My F*ed Up Lover

Ch 4: Boys and Cookies

"Good morning! Welcome to English 10, my name is Dr. Zavatou, but you can call me Z. Since this is a very large lecture hall, I don't anticipate many of you getting to know me on a personal level; but, for the few of you who do, I will gladly welcome you with open arms. There are about two hundred of you in this class, and as a mainly-freshman class, I encourage you to utilize the resources that the school offers. There is a writing center on campus and...." blah blah blah blah blah...

His mouth kept running, blabbering a bunch of useless words as I stared at the syllabus on my computer screen. It felt weird going from not being allowed to use electronics in school, to being encouraged to bring a computer to class.

I guess that's how college was. Bianca had informed me that half the class stops showing up after the first day too; especially if the lectures were recorded and posted online and especially in large lecture halls like this.

I wasn't sure if a freshman class would be like that, but I wasn't too sure yet. At the rate this man was talking, I wasn't even sure if I would willingly stay until the end. I doubt he would notice if I left midway through his first lecture. It was my first university class in a lecture hall with over one-hundred people. I had taken many community college classes during high school and now, I was thrown into a whole new experience.

"Alright," he said after about forty-five minutes, "we've gone over the syllabus, that's all I'll cram into your brains for today, feel free to come up here and introduce yourselves. You're free to go." He said through the microphone as everybody started packing their bags and heading toward the exit. It was hoards of people who couldn't get out fast enough. I laughed at the sight as I approached the professor.

"Hi Dr. Z." I smiled as he looked at me warmly.

"Just Z." He smiled.

"I'm June, like the month." I said, holding my hand out for him to shake. He looked at my hand momentarily before looking at me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." His eyes softened as he focused on my hand and shook it. I nodded.

"Likewise. I hope to have a good first semester." I smiled, pulling my hand away as he nodded and I walked out of the classroom. That was weird; I wondered if all professors at big-name universities were that strange. He came off as slightly creepy, which made me rather uncomfortable. Maybe I was just accustomed to thinking everybody was my enemy, especially these sorts of older men in power. I shuddered, pushing the thought away. He was probably harmless.

I strung my backpack over my shoulder as I walked toward the dorms, hoping I could grab a quick snack before heading back to campus for my second and last class of today. I walked into the nearest dining hall, my eyes landing on an unsuspecting viewer.

"June! It's so good to see you. I was just grabbing a sandwich, care to join me?" Claire asked, she seemed unbothered as she smiled at me. Her bright blonde hair slightly more unkempt than normal.

I wondered if that had anything to do with her breakup last night. She seemed to be putting on a facade to implore me to believe she was fine. Well, obviously not just me, but nevertheless, it wasn't working. I could quickly spot the slightly bloated under eyes, whiteness that only appeared after long hours of crying.

"Sure, how are you Claire?" I asked as she smiled at me giddily. Her attention seemed scattered as she looked at the slice of pizza I had on my plate, sausage and green peppers, my favorite. I waited a couple seconds for her response as she bit into her sandwich and chewed. I wondered what she was doing at a dining hall, upperclassmen usually didn't bother with residential life student dining halls. They all lived in apartments and made their own food.