't have a care in the world.
He turns slightly, a smile already on his face. "It's the first day. All of this is on the syllabus." His hand slowly raises to his temple as he taps a finger there. "As for everything else, I'm keeping tabs up here. No need to write anything down."
No need? Is he serious? I have two separate forms of notes, both full of needed concepts and he's just memorizing what he thinks might be of value?
"You're going to miss something."
"I'm good. Besides, who needs to take notes when there's a scribe scripting the whole lecture?" His eyes drop to my desk, glancing over my various notes before he looks back at me, his smile turned to a quiet laugh.
"These notes are all mine, Adler. If you miss something, that's on you."
There's a slight hesitation in his response as his eyes drop to my notes again then slowly make their way back up to mine. He holds them there, lingering for a moment longer than is actually necessary. That damn glisten in his eye is still intact, causing my chest to rise a bit quicker than normal. It's that very glisten that had me in a trance at the pool three years ago, the same one he flashed my way in the office that summer night. And it's the very one that has me fighting to tighten my legs at the thought of where that look likes to lead my thoughts.
"Fair enough, Tink," he backs off, returning his eyes to the professor and allowing me to actually breathe.
The remainder of class goes pretty uneventful. I turn my full attention to the rest of the lecture, and the moment the class is dismissed, I make my way out, not pausing to hear another quippy, irritating line from Grayson.
I make my way out to the front, making a beeline down the pathway and rushing around the first building I can manage to duck behind. I might be a tad dramatic in my escape. Okay, I'm completely blowing this whole thing out of proportion, but what the actual hell is he doing here?
This can't actually be happening.
How did I not know we were going to the same college? Was my intel really that mixed up like he said? How did this slip by?
June.
My phone is in my hand before I've even formed exactly what it is I want to say to her.
Mia: Any particular reason I just shared an armrest with Grayson in my first class?
Those famous little dots begin flashing across my screen, and I know she's probably got way too big of a smile on her face right now.
June: No shit?! You guys have a class together?
Mia: Focus June
June: Sorry. I really thought you two knew
Mia: Apparently not
Wait. You two...
Mia: Did he tell you?
June: Yeah. He saw you the other day
Mia: And you didn't think that would have been a good time to give me a heads up?
June: He asked me to wait and we made a deal involving cookies. I couldn't say no😇
Cookies. Really, June?
Mia: You better be talking about his mom's cookies. The ones she made that one year for New Year's. Otherwise you cut a bad deal
June: Those are the ones🍪🤤
As much as I want to be angry right now, those cookies are really fucking delicious. Seriously, perfection.
Mia: You're sharing those cookies with me when you get them
June: Deal
June: Or...you could just ask my cousin for some🤭
Mia: Hilarious