About You

CHAPTER SEVEN

About an hour and a half later, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as we all filed out of the classroom. I hurried around the corner of the hall and scanned the green couches for James. I couldn't wait to talk with him about our first days.

When I couldn't see him, I walked closer and took another look. He couldn't have forgotten. Right?

Just as I was starting to let the doubts creep into my mind, I see him waving at me and smile. Standing in a group of people over by the vending machines he looked like he was saying a quick good bye to them before jogging over to me. I couldn't help but notice some of the people in his circle turn to stare at me.

I gasped. Because looking right at me, was sunglasses girl. Cassie. Now of course she had taken them off, and it looks like she also brushed through her hair as well. But it was definitely her.

"Hey!" James says as he reaches me. I did my best to smile back.

"Don't worry about me if you want to hang out with your friends." I tell him and peek a glance over his shoulder at them again. They had all gone back to talking together.

"Oh, I don't really know them. I just met them today in my class." He waves it off. We start down the hall back to the dorms.

"Are all of them are in your class?" I ask trying to be nonchalant. I can't meet him eye, but he doesn't notice.

"Yeah." He answers excitedly. "It's a film studies class. Well, an option for me, but they're all in the program. So, I thought it would be a good idea to make some friends in case there's a group project or something." He explains.

"What about you? Any new friends?" He adds after a beat.

I tell him about Kelsie, and then he tells me about how a guy named Chase and him both like the same movies and they happened to sit next to each other.

When we reach the lobby, he quickly leaves me to go to meet someone to buy a used textbook for one of his other classes. I shrug and take the elevator by myself up to our floor.

I cook myself a grand lunch consisting of a grilled cheese sandwich and some ramen noodles.

When I finish, I feel like a true college student. So far so good.

...

Later that night, I was exhausted and sitting back in my room. My other classes had gone by easier, thanks to James. Once I had made it through the first one, I seemed to regain my confidence and really make it work. I continued to sit close to the front, and actually met a few people. I hope they sit next to me in the next class.

I ended up messaging with James a lot, talking about our first weeks, and he told me that before I knew it, it would be midterms. I didn't believe him, but he was right, the time did pass rather quickly.

We make plans to meet up in the lobby the next day to go out for coffee together. I can't help but feel as though we were beginning to be something.

...

When I get down to the lobby the next day, I immediately scan around but it seems like he isn't here yet. What I do see however, is a giant bulletin board along on of the walls off to the side of the main doors. I wander over to it with some time to kill.

The first thing I notice is how absolutely chaotic it is. Scraps of paper for clubs, meetings, events, everything the school had to offer, was on a paper stapled to this board. The second, is a large paper the colour of official school green is taking up a lot of space front and center of the others. Almost as if it had just been placed there.