My Colors are you

Chapter 1

Rory gripped her bag, which was filled with books and notebooks, harder to her chest as the bus came to a hard stop. With the announcement voice declaring her stop, she stood up quickly, barely making it out before the bus doors closed on her.

She shut her eyes as soon as her feet touched the ground. She felt relieved to have gotten off in time. It would have been horrible had she not made it and ended up late for her first class.

The leaves blew around her, signaling the beginning of fall. The beginning of a new semester. It was her first step back onto campus and already she felt like she had forgotten something. She checked her phone to make sure it was in her pocket. Then she looked through her book bag to make sure she had her tablet and her two coursebooks for the day. Finally, her heart panicked at the silence when she thought maybe it was her earbuds. But when she cuffed her ears, they were still there. She must have paused her music by accident. She felt silly and put her earbuds away before she could lose them.

Rory looked down to read her watch. She was so nervous she left her apartment early to make sure she made it on time to her first class. The first day jitters were getting the best of her. To make it worse, she hadn't been to school in a few months. She was still a freshman. With only one semester of college up her sleeve. She should've been a sophomore by now.

"Rory!"

"Huh?" She turned around, already caught lost in thought.

"You didn't hear me calling you?"

She didn't.

"What a coincidence that I ran into you on the first day without texting you! I just got out of my first class. It ended at eight."

Typical, Rory thought. Maggie Jones was always one step ahead of the game. An early riser and committed to her studies. A perfect student, a perfect future doctor, and a good friend.

She had not seen Maggie in a while. The last time she saw her, was ten months ago when Rory announced to Maggie that she'd be taking the rest of the year off. Maggie was nothing but supportive. She would constantly keep in touch and include her in all the stories she had to tell. And she had a lot. 

Rory couldn't tell how lucky she felt to have snatched up a friend like Maggie. It was fortunate they first met because they were assigned as roommates in the dorms. But Maggie's kind and energetic personality were enough for anyone to become entranced. It was why she was so popular.

"What time is your first class?"

"Oh, um." Rory looked down at her watch again. She felt stupid. She knew her class started in an hour, but her nerves didn't help her. Neither did her horrible people skills.

"I guess it starts in an hour," she admitted sheepishly.

"Great," Maggie smiled cheerfully," lead the way. I have nothing to do for the next three hours, anyway."

That was the thing about Maggie; she always knew how to make someone feel comfortable and welcomed.

Being back on campus brought forth Rory's situation. She did feel slightly strange that she was already two-quarter semesters behind. She'd have to take two summer quarters if she wanted to catch up. Usually, no one took the summer quarters, but she didn't even have a choice. If she wanted to graduate on schedule, she had to work hard and pass all her classes. Aside from that, she felt it was in her own best interest to get an apartment off-campus. Which meant she had gotten a part-time job at the bakery-cafe in town. It was owned by a family friend, so she had no trouble securing the job. Her dad told her a job would only weigh her down and distract her from her studies, but Rory insisted.