And a small map of the university.
Everything felt and looked fantastic. The dean got up and made a speech as I took a seat next to a few girls. They looked at me before one of them patted me on my knee, asking me my name. Passing notes to me back and forth on our programs. Already, I’d found some girls to tag along with. Something that definitely wouldn't have happened had Clint been with me.
“Where are you from?”
“What’s your major?”
“That shirt is so cute, where did you get it?”
“Converses! I’ve never been brave enough, my
feet are so wide.”
“Do you have any of that lip gloss with you? It’s gorgeous.”
I didn’t even pay attention to the ceremony. Or the speech. I was too excited about finding some girls to pal around with. After we were dismissed, the girls dragged me over to a tour of the dorms. Which were bigger than I imagined.
“If we requested one another, we could be roomies!”
“I’d much rather room with someone I’ve met than leave it to chance.”
“Do you like classic rock? I listen to it while I’m trying to sleep.”
I smiled. “I love classic rock. My boyfriend does, too.”
One of the girls slipped her arm around mine and I walked with them around campus. The dorms we saw had private bathrooms connecting two rooms apiece. And there were four of us, which made us very excited. There was chatter about not sharing bathrooms with strangers and we all jotted down our names and numbers, hoping it wasn’t too late to get in our roommate requests. With every tour we took, I saw myself on this campus. Walking around with my books. Studying in the library. Rooming with these three girls I’d hooked up with.
This is perfect.
“All right, who’s ready to try the cafeteria?”
“I hope they have salads and soups. Otherwise, I’ll have to do the most expensive plan.”
“If the cafeteria food isn’t bad, it’ll be worth the money you’ll save.”
“Yeah, these meal plans are ridiculous.”
“But you get more flexibility with off-campus plans!”
“Rae, what do you think?”
I looked between the three girls and shrugged.
“Why not have the best of both worlds?” I asked.
“Oh, I like that idea.”
“Do they have a plan like that?”
“Oh! It’s the middle tier plan!”
“Rae, you’re a genius.”
I smiled as the four of us walked into the cafeteria. The tour broke up and we all got in our respective lines, and I couldn't believe the selections of food. There was a hot bar and a salad bar. Soups and sandwiches and wraps. There was a stir fry station and an all-breakfast bar. Which I quickly went toward.
“Oh, just like me. I love breakfast.”
I looked over at the girl and I couldn’t conjure her name.