Could today get any better? From across the room of my intermediate-level French class, an adorable-looking guy with smooth, dark curls flashed me a shy smile that set my heart aflutter.
If a flirty smile counted, then this was the second good thing to happen this morning. The first had been…no, maybe this was the third. Definitely, the second. Though “Gives You Hell,” the perfect mood-boosting song to start the day woke me, it didn’t count.
A longtime favorite, this song was ideal for imbuing me with the confidence needed to face the first day of freshman classes at exclusive Donnelly College in New York State. I wanted to give them hell, unless my usual insecurities and shyness surfaced. Often a possibility.
Rising slowly, I had opened the window shade a crack. The sixth-floor view, all treetops, but after yesterday’s rain, at least the sun shone through. Certainly, that was a good omen.
A passing glance at the clock confirmed the early hour; enough time to leisurely check my e-mails and choose my clothing for the day.
Quickly scrolling my iPhone confirmed my hunch. Today was already a good day! A late-night love note from Mom made my eyes tear. Far away from my Santa Monica home, I missed Mom and Dad more than I imagined, though it had only been a few days since move-in.
Silently, I tiptoed into the bathroom, enjoying the privacy that came with being the only one awake. I shared a suite with two other girls on the seventh floor of a ten-story tower, Donnelly’s tallest building. The tower appeared to be sitting on the broad shoulders of ivy-covered Berkeley Hall, an otherwise four-story, C-shaped brick building.
Loud, rapid knocking interrupted my reverie while I brushed my teeth.
“You almost done?”
With the water running, I couldn’t tell which impatient roommate it was. I spit into the small sink to answer.
“One more minute,” I called. Jeez! It was bad enough having to share the facilities, but really, I hadn’t been in the bathroom for that long.
Rachel was leaning against the doorjamb to her bedroom, shower caddy in hand, staring. I smiled to diffuse the tension and returned to my room. Learning to live with other people was more difficult than I had imagined.
Born into A-list Hollywood society, I led a rarefied existence where you never wanted for anything, nor waited for anything. The downside, everyone assumed they knew you because of the latest gossip blog entries. At Donnelly, for the first time in my eighteen years, I’ll have the opportunity to be me. I’m three thousand miles from home, just another anonymous freshman. It’s time for me to discover who I am.
