Teachers Pet

I

Whatever you are, be a good one.

- Abraham Lincoln

"I'm excited," Emily exclaims as she tussles with her bags straightening them up to align a perfect line suitable to be picked up promptly. "This is the beginning of something great!" I shake my head from side to side shaking away one of the earbuds from out of my ear to hear the end of Emily's sentence.

"What?"

Emily looks over to me slightly frowning as she knows music is the reason for my absence in the present conversation. "I was just saying how this is going to be a great experience for both of us. I'm surprised we're even going to the same University." Emily explains looking out the window overlooking the city of Dumont.

We are attending The University of Dumont located in Nebraska. Ironic, considering we both came all the way from Florida. It's as if we really didn't want to be close to home.

"What are you listening to anyway?" She questions seizing my iPhone out of my hand and tilting it sideways. "Don't... Stand So Close to Me." Her eyes squint reading off the song of one of my favorite bands.

"You really need to broaden your horizon in the musical sense," she states.

"When I need musical recommendations of someone who listens to break up songs and Taylor Swift midlife-crisis-revival-songs I will definitely come to you first," I smirk at my witty retort.

Emily nudges me playfully as we both giggle in the backseat of the cab driving up towards the gates of the university where we see stampedes of other students making their way around the campus. The chatter and laughter are welcoming as the breeze of summer flutters in brushing the hair out of our faces. The scent of butterscotch fills the cab. It smells as if there is a bakery somewhere or someone selling bakery items.

The mahogany bricked buildings would be our home for the next few years. A new beginning is right. The sound of the brakes squeals as the cab comes to a stop. It all seems so surreal now. "Here we are ladies," the older man stinking of an overabundance of cologne trying to mask the cigarette smell states.

My fingers reach for the door handle coming to the realization that my life really is beginning again. None of the uncomfortable moments from High School lingering or following me into the present. I also had the company of my lifelong best friend Emily by my side to endure all the long hours studying and complaining about final exams coming up. Thankfully, television has instilled a generalization of how college is like to prepare me for this moment or so I thought. My mother always wanted me to go to college and experience life although she never seemed to do so for herself. I'm doing this because I want to. Right?

"Alright, let's go," Emily says opening the door.

I'm nervous, scared even.

"Adelyn."

I snap back into reality. "Right."

The cab driver pops open the trunk to our belongings jumbled about due to his obnoxious driving abilities. I grab as many bags as I can as if I'm taking groceries into the house.

I'm not a two trips bitch.

The laughter is louder once we are outside of the vehicle and planted out feet right in front of hundreds of students. We survey our surroundings seeing the many faces, body types, and ethnicities. I'm definitely nervous my heart thumping. There are different pairs of eyes in every second looking in our direction dissecting us like a new species. I place the other earbud back into my ear following behind Emily who has wandered ahead of me.

The hallway wasn't even the least bit different from outside of the building. Tall and short students flooded the hallways with their books in hand. It seemed like we made it when classes were either just about to start or just getting out. I glance down at my Apple Watch to see that it was around 11:30 am. I came to the conclusion that most likely classes had been starting for most people.

Emily seemed to know just where to go as she dodged the incoming plethora of people bombarding down the hallway like packs of wolves. The hallway seemed more polished than your average high school. It was more vibrant with the school colors brightly displayed on the walls in a design of a lightning strike with the colors navy blue, turquoise, and golden highlighting the design. There were plaques, pictures, and certificates displaying the successful students beforehand who are now living the full-fledged adult life as doctors, athletes, psychologist, or even writers.

My footsteps trail Emily following her we go through a corridor that leads into a theatre like an auditorium where the seats hosted hundreds of other college students were gathered around waiting for what was to be like an orientation. It would seem like a few of them knew one another because of the laughter filling the air like oxygen. I would presume that Emily and I were probably two of the fifteen percent of the campus that actually traveled from out of state.

The University of Dumont was not an ivy league college but was highly recommended for its Psychology program. I, however, dabbled greatly in literature. Books had been my main source for existing on a planet solely based on its social status, wealth, or networking. Emily was here for the Psychology program which she favored immensely.

"Here," Emily points to a couple of seats in a row not nearly as crowded as the front rows were. The wooden folded out seats and blue stuffed cushions reminded me of Middle and High school where all the assemblies would happen. "There's a lot of people here.." Emily observes.

I nod my head agreeing with her statement when suddenly there's the sound of clacking Oxford shoes attached to a fairly well dressed Dean of The University. He clears his throat to a now hushed auditorium. "I am Kane Archer. The dean of the University," he announces over the microphone.

Oh, great a monologue and welcome speech. 

"Great," I sigh leaning my head against Emily's shoulder and proceeding to close my eyes. "Wake me up when we start the semester."