Chapter 2

Got Coffee?

“Chica! When am I going to meet this Susie of yours?” Karishma whined as we walked to our first lecture of the year.

Freshers’ week was over faster than we could say ‘test tube’. We spent the last few days of the week going to our classes, meeting our classmates and checking out any competition.

There were tons.

The first year was the hardest and it was what people liked to call ‘the make it or break it’ year. If you made it through the first year you were most likely to succeed. Our dorm advisor told us that falling behind on work was not an option. If we slacked off we would fall behind, if we fell behind our grades would drop and if our grades dropped then we would fail the year.

That was not an option either.

“I haven’t even seen her since we’ve arrived. I’m sure we can meet up next week or something,” I assured her.

“You’re not just stalling are you?” she asked squinting her eyes at me. I shook my head. She nodded happily. “Did that make me look like I needed glasses?”

“Yeah-” I replied nodding. “-a little.”

Karishma just shook her head in disappointment. We looked at each other before pulling the double doors that led us to our biology class. I was in awe. The lecture hall was so big! I couldn’t believe that each seat was supposed to be filled.

“We have to be careful. Where we sit could determine how well we do in this class. So, I ask you, top, middle or bottom?”

“You sound like a game show host.” I commented scrunching my nose.

“Is it creeping you out?” she asked wagged her eyebrows at me.

“No, but that is.” I pointed to her eyebrows. We shared a small laugh then glared at each other. Why? I have no idea.

“Girls, if you could take a seat please?” a female voice called out to us.

Karishma and I both stopped glaring at each other and looked at the front of the class. The lecturer was waiting for us. I also noticed that during our nonsensical chatter the rest of the class had slowly seated themselves.

“Sorry,” Karishma apologised loudly. “She was about to have a nervous breakdown.”

My jaw dropped. I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish.

“Oh, well, maybe this isn’t the class for you then,” the professor told me with a hint of a smile on her face.

I regained composure.

“I assure you that this is the class for me,” I informed her.

“Very well, please take your seats.” Professor White. I noticed her name up on the chalkboard.

Karishma and I decided to seat ourselves at the top of the class. Despite the huge lecture hall there was only about thirty or forty people in the class. I did a quick scan of the others there. They had already gotten their notebooks out and their pens were poised ready to write.

“Welcome!” Professor White beamed with a smile on her face. “Today is the first day of many to come. If you think this is going to be easy then think again. If you think that we won’t give you a smack on the head if you fall behind, and then think again. But having said that don’t think we’re going to run after you if you miss out on assignment deadlines. This isn’t high school or college. This is University. You’ll spend your best and worst years here. By the end of the week you’ll want to rip your hair out and wish you never chose to come to Cambridge.”

The smile she started off with had vanished completely while she was talking.

She paused and gazed at all of us. We all looked at her with horror. Well, Karishma and I did. We noticed that some of the others did too. The stern look on her face was then graced with a smile. That didn’t ease our nerves.

“But, by the end of the week you’ll also have met new people, studied new things, and used technology you could’ve only dreamed of using. Your days here will be special and will be over before you know it, so take everyday without grant.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better?” Karishma muttered out of the corner of my mouth. I gave a small shrug.

The professor told us that she was going to take a few minutes to let us introduce ourselves to our new classmates, then we'd be doing the introductory bit of the lesson.

Each student stood up and faced the majority of the class. I was pretty good with matching names to faces so it wasn’t going to be hard for me to pick out who was who. Karishma however had flipped to the back of her notebook and started writing down names.

I took a peek. Daisy – red head. Colin – big ears. Latifa – hazel eyes. John – greasy hair. At that I snorted. Karishma caught my eye and winked. I shook my head and turned back to the students. I missed out on the names of two students. When I saw who was next, my eyes nearly popped out of my head; it was the blond from the coffee shop, the one that I called cute not knowing that Ben was listening.

“Simon James-Scott,” he told us with a small wave. A few girls were looking appreciatively at the major eye candy. Karishma and I looked at each other with impressive eyes. I looked at what she wrote for him: ‘Simon – Phwoar, major hottie’. I giggled a little.

Finally it was my turn. I stood up and all eyes were turned to me. I cleared my throat. “Elisabeth Mauricio.” I added a smile. As my eyes sweeped the class I noticed Simon looking at me – obviously since I was introducing myself – but as I sat down and Karishma stood up, his gaze was still on me. I turned away from him and looked up at Karishma. She was beaming.

“Karishma Jagat - through and through.” She added a wink. Some laughed. I knew immediately that if there were ever going to be a class clown, it was going to be her.

The other students introduced themselves and once we were finished, the class had begun.

