Between classes
1131 Words
AMY’S POV
I wake up to sunlight creeping across my wall, warm and soft, like it has nowhere else to be. For a while, I stay still, listening to the quiet of my apartment. No alarms, no voices, just me and the hum of New Orleans waking up outside. I like mornings like this. They feel safe.
I get ready slowly, taking my time with everything. I put on clothes that feel comfortable, familiar. I sip my coffee by the window and watch people walk past below, all of them heading somewhere important.
By the time I reach campus, it is already alive. Students cluster around buildings, laughter bursting out from people’s mouths. I spot Lila almost immediately. She is impossible to miss, sitting on a bench near the science building, legs crossed, phone pressed to her ear.
“I’m telling you,” she says loudly, “if a man cannot kiss properly, then what the f**k is he doing with my time?”
I smile before she even notices me.
She spots me and grins, pulling the phone away. “I have to go. My friend is judging me.”
She hangs up and scoots over so I can sit.
“Morning,” I say.
She looks at me up and down, slowly. “You look questioningly peaceful.”
“I slept well,” I reply.
She groans. “Must be nice. I met a guy last night.”
“That tone never means good things,” I say.
“Oh it was good,” she says quickly. “At first. Tall, confident, nice arms.”
“And?” I added.
“And then he started talking about how women are too emotional.”
I laugh. “Oh no.”
“I finished my drink and told him my emotions were about to get violent,” she says proudly. “Then I left.”
I laugh. “You’re impossible.”
“And alive,” she replies. “Which is important.”
I glance around. “Where’s Sophia?”
“Still in class,” Lila says. “Something about participation marks. Could never be me.”
We start walking, killing time before the next lecture. Lila keeps talking, jumping from topic to topic without ever thinking about a break.
“Men lie,” she says. “And if they don’t lie, they disappoint.”
“Not all men,” I say.
She smirks. “You have a boyfriend.”
“That doesn’t exempt him from your rules?”
“No,” she admits. “But I’ll allow it.”
As we turn a corner, I feel it before I see it. Like someone is looking in my direction. I look up. Felix Carter is walking toward us, hands in his pockets, relaxed like he belongs everywhere he steps. He looks different outside the classroom. Less focused, more human.
Our eyes meet briefly. He smiles, not wide, just so easy. I feel a strange flicker in my chest, something quick and unfamiliar. I decide to conclude and tell myself it’s nothing.
Lila notices him immediately. “Oh wow,” she mutters. “The universe really does test me.”
Felix slows down as he reaches us. “Hey,” he says. “You’re Amy, right?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“I thought so,” he says. “I’m Felix.”
“I know,” Lila says. “Everyone knows.”
He laughs. “That sounds dangerous.”
She grins. “It is.”
He glances between us. “So… am I interrupting something important?”
“Only my daily rant,” Lila says. “But you’re welcome to join.”
Felix smiles. “I’ll pass, I value my peace.”
I laugh softly, surprising myself.
Felix looks at me again. “How are you settling into the semester?”
“Good,” I say. “Pretty busy actually.”
“Same,” he replies. “Feels like it’s already trying to kill us.”
Lila snorts. “It’s September.”
“And yet,” Felix says.
There is a brief pause. Not awkward, just quiet.
“Well,” he says eventually. “I’ll see you around.”
“Probably,” I reply.
He nods and walks off.
I watch him leave.
Sophia appears moments later, breathless and smiling. “Hey. What did I miss?”
Lila points dramatically. “Amy almost flirted.”
“I did not,” I say quickly.
Sophia’s eyes widen. “Really?”
“No,” I insist. “I have a boyfriend.”
Lila smirks. “And yet your face was pink.”
“It was not.”
Sophia laughs softly. “Relax. It’s harmless.”
I shake my head, pushing the moment away. “It was nothing.”
We head to class together after that. The rest of the lecture passes quietly. I take notes, I listen, I exist. Normal everyday college routine. Afterward, as we gather our things, someone hovers near us.
She smiles when she sees me. “Hi.”
“Oh,” I say. “Hey.”
She steps closer, standing beside me naturally, like it has always been that way. “I was hoping I’d run into you.”
Lila’s expression tightens just slightly, “and you are?”
She looks at her. “I'm Maya.”
“Hm, okay.” Lila replies, polite but distant.
Sophia smiles warmly. “Hey, don't mind Lila.”
Maya laughs softly. “No it's okay.”
She turns back to me. “Do you have another class now?”
“No,” I say. “Not for a bit.”
Her face brightens. “Me neither.”
She walks with us as we move toward the courtyard, staying close to my side. Too close, maybe, but I don't say anything.
She asks about my day, about my job, about where I live. Lila watches her carefully.
“You ask a lot of questions,” Lila says lightly.
Maya flushes. “Sorry. I just like knowing people.”
Sophia chuckles. “She means well.”
“I know,” I say quickly.
Maya smiles at me, grateful.
We sat together for a while, talking about small things. Maya listens closely, nodding at everything I say. When she laughs, it feels slightly delayed, like she is making sure it is the right response. When she finally leaves, Lila exhales.
“She gives me f*****g weird vibes,” she says.
Sophia rolls her eyes. “You say that about everyone.”
“I do not,” Lila argues. “Only people who ask too many questions.”
I smile. “She’s just shy.”
Lila looks at me. “Just be careful.”
“I will,” I say.
I don’t mean it seriously. I should've.
- Writer
