talk to you (n. uzumaki)

1.

Stepping through the threshold of the door, you make your way through the nearly empty lecture hall to the back row, the bustle and noise of the students outside in the hallways being somewhat diminished when you close the door.

Taking your usual seat, you realize your top is more soaked through than you thought- the brand new sweater you bought for your first day of your sophomore year of college is chillingly damp. You groan, internally scolding yourself for not better preparing for the bone-chilling New England weather that comes with going to school in New York. You couldn't be blamed considering you came from down south, and didn't expect it to pour quite so much on your first day of class, on an early September morning.

Dumping all of your school stuff on the floor beneath your cramped lecture seat (regrettably lacking an outlet nearby, of course) you check the time. Looks like you've got ten minutes before your 9 AM starts- why not go to the bathroom to freshen up? You set up your iPad on the desk, and quickly scramble down the stairs to the exit. Thankfully, you know the building inside and out, and make it into the bathroom across the hall with ease while taking in the sea of confused and groggy freshmen. 

Pushing the door open, you realize this bathroom is far nicer than you remember it being last year- new sinks, no graffiti anywhere, and a surprising lack of marijuana in the air. Actually,  you're overwhelmed with the distinct smell of perfume, and see a dark-haired girl spraying herself with what you recognize is some Japanese Cherry Blossom body spray. Noticing you enter, she shyly waves. 

"Hey there," you say, taking the initiative to start the conversation, "are you new here? I haven't seen you around before! I love whatever perfume you're using, you smell so nice!"

The dark-haired girl's cheeks quickly turn peach pink, before she utters a nearly inaudible "Th-thanks..." She gingerly offers the bottle of body spray to you. "My name's Hinata. It's nice to meet you, too." she replies with a polite smile. "I just transferred here from out of state- I'm a sophomore. What about you?" she says.

You can practically sense the girl trying to overcome her nervousness. Though honestly, you don't blame her. Starting somewhere new, especially in an entire different state, is terrifying- you know from experience.

"No way! I'm not from around here either, I actually grew up pretty far from here too- I'm actually from Texas. I'm a sophomore, too."

"Kinda missing having any semblance of temperate weather... damn rain." you mutter, grumbling about your freezing state and damp hair.

Hinata's eyebrows raise, before she reaches into her backpack. In response to you giving her a quizzical look, she shoves a warm beige jacket into your arms. The same smell from her body spray fills your nose, the warmth of the fuzzy jacket itself feeling somewhat akin to a warm hug from a friend.

"You... look like you're freezing... take my hoodie. I'm used to this weather, I'll be okay without it. Please, I wouldn't want you to catch a cold...." she mumbles, looking at her feet.

"Oh, uh... thank you! I really appreciate it. I was just prepared to condemn myself to being a shivering mess all of my next class." you reply. "Hey, speaking of which, need any help finding anything? I was here last year too, so I can probably help you find whatever class you're looking for! I think we have just a few minutes."

At this you notice her pale eyes brighten just slightly, and she timidly nods a "yes", pulling out her phone. She scrolls for a minute, and pulls up her schedule before flipping it towards you. 

"I have Music History 1.... I'm new to this school, so I don't know where it is..."  she explains. 

"Hmm... looks like we'll have the same class! Here, just let me change out of this sweater and I'll be right out." 

The relief that washes over the shy girl's face is tangible. She quickly nods, and goes to stand by the door. You fold up your soaked sweater, and pull the wonderfully cozy hoodie over your tank top. The inside has the fluffiest lining you think you've ever worn... it makes you feel as though you could melt into a puddle from wearing it alone.

"Alright, I'm all good. Thank you again, Hinata; I think this might just be the comfiest thing I've ever worn." you say, giving Hinata a thumbs up. 

She smiles with the tiniest hint of a blush on her cheeks, clearly feeling somewhat excited at the prospect of making a new friend. "I'm glad I could help. That's my favorite hoodie. It suits you very well." she praises with another nod, pushing open the bathroom door. 

As the two of you make your way back to the Music History lecture hall, you point out the different rooms and their uses. Peering through the window of the piano methods classroom, Hinata's eyes widen. "Th-there's so many pianos in there! Why would you need so many in one place?" 

"Oh, that's where beginner piano students learn how to play. I took that class last year, to get one of my Creative Art credits. If you'd ever like to learn how to play, I'd love to teach you." you say with a soft smile. 

Pushing open the hefty lecture hall door, you finally arrive at your first class-- for the second time that day. With there being only a minute or two left until lecture begins, most of the seats are full. You turn back to Hinata. "I think there's a seat open next to where I put my stuff in the back row, would you like to sit with me? It's okay if you don't-"

Hinata cuts you off. "That sounds good, please! I-I don't know anyone else here..." she trails off.

"That's okay! It's a little cramped, so... just let me know if you want me to move my stuff." you quickly reassure her, taking your seats. 

Not even a minute after you both sit down, your TA clears his throat. 

"Good morning, everyone! I hope all of you are enjoying this delightfully sunny weather." he says, gesturing to the nearly pitch black sky and rumbling rain on the tall windows. Some of the class chuckles weakly at his attempt at a joke, and he opens his MacBook after awkwardly laughing at it himself.

"Alright, good to see some of you are awake... I know I'm barely holding on to it as is. Now, who's ready to learn some music history?!" he cheerily says, broadly gesturing to the picture of Bach on the projector. Instead of chuckles, he's met with loud groans, the loudest coming from a blonde guy sitting a few rows in front of you.

"Ugh, it's just a core class... can't you just post a slideshow of this in Canvas?" you overhear him uttering just loud enough to hear, lazily tapping his chewed-on pencil on the desk. 

Even though there's no way he can see you, you shoot your most deadly stink eye at the back of his fluffy blonde hair. As though he has some kind of ninja skill that allows him to sense you, he slowly turns around, and you meet eyes.

He holds eye contact with you, just barely too long, and then quickly whips around in his seat. You watch as he pulls out a weathered looking notebook, and digs around in his backpack until he finds what you can only guess is a very used textbook.

You roll your eyes, momentarily comparing his... "setup" to both you and Hinata's workspace laid out on the desk. Where you and Hinata have a neatly set up textbook paired with highlighters, the guy in front of you has a gnawed on Ticonderoga pencil and a textbook that looks like you'd find it in a puddle on the side of the street.

Whatever. He's probably the kind of guy that'll drop this class after a few days, anyway. Right?