Until I Met Her

Chapter 1

When they tell you that the best part of your life will be university life, don't believe them... it's a lie.

When I started university, I had an image in my head: parties, alcohol, new people, hook-ups... pff, I barely even had time to wash my clothes regularly. Being an adult was hard as fuck.

On the good side of university life, though... you don't have to live with your parents if you don't want to. You no longer have to explain where you're going, with who, and what you'll be doing. To sum it up: you didn't have to lie anymore.

It's not that I lied to my parents... I didn't, per say, lie; I told half-truths and I only told them when whatever I was doing involved Kelly, my girlfriend.

Well, ex-girlfriend.

Anyway, as I was saying... I thought university life would be so much better than high school, I had my own place (actually my dad's but still...), I was single, I was getting invited to parties and people actually liked me. However, as it turns out, you can't have too much fun before your grades start reflecting your lack of attention and when you least expect it, you're buried deep with assignments you didn't even know you had to do and you're behind on your reading and your basket of dirty laundry isn't a basket anymore but a mountain of clothes.

I am so done with Uni and I just started it. Three months in and I'm already behind, how the hell does that even happen?

To be completely fair, when I started, I was convinced I could maintain a balance between my social life and education. I thought I could go out and party and keep my academic work spotless, many people do it so why couldn't I?

You can't because you're not used to it, Gio, my best friend, would say. And truth be told... I'm not used to it. During high school, I only went to like... four, five parties and although I've had alcohol before, I had never been drunk until Gio took me to my first Uni party.

And it was disastrous.

I threw up all over someone's front yard on my way home. Gio said the lady saw us and I guess she must've because she always glares whenever I walk by her house.

"Stop it." I'm abruptly brought back from my thoughts when Alexa's pen hits my arm.

I frown, turning to her. Alexa's frowning back at me. I roll my eyes.

"Why are you mad?" I look around my kitchen, trying to avoid her stare. Our books are all over the rounded table. Her books are well taken care of whilst mine looked like they had been to hell and back.

"I came to help you with your essay and you're daydreaming..." She groans again, grabbing her book about Velazquez. If we have to discuss Diego Velazquez and Las Meninas one more time... I'll lose it.

"This is boring!" I whine, dropping my head on the book in front of me. I don't know why I even chose History of Art. As a matter of fact, I don't know why I even picked any of the subjects I'm doing.

"Do you wanna fail?" Her tone is sharp but I know she means well. Alexa is actually pretty nice even though she tries to pretend she isn't. "Because if that's what you want—"

"I appreciate your help, don't get me wrong..." I sigh, resting my back against my chair so Alexa can see my face and see that I mean it. I bit my lower lip and fidget with my pen. "It's just— she hasn't text me back."

"Kelly?" Alex's raspy voice softens. I nod and watch her drop her shoulders. With a sigh, she drops her pen in-between the pages of her book, she scratches the back of her neck. "When did she last text you?"