Love & Ruins (#2)

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Evan

The stark streak of sunlight that sliced through the gaps of my bedroom window woke me up before my alarm clock even could.

As I cracked my eyelids open and sought after it to see what time it was, only to find out that it's still 6:00 AM. Two more hours before my classes would actually start.

Maybe it's the overbearing anticipation of attending NYU that's been following me around these past few weeks is why my mind seems to move on its own accord, leaving my body no choice but to try and catch up with its enthusiasm.

But it was the only thing I had itching at the back of my head since I stepped foot here in New York, as well as the sheer determination of emerging from my long-winded hibernation back in LA that I thought would go on forever.

But the sun is only getting brighter and my bones are only gaining much more momentum upon the thought of meeting new people and finally getting my shot at the awaited redemption I've craved for who knows how long - pushing me to start the day a tad bit earlier than what you could expect from most college students.

As I walked towards my closet to pull out the clothes I had coordinated the night prior and laid them down onto my bed, afterward, I headed to the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee and make myself a bowl of cereal.

I don't necessarily know what I would do with the excess time I still have left, eating and getting ready wouldn't really take that much time, I'd give myself thirty minutes tops to do all of that and by then, I'd still have more time before I push myself to step out of the front door.

Even then, the commute from here to the campus approximately takes eighteen minutes, so with that in mind, I allow myself to drift off during breakfast, wondering about the endless possibilities that could unfold during the day.

I don't want to expect too much, to punch below my weight and think that this day is going to be as grand as I had envisioned it to be, all I know is being able to experience my first day in college after thinking that it was never going to happen, is that it's going to be good enough regardless if it meets my expectations or not.

You deserve to be happy for once, I reassured myself, you deserve to be fucking excited that your life finally stopped being inert and that you've gained the littlest bit of hope you kept trying to look for all those years ago. You can give yourself this.

I willed myself to finish my breakfast and put it in the dishwasher before taking a shower - all the while as I decided to shave the littlest bit of stubble that was visible on my face and intricately gel my hair to make it somewhat presentable, some strands going against my best wishes as they incessantly kept falling over my forehead and refusing to be intact.

Well, there's no denying that I need a haircut.

But I pushed the suggestion aside, reminding myself to do it within the week, as I walked to my bedroom to get dressed - nothing too extravagant, just my favorite black Armani sweater and a simple pair of gray slacks to go along with it.

The sweater accentuated my physique and the slacks stretched along my legs like a glove, as I did my best to move around in them as I had only just bought them recently.

I looked tolerable enough as I inspected my appearance in the mirror - there was no doubt I had lost quite a bit of weight over the years due to not taking care of myself well enough, and I wondered if there were any gyms nearby that I could visit and get back in shape.

After I finished getting ready, I rummaged through my shoulder bag hanging at the back of my bedroom door that contained everything I needed for today - my pens, binder, laptop, and all that.