Present

11.1

I awoke the next morning on my couch to the sun dancing in through the blinds and strategically hitting me right in the eyes. I checked the time on my phone and realized that I still had a little over an hour before I had to be in class. I sat up and looked around. Some time in the middle of the night, I had crawled out of my own bed, unable to sleep and crashed on the couch instead. I stood and ambled toward the bedroom to see that Spencer was now in my bed, cocooned in my navy blue comforter. He must have traded the bed for the floor when he realized I was gone.

He rolled over to face me. "That wasn't as bad as I expected it to be." His brown hair stuck up at all angles, as if he were a bird with ruffled feathers.

"It can always be worse I guess," I said quietly. "I have to go to class in an hour and need to get dressed."

"I'm not leaving your bed," Spencer huffed and rolled over. I shrugged; that worked for me. I opened my closet and pulled out a pair of blak leggings. I wasn't ready to put on a pair of jeans. I then pulled a long sleeved tshirt over my head and proceeded to throw my greasy hair into a messy bun. Voila! Average college girl chic.

"Finished," I announced to let Spencer know it was safe to roll back over.

"God, you are so basic," he said as he took in my outfit.

"I'm just trying to be comfortable," I justified.

"Doesn't mean you don't look like every single girl on that campus."

"You would know, you've talked to them all," I retorted.

"Yeah, yeah," Spencer yawned. "Go to class before you miss it and flunk out."

My heart quickened at the words flunk out. It was already a miracle that I had missed a week of class without being awarded all Fs by my professors. Must of my Syllabi said that after three absences it would be impossible for me to achieve a passing grade, and in my last year I had no room for mistakes. Absences were only excused by the university if the death was an immediate family member, and Gwen didn't meet that criteria. However, I had been lucky to have understanding professors. But understanding only went so far. I had to go back to class, or face the consequences.

"You're right, I should head out. Professor Young would fail me in two second flat if I missed another day," I shuddered at the thought and gathered my backpack and notebooks. "I'll see you later, lock the door if you end up leaving."

I pulled on my sneakers and slipped out of my apartment. Every step I took closer to campus washed a surreal feeling over me. How could I go back to class when Gwen couldn't? How could I live any kind of life without her?