The Freshman

Chapter One - Welcome to Hartfeld University

Emily's POV

It was the first day of college, and I was walking across a bustling campus. "Ugh. This suitcase weighs like a thousand pounds. Maybe I shouldn't have brought so much -"

As I rounded a corner, I smacked right into a guy jogging by. "Whoa!" he exclaimed.

We were both knocked off our feet. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I asked.

"My ego's a little bruised. If the other guys on the football team saw me get tackled by a pretty girl, they'd never let me forget it." He offered me a hand and helped me up. "I'm Chris, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Emily."

"Emily... for some reason that rings a bell. Huh. So... are you okay? Nothing broken, I hope."

"I'll be fine. My hand is just a little scraped up."

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"Well, you could kiss my hand and make it better."

"If that'll help..."

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. "It feels better already."

"Any other bumps or bruises you need me to fix?"

"Let me think about that..."

"Chris! There you are! Don't forget about the Kappa house mixer tonight," a girl said.

"Oh... Becca. Hey. I'd love to go, but I promised my roommates I'd hang out with them," Chris said.

"Too bad... I promise you'd have a better time with me..."

"Uh, we're kind of in the middle of a conversation..." I said.

"It looked to me like you were just leaving."

"Actually -" Just then, Becca dropped her iced coffee at my feet, splashing it all over me. "Seriously?!"

"Oops. I'm so clumsy!"

"Emily! Your outfit! I'll go find some napkins," Chris said.

As soon as he was gone, Becca leaned in close. "Just so you know, Chris is mine."

"Oh, he's your boyfriend?" I asked.

"Not yet. But he will be."

"Oh yeah? Forget Chris! What about my clothes? I spent all morning choosing this outfit."

"And that's what you wore? How... sad."

Chris ran up with a stack of paper napkins. "This is the best I could do," Chris said.

"It's a good start... I'll just find my dorm and change. See you around, okay?" I asked.

"You can count on it."

A Few Minutes Later...

"This looks like the place!" I exclaimed. I knocked on the door, which swung open to reveal. "Wow. This place is huge!"

"Aaaahhhhh! New roomie! You're finally here!" a girl exclaimed. "... and covered in coffee?"

"Haven't you heard? It's the hottest look for fall."

"Oh yeah? Well you're definitely pulling it off. Seriously, you're super pretty."

"Thanks, you're super hot!"

"Oh, wow..."

She blushed and looked away, a slight smile curving her lips. "Too much?"

"I'm gonna go with no. But you probably want to get out of those coffee-stained clothes. Let me show you to your room!"