The kind of bond me and my Mom has is something I will never trade for anything. She’s all in one- a mother, a sister, a best friend, my confidante. I told her everything and she would just listen. She’s a good listener, and that’s just one of the many things I love about her.
I have two sisters, but I am the closest to my Mom. She’s cool and she always reminds me that my feelings are valid. She always says the best words.
I went out of the Dormitory and waited for her at the gate. It’s already dark since it’s almost 10 pm now. The moment I told her I needed her, she quickly got into her car and drove here.
Home is two hours away. I don’t want to hassle my Mom but I’m just too overwhelmed with all of these fuzzy feelings. And only she can help me feel at ease.
There are still a number of students out so I’m not scared to wait for her here outside. It’s not yet the official start of classes so the curfew is still not valid. We’re still allowed to accept visitors.
I just sat on the pavement, waiting for my Mom. I’m already in my PJs and I just put on a sweater since it’s quite cold now.
I saw a car approaching. I had to squint my eyes to check if it’s my Mom’s car and when I confirmed it was indeed her, I quickly stood up and waved.
Mom parked the car just outside the gate. When she got out of the car, I almost ran to her to hug her.
“Oh, sweetie, no worries. I’m here,” Mom murmured while caressing my hair. When I pulled away, she smiled at me. I tried my best to smile at her even if my tears are threatening to fall. “Come on, let’s get inside. I brought food.”
Taylor invited me for dinner earlier but I declined. I just didn’t have the appetite to eat anything earlier. But the moment my Mom mentioned food, I felt my stomach grumble. I guess I’m hungry now.
Mom said ‘Hi’ to Vincent when we passed by him having late dinner at the lobby. I just gave him a small smile and proceeded to walk to our room.
We reached the room and found Taylor finishing up unpacking. She’s almost done with her stuff. I just finished mine while waiting for Mom. So the room’s pretty fixed now.
“Tay, this is my Mom,” I said. “Mom, this is my roommate Taylor.”
“Oh, hi Taylor. Nice meeting you,” Mom said smilingly. Taylor shyly greeted her. “Jazzy’s feeling homesick so she called me. Is it okay if I spend the night here? It’s just tonight.”
“Oh, no problem Mrs. Arizona. It’s fine by me,” Taylor replied.
“I brought food. Come on and help us eat all of these,” Mom said. Taylor nodded shyly.
We set up a carpet in the middle of the room and arranged all the food there. We still haven’t talked about what else to put in the room so we don’t have a dining table yet. Good thing Taylor brought this huge carpet. Now it’s like we’re having a picnic. A picnic at night.
Mom brought her specialties- spaghetti and chicken salad. There’s also tuna sandwiches and fruits. She also brought a huge cookie jar with her special chocolate chip cookies and said I could share it with Taylor. She even told me to call her if we’re emptying the jar so she could bring another batch of special cookies. Have I mentioned how much I love my Mom? Because I really do.
We enjoyed the food and it somehow made me feel okay. It made me forget about these fears I have upon entering college.
Now, she’s sharing tips for the first day of School. Based on her experience, as she said.
“Know your way around the campus. Study the map of the buildings. You can ask seniors where lecture rooms are but don’t ever ask them where room TBA is,” Mom said. I laughed at it.
“What’s room TBA? Does that exist?” Taylor asked curiously.
“Room TBA means the room is to-be-announced, hun,” Mom replied.
“Oh. Oh God. Good thing you said that,” Taylor mumbled. “I checked my class schedule and it has a room TBA. I was planning on asking the RA where that room’s gonna be,” she added. Mom and I laughed. She already told me what room TBA is so I already have an idea. Good thing she mentioned it again to Taylor.
“Hmm.. What else..” Mom murmured. “Oh! Sleep while you can and while you have the time. When midterms or finals are coming up, you will regret not having enough sleep while you can.”
“I’m dreading that hell week. Jas, we should really not procrastinate. Please remind me of that,” Taylor said. I’m glad we’re on the same page.