--

“Look at what I wrote about you!” Karishma exclaimed as we filed out. The professor was right; it was going to be a very hard year. My head was ringing at just the thought of what we were going to be doing.

I took her notebook and flipped to the back. “Elisabeth-” I read off the page. “-my curly haired friend who dislikes ‘cowhfee’.” I raised an eyebrow. “Cowhfee?”

Karishma sniffed. “It’s the New Yorker style,” she replied with a bad imitation of a New Yorker.

“That was really bad.” Karishma lifted her head up and walked away from me. I grinned and shook my head at her antics.

“She’s a funny one isn’t she?” a voice asked me. Startled I looked to my right. Simon.

“Oh, um, yeah,” I managed to say quietly. “She’s great though,” I added with more confidence.

Simon nodded and grinned. “I’m Simon.” He put his hand out.

“Elisabeth.” I shook his hand not pointing out that we already, unofficially, exchanged names.

“I’ll see you around then.” I nodded smiling. Simon left just as he came; quickly. I frowned a little. It wasn’t that I wasn’t swooning but it was just a little odd.

“What was that about?” Karishma asked me popping out of nowhere. I clutched my chest. What was it with people and appearing out of nowhere…or anywhere?

“I honestly don’t know.”

Karishma linked arms with me. “Well whatever that was about I know exactly what will cheer you up,” Karishma spoke with a tone of wisdom. I looked at her with a quizzing look. “Ben.”

I laughed.

“You mean tea from where Ben works?” I asked her. Karishma looked thoughtful.

“Sure,” Karishma shrugged. “Let’s go with that.”

Karishma and I killed the hour we had before we had our respective classes at the coffee place. Ben wasn’t working which meant he probably had a class. Unfortunately Karishma and I didn’t share the next class together but we did have a couple of classes during the week that we shared. That and the fact that we were roommates were perfectly fine for me.

I waved Karishma goodbye as I turned to my next class which was a lab tech lesson. Basically we looked at things microscopically small under a microscope. I walked in and already people were chatting amongst themselves.

Suddenly I wished for Karishma’s charismatic charm and confidence. A few people glanced at who had walked in and offered me smiles. I returned it. A group of girls ushered me over. I gratefully walked to them.

“Hi!” the brown haired girl who called me over chirped. “I’m Emma!” I grinned at her enthusiasm.

“I’m Sophie,” the blonde informed me taking my hand, which was limply by my side, and shaking it.

“And I’m Victoria, the saner girl out of us.” Her purple hair threw me off the ‘sane’ bit of her introduction. Nevertheless I smiled nervously at all three girls.

“My name’s Elisabeth.”

“With an S,” Emma noted with a wink. I laughed lightly and nodded. "Another med student eh? Cool." She winked again.

“What do you plan on finishing with?” Sophie asked me. She was looking very wide eyed and interested. It was like I was a new species of human or something.

Noticing my slightly confused look, Victoria added, “After you graduate.”

“Oh. Well graduate, get my PhD hopefully and specialise in oncology.”

“Wow,” Emma nodded appreciatively. “Oncology is a great specialist subject. The pay is awesome if you rank high.”

I frowned a little and shook my head. “I don’t really care about the pay.”

“Well good on ya!” Emma grinned. She giggled when her phone buzzed. She held up a finger and motioned for me to wait. Victoria pulled me aside as Emma spoke on the phone while Sophie listened in giggling.

The two reminded me of two very giggly high school girls.

“Excuse them, they loose focus quickly. I’m surprised they even made it here. They were worse in high school.”

Worse?

“You went to school together?” I asked interested. Victoria nodded.

What luck that all three girls ended up together while I didn’t share a class with Susie let alone the same dorm!

Another girl, who introduced herself as Maybelle and Sophie’s roommate, sat down next to Victoria. It seemed as though she wasn’t very fond of her roommate – the nasty looks that were sent in the direction of an oblivious Sophie spoke wonders. The three of us chatted for a while. There were still a few minutes before class was officially due to start and the teacher still wasn’t present.

“Oh look at that,” Emma whispered apparently off the phone.

Why did girls in University coo and awe eerily like girls in high school?

Against my better judgement I directed my gaze at the door. My eyebrows shot up as I saw Ben. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand why Emma was in awe – he was definitely gorgeous – but I didn’t expect to have any classes with him.

Ben’s eyes roamed the class looking, possibly, for a familiar face. He nodded at some of the guys. Then his eyes passed us. He looked at me but continued his gaze. I was a little thrown off; I didn’t think he’d have forgotten me so quickly.

Not that I’m cocky or anything but when you meet someone the way I did – with mortifying embarrassment – you tend to remember them.

