Thirty

FIRST DAY

It's a dry summer morning. The campus shows little sign of life as the sun goes up and attacks the scene with blue undertones and birds chirping. The shops across campus ready themselves for the day. The students that arrive wave to the ones that are leaving and Rylee is awakened by Sol who just checked herself in at the library. 

Still asleep, Belle's alarm goes off. Her curtains start rising revealing the waking day. The gardener's getting stuff from the shed. Downstairs the maid is making coffee and preparing breakfast. 

Maria turns the corner on her street and speeds up to finish her jog. She enters the property and runs past the front to the patio and inside the house. She doesn't stop running until she gets to her room to start getting ready for the day. 

Back at the university it's time for the first class of the day. When Belle gets there Rylee is already sitting right in front of the teacher's desk. 

"Here goes another semester with you." Belle says as she walks toward Rylee and more students enter behind her. 

"You can always sit at the back if you want." 

"Nah, I rather be next to you." Belle takes a seat next to Rylee, "so I can cheat my way through." 

"Here goes another semester with you." Rylee says and they both laugh. 

A tall guy and a short girl stop by the classroom. She leans on the wall next to the door and she laughs as he takes her hand and smiles down at her. A student struggles to get inside the classroom. Belle and Rylee look at each other. They watch as the girl gestures toward the room and he nods 'Of course' he says. He hands her her backpack and leaves. 

Maria enters the classroom and rolls her eyes at the look on Belle and Rylee's faces. 

"What?" Maria says with a smile as she pushes a chair close to her friends and sits. 

"Nothin'" Belle says and Rylee bites back a laugh. 

"Why'd you look like that?" Maria stares at Rylee.

"Like what?" Rylee asks suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I bet she stayed up all night studying for a non-existing test again." Belle suggests without looking, she's reaching down her backpack for her makeup bag which she hands to Rylee.

"Did you?" Maria gasps. 

"Well actually, the test is very much existing." Rylee responds taking the bag from Belle's hands. "And I think our focus should be M here, with her mysterious thirty year old." Belle laughs. 

"He's not thirty! He's only a grade above us." Maria replies. 

"Sure he is. Did he have to leave to pick up his kids from school?" Belle jokes. 

"No no, he was picking them up from here," Rylee adds and both her and Belle laugh, "but they are only picking up their diplomas." Rylee and Belle laugh harder. 

They're interrupted by the teacher entering the room. They slowly try to quiet down as the teacher steps behind the desk in front of them. The girls greet the teacher and the class starts. 

"Welcome to this year's spring semester. I am your Physiology of Visual Merchandising teacher," the door opens, "my name is Marisol Gonzales" the teacher continues but then stops when she takes a glimpse of the guy entering the classroom. 

He is wearing a black hoodie. His long, straight hair peeking out under his beanie. He has a long skinny figure. Everyone stares at him while he simply ignores them and takes a seat at the back of the classroom. 

"Morning," the student says carelessly. 

"Good morning to you too," the teacher replies slightly skeptical, "Alright, let's get started. You know the drill."