The Freshman: A Novel

Hurricane

Benedict

It was like one of those romcoms that my sister Elise likes so much. So much that she has dragged me to the movies on more than one occasion just so she can be the first of her friends to watch.

Basti is waving happily at his friend. She returned his enthusiastic greeting with a bright smile, showing her perfect white teeth and making her twinkling brown eyes smaller.

The brightness of the white lights in the cafeteria seemed to blur around her, and the noise garbled to a low buzz. All I see is her. Just her.

Her long dark curls bounced about her shoulders, the pink top she was wearing complimented her slightly tanned skin. As she approached, her smile showed a thin metal retainer.

But it was her eyes that stood out. I haven't seen brown eyes light up that brightly.

I had to shake my head a couple of times to get that image of her off my mind. She stopped before our table, making me look up to her. Her hair caught the industrial-grade lighting of the cafeteria, giving her a glowing illusion.

"Basti! I couldn't find a table anywhere! Can I squeeze in?" She asked but she was already sliding into the vacant seat between Basti and me.

I just stared at her; my chicken dinner was left unattended. Her voice pierced through the noise of the cafeteria, drowning it all out. All I can hear is her.

"Oh my gosh, you wouldn't believe how bratty Jamie is! My beloved sister took over my room last night already! She had my stuff transferred to the guest room! The nerve of that shrimp!" She was slightly facing Basti, her back partially turned to me.

Basti was still smiling but gave me an eyebrow wiggle as he listened to her, nodding his head.

She shifted and made herself comfortable on the chair, sending me a whiff of her cologne. I breathed it in, and it was like walking through a dewy rainforest at sunset.

I know that I should snap out of it, but I couldn't tear my eyes off her. Especially now that her eyes turned from bright to laughing as she gave Basti a side hug.

Then she finally noticed me.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, her laughing eyes meeting mine. "I'm Alba. Basti's classmate from high school."

She extended her hand and as I was still shocked at hurricane Alba that arrived, looked at it for a few seconds, suddenly conscious as my palms started sweating.

"Ohhhhhhkay…" Alba withdrew her hand, giving me a curious look.

I wanted to grab her hand and take back my handshake. Real smooth, Benedict. I thought to myself.

Then an idea hit her. "Oh my gosh, am I intruding?" She asked looking at me then Basti then me again.

Oh hell no.

No. No. No. Afraid of what this might look like to Alba. I was about to refute when Basti chirped in.

"Oh hell no." He reflected my thoughts exactly.

The last thing I need right now is for her to think that I am unavailable. And gay.

"Oh." Alba flashed a smile at me again and settled back to her chair.

I looked back down at my unfinished plate and tried to continue eating. But the butterflies in my stomach keep fluttering around that I can't bring myself to swallow the chicken in my mouth.

I had crushes before. A lot of them. But no one rendered me speechless the way Alba is making me now.

"This is Benedict Chen, the lucky boy chosen by the Universe to be my roommate," Basti said with a flourish. "Benedict, this is Alba, super best friend from high school." He finished our introductions.

"Ben?" Alba asked tentatively as if asking for permission to call me that way.

"Uh, n-no." Oh, there's my voice. It sounded a little weird though. "Ben's my dad. You can call me Ned. Or Benedict." But hell, she can call me stupid, and I won't care.

"Okay, Benedict then." Her smile was so sweet. I had to make a conscious effort to not stare. She looked back at Basti and suddenly, with a voice filled with – urgency? Shock? "Oh my gosh, Basti! Is that all you're eating?"

She was looking at his tray, containing a half-eaten tuna sandwich and a few of those free hard candies at the counter. Then she started putting a portion of her buttered corn and a piece of her Salisbury steak on it. "Here, help me finish my dinner. The portions here are so big, and you know I eat like a bird."

I noticed Basti look at her a little differently, and the smile Alba gave back was a bit different, too. It was like there was a silent dialogue between the smiles that sparked my curiosity. If Basti didn't announce earlier that he is gay, I would think that they are more than friends, judging by the affectionate gaze they exchanged.

All of that in just a fleeting moment.

Basti rolled his eyes and sighed as he let Alba transfer half of the contents of her plate to his. "Fine." Basti, trying to sound irritated but failing miserably. "Ruin my diet, again."

There was a comfortable silence as we continued eating, but after a few minutes, in true Basti fashion, he blurted out. "Benedict's an engineering major."

"Wow. A man of the sciences." Alba nodded towards me appreciatively.

What is with these two and their choice of words?

"Yep." I just nodded, silently guessing that Alba is in the arts, too. They come from a magnet school, after all. But I asked anyway, "You?"

"Creative writing." She answered, "I was the one who beat Basti in the National Creative Writing Competition last year." She said proudly then stuck her tongue out at Basti.

"Only because I edited your story." He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

They continued talking about high school and their other shenanigans. I never hung out with the art kids before, because the art kids were seen as the weird ones in our high school. Our school prided itself in winning mathematics and science competitions. I have represented and won for my school many times. But in the arts? There's always no spare budget or time for them.

I'm not surprised when, even though they came from a field different from mine, I started to feel comfortable. It doesn't matter that Basti is gay or that Alba gives me major stomach butterflies with just a glance from her.

Dad told me that college is an adventure, and I should mind my choices well. I wish that Basti and Alba are good choices, to begin with.

And he could be right. I thought as I finished off the chicken on my plate. I smiled at Alba, who smiled shyly back, as she continued her animated narration of something they did together in high school.

I might find something more than education here.