PERPLEXED

PERPLEXED | CHAPTER 1

Drip, drip drip. The sound of the stale coffee in the old pot continues to drip and with each drip my eyes gradually starts to wilt further down until my body thrusts itself away. My tired eyes skim across the foreign words over the white sheet of paper wondering what does calculus have to do with me wanting a business. I've done all the worksheets I could have possibly done but all I want is a business license and put some money down on a nice shop and start baking. But in this world that seems to be nonexistent. Everything has to be done at a certain time, on a certain day. I am completely fed up with this.

Instantly, the sound of the coffee drowns out as a loud knock disturbs my thinking. My head shoots up, a pain rippling through my skull making me wince and squint my eyes at the figure behind the glass of the private office I am in. My bestfriend, Jan, waves at me and gestures for me to come with him. I pack my stuff up in my bag quickly thanking the gods that my savior has come to save me.

"Come on, we're going to get some food with Iysis" He grabs my hand and leads me in the direction to the parking lot of campus.

Jan is one of my bestfriends including Iysis, essentially we are just a group of bestfriends, nothing more or less. I met Jan first back in 9th grade, we had the same P.E class in the morning and I met him because we were on the same team for volleyball and we were both complaining about our wrists. From then on out, we went to the same college and even have the same section of dorms on the same hallway. Then, in 10th grade, the both of us met Iysis because she lived on the same street as me and I introduced her to Jan. From then, we've been inseparable.

I see Iysis leaning against Jan's all black jeep with a bored look on her face, "Thanks for not leaving me the keys, I just loved standing out here in the fucking cold waiting on you." Her sarcasm is flowing out of her mouth like water out a faucet―but she's always been like that. She looks at me and smiles as Jan sticks up his middle finger at her, "Hey Mi."

"Hey Iys," I grin at her and climb into the backseat, bucking my seat belt in the middle and leaning forward on the armrest my chin resting on top of my palms, "Where are we getting food at?" I question. These two are always on the move and its hard for me to keep up with them. We can be at a bar for twenty minutes and they already want to leave and go to another one.

Jan pulls out of his parking space and starts to get on the main street, away from NYU's campus. I hear him scoff at me and glances at me while we sit at the red light, "Of course we're going to Jimmies for dinner," He dabs under his eyes as he fake cries, "How can you not know that it's time for some Jimmies, are you even my real friend?"

He's so dramatic and I don't know if it has to do with him being bisexual, but I am not putting money on it. He didn't fully come out to me and Iysis until last year on Christmas Eve when we were opening presents from each other before we went home to our families for the time being. But he talks about girls more than anything, very out of the blue will he call a guy hot and he has to be hot for him to say that. He loves clothes, shopping, and gossips better than any one of us. I still don't know where his bisexuality comes into play. But, he's once told me that he wouldn't mind sticking his hand in the male cookie jar. I guess he's just sexually confused—but you wouldn't catch me telling him that.

"Oh shut up." I roll my eyes at him.

Jimmies isn't too far from campus, it's actually one of the best pizza hubs and most college students go there for a quick bite. Of course all of us born and raised in New York know of this authentic pizza place. Our usual seat is in one of the booth that's right beside the window to let us watch the fast-paced city move past us. Alfonzo is the owner of this place and he makes our pizza specifically for us. Onions and chicken for Jan, ham and pepperoni for Iysis, and half Hawaiian without ham—substituting ham for chicken—and half buffalo chicken. I know I'm complicated.

"So, is there any infamous tea from Janez Willis?" Iysis leans back in her booth and takes a sip of her coke. I know that Jan has some juicy gossip when he leans forward with a sinister smile stretching from ear to ear.

He clears his throat and playfully dabs his mouth with a crumpled napkin smeared with tomato sauce, "Well, I only have one small piece of gossip that's been going around campus." We both lean forward towards him and listen intently to him, "Nyla may or not be officially together with Tommy." He raises his eyebrows at us and we gasp like a group of little kids.

Nyla isn't the most popular girl or like the all plastic Barbie doll like some people in the world. She just owns a lot of good stuff from working hard to get good grades and her parents shower her with gifts or approval. She is a tall blonde who loves sports, she isn't too mean just a little conceited and if you rub her the wrong way she will fight hard to ruffle your feathers. And Tommy, oh Tommy. He is at the highest of our senior class, we don't have a football team so he has dabbled a bit in soccer and that's where his beautiful body comes in. He's tall I would say around 6 feet and we are fairly good friends. College is too much to act like children and be the jock, we all have a goal and that is to graduate. Tommy has chocolate curls framing his face with the sides buzzed and his skin is toasty—nice and tanned. We talked before and even studied together a few times, and I can't lie I caught myself staring at him in calculus.

So, hearing him "dating" conceited Nyla is a little hurtful because I know he can do better. I shake my head, "Who hasn't she dated." I shrug my shoulders, "Are you guys almost done with your exams. I have calculus next and that's the last one."

"Lucky you, I have precalculus and literature" Iysis rolls her eyes and takes a big bite out of her pIzza throwing her head back with a groan.

"I'm free." Jan smiles and relaxes in his seat.

We finish up our dinner and go back to campus. I head straight to my room and take a shower, Jan and Iysis are going to stay in and study which reminds me why I am glad I studied earlier today. All I want to do is sleep and that's exactly what I do.

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That's the end of the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. We have a little insight on character and what's going on in this plot. More to come and don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts.

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