Atypical

Seven

Yasmin S.

A few weeks had passed, and it was officially homecoming week for Clark Atlanta. Yasmin was completely ecstatic. For a very long time, she could not wait to be able to attend her first HBCU homecoming and, luckily enough, this year's homecoming was paired up with Morehouse and Spelman's; it was basically a three-in-one deal this weekend.

Between the time of her attack and this moment, not much had gone on. Yasmin was usual self and centered her focus on her studies, especially since midterms had just completed. She was feeling she aced and everything and would most likely be receiving all A's for her term report.

One of the first events that was held during homecoming was the kickoff. Both, her institution and Spelhouse, had kickoffs. She attended Clark's earlier and was headed towards Spelman's campus to continue homecoming festivities.

"Yas, we have to get fucked up this week!" Chioma exclaimed while walking across the grass.

Yasmin was a little adamant when it came to drinking. She hated the taste of alcohol and it just did not seem fun to her. However, it was homecoming and she was down for whatever.

"What type of drink are you feeling?" Yasmin inquired.

Chioma took a moment to think while they continued their stride. "Tequila, maybe."

"Tequila?" Yasmin asked for confirmation. Chioma nodded her headed which made Yasmin shake hers. "Oh yeah, we'll be fucked up before we can even open the bottle."

Chioma laughed at Yasmin's comment as they entered Spelman's campus. From afar, they could spot all of the entertainment attractions that they had and could smell the carnival food. Both girls being introverts meant that, although they might have been networking and socializing on their own campus, they never took the effort to explore the campus of Spelman College. Morehouse was a little different; they had restaurants that were appealing to the duo's taste buds and events that brought crowds out, like the one they were currently attending.

They took time to swim around the crowd and observe their surroundings. There were underclassmen. Upperclassmen. Cliques. And Greeks. It was a lot of everything, everywhere and that triggered Yasmin's anxiety.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

Yasmin pulled away from the crowd and made her towards Spelman's student center. When she entered, she followed the clues and her intuition to find the women's restroom. She found it and handled her business. After using the stall and washing her hands, she took time to gussy up in the mirror in front of her. Her breath felt stale, so she took the opportunity to get a fresh piece of chewing come. Satisfied with how she looked and felt, Yasmin walked out of the bathroom.

And ran into Marcellus.

"Oh, shit, Yas, hey," he greeted while bringing her into a light hug.

"Hey!" Yasmin was flustered. He looked great and smelled even better.

"You straight?"

Yasmin nodded her head. "Yeah, I just wanted a break from everybody. I needed to breathe."

Marcellus agreed. He, himself, was in Lower Manley because he needed a break from everything that was going on. "I feel that. I mean, we can chill in here for a sec... if you wanted to."

Yasmin was delighted at the invitation. She saw where he was pointing towards and followed the direction to the lounge chairs, with a smirk.

Once the pair got comfortable and settled, they just began small talk. They were not talking about anything heavy. The topics of their conversation included homecoming events, homecoming concert, homecoming outfits, and homecoming tailgate.