The Best Days

Chapter 7

I texted the girls about meeting up at Solaris for dinner. I explained to them I'd be going for a run first and invited them to tag along. They'd all of course declined choosing to instead stay behind and primp before going to the dining hall.

That was fine by me, I had a lot on my mind to sort through anyway. I plugged my headphones into my iPod, turned on my James Morrison playlist, and headed out. I'd use the time alone to sort through the very mixed emotions of my first day. It was crazy to know I was in college. My first day had been wild. What were the chances that I'd screw up royally and sit in on the wrong class? And that my first professor would be a jerk. A hot jerk but a jerk nonetheless.

Before I knew it, I'd circled the resident side of campus at least three times. I was slightly out of breath but still feeling great. I slowed my pace down to a brisk walk and glanced at my watch. I told Gavin and the girls I'd be there at 8 p.m. It was actually 8:47. Crud. I could go back to the dorm and shower and make myself presentable. But I was so ravenous, my stomach was about to eat itself. Besides I wasn't trying to look cute for anyone so I decided it wouldn't hurt to go straight to the dining hall.

I hoped I didn't smell too bad.

When I got to Solaris I swiped my card at the front and headed inside. The place was packed with students. A group of girls passed by me all licking their ice cream cones daintily. Mmm...ice cream.

No, Jenny, you just ran two miles, I chastised myself. Eating an ice cream cone would be like a slap in the face to your burning thighs. I had to make sure I avoided the ice cream station at all costs for the rest of my collegiate career.

I made a beeline to the dinner area. The dish of the night was Orecchiette Pasta Risotto With Pancetta and Goat Cheese according to the ornately decorated sign at the entrance. It sounded super fancy but in all reality it was just something I could have whipped up at home in about ten minutes. Chicken parmesan with some goat cheese sprinkled on top of it. During orientation the food had been incredible but I quickly realized that it had all been trap to trick us into thinking that this school was better than it actually was.

The lies and deceit!

I scanned the hall for my friends. Luckily I spotted them immediately since they're really hard to miss. There was just something about them; they emitted this aura and glow. And it wasn't just the coat of bronzer Erika had brushed across her cheekbones either. All the girls looked flawless, of course, and once again I stood out like a sore thumb in my baggy sweat pants, tee, and high ponytail.

They were seated in the back in one of the bigger booths. As I headed in their direction I saw Gavin sitting in between Erika and Haley looking bored out of his mind. He was going to work with his fork and an unappetizing pile of potatoes constructing a rather impressive piece of architecture on his plate. He eyes flicked up from his food as if sensing my approach.

His face brightened when he caught sight of me. "Jenny."

"Strauss," I mimicked him. Widening my eyes and laughing a little. "Stop playing with your food, loser."

"Jenny!" Haley squealed, quickly moving over and making room for me in the already packed booth. So it was me, Haley, Gavin, Erika, some guy I didn't know, Kendra, Patrick, and Ryan.

I already knew Patrick and Ryan but I'd never seen this guy before. I smiled at him as I took my seat, deciding to be friendly. "I'm Jenny."

He laughed, "Yeah, I figured. Everyone was wondering where you were. I'm Jeremy. Nice to meet you." I noticed he had on athletic sweats with the SFSU Tiger logo on it. He was definitely an athlete. And though he wasn't overtly good looking with his gold tipped dreads and clean line up, he had a nice, friendly smile that I liked.