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For Maisie, college was fine.
She was having fun - sort of. She wasn't falling behind on readings - sort of. She was making tons of new friends - sort of. All her professors loved her - not even close. The first few weeks of college had been a jumbled mess and now a month in, they still weren't going much better.
No matter how hard Maisie tried, she still forgot where her classes were and became the last to get through the door. Every time someone tried to talk to her she just turned into a weird, bumbling talking machine. It was the same when she was in high school; small friend group with no other contact with anyone on the outside. But Maisie thought college would be different, that she would stop being awkward.
Once she got to know people or was in a place that made her comfortable then she was in her element. Nothing could stop her from cursing and whining. But when she was alone in a foreign area with foreign people all she wanted to do was run.
And that's exactly what she wanted to do when a man ran up behind her after a lecture.
"Hi," someone said from beside Maisie and she felt a hand on her elbow, stopping her from going further.
For some reason the discovery channel documentary Tony watched the night before got stuck in her head and all she could picture was that poor seal being eaten by a polar bear. Currently she was the seal and the unknown guy was a hungry, almost extinct bear twice her size.
"Hi," she replied and tilted her head to look up at him but stopped short.
Her eyes shot past his and went straight up his forehead to the monstrosity on his head. He had a man bun. And as Maisie took in the rest of his body she noted that he had a strangely tight-fitting button down shirt with short sleeves and weird patterns on it, very skinny baby blue jeans and a pair of Toms. Maisie fought the urge to glare at his bare ankles from the lack of socks that should have been there.
All he was missing was a full-on beard and to have started the conversation with 'hey there my dude'.
"You don't know me," he laughed, "obviously. But I'm in your psychology class, as you know, because we were just there." He laughed again and Maisie's eye twitched. "I'm trying to get to know everyone."
He held his skinny hand out and Maisie took it. "Maisie," she greeted.
"Ocean," he said.
Maisie frowned. "I'm sorry, what?"
"My name is Ocean," he grinned and Maisie nodded slowly.
"Right of course. Cool name."
"Thanks," he rubbed the back of his neck. "So which dorm building are you in?"
