Kekse
Drifter
Amidst the hustle and bustle of first week college life, Aiden found himself floating. Even after three days, he had not gotten used to having so many people around. "Join our club!" an upperclassman shouted at the blonde man, but Aiden simply tipped his cowboy hat down further to cover his face. Never in his nineteen years of life had so many people attempted to speak with him, and he was beginning to believe his father had been correct in disallowing his son to spend much time in town. Aiden could already feel an episode coming on. "I just have to get to class without a meltdown," he assured himself, lengthening his stride. "Just on the other side of this plaza."
Easier said than done, however. Club rush was in full swing, and every inch of the sidewalk was lined with older students stuffing leaflets into the hands of bewildered and nervous freshmen. Aiden took a deep breath, fixed his eyes on the door he needed to get to, and walked as quickly as he could go without running into anyone. The hubbub around faded into the back of his awareness and before he knew it, the cowboy clutched the door handle in his hand.
Inside was slightly less boisterous. Aiden sighed a breath of relief and turned down the left hand passageway toward his classroom. Luckily for him he had attended a class just next door to this one on Monday, so he knew exactly where to go. He paused just outside the classroom door to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans, his eyes lingering on the ragged cuffs of the pants. "I wish I could have afforded at least a new pair of jeans before I showed up here," he muttered, but tried to let it go. He raised his head back up, straightened the collar of his flannel shirt, and stepped inside the classroom.
Nobody seemed to notice the poor student as he chose a desk near the back of the room and off to the left side. That suited Aiden just fine, however. He placed his used copy of "Charms and Spells: An Introduction to Magic" on the desktop and glanced around at his fellow classmates. It appeared he was rather early; a handful of other students chatted near the front of the room, but the majority of the seats were empty.
That is, until just before class began. The door opened and a large group of obviously influential students entered. They chatted excitedly amongst each other and the volume of the room increased exponentially. Aiden fixed his eyes on the board and breathed deeply until the professor snapped at the group to take their seats and quiet down. Only when the noise had subsided was Aiden able to turn a curious eye on the newcomers. Definitely not the type who are going to pay any attention to a farm boy, he mused.
In contrast, the raven-haired Sariah passed through the madness of club rush with little more than a bat of the eye. Her cell phone, glued to her hand as usual, flashed the images of some sort of video just inches from her nose. She sidestepped her fellow students with practiced grace and made her way to the classroom before even looking up. She didn't press the button to turn off the phone screen until she held the handle of the classroom door in her other hand, and slid the device into her pocket. "Riah!" a voice called from behind, and she turned around to see a group of well-dressed young ladies waving. "You've got another class with us? That's awesome!"
"Yeah," Riah replied, pasting a grin on her face and stepping aside to allow one of the male counterparts to get the door for her. An eager blonde boy in an immaculately-tailored suit jumped forward and pulled on the handle, opening it fully and standing to the side to allow his companions to enter the classroom. The group lighted on the seats in the center of the room like a noisy flock of birds, ignoring completely the other students. "Day three already, can you believe it?"
The others shook their heads emphatically, slamming their books and bags down before straightening their hair and apparel. "It's been a complete nightmare, honestly. My older brother told me that the school is like, being investigated or something so all the professors are being extra hard-asses. I hope they don't keep it up all year, or I'm going to complain to my father." The brunette girl paused to reapply her makeup in a small compact mirror, smacking her lips at herself and winking once before closing it and returning it to her purse.
"It's not an investigation. They're just being re-accredited. It happens every ten years or so. My father is head of the accreditation committee, so heaven help them if they so much as give me an incorrect glance." This came from a slender, fair-haired and brooding young man. The others nodded in agreement, each making plans to ensure that they befriended such an important student.
Riah mostly tuned the others out. The bravado of her fellow students had already worn out its welcome, and she simply wished they'd stop trying to one-up each other constantly. I'm sure everyone else is in the same boat, knowing that it would be social suicide not to make themselves part of this group, she grumbled to herself. I had never realized how shallow our circles really are...
Easier said than done, however. Club rush was in full swing, and every inch of the sidewalk was lined with older students stuffing leaflets into the hands of bewildered and nervous freshmen. Aiden took a deep breath, fixed his eyes on the door he needed to get to, and walked as quickly as he could go without running into anyone. The hubbub around faded into the back of his awareness and before he knew it, the cowboy clutched the door handle in his hand.
Inside was slightly less boisterous. Aiden sighed a breath of relief and turned down the left hand passageway toward his classroom. Luckily for him he had attended a class just next door to this one on Monday, so he knew exactly where to go. He paused just outside the classroom door to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans, his eyes lingering on the ragged cuffs of the pants. "I wish I could have afforded at least a new pair of jeans before I showed up here," he muttered, but tried to let it go. He raised his head back up, straightened the collar of his flannel shirt, and stepped inside the classroom.
Nobody seemed to notice the poor student as he chose a desk near the back of the room and off to the left side. That suited Aiden just fine, however. He placed his used copy of "Charms and Spells: An Introduction to Magic" on the desktop and glanced around at his fellow classmates. It appeared he was rather early; a handful of other students chatted near the front of the room, but the majority of the seats were empty.
That is, until just before class began. The door opened and a large group of obviously influential students entered. They chatted excitedly amongst each other and the volume of the room increased exponentially. Aiden fixed his eyes on the board and breathed deeply until the professor snapped at the group to take their seats and quiet down. Only when the noise had subsided was Aiden able to turn a curious eye on the newcomers. Definitely not the type who are going to pay any attention to a farm boy, he mused.
In contrast, the raven-haired Sariah passed through the madness of club rush with little more than a bat of the eye. Her cell phone, glued to her hand as usual, flashed the images of some sort of video just inches from her nose. She sidestepped her fellow students with practiced grace and made her way to the classroom before even looking up. She didn't press the button to turn off the phone screen until she held the handle of the classroom door in her other hand, and slid the device into her pocket. "Riah!" a voice called from behind, and she turned around to see a group of well-dressed young ladies waving. "You've got another class with us? That's awesome!"
"Yeah," Riah replied, pasting a grin on her face and stepping aside to allow one of the male counterparts to get the door for her. An eager blonde boy in an immaculately-tailored suit jumped forward and pulled on the handle, opening it fully and standing to the side to allow his companions to enter the classroom. The group lighted on the seats in the center of the room like a noisy flock of birds, ignoring completely the other students. "Day three already, can you believe it?"
The others shook their heads emphatically, slamming their books and bags down before straightening their hair and apparel. "It's been a complete nightmare, honestly. My older brother told me that the school is like, being investigated or something so all the professors are being extra hard-asses. I hope they don't keep it up all year, or I'm going to complain to my father." The brunette girl paused to reapply her makeup in a small compact mirror, smacking her lips at herself and winking once before closing it and returning it to her purse.
"It's not an investigation. They're just being re-accredited. It happens every ten years or so. My father is head of the accreditation committee, so heaven help them if they so much as give me an incorrect glance." This came from a slender, fair-haired and brooding young man. The others nodded in agreement, each making plans to ensure that they befriended such an important student.
Riah mostly tuned the others out. The bravado of her fellow students had already worn out its welcome, and she simply wished they'd stop trying to one-up each other constantly. I'm sure everyone else is in the same boat, knowing that it would be social suicide not to make themselves part of this group, she grumbled to herself. I had never realized how shallow our circles really are...
