Lady Labyrinth

Natalie Meets Rowan

College was preceded by eighteen years of buildup. More accurately, thirteen. Since the start of elementary school, going to college was shoved down our throats. Both my parents are college graduates; my dad has his Master's, and my mom has two Bachelor's. I always knew that I was going to go to college, and I knew what I wanted to major in for years. I won't specify that, since it's not important to the story. I will say that it has something to do with teaching an extracurricular activity. I'll leave it at that.

It was the fall of 2019. My mom was in the process of getting a new job, which prevented her from being able to move me into college. Honestly, I was thrilled when she said she couldn't go. She was kind of a helicopter mom, and we would've spent a lot of time arguing about where things should go. I went to a camp at this same university a year before, and I stayed in a dorm. Even that involved a lot of arguing, and all I was doing was putting sheets on the bed and unzipping a suitcase. Stupid.

It was just Dad and I. He was easy-going. He brought bags from the car while I put stuff away. After my stuff was moved in, we ran by the grocery store to stock up my room on snacks and cereal. We were all allowed our own mini fridges, so I didn't have to share food with anyone.

Once everything was settled, we said goodbye. Going in, I had no idea if I would cry or not, and I did as I hugged my father. That first night in the dorm felt eerie. I moved in two weeks early due to said extracurricular activity I was going to school to teach. Because of that, the dorm was relatively empty. The only person I knew who also lived in this building was my ex-boyfriend from eighth grade, who was doing the same thing I was (he quit after one semester).

The next day felt less alone. Honestly, it was that first night that felt the worst. I would only be alone for a few more nights. The rest of the freshman eventually moved in. I was sharing a suite with three other girls. We each had our own bedroom, plus a common room and two bathrooms. It was technically the nicest dorm on campus, but the terrible RAs (not ours, but others), frequent fire alarms, and terrible wifi made it a not-so-great experience. I had to have my mother overnight me an Ethernet cord so I could use my computer in a timely manner.

Classes started. It was really weird being a freshman again. I had a high position of power as a high school senior, and I was now at the bottom of the chain of command. I did okay this first semester. Of the eight semesters that I had a GPA, this one ended up being my worst. I should have done better in a couple classes. My C in college algebra really screwed the pooch.

A few weeks into the year, the extracurricular was holding an event for alumni to come. It was the organization's centennial, and by the end of the registration, over 300 people signed up. From recent graduates to folks in their 80s, it was a great event to share.

The event was held at a football game. I sat in the stands as normal. My ADHD self liked to look at all the different things around me. Naturally, I turned around. There he was.

Okay, so I didn't notice him at first sight. Not until he talked to me wondering if I was a freshman.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Cool. I just graduated," he said. "I'm Rowan."

"Natalie," I said. We shook hands. Brief conversation revealed that he was doing the same thing I was trying to do.

"What high school did you go to?" Rowan asked.

I gave him my answer.

"Do you wanna come work for me? It'd be really great to have you." Rowan revealed where he taught, which was about an hour away from both the university and the town I was originally from. I wasn't too keen on the 45 mile drive, but I said yes to avoid awkward emails and phone calls with other teachers I didn't know.