Until I Met Her

Chapter 1 (Edited-ish)

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 didn't have to live with your parents if you didn't want to. No more explaining where you were, with who, and what you'd be doing. To sum it up: you didn't have to lie anymore.

It wasn't that I lied to my parents... I didn't, per se. I told half-truths, and only when whatever I was doing involved Kheli, my girlfriend.

Well, ex-girlfriend.

I thought university life would be so much better than secondary school. I had my own place (actually my dad's, but still...), I was single (I think?), I was getting invited to parties, and people actually liked me.

What I've come to realise from this side of my new life, though, it was that you can only have so much fun before your grades start reflecting your lack of attention, and when you least expect it, you're buried in assignments you didn't even know you had and your basket of dirty laundry isn't a basket anymore but a mountain.

I was so done with Uni and I had just started it. Four months in and I was already behind — how the hell does that even happen?

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 did it, so why couldn't I? I figured since I had spent all of my secondary school years studying and not going wild, I could let loose when I got to uni.

You can't because you're not used to it, Gio — my best friend — kept telling me. And truth be told... At first, I thought I could handle it, turned out, I really couldn't. During high school, I only went to like... four, five parties? And although I'd had alcohol before, I had never been drunk until Gio took me to my first Uni party.

And it was disastrous.

One time, I threw up all over someone's front yard on my way home. Gio said the lady saw us, I didn't think she did... 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 frowned, turning to her. Alexa's frowning back at me. I rolled my eyes.

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

"I came to help you with your essay and you're daydreaming..." She groaned, grabbing her book about Velázquez. If we had to discuss Diego Velázquez and Las Meninas one more time... I'd lose it.

"This is boring!" I whined, dropping my head on the book in front of me. I don't know why I even chose History of Art.

"Do you wanna fail?" Her tone was sharp, but I know she meant well. Alexa was actually pretty nice, even though she liked acting like she wasn't. "Because if that's what you want—"

"I appreciate your help, don't get me wrong..." I sighed, resting my back against my chair so Alexa could see my face. I bit my lower lip and fiddled with my pen. "It's just— she hasn't text back."

"Kheli?" Alexa's raspy voice softened. I nodded and watched her drop her shoulders. With a sigh, she dropped her pen between the pages of her book and scratched the back of her neck. "When did she last text you?"