Just as I was about to look back at the girls, his eyes returned to mine. A smile slowly spread across his handsome face.

“Elisabeth, he’s smiling at you!” Sophie squealed. Maybelle almost growled but instead made a choking sort of noise from the back of her throat. It made me wonder whether she had actually tried to growl.

“Hi,” Ben smiled as he stopped by my side.

“Hey. You remembered me.”

“How could I not? I think my ego’s still a little sore.” I rolled my eyes but grinned. I heard a voice clear their throat from my right.

“Oh. Ben this is Emma, Sophie, Victoria and Maybelle. Girls this is Ben.” I introduced. Emma and Sophie swooned while Victoria and Maybelle more casually waved.

Just as Emma opened her mouth the door slammed open. In walked an old, balding man with a stern expression on his face. Whether he was in a bad mood or if that was his permanent facial expression, I didn’t know.

“Get into partners and sit at a desk!” he shouted. Ben and I quickly exchanged looks at sat down next to each other at the lab desk behind Victoria and Maybelle.

“This is going to be the bogeyman all over again,” Ben muttered. He was loud enough for Emma to hear. She snorted and a laugh threatened to break out but she recomposed when she saw the professor glare at her.

“If you’re here for thrills and laughs then get the hell out of here.” He turned away from Emma, who looked stricken, and faced the entire class. “That goes for all you. This class will be taken seriously. The second you slack off the college head will be informed. I have an above ninety percent pass rate. I expect that to remain.”

He glared at us as if already imagining our class ruining his excellent pass rate.

We were passed around a booklet with everything that we were going to be studying during the year. It was basically a brief into the class, one that Professor White spoke to us about but this particular teacher – whose name I had yet to learn – decided to write about instead.

“I am Professor Jared. I will be your lab tech professor for the year. Read the booklet I have given you. Memorise what we’re doing, read up on what we’re doing. There is no such thing as being a teacher’s pet here so suck up. I will never forget a face.” He looked at Emma for a moment longer than everyone else.

Ben and I exchanged looks. We both knew we were in for a very long year.

-x-

That weekend, after going through hours of torturous classes, Karishma and I were meeting up with Susie and Corey. They too had extremely hard classes with equally strict lecturers. It didn’t help Susie that her roommate was a complete bitch. If this were high school I would’ve given a good talking to her, but since University meant that we had to be mature, I decided to let Susie handle it.

Simon, during one of the lessons we shared, had asked me if I had Facebook because he wanted to be my friend on there. I restrained from gagging there and then. Facebook, twitter, Bebo, MySpace and all the other Spaces on the internet were the reason there were more paedophiles, more perverts and more bullying. I was firmly against any socialising networks.

“No, sorry. I don’t have time for that,” I had politely told him with a smile.

“No big,” he replied shrugging. “That way I can be your friend in person.” I wasn’t sure if that was a line but I grinned happily and nodded.

Karishma smacking me on the back of my head caused me to return back to reality. I gave her an annoyed look while nursing my head.

“I asked you whether wearing this is okay.” Karishma pointed towards her outfit. She was wearing a simple blue tee and jeans. I nodded.

“We’re meeting my friends not the Queen.”

Karishma gave me a ‘duh’ look. “I know that but I want to make a good first impression.”

“Karishma it’ll be fine. We have another six hours before we actually have to leave so why don’t you take a breather, kay.” I informed her brightly. I stood up and dragged her out of the room before she could say anything.

“Oh why did we have to go pass my ‘whatjamacallit’ class for?” Karishma whined as she collapsed onto the couch we had bagged for ourselves at the café.

While I only had one very strict lecturer, Karishma found herself with not one, not two but three harsh lecturers.

“It was either getting to the café in ten minutes or getting to it in ten hours.” I frowned. Karishma draped her hand over her eyes and ushered me away. I took that as my cue to order for the both of us.

Walking back to the sofa with both orders in hand I noticed Karishma was animatedly talking to someone with a back that look familiarly like Ben’s. As I set the cups down on the table I bumped my hip against his.

“Hey there my freakishly curly haired lab partner. Can’t get enough of me I see,” Ben teased. I rolled my eyes.

“Of course she can’t.” Karishma piped up.

“My hair isn’t that curly is it?” I asked touching it briefly. The two of them gave me looks, the kind that said ‘do you see what I see?’

Karishma moaned suddenly. “What now?” Ben asked. I guessed that Karishma had told him all about her horrible classes.

“You both get to be each other’s lab partners while I have no one!” she cried dramatically.

I sighed and sat next to her. “Aw,” I cooed maternally. “Why don’t you get a bit of caffeine in you and you’ll be all better.”

