Out of My League

{25} Firsts

Lemon's POV

Math was never my forte. I cried internally as the professor outlined the long assignment for tonight. Though I was majoring in creative writing and comparative literature, I had to take certain requisites before graduation.

As I struggled to stay awake, I daydreamed about a small cafe overlooking the Eiffel Tower and the scent of freshly brewed coffee.  The power of teleportation would be extremely helpful right now. "Lemon? Lemon Hatfield!" a loud voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, snorting and sitting up quickly as a few of my classmates chuckled.

"One of the student advisors has requested to meet with you now," my math teacher stated. "You weren't sleeping during my class, I hope?"

"Nope, not at all," I replied hurriedly. "I think better with my eyes closed."

"Okay then," he responded, unconvinced. "Head to room B21 please."

As I walked down the hallway I wondered why I'd been summoned. I wasn't usually one to get in trouble. I knocked quietly on the advisor's door. "Come in," a soft voiced call.

I entered to be face-to-face with a woman that looked to be only a few years older than me. "Hi, I'm Lemon. You wished to speak with me?"

She smiled brightly. "Hi Lemon! First of all, I want to congratulate you for qualifying for the trip to Paris." I nodded my head graciously, slightly confused as to how she'd heard the news.  "But there is one thing. You will be missing a generous amount of credits while you are away."

"What does that mean?" I asked uneasily.

"Instead of a four year program at NYU, we recommend you graduate in five," she explained. "That way you can make up the courses you missed and double major like you planned."

"Oh," I said, surprised. I hadn't yet thought about the consequences taking a 6 month absence would have on my college experience. 

"I'll give you a chance to think about it, but I recommend you go," she advised, smiling kindly. "This is a great honor for a writer. You know that Lemon, right?"

"I know. Thanks," I said politely as I exited the office. "I can't wait."

...

"I can't wait," I said hastily, pacing back and forth in my dorm. "I need to make a decision soon before I lose my mind."

Charlotte laughed. "Calm down, Lemon. Graduating in 5 years is not a big deal. I know a few seniors staying behind next year to complete and retake courses. It's completely normal."

"I know," I replied quietly. "I just always pictured us graduating together."

She smiled understandingly. "Me too."

"You know this is the first time I've felt like this," I said after a while.  "Ever since I was ten, I had my whole life planned out. I would finish high school, go to my dream school, graduate, and start working on my first novel. In that order. Right now, everything just seems so new and uncertain."

"New can be good," Charlotte replied. "At least it's not static. I personally love change." She perked up suddenly. "I have somewhere I want to take you."

"How very cliche of you," I joked.

"When did you get so sarcastic?" Charlotte inquired as we exited my dorm together.

After about a 20 minute walk, we approached a spot that overlooked the Hudson River. The sun had just finished setting, and we were surrounded by the lighted darkness of twilight in New York. Though I'd grown up in a suburban atmosphere, the city had a strange familiarity to it that was hard to put my finger on. Maybe it was the fact I'd just received news that might change my life forever, or that the girl of my dreams was standing next to me, but I felt strangely nostalgic.