I already planned on how I will spend my time to avoid cramming for a deadline. I don’t work well under pressure so I must manage my time well. I should start doing my schoolwork while it’s still early. That way, if I ever finish early, I will have more time to review and check if I did good. If not, then at least I will still have more time to improve things.
“And always, always be careful with boys,” Mom said. She already said that a lot of times to me. And I already imprinted that in my head. “Sometimes, they just want to get into your pants. Some of them? Just want to break your hearts so don’t ever fall for their sweet words,” she added.
I think I get what my Mom is trying to say. I mean, I never had a boyfriend and I haven’t really entertained a guy or someone. But when I think about it, I think she’s right. They say it takes more years for a boy to mature so I shouldn’t risk my heart this early.
“How many boyfriends did you have when you were in College, Mrs. Arizona?” Taylor asked. Oh, that question again. My mom already told me all these stories when she was still in college. I guess it’s time for someone else to hear those.
“Well, I’m not really a fan of relationships before. But I had two,” Mom answered. “One from when I was a freshman. That lasted for about three months. Can’t stand the guy because he’s so clingy. The other was when I was in my third year. I thought he was the one but nah. He transferred and I don’t believe in long distance so I broke up with him.”
Yep. Already heard all of those.
“So you didn’t meet Mr. Arizona in College?” Taylor inquired.
“Well, here’s the funny story. We were schoolmates in College. Saw him numerous times in School. But back then, I never really thought about him. He’s attractive but that didn’t make me be into him. Although,” Mom paused and grinned. Yeah, she loves this story. She loves to tell people how head-over-heels Dad is for her. “He has liked me since we were freshmen. He never got the chance to court me because there’s always something or someone who got in the way.”
“Wow,” Taylor commented. “But look where you are right now.”
“Yep. Married with three wonderful children,” Mom said proudly.
“Destiny really has its own ways of making people end up together huh?” Taylor commented. I didn’t say anything about Mom’s stories. I already commented a lot of times before.
“Yes. So you girls, don’t rush, okay? If someone’s meant for you, you will end up together. And please, if you ever decide to have sex, make it a safe one,” Mom mumbled and that earned a face from me. “Shoot! I should’ve bought condoms for you girls.”
“Mom!” I called, but she just laughed.
If there’s one topic that I find very uncomfortable, that is sex. Maybe it’s because of my lack of experience but it just really makes me uncomfortable. I get that it’s natural or something, but I still can’t imagine doing it with someone. Not now, my God.
“Noted,” Taylor laughingly said.
“Anyways, I think it’s quite late now. You still have an early freshmen orientation tomorrow, right?” Mom asked. Taylor and I nodded. “Then you should all go to sleep now.”
Taylor and I went to bed while Mom volunteered to clean first. We insisted on helping but she said it’s fine, that we should just sleep now.
But I still couldn’t sleep so I watched her move around the room. Taylor, on the top bed, is now already snoring.
“Still can’t sleep, hun?” Mom asked when she finished cleaning. She changed into my PJs. We’re the same size so that’s not a problem.
I moved to give her space in bed and she occupied it. It’s supposed to be a single bed but we can just squeeze in just for tonight.
“Big day tomorrow,” she murmured. “Nervous?”
“Very,” I replied.
I heard her chuckle. And then I felt it- her hand around my waist. My mom’s hugging me. She used to do this when I was still a kid. She would hug me until I fell asleep.
“You’ll do well, sweetie. I believe in you,” she mumbled.
I’d like to believe in myself too. I did it in High School. Easy peasy. But here in college? It’s a different thing. It’s a different place, with different people surrounding me.
I hope this is just me still trying to adjust. I hope this phase will be over soon and I can go back to fully believing in myself.
“Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“The necklace you gave me,” I murmur. “It’s weird.”
I felt my mom stiffened. She didn’t answer right away. “I’ll tell you about that other time. But please, wear it. Don’t take it off. It’s for your safety.”
My Mom murmured her good night and the place turned quiet. I have a feeling that Mom is really hiding something from me. It was all in my head until I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up without my Mom beside me. The PJs she wore are now folded inside my laundry basket. I guess she left early because she still has work.
I slowly sat up and looked around again.
It’s another day, another thing to conquer.
