Crushing College

2

"Why?" I asked, surprised my roommate would say something like that about Tae. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"His last relationship didn't end well," Lisa answered. "He dated someone who lived on our floor last year and he told me he has sworn off girls for now. He wants to concentrate on his studies and graduate." She gave me a side-eye look. "You know he's a senior, right?"

I fiddled with the furry feet of the Elmo doll resting on my pillow. "I actually like the fact that he's older."

I had more questions for Lisa, like how long did they date? Who was she and where is she now? Who ended the relationship and why? But I didn't want to seem desperate so I changed the subject and asked Lisa about her classes. When we realized we both had an eight o'clock, we made plans to have breakfast together.

Monday morning we joined the sleepy-eyed students in the cafeteria. I asked the food server for eggs, French toast, hash browns, bacon, and sausage. It was so hard to refuse all those choices! Lisa and I sat at a wood laminate table close to the cereal bar. Minutes later, others from our floor joined us and introductions were made. I observed the laid back interactions between some who already knew each other and thankfully they tried to make the newbies feel welcome too. This was a major part of my new life and I couldn't wait to feel that sense of belonging.

As I finished my last bite of the fatty sausage, I looked around me. Various workers in white snap-down shirts scurried around the cafeteria refilling utensils, serving food, and wiping down the metal counters. Most of them looked as young as me. It reminded me that I needed to work if I wanted some pocket money. 

"Does anyone know where I can apply for a job on campus?" I asked.

"You could go to the student employment office," Lisa answered.

"I was thinking the library or the admissions office. You know, something easy like office work." I had never had a job before, if you don't count babysitting, but it was another thing I was willing to try for the first time.

"Why don't you work here?" a girl named Rose asked, her hand in the air indicating the cafeteria.

I laughed out loud. Visions of me scrubbing greasy pots and pans wearing a hairnet while plopping food onto my friends' plates made me shudder. 

"I can't even. Who would choose to work in the cafeteria?" I asked, a hint of disdain in my voice.

"We do." A guy named Jay said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. A few others nodded to show they were just like him, including Lisa.

"Oh, sorry," I said sheepishly. I hated this part of being the new kid.

With breakfast over, we put our trays away and grabbed our backpacks. Most of us got on the same bus to University Circle. As we rode down the main street, I noticed the scenery around me, how the tall classroom buildings jutted out abruptly from the flat terrain of the town like the Las Vegas hotels in the desert. When I stepped off the bus, I took a deep breath of the fresh country air. It had a clean, natural smell with just a hint of manure.

After my English and History classes, my last class, my least favorite class, was College Algebra. Unlike the stereotypical Asian, I was horrible at math and it made me feel stupid. I chose a seat at the back of the class on purpose.

When the professor did role call, I noticed the guy sitting in the desk next to me looked familiar. He was attractive with his high cheekbones and flawless, porcelain Asian skin. He raised his hand and answered to the name Kai. When my name was called, I responded with, "Present!" Then out of my peripheral vision, I saw Kai turn his head to stare at me. Doing a double take then focusing on the board in the front, I felt my cheeks turn red.