Locked Eyes

1. Genevieve

Do you know how you expect anything that is old to have loud creaking wood, chipped painting, and ghosts? That is not the case with the University of Pennsylvania, it is however the oldest university in the country, and good old Benjamin Franklin statues are placed within at least every corner of the campus, you turn a corner, and boom he's sitting with his cane and Harry Potter lookalike glasses. It's usually where I would be standing on a Wednesday afternoon but today I am not waiting for my friends, they are beside me and we are listening to a current protest.

The upperclassman yells into her megaphone about how males have no validation on women's bodies, period. The walkway was filled with chanting women, agreeing.

"When do you think the Dean is going to come out?" Imogen yells to me as we push are our way through, we would definitely stay for the rest of the protest but class calls for us.

"Didn't he approve it?" I yell back to her as the crowd gets rowdier. Imogen shakes her head and points to a set of male professors standing off to the side. Men.

"Maybe it's a good thing we're leaving, I don't have time to end up in another holding cell because of another protest," I smile at my friend, brushing back my blonde hair.

She laughs "you were thrown in a holding cell for being there at the wrong time."

I glance at her once we've finally stepped away from the large crowd, the two of us letting out sighs "I was there at the right time, just at the wrong place when the protest got violent."

"A holding cell was definitely a better punishment compared to others," She shrugs and I lift a shoulder agreeing. The students passing us eye the very public and loud protest happening behind us. Imogen and I make our way almost across campus.

Wednesday's are my busy days and I didn't particularly end classes until seven and since it's fall and the sky is about pitch black when I step out of my last class in a huff, my test did not go as well as I thought and I never usually beat myself up over a test but today's was deadly. A few people lingered around campus like me, I was currently cutting through Kaskey park, I often cut through here because it is near the Johnson building. It's dangerous to walk alone especially in the dark and I am very aware of that but it's a shortcut and I am not about to walk about the compass, it's too big.

I slow down my steps and I see a figure laying right in the middle of the pathway, this screams stranger danger and I should consider taking the long way around but I'm a Nosey Nellie so I continue to step forward.

"Don't panic, worst-case scenario I die or the person laying in the middle of the pathway is dead," I say to myself.

"I'm not dead and I won't kill you," The figure says and I immediately jump back a hand coming to my now racing heart.

"Jesus Christ," I exclaim "what are you doing in the middle of the pathway?" I ask stepping closer and soon I'm hovering above him, there's a bench right behind him.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asks. I glance down at him, both of his arms were behind his head and an unlit cigarette was in his mouth being tossed from side to side.

"Obviously not if I asked you," I say. The male opens his eyes and despite the darkness surrounding us, I could see his light blue eyes.

"I'm looking at the sky," He deadpans.

"It's dark," I respond back rocking on the heels of my Doc Martens.

"The fucking stars," He juts his chin up and I look up.

"There's hardly any stars out," I say looking back at him and he groans shutting his eyes. "Should I be calling 911, are you feeling suicidal?" I blurt her and he scoffs. I shift on my feet again "I'm Gen," I tell him, "it's short-form for Genevieve. It was my grandpa's mother's name, it's a bit old which is why I introduce myself as Gen, someone once called me Gin and Tonic."