Something Right

Chapter One

The police officer stared at her with a raised eyebrow as she explained what happened.

"I promise I'm not trying to joke around, but I rear ended him with my rear end!"

Just as she was about to say "my rear end" for the third time, the officer interrupted her.

"Alright, alright miss. Relax."

Elle rolled her eyes in frustration. She had been more than ready for her first day as a college freshman. She even made it to the parking lot until, forgetting to check behind her, she rammed into a car already parked in the spot she was going to pull into. With her luck, it was an expensive Porsche.

The boy who owned the car, probably a student, was just a few steps away from the vehicle when the collision happened, and he didn't seem too happy to Elle. His face was almost as red as his hair, which was unlike any hair color she had ever seen.

"You better hope you have some damn good insurance," he started to say to her. "That's going to cost you a fortune."

She scrunched her nose at his rude tone, but replied curtly, "Everything's covered."

As the police officer droned on about liability issues, Elle zoned out completely, fantasizing about how her first day of higher education could've gone if this accident hadn't completely messed things up. She could've been sitting in her first class, learning about things she actually cared about, like the human genome and genetic code. She could've been at the newly-built Chipotle having lunch with some friends that she made in that class. She could've been happily stuffing a delicious burrito in her face and--

"Miss? Do you understand everything? Is this your first accident?" The officer snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Yes. Yes, it is. Thanks for all of the help."

"You're lucky your car is still in driving condition," he continued. "Otherwise you'd be late for your first class!"

Oh, she silently thought, how much money this is going to cost me. Mom will be pissed.

She grabbed her keys and stuck them back in her purse, her hands shaking with anxiety. Elle always hated being late to events, and she really just wanted to get out of the dreadful parking lot that ruined the first day of what was supposed to be the introduction of the new Elle Foster.

After skittering away from the police officer and the frightening guy who owned the now-damaged vehicle, Elle took a deep breath. She would not let this ruin the rest of her day.

Her high-heeled shoes carried her in a reminiscing state of shock to the doors of the College of the Liberal Arts, where her first class, Genetics 101, would be held.

I can move on, she thought. I can do this. Breathe.

And she breathed, slowly and shakily, walking through the door to the lecture hall.

-----

The professor was a petite lady with curly blonde hair, seemingly in her late 40s to early 50s. She had one of the kindest faces, and greeted a very flustered Elle warmly.

"Hello miss! Go and find a seat."

In reality, the only seat open was in the front and center of the room, seated snugly between a tall, skinny girl with long blonde hair and a boy with scarlet hair.

Elle walked over hastily and slung her large messenger-styled purse over the creaky chair. She glanced over at the red-haired boy and noticed he was sleeping.

He's one of those types, she thought to herself.

She also noticed something else, and as the realization slowly dawned her, she did a double take.