Page 11 of Hailey Goes to College

Eventually, exhaustion wins, and I drift off to sleep with a smile on my face, dreaming of what might come next with Ryan.

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of Kelsey humming a tune as she gets ready for the day. Sunlight streams through the curtains as I stretch and get out of bed.

“Morning, sunshine,” Kelsey says with a grin. “Ready for another day?”

“Morning,” I reply, rubbing my eyes. “I guess so. Although, I wouldn’t mind laying here a little longer. I had a hard time going to sleep after all that excitement yesterday.”

Kelsey laughs. “I don’t blame you. But hey, we have a glorious Sunday to look forward to! Any plans with Ryan?”

“Not yet,” I say, grabbing my phone to check for any messages. There’s nothing from Ryan, but I’m not too worried. We both had busy schedules, and I knew we’d find time to see each other again.

“Let’s grab some breakfast,” Kelsey suggests. “You can tell me all about the newspaper.”

“Sounds good,” I say, throwing on some clothes and running a brush through my hair.

We head to the dining hall, the smell of coffee and breakfast foods greeting us as we enter. We grab our trays and load them up with eggs, toast, and fruit before finding a table near the windows.

“So, what’s the latest with the newspaper?” Kelsey asks as we start eating.

“I’m actually really excited about it,” I say. “I’m meeting with the editor today to discuss some article ideas. I’m hoping to cover some of the events on campus and maybe do a few feature stories.” I had met with the whole staff of the paper earlier in the week and I seem to fit in really well. They gave off great vibes and made me feel like I belonged. I had a lot of high hopes riding on the newspaper working out and I could quickly see it becoming something I enjoyed spending my time on.

“That’s awesome, Hailey,” Kelsey says, her eyes shining with pride. “You’re going to be great at it.”

“Thanks, Kelsey,” I say, feeling grateful for her support. “What about you? How’s the theater group going?”

“It’s amazing,” she says, practically glowing. “We’re starting rehearsals for the fall play next week, and I can’t wait. Everyone is so talented. I’m trying out for a supporting role, so I hope I get something.”

“I’m so happy that you found something you like doing,” I say, genuinely excited for her. “This is very Dead Poet’s Society of you—breaking free from poly sci to do a play.”

She huffs out a laugh. “First of all, I think he was meant to be a doctor, second of all—he kills himself! Way to be a downer! And I do enjoy poly sci and law school looms and all that—but I don’t know,” she shrugs, “this is fun too. I think it’ll be fun.”

I nod my head in understanding. Kelsey is going to land that role, I know she will. We spend the rest of the time talking about what our week is going to look like and what other parties there are that we’ve heard about. As we get up to leave, I pull out my phone from my back pocket and check it, secretly hoping for a message from Ryan but when I see the empty screen my face falls.

“Nothing yet?” Kelsey asks.

I shake my head. “Nothing. Do you think he changed his mind?”

“No. It’s Sunday. It’s early. I’m sure he doesn’t want to seem too eager by texting at the crack of dawn.”

“You’re right. I’ll just be cool.”

As we walk back to our dorm, I try to focus on the bright sunshine, the lush green campus with color blasts of orange, browns, and reds in the trees. I take out my phone, snap a few photos of the trees, and post them online. Kelsey even gets in some of the photos so she can send them to her parents.

I resist the urge to check my messages until we get back to our dorm room. That’s when I check my phone again and see a text from Ryan.

Good morning! I had a great time last night. Can’t wait to see you again.

I feel my heart skip a beat as I read his message and quickly type a reply.

Good morning! I had a great time too. Looking forward to it!

Kelsey glances over and sees the smile on my face. “Is that Ryan?”

“Yep,” I say, holding up my phone. “He had a great time, too.”

“I told you! I’m always right, you should never doubt me. He’s a smitten kitten.”

The next day, I have my first official meeting with the campus newspaper team. I arrive at the office, a bit nervous but excited to dive into something I love. The room is bustling with activity—students typing on laptops, discussing story ideas, and editing articles. The walls are lined with past issues, their headlines a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.

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