I got sad knowing my Mom’s no longer here but I have to remind myself I’m an adult now and I should learn how to handle my emotions. Getting too emotional will just take me nowhere.
I stood up, wore my inside sleepers, then made my bed. I could still hear Taylor snoring.
I walked toward my study table to check the time. But the first thing I noticed is the paper bag and two to-go cups of coffee with a note.
Got you and Taylor breakfast. Have a blast, Jazzy. –Mom
I smiled upon reading the note. My Mom never fails to cheer me up.
I was reminded to check the time and when I did, it said it’s 6:02 in the morning. Our freshmen orientation will be at 8 so I woke Taylor up. We need to be early because our bathroom’s shared by everybody on this floor. There may be a lot of cubicles, but there are also a lot of students here.
It took me a few tries for Taylor to wake up. She’s such a deep sleeper! I pinched her and even shook her but she never moved. She only woke up when I screamed in her ear.
“Sorry. You should prepare a bucket of cold water next time. It’s hard to wake me up,” she mumbles as she climbs out of bed.
“Mom got us breakfast so that’s already covered. Now, I’ll go and take a shower before my breakfast. It’s up to you whether you wanna eat first or wash up,” I said as I pick up all the stuff I’ll need to shower.
“Oh, I’ll shower first,” Taylor said and also hurried in taking her stuff.
When we made sure we already got the stuff we’ll need, we got out of the room together to go to the common bathroom which is just a few steps down the hall.
“Good thing you woke me up this early. I guess we’ll be the first people in the bathroom,” Taylor mumbled while we’re walking down the hall. I even smiled proudly.
But when we reached the common bathroom, I couldn’t say a thing.
“I guess waking up at 6 isn’t as early as we thought,” Taylor mumbled while we’re looking at the long line. There’s no way we’ll get in anytime soon.
We are doomed.
It’s already past 7 and we’ve been standing in line for almost an hour now. But there’s still a LOT of girls ahead of us. It takes so much time for one to finish bathing. My heart’s already pounding crazily inside my chest. I think we're gonna be late for our freshmen orientation. “Okay, this is not gonna work,” Taylor murmured. She’s behind me and we are actually the last people in the line. How crazy is that? “I know. But I’m not comfortable going out without so much as washing my face,” I replied. “I’ll go downstairs and check if the line’s not as long. You stay here, I’ll come back,” Taylor said. I haven’t replied yet and she already left, leaving me with her things. I took a deep sigh as I wished people downstairs didn't take forever to shower. No one warned us about the long line in the bathroom. If I only knew, I would’ve just taken a bath last night. While on the line, I kept looking at the stairs to see if Taylor’s coming or not. I also checked the time on the clock dis
It’s our first day in the University, but we still don’t have classes yet. We do have a lot of orientations and meetings today though. The freshmen orientation was already done. We still have an hour for a break to have snacks or something and then we’ll head to our department orientation. After that, I’ll have my bloc encounter. They call it ‘bloc encounter’ because it’s the first time the students in my bloc will meet. For freshmen, the sections are usually by bloc, which means that for people who are in the same bloc, they will most likely have the same classes. This is like a default for the freshmen. But after the first semester, we will basically be on our own. We’ll decide on what classes to take as long as we still follow our prospectus. For now, we’ll enjoy this privilege of not having to beg teachers to include us in their classes. Luckily, Taylor and I are in the same department so we don’t have to part ways just yet. But when the most dreaded bloc encounter came, I had
I had crushes. I remember having a crush on William Santos back in Elementary because he knows how to comprehend while reading. But it didn’t last long because apparently, the guy is a jerk. I saw him punching another girl in my class and it was awful. It made me pledge not to ever have a crush on him. In High School, the guys are not really attractive. Well, what’s attractive to me are guys who know how to form words beautifully, guys who know how to solve Algebra problems. But the guys in my High School? Unattractive. They are good-looking, but looks are not everything for me. Looking at the guy now who’s also eyeing me with the same intensity as yesterday, gives me the chills down my spine. Sure, he’s good-looking, his black hair has this messy look which made him look like a bad boy. And his brows? To die for! It’s in perfect shape and it’s all hair I can say. It must be good to have the same brows where I don’t have to use a brow pencil or something. His nose was pointed and he
