Page 8 of Unfix Me

He had a box full of taxidermy chipmunks or something. I was sure of it.

After I dressed in a casual blue t-shirt and jeans, I rummaged around in my suitcase. I tapped out two pills into my palm. Grimacing at them, I tossed them into my mouth and drained a bottle of water. I didn’t know if they were helping, but the doctor said to keep at it for a while.

Two months ago, I started taking these depression meds. My parents didn’t know and it needed to stay that way. They’d just freak out and think that something was wrong with me. Apparently, there was, but I didn’t want the added stress. If they knew, they’d be on my ass, always asking questions about how I was feeling. Then, I’d probably lie. It would only make things worse.

So what if I was a little bit depressed? A lot of people dealt with it. Maybe that was why I’d struggled so much over the years. It could explain the unnatural things I used to think about, although I hadn’t asked a professional. I didn’t really want it confirmed or denied.

I was fine. With this new adventure and the friends I’d already made, I was sure that it would get better. Soon, I wouldn’t even need to take the medication. It was a phase, something I needed to learn how to handle. I wasn’t weak and I wouldn’t let some imbalance in my brain make people think that I was.

Men shouldered the burdens for others. That was what my dad said. When we struggled with money after my mom had an accident that made her stay home for a few months, he never told her how close we came to losing the house. That was what being a provider meant. He’d instilled that in me. If I had things going on in my head, I had to deal with them on my own.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and left the room. Thankfully, the trek to my class was uneventful. There were students everywhere, but it was nothing like the chaos from yesterday. At least for now, everybody seemed to be on their best behavior. They’d probably start acting crazy again next week.

By the time I arrived at my class, it was pretty full. There were a couple seats in the back and one in the middle. I made my way to the latter and pulled out my textbook. It was a beast of a thing and cost more than my monthly food allowance.

A movement to my right drew my attention. I peeked out of the corner of my eye and saw black, wavy hair. It was so sleek and lovely that I turned fully to look at the woman beside me. She had tanned olive skin and her purple dress brought out her brown eyes. I couldn’t help taking in the rest of her. She was thin in an athletic way, which was accentuated by her tight bodice.

“Hey,” she said, flashing me a smile.

Damnit, I was being rude by ogling her. Not a good first impression.

“Hey, sorry. You kind of scrambled my brain.”

She laughed lightly and held out a hand. “Kasey.”

“Sen.” I took her hand gently. Her skin was ridiculously soft.

“I haven’t seen you around, Sen.”

“It’s the first day,” I pointed out with a smirk.

“This is my fourth year. First for you?”

“Yeah, coming in as a junior.”

“How do you like it so far?”

“I think it’s too early to tell, but I can confidently say that I’m not ready to throw in the towel and jump on a plane yet.”

Her smile widened, revealing perfect white teeth. She was exactly what guys hoped to find when they went to college. And she was talking to me. Flirting, if I was reading things right. The odds of me enjoying my time here may have gone up already.

“Eyes front,” a man said as he walked through the door. He wore a ruffled suit jacket and the coffee tumbler he carried must’ve been at least thirty-two ounces. If this was him on day one, I couldn’t imagine how he’d be as the semester progressed.

He dropped his messenger bag on the floor with a thud and grabbed an expo marker. In all caps, he wrote his name on the board.

Professor Montaghue.

Cool name. It sounded like someone who ran a secret society beneath the university.

Kasey leaned across the aisle and I met her halfway. “He’s kind of a dick,” she whispered. “But if you don’t stress him out, he’ll go easier on your grades.”

“Good to know.”

“After this, tell me who all of your teachers are. I’ll see if I can give you any helpful advice.”

I bit my lip on a smile and nodded. When Professor Montaghue turned back around, we moved apart and focused our attention on him. His gaze landed on me, then Kasey. He rolled his lips before he started scanning the rest of the class.

Don’t stress out the teacher. I could do that.

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