No Ordinary Fate

Chapter 1

Emory Woods walked from her morning calculus class to the coffee shop on campus. As much as she enjoyed math, which was considerably more than most, she still didn't feel like she functioned during that 7am course and needed coffee after it to make it through the day. Preferably something with so much sugar and caramel so that she couldn't actually taste the coffee because she had yet to enjoy the bitter flavor as much as most of her classmates seemed to.

"Hey Emory!" Brittany, a bubbly girl who lived on her floor, said. She matched her pace along the sidewalk. Emory didn't understand how she had so much energy for eight in the morning, and it was a quality that might have annoyed her, had they met in high school. But college was a time to grow as a person, which meant resisting the judgements she was used to making. Besides, on Brittany, it almost seemed endearing. Like she just couldn't contain her joy. And, as a freshman and someone far from home and the people she had gone to high school with, she couldn't exactly deny anyone who wanted to be her friend.

"Hey, how's your morning going?" Emory asked.

"Great! I met with some of the other girls who made the cheer team with me when we tried out over summer and it was so great to catch up! Especially because all of the upper-classman have been practicing on campus for weeks. They used to let the freshman come early too, but I guess they don't anymore because of a hazing problem or something" she rambled. Brit filled up the conversation for the entire walk, which was kind of nice. Plus, Emory thought, now it looked like she had a friend too. She belonged more, somehow.

They both entered the coffee shop and stood together in the line. The shop was already busy and loud, despite the early hour.

"You would think that, cuz like, we only knew each other for two days, we wouldn't be so excited to meet up again, but, it was actually so cool!" Brit continued. "You should meet them! You'd like them! Were you ever a cheerleader?"

"Uh, yeah I was actually," Emory admitted. She had always been a gymnast, but when she moved when she was fifteen and didn't belong to a gym or have a car to get to one, she joined her school cheer team instead.

"Ohmygod, I totally sensed that!" Brit exclaimed. "That's so great! Why didn't you try out?" She almost pouted as she asked this last bit.

"Oh, I just thought it was best to focus on school for my first semester here," Emory said.

"Well then next semester you have to try out!"

They had reached the front of the line when Brit finished saying this, and Emory was saved from answering because the cashier asked for an order. After Brit ordered, Emory asked for a caramel frap and met Brit at the bar she was waiting for her order at. Brit began to talk about coffee and how glad she was there was a shop on campus. All Emory could think was how much more talkative the girl would be with caffeine. But for some reason she had taken a liking to her in their short walk. Brit seemed a bit hyper and silly, but she also seemed genuine, like one of those girls who wasn't mean even with popularity of beauty because they just didn't know quite how to be. Which was why Emory agreed to sit with her before her next class outside of the shop.

The sun had begun to shine a little more, giving them a warmth as they sat on the benches. Pennsylvania was still chilly, but the sun did make a difference.

"So, I heard from one of the head cheerleaders that there's supposed to be a themed party this weekend! You know, cuz orientation is over and all of the upperclassman are back on campus," Brit said. "We totally have to go! And guess what the theme is?"

"Um, I have no idea."

"It's 90's themed! How great is that! I'm so glad I brought some overalls from home! They'll be perfect with a bandou!"

Emory thought about it for a moment. She was hesitant to go, but only because she didn't know exactly what to expect. But going with someone like Brit would be like have a tour guide combined with someone to speak for her.

"Please say you'll come! It will be so much fun!" Brit had taken her silence as a no and now she had given into begging. Emory was about to say yes when Brit stopped talking as a person approached them.

He was possibly the most gorgeous boy she'd ever seen. Emory couldn't take her eyes off of him, even as it was clear he'd spoken and was waiting for a reply. He had two different colored eyes, one green with brown fleck and one blue with gold in it somehow. It was breathtaking. He had dark brown hair that was slightly curly and a jaw that was just between the youthful round stage and the manly square. One dimple appeared on his left cheek as smiled at both her and Brit, still waiting for one of them to speak.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Emory asked. She shook her head slightly, almost embarrassed, but then she noticed how much he was studying her now and she felt ashamed for her blatant checking him out. He was looking at her with equal, if not more, intensity and now she felt like a bug under a microscope. She cleared her throat and he jumped slightly.

"Sorry, I spaced. I asked if you were in my calculus class. I thought I saw you there this morning." He spoke and her head spun a little. His voice hit her straight to her core. It made it a little hard to breathe, hearing the low timbre of his speech.

"Um, yeah," Emory answered, her voice coming out a little high pitched. "I was in

Calculus this morning with Professor Dodson."

"I thought so! My name is Theo, by the way."

"I'm Emory and this is Brit," she motioned to the girl who had suddenly gone very quiet in the last few moments. She looked over at Brit and noticed the girl had a smile on her face; a very secretive one.

"Nice to meet you. I actually wanted to ask if you caught the homework pages. I didn't write them down and now I don't remember them at all. I'd hate to be that kid who doesn't even manage to do the first assignment."

"Oh, yeah! I have them, hold on one second." Emory opened her bag to pull out her notebook.

"Theo, right?" Brit finally spoke up. He nodded. "I was just trying to convince Emory to come out to the 90s party with me this weekend. Maybe you can help convince her. Will you be there?"

"I would definitely consider going, but only if Emory will be there," Theo replied, giving her a wink.

"It's settled then! You'll both come!"

Emory found the page she had written the assignment on and looked up at the smug Brit and shook her head.

"Here, it was page twelve to seventeen, exercises eighteen to forty-seven," Emory said.

"Thanks," Theo replied. "And I, uh, guess I'll see you both this weekend." He walked away and Brit gave a girly squeal.

"Oh, he so likes you! He was, like, mesmerized the minute you spoke!" she said. "I bet he had the homework but just wanted an excuse to come talk to you!"

For the next ten minutes Emory let Brit ramble about an elaborate romance that was surely brewing between the two. It allowed Emory to focus on how affected she still was by him. She swore she could almost still smell him; he smelled like pine trees when he approached, and it lingered somehow. He was liking a walking Christmas tree farm.

She agreed to go to the party and even get ready with Brit beforehand, which didn't mean much considering she lived two doors down, and they had a communal bathroom. They both parted ways at the coffee shop, Emory to her Biology class and Brit to her Spanish class.