New Leaves

Chapter One - Spring Quarter

Emily's POV

It was the first day of spring quarter, and I was barely able to contain my excitement about returning to campus. "Wow, this place is really beautiful in the spring!" I exclaimed.

"I'm so glad that you're able to come back this quarter. I know how heartbroken you were about leaving," Mom said.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I should've known that Professor Vasquez would come through for me, though! Do you think Dad's interview with Northcorp will go well?"

"We can only hope. But don't worry about that, Emily. The bottom line is, you're back this quarter. You've got your class schedule all set this quarter?"

"Yep! I signed up for classes before I thought I'd lost my scholarship."

"So, it looks like you'll be able to spend more time with that special someone after all!"

"Okay, Chris isn't the only person I was worried about not getting to see! But yeah, he was definitely one of them. What? He's my boyfriend!"

I stepped out of the car and inhaled the spring air. The campus smelled like cherry blossoms. "I love seeing you so happy."

"Emily!" Ms. Twombly exclaimed. I turned to see Ms. Twombly walking over from the nearby administration building. "I'm so glad I caught you. I just got an email about some rather... unusual provisions regarding your scholarship."

"Unusual provisions?" I asked.

"Nothing too scary, I promise! Let's meet on Monday to discuss them."

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you then!"

"Now, I'm sure you want to go see your sweetie, so I'll leave you to it."

Ms. Twombly winked at me before walking away. "Well, she's quite the character, isn't she?" Mom asked.

"That's Ms. Twombly. She's... interesting. So, I'll call you tomorrow?" I asked.

"Please do! I can't wait to hear about your first day back. Bye!"

She handed me the last of the bags before getting into the car and driving away. I started toward the dorm. I found my suitemates already hanging out on the roof. "Emily!" Chris exclaimed.

He ran over and swept me into his arms for a long, passionate kiss. "Seems like someone's happy to see me," I said.

"You have no idea. I've missed you so much. I might never let you go."

He tightened his arms around me, lifting me up off the ground. I giggled and pressed my lips to his again. "Okay, okay, put me down!"

"Fine, but I was serious. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. Come here, take a seat next to me."

Chris took a seat and I pulled up a chair next to him. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. How was your break?"

"Really busy. I spent most of the time coming up with ideas for student council."

"Anything you can discuss with non-council members?"

"Well, the one I'm most excited about is a textbook spending limit. If your books cost more than $300 per quarter, the school will cover the rest of the cost."

"That sounds amazing!"

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I do! That's something that'll help everyone. I'm sure it'll be a hit with the student council!"

"I've still got a few details to work out before I present it next week, but I hope you're right!"

"We're all rooting for you!"