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 displayed at the bottom of the hallway. I had to squint my eyes to see it correctly. It’s almost 8 now.
How can time pass by so fast?!
Finally, I saw Taylor running down the hall toward me.
“Quick! Quick!” She said as she gestured to me to run to her. I was dumbfounded but I still did run to her.
We met halfway and she was still trying to catch her breath.
“God, we should’ve just rented an apartment or something with its own bathroom,” she grumbled. “Vincent the RA said the Dorm Manager’s still not around. He said we can use the bathroom in her office. Let’s go!”
We didn’t waste our time and ran as fast as we could.
“Hey, Vincent!” Was all I was able to tell him when we reached the Dorm manager’s office. Taylor quickly grabbed me going to the bathroom.
The bathroom was quite huge so it could accommodate me and Taylor. With my eyes widening, I looked at Taylor as she took off her shirt.
“Hey! We don’t have much time! You use the shower, I’ll use the faucet,” Taylor mumbled. I tried not to mind ourselves taking a bath together and just went for it. Well, we weren’t really naked. We still had our underwear on while taking a bath. I know it’s weird but we’re in crisis so we can’t afford to be picky.
Taylor washed her hair in the faucet while I had the shower. When I was done applying soap and rinsing my body, we exchanged positions so she could wash her body, and I did my hair in the faucet. It was pretty crazy but we moved so quickly until we found ourselves wrapped with our bathrobes.
We got out of the bathroom also pretty quickly and just said our ‘thanks’ to Vincent. We ran upstairs. I didn’t know our first day would be like a marathon.
We didn’t waste time and quickly changed into our clothes. Good thing I already planned what to wear today- a cream turtleneck sweater paired with a tan skirt that ends about 3 inches above the knee. On the other hand, Taylor nearly ruined her neatly piled clothes looking for something to wear.
“Oh God, I didn’t think this through!” She almost shouted. I could hear the panic in her voice.
I was already done wearing my clothes, my sweater still untucked, while Taylor’s still in her underwear. Maybe I’ll laugh about our situation later. Because this is really funny.
I helped Taylor pick something to wear. I suggested she just wear her maroon strappy dress and she did choose it. I also got her a white cardigan to wear on top of her dress. I’m not sure about the dress code here because it is yet to be discussed later.
I quickly looked at myself in the mirror and just put on a lip tint just so I won’t look pale. I didn’t bother putting on makeup or anything else because we really don’t have time now. Taylor did the same.
And lastly, I took the necklace Mom gave me and wore it. I just hid it behind my sweater.
Another good thing is I already prepared my bag with the stuff I will need inside and so did Taylor. I’m so grateful she did hers.
We didn’t have the time to blow dry our hair so we just let it be. We ran to our shoe stand and grabbed our shoes- mine's tan ankle boots while Taylor’s are peach sandals.
Now that I see it, we kind of have different wardrobes.
We got out of our room and locked the door after making sure we got our keys.
“Hey! Your hair’s still wet!” I mumbled when I saw Taylor fixing her hair into a ponytail. Her hair’s quite short so there are strands on her neck.
“It’ll dry!” She replied.
I thought for a second if I should just bun my hair but my hair’s too wet and too long for it. I just tried to comb it multiple times so it would dry quickly.
We ran to the auditorium for the orientation, but it was already past 8. So when we reached there, the auditorium was already packed. There are no seats left.
“So I guess we’ll just stand here, huh?” Taylor commented. We are devastated.
“I guess we are,” I mumbled.
The orientation was just starting so I guess it’s okay if we stand here. After all, we’re not the only ones on standing ovations.
“Good morning,” the emcee greeted in front. I was even surprised when the speakers made a noise. There were speakers everywhere! And there’s a speaker just behind us which really made me jump. “Is everybody here freshmen?”
“Yes, ma’am!” The crowd replied.
I noticed three males sitting on the seats in front of us. They were laughing and whispering something. They looked like they’re making fun of something.
I just looked away and focused my attention on the speaker who is now starting to speak in front.
“It felt nice to be a freshman again.”
“Well, it felt good we didn’t go to class.”
“Should we start hunting for pretty freshmen now?”
“No. Let’s pretend to blend in some more. You don’t want teachers seeing us.”
“Now, this is fun.”
My brows furrowed when I heard the conversation of the three males. Did I get it right? They’re not freshmen and are just crashing? What the hell is wrong with them?
I thought I was the only one who heard their conversation. Apparently, Taylor heard it too and is now grunting.
“Oh, check out that girl in pink,” one of the boys asked, the one at the right, pointing at a girl a few seats away from them. Jerks.
“She’s hot,” the one in glasses commented. He was sitting on the left. There was a guy in the middle of the two but he seemed more quiet than the two guys.
“Oh. Look at that girl in-“
The guy on the right did not finish what he was gonna say because Taylor approached them and said, “Excuse me, I happened to hear your conversation. You’re just here to check out pretty girls? You’re not actually freshmen?”
My eyes widened in shock. No, she didn’t! She just started an argument with those guys. God!
“Oh, look at her,” the guy in glasses said, giving Taylor a look from head to toe.
Oh, no. This is not good.
“Don’t give that look,” Taylor said to the guy. This time, I stepped in and tried to stop Taylor.
“Tay,” I called softly.
But she didn’t let me stop her. She continued arguing with the guys. Telling them about how much of a crasher they are, that they should go back to their classes, and give their seats to actual freshmen who are standing in the back. It was like they were shouting but still in shushed voices, being careful not to be heard by everyone else in the auditorium.
“This is so not what I pictured my first day will be,” Taylor mumbled.
“Well, I guess it’s your fault, babe,” said the guy on the right.
“Don’t you babe me!” Taylor snapped.
The guys laughed, except for the guy in the middle who’s staring at me. At first, he just stared at me, but when he noticed I was looking at him, he smiled at me, amusement was written all over his face.
I looked away. “Taylor, you’re starting a scene,” I whispered to Taylor. That made her stop.
“Come on, boys. We’re caught. I think we should just go,” he murmured and the guys readily agreed.
They all stood up. The two boys even looked at Taylor, while Taylor arched her brow at them.
And the other one was still looking at me, like he had no plans of looking away. That made me feel so conscious.
The boys left the auditorium, leaving us with empty seats. Taylor and I quickly sat there.
But even if we already took our seats, I could still feel someone staring at me.
I looked behind me, and there I saw the guy, still looking. That’s when I felt the weird sensation again from the necklace. I wanted to check it out but I don’t want to draw attention so I just let it be. But I have a feeling the wolf appeared in the pendant again.
The guy was already at the door, holding the knob. He even gave a small smile before he went out.
I just looked away and tried to shrug the thought out of my head.
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
It's really true that time flies by so fast when you're enjoying it. I was excited for the weekend but it seemed like it didn't last long. I saw my family and got to spend time with them the entire weekend. We roamed around the City. While Mom and Dad were taking a rest, my sisters and I went coffee shop hunting. We went to different coffee shops and tried their signature coffees. It was so fun. I had a lot of caffeine that day. It felt like heaven.But as they say, all good things must come to an end. The weekend was over. Now I'm back to my room, alone and lonely. My family just dropped me off here and hurried back home. Dahlia and Hyacinth still have classes tomorrow early, and my parents have work as well.Come to think of it, I forgot to ask Mom about