In the Sea of Wallflowers

The Day I Joined Them

I woke up to a peaceful day. A normal college day i suppose. though i guess i wouldn't know really considering i've just started college. This place wasn't to special as i didn't know what i wanted to do with my life and just joined the closest university a few hours away from my hometown.

I saw the sun peek in the room through the small crevices of my blinds. in the small rays of light i could identify little glistening specks of dust floating around in the light. I take a nice breath and go to take care of my morning routine. I loomed around the lonely apartment until i walk in front of a mirror. my eyes are dark and i have beauty marks all across my shoulders and neck. My hair is an auburn, raggy, short mess. My slender figure makes me seem malnourished when i really just don't gain much weight. This is me. Dawn.

I walk around until i find the bathroom and i go to wash my face and brush my teeth and hair like a normal person. When i go over the the few clothes i've unpacked i find a red flannel shirt and some blue skinny jeans. I put them on and lace up my black boots. I decide to throw on some black eyeliner to ensure people understand i'm a girl. With that i just walk out the door with my black bag that hangs on one shoulder.

I start to walk down the street that leads to my campus. Today is the first day and i have no damn clue what I'm doing. In the distance is a small crowd of friends walking toward the campus, so i decide to follow them. They end up going to the auditorium so freshmen can listen to a giant speech about class lengths and clubs. I doze off through most of it. after the speech is dismissed i head off to the campus grounds where you find clubs to join. I decided against those preppy sororities. I really don't think i belong in any of these places. I kind of loll around the place until i see a small empty patch where nobody seems to be at. I go to the table for the club that's there an all there is is a sign saying 'out for a drink, be back shortly'. I see a few handmade brochures for their club. 'The Sea of Wallflowers' is the title of the club. Naturally, I assumed it wasn't very noticed or appreciated. Like me.

*** TIME SKIP***

It was nearing the end of the day. I had finished locating and touring my classes so i decided to check out that weird club from earlier. The third floor lounge room. i walk up three flights of stairs and down a long hallway till i stumble across the room in the description. I hope i don't regret this.

I open the door to find about four people in the room. How this club even remotely qualifies to be a club on such a small campus confuses me. Three people sit on a sofa having a small conversation. The girl on the left is a girl wearing a graphic T-shirt tucked in to cuffed shorts. she has dyed blue hair and no expression on her face. Can i just say "mood"? The guy in the middle is kinda chubby with fluffy hair and a baseball cap. And the guy to the right is tall with brown hair and an orange striped long sleeve with black jeans. In the back of the room is a short girl with a thin torso and a thicker set of hips and legs who is making coffee though that's all i can see from where i stand. I see the girl turn around to serve coffee to everyone and she sees me standing there when nobody else has noticed. I hear her get excited and i turn around to leave the premises. As i turned around to leave i felt a hand pull on my shirt. After the pull I felt a sharp tug and next thing you know I'm on the floor with hot coffee spilled on me. The girl from the back of the room was clumsier than I had anticipated her to be. Based on the evidence it appears she tripped on her way over to me and then used me for support, in the end making us both fall. Needless to say she spilled the coffee she was holding to over the both of us. Now looking at her closely I see all the little details about her. She is freckles from head to toe with long, orange, messy, wavy hair tied back into a loose bun. This girl is wearing an oversized, cream colored sweater that covers most of her maroon skirt on her freckled thigh is a small sunflower tattoo. Her clothes are drenched in hot coffee. I notice her tugging at a thin piece of ribbon tied around her neck in embarrassment.

" I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to fall...uhhh" the red-head fluctuated the uhh giving me the impression that she needed to address me by my name.

"Dawn," I say standing up from the puddles of coffee. I Offer her a hand.

" Hi Dawn. Im Alani" she greeted cheerfully and accepted the hand I gave her.

"I was just about to go-" I get cut off by her disappointment.

"Why you gotta leave so soon? Aren't you going to join the club?" she questions my sudden departure.

" I don't really belong in these types of things." I turn away and try to leave when she tugs on my shirt again. She pulls me around and my eyes meet hers. Her eyes are a deep ocean blue. She then point to a banner stern across the room with the same title I saw on the brochure, only in fancy writing.

" Please stay. Everybody belongs here..." she pauses. "Especially if you don't think so" she look at me with pleading eyes.

"Can I at least go home and change first?" I ask her. My clothes still drenched in the coffee she had spilled. She nods politely and I take my leave down the stairs, to the doors, and toward my apartment. Then I hear footsteps and heaving coming towards me. The girl. Why is she following me? She catches up to me, breathing heavily.

"Do you live this way too?" She asks trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah." I respond dismissively. "Why?" I question

"Cause I do too ...and I also need a change of clothes" She replies putting a little more effort into the 'and'. She also flails her arms revealing the dark coffee stains again. This Alani girl giggles a bit and sort-of trots along beside me until she reaches her apartment. She turns a corner and looks back at me and waves with an innocent little smile. I continue walking down a few more blocks until I reach my apartment. I enter the half-unpacked apartment and rummage around for a new change of clothes. I find an old, maroon hoodie with cat ears on it and decide I'll just wear that with some leggings. Why am i going to this club again? I think to myself for a while and just come to the conclusion of two things. One, the girl asked nicely and shes kinda cute and dory, two; i have nothing better to do.

I walk outside of my apartment and head back toward campus to join that wierd club again. when i get up two about Alani's Apartment she comes bursting out of her door and rushing toward me. Her change of clothes was a black sweater with a maroon scarf. I couldn't see at first glance but she was wearing small blue shorts that were being covered by her giant sweater. then she put on some cute cat tights. She complimented my sweater saying she had one just like it and then we continued to walk back to campus to attend the club. somewhere along the way she started humming a small tune.

This is the day i became an official Wallflower.