Page 4 of Hailey Goes to College

As the professor starts rapid-fire introductions it makes my head spin. But as the class goes on, I start to relax and even find myself getting interested in the material.

After class, I text Kelsey: Survived my first class! How about you? She replies almost immediately: Same here! Let’s meet at the student center after our next classes. I quickly text her back agreeing with a thumbs up. My next class goes very much as the same and when the syllabus is passed out and the assignments discussed, we find ourselves getting dismissed to go in search of the necessary textbooks.

My feet find the stone path and I make my way to the student center. As I get closer, I spot Ryan sitting at a table, engrossed in a textbook. I hesitate for a moment, then decide to join him.

“Mind if I sit here?” I ask, gesturing to the empty chair.

Ryan looks up and smiles. “Not at all. How were your classes?”

I fall into a chair. “Good! Lots of here’s your syllabus get out of here.”

“Yeah, that happens the first day. Anything else the rest of the day?”

“One more. You?”

“No. I’m trying to stack my schedule so I don’t have class every day. You’ll learn, young one. I’ll mentor you.” He winks.

I laugh easily at his joke. Our whole conversation feels easy and comfortable. I feel like I’ve known him a lot longer than forty-eight hours. It’s easy to talk to him, and I find myself feeling more comfortable and confident about myself as we chat.

The first week of classes go by in the blink of an eye and Friday rolls around before I can even realize it. Most of the people on campus are buzzing about parties and going to clubs. Even Kelsey has been trying to get me to go out tonight. We’ve compromised, and that’s how we find ourselves walking around the campus to unwind last Friday afternoon. The campus looks beautiful in the soft glow of the setting sun, and the air is filled with the sounds of laughter and chatter as students mingle and enjoy the first Friday night on campus.

As we round a corner, we spot a group of students playing a casual game of soccer on the quad. To my surprise, Ryan is among them. I haven’t run into him since the first day of class, and while I haven’t been looking for him, I haven’t been avoiding him either. Kelsey and I slow our steps to watch some of the game and I can’t help but stare at Ryan. He’s got his shirt off and his hard abs are on full display.

A second later, he notices us and jogs over, a playful grin on his face.

“Hey!” he says as he reaches us. “Fancy seeing you two.”

“Hi. Having fun?”

He looks behind him as if he doesn’t know what I’m talking about before turning back and smiling. “Yeah. Want to play?”

“Well, I don’t play,” Kelsey answers before I can reject the invitation. “But Hailey here plays!” she pushes me forward.

“Umm…not since we were like fifteen.” I glare at her.

“Come on,” Ryan encourages, jutting his head to the side. “It’s just for fun. I promise no one here is Messi.”

I look between him and Kelsey who is giving me a look that tells me she’ll kill me if I don’t. I give an aggrieved sigh. “Sure, why not?”

Ryan leads me over to a small group of about ten people and introduces me to the other players. We quickly get into the game, and I find myself laughing and enjoying the friendly competition. Ryan is a great player, and he even takes the time to give me a few tips and pointers.

As the game goes on, I realize how comfortable I feel around him. There is an easy chemistry between us. I try to keep my head in the game but I catch Kesley sitting on the sidelines cheering and giving me a thumbs up. After the game finishes, we all sit down on the grass, catching our breath and chatting. Ryan turns to me with a smile.

“You’re a good player,” he says. “Better than you let on.”

“Thanks,” I say. “It’s been a while since I played, but it was a lot of fun.”

“We should do this more often,” he suggests. “It’s a great way to unwind after classes.”

“I’d like that,” I agree, feeling a warm glow inside.

Kelsey’s head shoots around my shoulder to look at Ryan and me. “We’re going out to a party tonight. Want to join us?”

I can feel my neck getting red with embarrassment. Ryan hesitates for a second. “I’d really like to but I kind of have plans. Hanging out with my roommate.”

Before Kelsey can speak I jump in. “Oh, that’s OK. Maybe next time.” I quickly get up from the grass and dust myself off. Kelsey and Ryan follow my lead. “We better get going. Have a good night, Ryan.”

He rubs his neck and seems distracted before murmuring a goodnight.

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