The Fab Four

Chapter 5

Ah, college. People either thrive or fail at this magical part of life, but it's an unforgettable experience nonetheless. Exams, partying, hangovers, coffee, Redbull, dorming with either your best friend or your worst enemy, etc. It's not an experience for everyone, but it's what our main characters were practically built for.

Sam was on her way to college, holding onto the subway handle to keep herself upright. If the subway car was packed any tighter, she wouldn't need to hold on at all. At least she was trapped between two old ladies the other day. One kept falling asleep against her and the other wouldn't stop talking about her cats. At least she had a few stories for Beren and Hannah when she got home.

Now, however, she was next to someone who smelled like tequila at 10 in the morning. Thank God she got to at least talk with a friendly face on her other side. He was a random college student who went to Beren's art school. He was a pretty stereotypical hipster photographer—big square glasses, curly undercut, constant (and somehow good looking) five o' clock shadow, skinny jeans, and a v-neck t-shirt. He was even wearing the typical camera bag at his side. Even his name was typical: Levi.

"I hate riding in the subway. It takes away all of my creative flow," Levi complained. He ran a hand through his hair.

Sam tried really hard to not roll her eyes. "Then why don't you walk?" she asked instead.

Levi sighed. "I live too far away from school. But I can't afford to live anywhere else." He laughed. "I always dreamed of living the starving artist life, but this isn't as glamorous as it seemed." He turned to her, studying her with a confused look. He looked her outfit up and down. "Are you even in school?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm a theater major."

"Oh, no wonder you dress that way, then."

Sam visibly did a double-take. "Um, excuse me? What about my outfit?" She was wearing a pair of black sweatpants, a Supernatural t-shirt, and a pair of ratty grey converse. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she had minimal makeup on, but she still looked nice for a college student. Most college students wore day-old clothes on a Monday.

Levi laughed again. It was starting to annoy Sam when she realized how much he kept laughing during their conversation. "You don't dress like that all the time, do you? I know that majors of the arts are poor, but guys don't find it attractive for women to wear sweatpants to school every day."

Sam laughed in response. The subway car was slowly coming to a stop, just in time for her to get off. Walking the last three blocks to school would be much better than putting up with this jerk. "That's great, but I don't pay thousands of dollars for tuition so that some brainless dickhead can have something cute to look at during class." The doors opened, so she practically ran to the exit. She turned around, though, just for one last comment. "Plus I'm a lesbian, so that's there." She gave him the middle finger and walked away.

It was pretty cold out for April, but that's New York for you. Her sweatpants kept her warm, so Levi can go stuff it. Sam huffed. She didn't want to start her day off in a bad mood; there too many things going on in school for her to get distracted. It was the beginning of tech week, an English test to take, a math new professor to suck up to (her old one was moving to London because of his wife's job promotion), and she was responsible for picking up toilet paper on the way home.

She had the math test first, which was not going to end well. She knew it, her friends knew it, the professor knew it. At this point in the year, Sam couldn't have cared less. She was just hoping to have a passing grade.

Finally, though, she got to her building for math. She sat down in her usual seat that was in the front (professors always love front-row students). Her friend, Jocelyn, sat waiting in her usual spot. She was actually taller than Sam, but her platform sandals didn't exactly help. She was a fashion major, so no matter how tired she was, she always looked her best. Plus, she had some internship after this class, so ya know, gotta dress to impress and all that. Anyway, she asked, "Are you ready to meet Dr. Garcia? From what I've read about him, he's a total math nerd."