𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝟏𝟐𝟕

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦

My phone buzzes, pulling me out of a half-dream state. Narri is sending a blurry photo of her campus's first snowfall. Already? I think, wiping sleep from my eyes. I'm still adjusting to the cold here, far sharper than the winters back in Cambria.

I roll over in bed, careful not to disturb Kanna, who's still bundled up under a mound of blankets. It's one of the few quiet moments before the day starts—before I face the crowds on my way to my classes, a campus dominated by health science majors. Before, I had to smile at Shae and Jordan or maybe see KC and pretend the butterflies in my stomach weren't real.

It's all-new, and the newness still feels raw some days, like a scar just beginning to close.

Today isn't indifferent from any previous ones. Narri's text reminds me that I've overslept my three alarms. My 10:30 FORP 100 –Introduction to Forensic Psychology class begins in approximately an hour, which is nearly insufficient time for me to get ready. I groan, tossing over and climbing out of my twin XL.

Stuffing my feet into my size five black Ugg slippers, I shove my glasses onto my face and walk towards my dorm door, not forgetting to grab my key on the way out to head to the bathroom and begin my day.

It is now 10:15, when I usually leave my room to get to FORP, although I slept through three alarms. Kanna's alarm goes off, causing her to groan and grab her phone to stop the blaring, BEEP BEEP BEEP.

"Good morning," She mumbled, turning her phone off and lying back down.

"Good morning," I rushed out, removing my headscarf to ensure my edges were slickly laid.

My outfit replicates the cold weather today: a white long-sleeve shirt underneath a half-zipped-up North Face puffer jacket, black Nike leggings, and white Adidas sambas. I've doubled on socks, hoping to warm my typically cold feet.

I'm dressed, light makeup done, hair styled. But I still need to pack my bag—a task that effortlessly eats up ten more minutes.

Kanna slowly climbs out of bed and glances at the time on our microwave before giggling, "Not making it on time today?"

"Probably not," I sigh. "But 10:30 is just too early for a class." I shove my Macbook, iPad, eyeglass cases, and more essential items into my bag.

I can't leave without my hand sanitizer, perfume, and lotion. I need a backup charger because one of my biggest fears is my phone dying, not because I can't live without it, but because of the sheer fear of being unable to contact someone myself if something 'bad' were to happen. I ensure I have my Airpod case, check for everything again, grab my water bottle, and fill it up. Check my appearance about five more times, and that's when I realize I still haven't completed my lip liner.

Groaning and trying to ignore the time, I quickly yet neatly apply my lip gloss and grab my keys off the hook. I said bye to Kanna, wishing her a good day as I left our dorm.

Now that I have successfully begun walking to class, I'm a little less stressed. I'm out of my room and outside, which is a great sign. I'm walking to class, not on time, but I'm going. I pull my phone out of my pocket and respond to Narri's message.

There's no way it's already snowing out there.
All I've got is wind and leaves 😪

Her response comes as I'm crossing the street to campus and heading down the path to Klopa Hall.

narri 🥴
girl, you're lucky
im not trying to go to class in all this

I giggle and heart her message, shifting my phone into its specific focus for my classes and silence notifications from everyone except my mother.

Surprisingly, I'm only eight minutes late to class. And since it's still early, there are still many seats empty, indicating I won't be the last to enter the room.

The room is still filling up, so at least I won't be the last one here. I head to my usual spot in the front right. I like sitting up here—it helps me focus, and I don't have to see everyone looking at me when I raise my hand.

Week 9, I remind myself—today's topic: Profiling Criminal Behavior. I'm excited for this one. The professor's voice drones on about psychological theories, most of which I've already read about. I scribble down notes anyway, underlining a few key points. Mainly the points connecting the psychological theories to criminal behavior.

There's a quiz next week I need to study for, but I feel confident. It's topics like these that make me glad I chose psychology.