The moment I saw his mischievous smile, I felt like running away. But why the hell would I run away? I have a class here. Why is he here? He should be the one to run away! I believe he has no business being here. He’s not a freshman! This class is exclusive for freshmen! Even in this class, he’s gonna crash? I grunted and went back to facing the front. The Professor’s already in front and anytime now, the class will start. Just the mere look on his face, I can already see he’s just playing. I just don’t understand why he’s making the University his playing ground, and why does it seem like I’m the toy? God, how dare he. And the necklace is really bothering the hell out of me. I should stop wearing this but as Mom said, this will protect me. Maybe to protect me from assholes? Maybe this is some kind of necklace that can detect assholes? Because everytime Flint is near me, the weird sensation always comes out from this necklace. Huh, I should really ask Mom about this. The Professo
My first week as a University Student flew by so fast. The classes were somehow okay. Most of the classes for this week are more on introduction of the courses. So far, I’m slowly adjusting to the environment. I still miss home though. Sean’s still the only friend I got from the bloc. I tried talking to them, opening up to them, but I don’t think the problem is me. I was pleasant enough to introduce myself and approach first but these people just won’t talk to me. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with them? As much as I want to know these people in my bloc, I just decided not to think so much about it. After all, I have Sean as my friend so I didn’t mind as much. Although he said joining the sem starter of the bloc will probably help. So I decided to go. It’s a Friday night. The very first thing I did the moment my class ended earlier was take a nap. After an hour, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to join the sem starter. “Hey, Tay?” I called. I’m still lying on my bed becau
“Hey, JV,” Flint greeted cheerfully. I quickly looked away and read the menu instead. I don’t think giving him attention will do any good to my mood.“JV? Why is he calling you JV?” Taylor asked. I just shrugged at her. Although I know why it’s JV- Jasmine Victoria. I don’t prefer to be called that way. I’m Jasmine!I heard Flint’s chuckle and that made me roll my eyes. “Do you mind?” He asked. I saw him pointing at the vacant chair at our table. We occupied the table with six chairs.“No,” Taylor and I quickly replied in chorus.“Wow, that was quick,” the guy in glasses commented laughingly. Can’t they feel we don’t want to share the table with them?“Look, I know we started rough, but can we start over?” I heard Flint ask. I scoffed.Maybe this is me being judgmental, but this is also me being careful. I can’t just let these strangers continue forcing their presence in my life.“You’ve been annoying me the entire week,” I finally said. I looked at him and maintained a straight face.
I didn't care about having friends before. One or two was enough for me. I thought, what would I do with a lot of friends? It's not like I'm running for Mayor or something.But I was good with being civil with everyone. The kind where I know they don't hate me for something. Sure, sometimes they're intimidated or can't stand the thought of me because I was competitive. But not competitive enough that I would harm anyone. No. I'm not friendly, I don't have that social skill, but I don't wish harm on anyone.Seeing my blocmates throw me looks that I don't understand, I realized I can't stand it when people treat me like an outcast. All these days, I tried my very best to show interest in knowing them because again, high school isn't like college. My Mom said
I saw him and his friends enter. Upon seeing him, I quickly looked away, afraid he'd see me. I don't want him to think he has an impact on me. Okay, I admit that he makes me feel all sorts of things, but to hell, I will never admit that to him. Everytime I see him, I can't help but feel these things- mostly annoyance. "Just don't mind him," I said. I also saw Sean looking their way. "I guess he hasn't seen us yet. Do you want to just go back to the dorm?" But we just got here and we haven't even finished our food yet. Also, this is the first time in this week that I don't have to look around and feel the atmosphere of the campus. My routine has been classroom-dorm-food halls or cafes, basically just around the campus. It was depressing so being outside feels so freeing. I feel like I was sentenced in jail- our dormitory being the jail. "You know what, we don't have to go. He doesn't own this place so we just have the same rights as him to be here," Taylor said as she munched on her