Chapter 2.
1355 Words
"Thank you Sir." Maria appreciated the official while leaving the administrative building after settling her registration documents scores and also collecting necessary materials.
"Grrrrrrr, grrrrrr..."
Sounded Maria's boxes as they were dragged down the stairs.
"Common, lift the boxes! you can't go about, disturbing the peace of the whole building,"
a mature woman passing by reprimanded.
***
"Hello ma! my name is Maria Kura from Asia, I got admitted to study International Relations. I was allocated to Queen Ashley's block, room 20." recited Maria after arriving at her assigned block.
"Alright, welcome to Macleod college of Arts. I am the porter of this block, your boxes have to be checked before leav..." She was unduly interrupted by a bratty student's comment.
"Ewwww! what sort of dress combination is this?" asked a lady entering the block, scanning Maria. "Oh my God! look at those ancient boxes" her partner added as they walked past, laughing their asses out.
"Don't mind those bullies." The porter pacified, while doing a brief check on the boxes' contents.
"Done, after me."
The porter showed her to her room before resuming back to her duty spot.
***
It was Monday Morning, Maria was not the type to rise late. She rose as early as 5:00am to clean her the room before preparing for lectures.
"Hey! don't you dare touch my things, I don't know about others!" Tia blurted.
"Well, same here," "me either." Sneered the other two ladies.
Maria remembered the unwelcoming statements uttered by her roommates when she moved in few days earlier. She cleaned her side of the room alone before getting prepared.
"Good Afternoon girls, this is your last roommate" Mrs Alberts, the porter announced before leaving the quad.
"Hi, dirty girl" sputtered the nicest of them, Lilian qualifying Maria based on her appearance... "Watch your steps pumpkin!" an elder bargingly addressed her faltering steps while she reminisced her first treatment ever from the girls.
Maria left the dorm building dressing her best and comporting herself as much as she could before attending her first day's lectures.
Eyes turning in her direction, staring at her complete outfit and bursting at her appearance.
"Who wears these to school?" questioned a student on the walkway pointing to Maria. "Oh! sneak peak those ancient scandals, folks" yarned another with centre focus on Maria.
"Hello, my name is..."
"Save me the s**t, I never asked", "So, how do I help you?" and diverse insultive responses were received by Maria in the Freshman's Wing in her quest to mingle with other students.
The time was 9:00am, According to the timetable, it was General studies period. Maria headed to the mega lecture room for her first lecture.
"I welcome you guys to Macleod college. This man right here would be lecturing you General studies course through out the academic calendar year. I hope you all grant me your optimum corporation as possible." The middle aged academic announced as soon as he stepped into the lecture hall.
Dr Ben Abberton, a reputable academic of few words resumed lecturing after his short speech but didn't leave until he took the class' attendance and appointed a course representative after his short lecture delivery.
"Have a nice day, guys." He finally muttered while taking his exit.
***
Maria was not one that supported vandalizing of the school's property but could not always help venting her loneliness pain and anger by scribing indefinite doddles on the canteen's desks during lunch.
It was day 3 at school with no mate to relate with.
Everyone made pairs of friends, clustering in group of twos, threes and fours except Maria who was popularly disliked by all.
"Hello."
A blonde, Caucasian lady greeted as she walked up to Maria at her corner.
"Hi."
Maria replied gleefully, sighting the first person to reach out to her premier week of resumption.
"Your name please?"
The lady asked, picking up a pen and jotter.
"M-maria" she stuttered wondering why she brought out her writing materials.
"I am Stephanie Hank, a linguistics department finalist and the president of the solace academia heroes. We help in building up students educational excellence right from their first year on campus. We're hosting a welcome to campus first year lecture next week and I would love you to be in attendance."
"Oops! not a friend request but a ...
Heartbroken Maria absent-mindedly drifted off.
"Maria?" Stephanie called.
"Y-yes, I can hear you."
Maria lied after recovering herself.
"Alright, I said it would take place at the school auditorium, here..." She completed her statements, handing over a leaflet to Maria.
"Alright, hope to see you there."
Maria watched her walk off to other students to inform them about the program as well.
She left the canteen before weary-heartedly attending two more lectures before planning to retire for the day.
While Maria walked down the stairs, she remembered she still had outstanding documentations to do. She hurriedly rushed to the administrative building.
"Hello, Mr. Williams."
Maria noticed there was an overflood of students within the area, there was absolutely no hope for her to get her formalization done that day.
"Hi miss Maria, here you are..." His attention briefly drifted from Maria for a few seconds.
"Sorry for the interruption, hope you're finding your
new niche enjoyable?" he continued after returning to Maria.
"Yes, thank you sir."
"Have you come to complete your registration?" Mr. Williams asked while he adjusted his glasses rim.
"Yes Sir!"
At a distance, Maria sighted her roommates leaving the admission officer's office.
"I would advise you to come by Friday evening, the traffic would have greatly reduced by then." Mr. Williams advised before attending to other students.
"Alright, thanks. See you on Friday Sir."
"Hey, girls!" Maria pushed her luck to walk in company of her three roommates when they got closer to her.
"How many I help you?" asked Tia with a stern demeanor.
"I was hoping to follow you ladies back to the dormitory." uttered Maria.
"Oh, really?!" Annet asked harshly with a scornful stare, scanning Maria from her head to her toe and back.
"Did we come in together?" Lilian, questioned to add her quota to the conversation. Maria swinged her head sideways to reply.
The first two girls mimicked her approach while they walked out on her.
"Oh yeah! you've got your answer." Lilian booed before she tagged behind the others who were almost out of sight down the stairs.
Maria, in a damp-spirited mood walked out of the building and meandered to a small garden adjacent the main walkway leading up to Aladdin's block to cool off her head before returning to the lionesses' den.
"Am I jinxed? I was hated back home by my family only to receive similar treatments in a new Continent, nation and school." Maria muttered while she unleashed drops of tears soon after she got a comfortable sitting space.
"Hello..."
Maria raised her head slowly till her eyes locked with the owner of the soothing baritone voice she just heard.
"Are you alright?" Again, she was dumbstruck and froze on hearing the voice of the wonderful, handsome six foot three figure standing right before her.
"yes, I am." Maria said, wiping her face and hurriedly standing to walk off the area.
"Oh my! I'm not fully done being an irritator, and now I've graduated to becoming an attention seeker." Maria soliloquized as she took few steps away from her former point.
"Hold on!" He called, holding Maria's left hand after running towards her just before she zoomed off.
"Please, come back. I won't eat you up."
Maria took a rear reverse back to where she sat earlier with her heartbeat thumping so loud, wondering why the handsome dude was not terrified by her appearance to the extent of calling her back.
The young dude patiently watched her settle down before starting up a conversation.
"Sorry if I badged into your privacy but why were you sobbing?" He asked with a piercing look into her eyeballs. Avoiding facial contacts, Maria processed the question.
"Why do you care?" Maria finally blurted just before she burst into another round of helpless tears.
- Writer
