if by chance | ✓

07 | i have my own reasons

[ 07 ]

C O R A

✦

On Mondays, I happen to be the first student to enter the lecture room. Partly because of the caffeine in my system, and partly because I can't risk having to sit in the last row and becoming that irresponsible person who sleeps in class.

"You have heard about this right?" Riley asks, slapping a neon yellow flyer on my desk.

"Heard about what?" I frown as I pick up the flyer and quickly gloss over the headline which reads in bold : Excursion For Sophomore Year Students.

"Quite surprising that our globetrotter haven't read this yet!" She snorts, sitting down on the steel chair next to me.

"Is this for real? I mean, it says it begins next week?!" I exclaim, a sudden spurt of euphoria running in my veins.

Riley shrugs, as disinterested as she always has been. After her fight in the cafeteria with Luna, who happens to be her girlfriend, she has been quiter than ever before. Honestly, I never expected them to be the couple who fights in public. And I didn't expect them to fight over academic issues either. But alas! Life is full of surprises (and shocks).

"Morning. Hey, that's my seat!" Noah scowls at me, as soon as he enters the lecture room.

"Fuck off." I show him my tallest finger which makes Riley laugh.

"Respect your elders." Noah demands.

"We're twins."

At that, my brother's face, as pale as mine, goes tomato red. He might be born two minutes earlier than me, but when it comes to roasting each other ─ I sure as hell am the ruler. He makes his way to the second row in surrender, adding to my pleasure.

A few minutes later, Dr. Harvey enters with his hands full of fat books and loose sheets. But unlike every other lecture day, his face was as bright as the sun this morning.

"Now guys! I am guessing y'all already know about what I'm going to announce?" He raises his eyebrows a little, trying to raise our serotonin levels.

The entire hall starts murmuring at that and hence Dr. Harvey is compelled to bring back his infamous frown-face to shut them up.

"Okay, silence now! Let me speak."

Riley nudges me, whispering "excursion" to my ears. A part of me wanted to jump in but then it occurred, am I even getting permission to join this?

Dr. Harvey starts handing out the entire program schedule to us followed by a detailed explanation of it. And by the time he had finished, it was almost an hour which marked the end of class.

"So anyone who's interested, mail me your details ─ in the correct order, mind you. And I must tell you, there's gonna be some major hiking and rock climbing, so remember to bring every necessary thing that's been listed on that sheet." He declares before hurrying out of the lecture hall full of exhilarated students who couldn't wait to get their asses out of their houses and do something other than cramming for midterms.