On My Mind

Chapter 1: Lost In Translation

Charlotte's POV

On the car ride to Columbia, all I could think was, "Yes, I'm finally getting out of this hick town!" Of course I would miss my family, but I would always visit for the holidays, and call. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen this year. It was a new experience to me, with all different people. I was at the bottom of the food chain again. I remember my first day of freshman year, It was better than I thought it would be, yet I was still scared out of my mind I would do something wrong. I was so scared of pissing off the upperclassmen. the whole car ride down I wondered what it would be like to be at the bottom again. To be one of the young ones again. I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head, because I knew that worrying wouldn't do me any good. I put on the radio, and Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" came on. I laughed, because that brought back so many memories. The summer of 2011, when Miriam and I danced around to that song on the fourth of July, not a care in the world. It's a lot different now. We both have so many responsibilities. I knew this day would be coming, and don't get me wrong I was pumped. But when I finally got there, I ended up having second thoughts. None I would ever act on, of course. I sat in the car for a moment, and realized all the things I was letting go by growing up. Not that I had a choice, but it was so surreal. I needed a minute to reminisce. I remembered when Dacey and I would make jokes about rude people, that only we would get. I remembered when Miriam and I would laugh at the girls at school who thought they were the shit. I remembered when Cassie and I would sing "Tonight Tonight" by Hot Chelle Rae while we piled in the back of her camper. I remembered that very same night, we all went on Omegle and said random things that no one remembered the next day. I remembered when we went to the Palisades mall, and Cassie told the waiter she liked his hair. I chuckled at this memory, and I remembered the waiter's expression; so clearly it was almost scary. 

Luke's POV

I finished unpacking my things, and sat down on the bed. Man, was I beat. Not from football practice, like the usual, but from the long trip. I thought for a minute, and really hoped that I would get a steady girlfriend this year. Yeah, I've heard the whole speech from my parents before. "Don't spend all of your time focusing on love." My father had said. "Focus on your studies, and you just might make it. You just might." I got what they were saying, and I didn't plan to "spend all my time focusing on love". I planned to focus on love, while balancing my studies, and football. I'm never like this. I'm never single. I've had girlfriends since kindergarten, not to mention a 4.0 grade average. I intended to maintain that average this year, while finding a girlfriend. It couldn't be that hard, right? For some reason, I attract girls that my other friends refer to as "hoes". Not that I totally disagree with the use of the term. I can't really help it, though. When you're in love, you see a different side of someone than someone else normally wouldn't. Maybe I do have a tendency to lean towards that type in the first place, but you know what? Not anymore. I was reforming myself, and for the better. I mean, why not give other types a chance, right? I could date the cute, nerdy type. Or maybe the artsy type? I felt a jab in my heart. Nina and I had been broken up for a while now, but her memory still haunts me sometimes. We were forced to break up; we were both going in different directions, literally. She got in to UCLA, and I got in to Columbia. She was all the way across the country, so she was clearly out of the question. I was convinced I would never find someone to hold when they're upset; to kiss unexpectedly; to love unquestioningly. I turned all my cologne bottles the same way on my dresser, because I was just that bored. I decided to get out of my room, I needed some air before football. 

Charlotte's POV

I had just checked in, when I heard my name being called. "Charlie!" I turned around. Nothing. "That's weird..." I thought to myself. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Oh my god!" I was laughing so hard I was crying when I saw her. Miriam hugged me so tight, I thought I would pop. "I can't believe we're actually here!" She said, clearly excited. By the look on her face, I thought she was going to burst in to a million pieces. "We should scope out the place." I said, reminding myself of James Bond. "Yeah, I already checked in, so you can unpack I guess, and then we can go!" I smiled, and we hugged again. We took the elevator up 4 floors, and she led me to our room. It was like any other dorm room i'd pictured; simple, which was just fine with me. I unpacked as quickly as possible, then changed in to an outfit I had already pre-picked out. A pink plaid Gilly Hicks top, American Eagle jeans, and ballet flats. I also grabbed my A&F tan jacket, in case it got cold.

I couldn't believe how big Columbia was. I had a feeling It would take me at least a month to get in the swing of things. Miriam lead me to the football field, where we sat in the bleachers, and watched the team dismiss after their first practice of the semester. A certain boy in a number four jersey caught my eye as he took of his helmet. He was somewhere around 6'2, had brown hair, and brown eyes that sparkled in the evening light, his facial features seemed to come together perfectly as he looked our way. I gave him a little smile, and he smiled back. Wow, was his smile gorgeous. Miriam looked at me with raised eyebrows. "What?" I asked quietly, so number four couldn't hear. "You so like him." She smirked at me. "What? No I-" The next thing I knew, she fled the bleachers, and tapped number four on the shoulder. They were talking....then they were chuckling...why were they chuckling?! Was she telling him embarrassing stories about me..? Oh god, the humiliation. A few seconds later, she was leading him over to where I was akwardly sitting, awaiting the embarrassment. "Hey." Number four smiled at me, the same genuine smile as before. His eyes were even more breathtaking up close. "Hey." I said and managed a smile. Due to the akwardness of it all, it was hard to keep my cool. "Charlie, this is Luke. Luke, this is Charlie." Miriam winked at me, then said goodbye to Luke. She walked away, and Luke smiled again, and kind of blushed. I did as well. He came and sat next to me, which definitely didn't help my nervousness one bit. "So, Miriam tells me you're a freshman?" He kind of laughs. This surprised me a little. "Yeah, what's so funny?" I ask him, starting to become more confident. "Nothing's funny. You just look older than 18, that's all." I try to fight back a smile, but it's no use. He sees, and gives me a chuckle. "You're cute when you do that." My whole body freezes. "Do what?" I suddenly stop all movement. He pokes my stomach, and I smile. "That." He flashes his pearly whites, which makes me swoon even more. He looks below the bleachers, and finds an old pen. He takes my hand, and writes on it. I look at it, then say, "What's this?" He chuckles a bit, which I can tell you is already driving me crazy. "My number." He smirks, and then number fifteen calls out his name."Sorry, I have to go. Shoot me a text?" I nod, and he winks. What. am. I. doing.

Ohhhh...what is charlie doing...? Do you think Luke's gonna be a player? Do you think Charlie will fall for him? Give me your predictions, and comment what you thought!(: 

Thanks for reading you guys, it means a lot, comments are appreciated(:

xoxo