Chapter Sixteen - The first class
757 Words
Maya woke up before her alarm.
For a few seconds she just layed on her bed,
Then it hit her.
Her first class.
She sat up immediately.
Today was the day she'd been waiting for.
Her first real day as a university student.
She got out of bed and quietly gathered her things. Leah was still asleep, and Hannah and Grace hadn't stirred yet. Maya slipped into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, took a shower and got dressed.
She checked herself in the mirror one last time.
She looked nervous.
She felt nervous.
But underneath it all was something else.
Excitement.
After everything, she was finally here.
She grabbed her bag and left the room.
Her class started at ten, but Maya arrived much earlier.
She'd rather sit around for a while than risk getting lost and walking into her first class late.
The lecture hall was still fairly empty when she entered.
She looked around before choosing a seat.
The first row felt too exposed.
The very back felt too far away.
So she settled on the middle row, toward the edge.
It felt safe.
She placed her bag beside her, brought out her notebook and looked around.
Students slowly began filling the room.
Some came in pairs, laughing and talking.
Others walked in alone, checking their schedules.
Maya watched them quietly.
She wondered what it would be like to have people waiting for her after class.
Then she caught sight of someone familiar.
A back.
A particular build.
peculiar clothing.
She paused.
Wait.
She had seen that person before.
She couldn't remember exactly where at first.
Then it came back.
The library.
The sports complex.
That distant figure she'd noticed more than once since arriving.
It was him.
The same guy.
She didn't know his name.
She didn't know anything about him.
She simply recognized him.
Maya looked away.
It's probably nothing.
There were thousands of students on campus. It wasn't strange that she might see the same person more than once.
She opened her notebook.
The lecturer walked in a few minutes later.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning."
Maya smiled faintly.
The class began.
At first, she struggled to focus.
Not because the lecture was boring.
Quite the opposite.
Everything was new.
The lecturer explained the course structure, introduced the first topic and talked about what would be expected from them throughout the semester.
Maya listened carefully, writing down important points.
As the lesson continued, her nervousness slowly disappeared.
She actually liked it.
There was something refreshing about sitting in that classroom.
Here, she was simply Maya.
A student.
For two hours, she allowed herself to forget everything else.
By the time the lecturer dismissed them, Maya realized how quickly the morning had passed.
She packed her things.
The class had been exhausting, but in a good way.
She had learned something.
She had laughed quietly at one of the lecturer's jokes.
She had even caught herself looking forward to the next class.
Maybe university wouldn't be so bad.
She walked out of the lecture hall with the other students.
Then her stomach growled.
Maya frowned.
"Okay. Food first."
She adjusted her bag and headed toward the cafeteria.
She was walking faster than usual.
She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she'd left the classroom considering she didn't eat this morning because of her excitement.
Students crowded the walkway, moving in different directions.
Maya kept her eyes ahead.
She turned a corner—
And almost walked straight into someone.
She stopped abruptly.
The familiar clothed figure stood right in front of her.
It was him.
Again.
For a split second, Maya looked up.
Then she immediately stepped aside.
"I'm sorry."
She didn't wait.
She hurried past him, already thinking about food.
She didn't notice the tiny charm that slipped loose from her bag.
It hit the pavement quietly.
Maya kept walking.
She didn't hear it.
The guy did.
He glanced down.
Something small had fallen near his shoes.
He bent down and picked it up.
It was a little silver keychain with a tiny moon hanging from it.
He turned it over in his fingers.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
Then he looked in the direction Maya had disappeared.
She was already gone.
He didn't know her name.
He didn't know where she was going.
He didn't even know whether he'd see her again.
Still, he turned the little keychain in his hand over.
And for some reason, he found himself looking after her a little longer than he intended.
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