Page 24 of The Lies We Tell Ourselves

I tucked my phone back into my pocket and took a moment to lock my emotions down. The quad had filled since Ava and I sat down. Groups of friends walked together on their way toward different buildings on campus. Others headed in the direction of Bean There for that elusive first hit of caffeine and a quick hot breakfast. It was like watching a silent movie, the figures moving around the screen while your mind tried to work out what they were talking about. A loud laugh rang out, and the world snapped back into focus like an elastic band. I shook my head and looked over at Ava who was lost in her phone.

I cleared my throat and dumped my trash in the garbage. Ava peeled her eyes off the screen and tilted her head. “I’ve gotta go. I’ve only got fifteen minutes until my first class starts and it’s roughly a ten minute walk from here.”

“Alright, let’s go. I’ve got to get to the dance hall anyway.” Popping up off the bench, Ava slid the strap of her bag over her shoulder and dumped her trash. I smiled at her as she linked her arm with mine and dragged me along with her.

“I didn’t expect there to be this many people around this early.”

Ava’s musical chuckle rang out. “I’m pretty sure every department has early starts.” She inhaled a quick breath. “Plus, we’re not far from the sports fields, gym, and dance center. Those guys train from like six in the morning, so y’know, we’re not the only early risers.”

I groaned. “It wasn’t like I was up at this time by choice. If I had my way, the day wouldn’t start before noon. Anything before that is just plain rude.”

“I hear you on that.” She chuckled. “Anyway, we’re here, angel.”

I looked at her with wide eyes. Trepidation and excitement made a complex mix for my strained anxiety, but my smile held firm. “Thanks for walking me. You didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense.” She chucked her thumb over her shoulder. “Besides, you practically walked me too. I’m just over there.”

“If you say so. You wanna meet for lunch? I’m meeting Mal.”

“Sure thing, angel boy.” Ava wrapped her arms around me before giving me a quick once over. I wasn’t in anything special, just jeans, a hoodie, and my high tops. “Hmm, we need to do something about that,” she muttered as she turned away.

“What?” I called after her

“Tell you at lunch!” she shouted as the crowd of students swallowed her up, and I lost sight of her rainbow hair.

I didn’t have time to ponder what she’d meant, because now I only have five minutes to get to my room and find a seat. So much for planning to have plenty of time on my first day. I shook off that thought and slipped through the still open door behind a group of girls and jogged up the stairs to the second floor of the building in search of room N305.

Luckily for me, I’d entered the right end of the building, and the first door I came to was the one I needed. A large metal desk sat at the front with a massive white screen behind it. Curving around it was the seating, arranged like an amphitheater, with each row having a long communal table. Half of the seats were filled with quietly chatting students. I’d read that this course was quite interactive, and I had high hopes for Mr. Tunaley’s engaging lectures. I made my way up the stairs to one of the back rows and sat in the middle of five empty chairs, placing my laptop on the table. The clock above the white screen ticked over to eight o’clock and a pregnant hush fell over the collection of students as a door I hadn’t noticed in the wall behind the desk opened.

“Good morning everyone, I am Mr. Tunaley.” His voice boomed through the room, effectively silencing anyone who was still talking. “I’m excited to share with you my love of architecture, its history, different movements, and how it still impacts modern design. The course this semester will be split into architectural movements, modern engineering developments, and an end of unit design project.”

Quiet conversation broke out as Mr. Tunaley sorted through the stacks of paper on his desk before handing them off to those in the front row. “Take one of each sheet and pass it on, please. You will shortly be receiving your syllabus, required reading material, and reference books. There is also a pop quiz on the online portal that I expect you to have completed before our next lesson.” A collective groan rang out, but I couldn’t wait. Academics was where I felt confident.

The next ninety minutes passed in a blur, and I found myself looking forward to my next lecture with Mr. Tunaley. As Ava said, he dressed sharply in a navy-blue three-piece suit with the whitest shirt I’d ever seen. But it was his easy-going demeanor that put me instantly at ease. He was a fun and engaging talker who seemed to value student participation.

I packed up my things and jogged down the steps, following the crowd and ready to dash across campus to Applied Mathematics. Numbers made more sense to me than words half the time, both written and spoken made me nervous. It still surprised me that I’d settled into an easy friendship with Ava and Mal. Usually, I was left on the sidelines. I was the kid always stuck on the friendship bench, and the last to be picked for a sports team when PE was a requirement.

The number of students had increased exponentially, and the halls were flooded with bodies. It made it difficult to navigate them, especially when I had to go against the flow. I managed to squeeze through a gap and hit the stairs without too much issue, but as soon as my feet touched the ground, I was shoulder-checked so hard I smacked into the wall, and the air was punched from my lungs.

“Shit,” I muttered, slightly dazed as I braced myself and took a few deep, steadying breaths.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?” I glanced up to see a red-haired guy standing in front of me. His plaid shirt hung open, revealing a tight white t-shirt that hinted at what lay underneath. A smile flickered at the corner of his lips, but it was his bright green eyes and the intensity of his stare that had me tongue-tied.

“You took a pretty hard hit there I just wanted to make sure you were alright?”

Flustered, I stepped back and ran my hands through my hair, my fingers catching on the knotted strands. Unnerved, I pulled at the drawstrings on my hoodie as a way to hide the tremor that ran down my arms. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Sure it was an accident.”

“Mmhmm, if you say so.” The look on his face said he didn’t believe a word I was saying. Same dude, same. “I haven’t seen you here before?”

I smiled, stepped away from the wall, and headed for the exit. The guy fell into step beside me, like we were friends. “It’s, umm, my first day, if you couldn’t tell.” He chuckled and held the door open for me. His hand landed on the small of my back as he guided me through the throng of students bustling to get to their next class.

“I guessed as much, sweetheart.” Heat warmed my cheeks, and my eyes dropped to the pavement beneath my feet. “I’m Cory, by the way.”

“I…oh…um, Jamie,” I muttered, flustered and wishing the ground would swallow me up right this second. I wasn’t good at this, small talk or making friends. I’d rather be left alone. I was more comfortable being on the outside looking in, than right here on the hot seat like now.

“Nice to meet you, Jamie. What do you have next?”

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