Karishma sniffed much like one of my younger brothers and drank the coffee. “That was horrible you forgot the sugar,” she blubbered. “Thanks.”

I nodded with a triumphant smile.

Ben looked very uncomfortable. I gave him a questioning stare. “I grew up with all guys. Crying isn’t my forte.”

“Men!” Karishma shouted causing a few people in the café to look up startled. I smiled apologetically on Karishma’s behalf. “All you want is a good lay and someone nice to look at after you get home from work!” She pointed a finger in his direction. “You end up like that mister and I’ll kick your kester into yesterday!”

Ben looked a little shaken up by her outburst. I stifled a giggle.

“Ah, she’s a keeper she is.” I sighed wistfully while Ben retreated back to his section of the tables.

“He’ll be back,” Karishma said knowingly. Funnily enough he was back. He sat down with us during his break. Somehow he found himself invited to meet Susie and Corey.

I wasn’t present when it was all formally asked but it was all Karishma’s doing. I quickly sent Susie a text informing her of the changes, she replied with a grin. The more the merrier she probably thought.

So that was how at five in the evening the three of were huddled under a huge umbrella since it was chucking outside. A miserable evening full of rain and windy weather was due since the past few days had been sunny and blissful. That was the

“I think my make-up’s running!” Karishma groaned touching her face. I was wedged between Ben and Karishma holding the umbrella. My arm was aching since Ben was much taller than Karishma and I. Noticing this Ben took the umbrella from me and gave me a wink. I sighed happily.

“You’re a keeper you are.”

Just as I had given up all hope of keeping a part of my dry, a car pulled up by the road. A window rolled down and out popped Susie’s head.

“Need a ride?” she asked innocently. I laughed and we all raced to the car.

After introductions were quickly done – formal ones were going to be done once we got to the diner we were eating at – Susie and I launched into conversation about the past two weeks. Corey, Karishma and Ben laughed when appropriate and gave their own input when needed.

I sat back while Ben and Corey talked about the sports and Karishma and Susie talked about paintings. Susie was into the arts while Karishma was the artist. I grinned to myself.

Why I thought things were going to turn out bad, I don’t know.

--

Two hours later and I knew exactly why I thought things were going to turn out badly. The diner’s roof was leaking because of the pouring rain so we were shunted to a corner where the dirty gutter water from outside could be smelt. Next the food that we ordered got mixed up with the orders of another table, twice. To say we just chomped down on our food without so much as a fully stringed sentence passing the table was an understatement. We were in and out within fifteen minutes.

To top off the worst dining experience ever, Corey’s car had a penalty notice on it. The yellow and black little paper was glistening in its plastic cover in the dull evening. I swear I could hear Corey count to ten through gritted teeth.

We got out of the car at the curb we got in from. Susie and I exchanged looks that got us laughing much to the confusion of Karishma and Ben. Having known Susie for so long we could just share looks and know what the other was thinking; ‘a great day this turned out to be’.

A great day indeed.

-x-

“That was a waste of a Saturday,” Karishma muttered from under the covers early the next morning. I frowned.

“It wasn’t that bad.” I could imagine Karishma giving me a look. “Okay so it was bad, but at least you got to meet Susie and Corey, right?”

“Yeah for about the ten minutes of conversation we had in the car.”

“Fine it wasn’t a very good day. We’ll plan something else next weekend. It’ll be great this time. We’ll check the weather and go to a good place.” I assured her.

“Uh-huh,” was the response I got from Karishma.

“At least Ben didn’t mind too much that we probably wasted his Saturday,” I commented thoughtfully.

“Yeah that was nice of him. He didn’t complain once.”

There was a moment’s silence. “Freak,” we both said. The freakiness of saying it at the same time caused Karishma to sit up suddenly. Her hair a mess, all over her face, and the covers twisted in all directions.

“Don’t move,” I told her seriously. Karishma looked frightened.

“What? Why? Is it a spider? Oh, get it off, get it off, get it off!”

“Just wait.” Grinning I snapped a picture of her with my phone. I cackled evilly when Karishma flipped me the bird with her left hand. I tutted with mock-disappointment and waved the phone around. “I have leverage sweetuns, be nice.”

She then used both hands.

You should know, some of the classes that the med students are doing…yeah, they’re made up. My internet was being annoying when I was typing the bits with the classes. -.-

Disclaimer – Don’t own any socialising networks I mentioned, or anything else recognisable like labels and books. –Sigh-

Hope you liked the chapter. Thanks to everyone who read and to those who reviewed! I have character pictures up. There should be a link on my profile if you want to check them out! =)

Hope

xoxo