In a Perfect World

One

Lyria

I smiled to myself as I stepped onto the campus, my heart fluttering rapidly. I fought to stay calm, fighting back the anxiety that threatened to overtake me. I wouldn't let it win. I'd waited far too long for this day to let my emotions get in the way.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could do this.

"Are you lost?" a voice asked. I opened my eyes and looked at the girl in front of me. She wasn't much taller than me but she exuded a confidence I could only wish for.

"Huh? Oh, no. Just a bit nervous," I replied. I'd already found my class. It was just down the hall, three doors down from the Java Junction.

"First day?" I nodded. The girl, or rather woman, smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Stephanie. Or Steph."

"Lyria." I took her hand.

"What classes are you taking?" Stephanie asked.

"Mostly generals. I have Psych 201, Biology 201, Human Anatomy, and Intro to Wildlife Ecology, and College Algebra," I told her.

"Are you a transfer student then?" I shook my head no.

"I was homeschooled and took AP classes online. I passed the AP tests so I have credit for some level one courses," I explained.

"Lucky you! Can I see your schedule?" I nodded and handed her my phone with my schedule on it. "Looks like we have Psych and Bio together."

I smiled. Stephanie seemed really sweet and I certainly could use a friend. I knew it wasn't smart to get attached to anyone but having friends was normal and I desperately wanted to be normal. I could probably have a friend or two without blowing my cover. I would just keep a low profile and not let them get too close.

"C'mon, I hear Professor Shoemaker is a hard ass so we better get to class," Stephanie said. I nodded and followed her to the room. We were attending a fairly small school so the classes weren't very big. I didn't do well in big groups. It tended to stress me out and then I'd lose control.

Psych seemed to drag on forever. I generally found it interesting but the professor was just so boring. Stephanie and I had sat in the back and she'd given me her number so we spent most of class texting as Shoemaker went over the syllabus. He wasn't even explaining anything, just reading off the syllabus which everyone had so it wasn't like I was missing anything.

We had ten minutes before Bio but decided to get to class quickly so that we could get seats together. I felt comfortable around Stephanie and decided she'd make a good lab partner. She was smart and fun and I could tell she would make class far more interesting.

We found seats towards the back of the class. Each Lab table had two seats on each side and stuck out from the wall. All of the tables were on the right wall and back wall so that students on both sides of the tables were facing the teacher.

"Xavier!" Stephanie called out when a guy walked into the room. He looked slightly familiar and was very attractive. He was well over six feet tall and lean with well-defined muscles. He had curly black hair and a short beard that was perfectly groomed and made him look extra handsome. Piercing green eyes stood out against his dark skin. He was truly stunning.

The man walked over, taking a seat across from me. "Hey Steph."

"Hey Xavier!  Xavier this is Lyria. She's a freshman." I smiled shyly at him. I'd never been good around people. With Stephanie, it was easy since she was so bubbly but I felt nervous around Xavier and struggled to control my emotions. I could feel my body heating up and I fought to keep the temperature in check. Bursting into flames on my first day of college would not be good.