Any Given Thursday

Chapter 1

She fucking hated her political science class. Every Thursday morning, she had to crawl out of bed, and go to her class at the ungodly hour of 7:30 a.m. She was one of the only females in the class, and the only woman of color. Every time she entered, she felt as if she were being watched by a group of scientists, meant to dissect her every body part. As much as she tried to not stand out, Celina Thompson somehow managed to bring the class' attention to herself. She hated to be noticed, especially because of the way she looked. She heard the whispers some of her classmates made about the 'fat black girl' in the second row. At 5'9, she was taller than the average woman, and weighed a bit more as well. Her skin was the color of the sun's rays being shined through thick maple syrup, or so she liked to think. In truth, her skin was a healthy shade of earth brown. Her hair, which used to be bone straight, was now worn natural in a natural afro that she usually wore in tiny little braids. In fact, the only thing she seemed to like about her body at all were lips, which were a perfect pout. Celina was one of those young women that had grown into her body at an alarming rate. Her chest was larger than she liked it to be, and even with the loose sweaters she wore they her breasts still managed to stand out. Celina had read about the women that actually wished that their chests were as large as hers. She wondered that if these women could undergo the daily ogling she went through. Would they still feel the same? In truth, she wanted to get a breast reduction, but she had neither courage nor the willpower to undergo such a dramatic change.

She sat down, giving the people next to her a meek hello. Her classmates responded cheerfully enough, but she always knew that deep down something wasn't quite right. It wasn't just the awkward greetings either. Celina glanced around the classroom, allowing her rich earthy brown eyes to canvass the room. She allowed herself a small smile. At least he wasn't here. The young man in question was Jake Collier, the epitome of everything she despised in human nature. Normally, she didn't like to say that she hated anyone, but young Jake was the exception. He was 6'3, with honey blonde hair, and deep green eyes. While attractive, Jake was an utter and total asshole. She had known him since middle school, and had hated him ever since. Celina foolishly thought that she might actually be free of him once they entered college, but unfortunately fate was cruel. They had both attended the University of Georgia for the past two years, and surprisingly had many of the same classes. She prayed for his demise in every class they had, but every session he appeared. Sometimes she wished he would get a transfer so that she could be completely free of him forever.

He entered the room with the grace of a drunken monkey. Celina smirked at his obvious hangover, enjoying the fact that her long time enemy was suffering and very uncomfortable at the moment. She gave him a righteous smirk, glaring as he mouthed 'fuck you. Celina arched a smoothed raven eyebrow, leaning over she returned; 'you wish'. Before they could begin what was known in the class as World War III, their Poly Sci teacher, Professor Rosenberg, called the class to order. Celina sat back, and began to note take on the long winded class. She was beginning to get sleepy, but thankfully she taped the class discussions so that she could go back in case she missed something in her notes. Just as she was about to completely nod off; Professor Rosenberg interrupted her near slumber.

"We only have two months left in the fall semester. Many of you are failing, and need extra credit assignments to boost your grade. As you know, I will not be allowing a grading curve this year. Luckily for you, a good friend of mine is conducting a focus group. For those of you that want to raise your overall grade, you can opt to participate in an ongoing study of politics, and socio-economic studies being conducted by the Nonpartisan Committee for Political Change."

He smiled as the class groaned in unison. None of them wanted to participate, but Professor Rosenberg wasn't known for his graceful gestures. The offer probably wouldn't stand for much longer. Celina was an average student, but when it came to her political science class, she knew she needed any boost she could get. Sighing softly, she nervously raised her arm, choosing to sign up for the study. To her surprise, quite a few people raised their hands as well. So far, all of the women in the class had signed chosen to sign up. A few men, even that bastard Jake, had agreed to participate. Oh well, maybe she would not see him around the Kurgan Institute. Smiling, Professor Rosenberg closed his ledger, quickly scanning the registration list.