Ten minutes to get to class. I ran down the long passageway to get to my train. I obviously wasn't watching my feet because the next thing I knew, I was flying. It was a short flight. I pushed myself up with scraped palms and almost started to cry, when I realized I had tripped over a black man, sitting against the wall. People were walking past us in a hurry and the sound of my missed train echoed off the walls.
"I'm so sorry…" I started.
"S'alright. The highlight of my day was being tripped over by such a pretty young lady." And he smiled. And I just blinked at him. I didn't even see him when I was coming down the tunnel.
"Are you alright?" I asked him, having gotten up. I fished in my pocket for some money and found five dollars. "Here, I'm really sorry."
"No, you keep your money, just promise me I'll see your pretty lil' face again."
"Um…okay." I said and ran off; very frightened I may add. This was a horrible start to a horrible day. I looked at my watch and saw that I now had only two minutes to get to class. So much for that. My train arrived, and I boarded, looking for a seat and finding none. It's not like I really wanted to go to school anyways. I hated my Creative Composition class for two reasons. My teacher was this horrible old lady who had no creative strand in her whatsoever, and the boy who sat two seats behind me despised my existence with much passion. It was a very bleak outlook. And plus, it was 8:30 in the morning and we weren't allowed to bring coffee or any other drink into the classroom. I needed coffee in the morning to function, so either I had to buy a really small cup of it and gulp it down, or head into class without it. I guess that makes it four things I hate about my class, but who's counting anyways?
So when I got there, I saw that Mr. Hates-a-lot was missing and I was instantly a happier person. Since I was ten minutes late, either he wasn't coming, or was super late. Either way, at least I didn't have to deal with those stupid comments and snide remarks. I sat back in my chair, and realized that since he wasn't here, I could take his seat the back of the class. I smiled and practically skipped to his empty chair and sat down. I leaned back and promptly fell asleep. But in a few minutes I was interrupted by a loud rude cough. I shrank back in my seat only to greet the angry eyes of the boy whose seat I had taken.
"Technically, it's not your seat." I said, trying to fight against his glare. He looked at me with that snotty stuck-up look he had, and took a sharpie out of his coat pocket. He pushed me aside and wrote Lyndon's Chair on it. I scowled and grabbed my books and bag. "You have no right. No right." I growled, and plunked into my seat.
"Waaah." He whined at me mockingly.
"Miss Anderson, would you like to give me your input?" The old lady called our teacher asked sweetly, thinking I had something to say.
"Er, I forgot." I smiled. I turned around and glared at that Lyndon boy. What kind of name was that? Some fancy, hoity-toity, rich people name? His parents probably wouldn't have to lift a finger to pay for a college like Harvard, so our small liberal arts college was probably like buying a Milky Way bar to them. I gritted my teeth. Some people take everything for granted, while others like me have to struggle to pay for a good education. I sighed, knowing I still had around eight more weeks with this class, as the second semester had barely begun.
When I got back to my dorm, I discovered that my roommate was gone for the weekend, and I would have the whole place to myself; all 5'x5' square feet of it. I'm not serious, I would just like to stress that the room was very small. She left a note on the microwave and also a picture of herself to ensure that it was her leaving the note. I rolled my eyes. Brianna was a perfectionist weirdo. We got along in the way that we didn't have to talk or interact with each other. I guess it was mutual dislike. I dropped my backpack on my couch-bed, and opened the little refrigerator. I took out some soymilk and poured myself some. We could only have soymilk because Brianna was lactose-intolerant. So if I bought regular milk, she might get confused and drink it and die. So she says. This day couldn't get any worse than it already was, so I glugged down the nasty milk and decided to take a huge nap.
When I woke up, everything was dark and a weird alarm was going off. I looked around, and realized it was the fire alarm. Holy crap! I'm going to die! I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my sweater and ran out the door. I started towards the stairs and didn't see anyone around. Maybe I was the only one left in the burning building. My heart pounded and I felt lightheaded. I opened the door to the stairway and ran down two flights of steps before I tripped and tumbled down some more. I heard my scream bounce off the walls and I thought I was going to die. Why was I so clumsy? I heard a door open and arms wrap around me and suddenly I was thrown over someone's shoulder and the person was descending the steps. I bounced on their shoulder; feeling sick and even more lightheaded then before and I thought I was going to pass out. Finally, we got to the first floor and out the door. Everything was happening so fast and slow at the same time, and my brain was clouded. The person put me down and kneeled next to me.
"Are you an idiot? You could've died." An arrogant voice said, and I glared. His nose was inches away from mine, anger in his eyes and a beige scarf wrapped around his neck hastily. I shrunk away from him.
"I tripped…" Tears stung at my eyes.
"Well it was a perfect moment to be a big klutz. There's a fire raging through the building and you trip down the stairs. You're lucky I came along and had enough decency to help you."
"Why are you such a jerk?" I yelled. He opened his mouth in astonishment.
"Excuse me? You have no right calling me that after I just saved your life!" He wrapped his scarf around his neck tighter. I suddenly realized that it was very cold outside, and all I had grabbed was my sweater. I shivered violently. I really am an idiot, I thought to myself. He looked at me again and shook his head.
"How did you not realize there was a fire in the building?"
"I was sleeping."
"Typical."
I gave him a fierce look and pulled my arms inside my sweater to warm them.
"You don't live in this building, do you?" I stuttered through the cold.
"No, thank god. It looks pretty crappy and judging by the fact that it set on fire, it is." He took off his heavy coat and threw it at me. "Keep that until class. I'm going home." He turned away and walked off quickly. A firefighter noticed me sitting on the pavement and walked over to me.
"Are you okay?" He asked, holding a safety blanket. "Were you in the building?"
"Yeah." I said through chattering teeth. I was so cold even with that dumb boys coat, and I shook like crazy. The firefighter helped me up and took me to an ambulance where they insisted on making me breathe through one of those oxygen masks. I declined and sat in the warm ambulance watching the fire consume my building. It didn't look like it was going to burn my dorm up, but it didn't look like it was going out anytime soon. I couldn't stop staring at it. If that Lyndon boy hadn't helped me, I could've died in there. I felt something vibrate in my sweater and almost screamed with happiness. My phone! It was in my sweater pocket! I didn't remember putting it there, but I was sure glad I did. I hugged it and looked at the caller I.D. Brianna. I rolled my eyes and picked it up.
"Oh my god." She said. "You're alive! Does this mean our stuff is safe? Oh please tell me my Mac Powerbook is alright!" She cried.
"I don't know. The fire is still burning."
"Oh no! Why me? Oh god." She sobbed. I wished I could reach into the phone and slap her but that would defy reality.
"Hey, just calm down. We'll find out what's going on when they put the fire out."
"I just can't believe this. I can't. My life is ruined. Why didn't I take it with me? What about Fuzzles! I can't sleep without Fuzzles!"
I sighed.
"I'm sure Fuzzles is fine." I could empathize with her about her favorite stuffed animal because I had one too. We're only girls.
"Oh I got to go. Call me when the fire is out!" She sniffled a little and hung up. I wrapped the blanket tight around me and suddenly realized something. Where was I going to live?
"Shit." I muttered.
"Are you from that building too?" A heard a girl behind me ask. I turned around. She had a little bit of ash on her nose and cheeks.
"Wow, are you okay?" I asked her. "You didn't get burned or anything, did you?"
"No, I'm fine. I guess I got a little ashy. Did they tell you which building you've been assigned to yet?"
"What? No…"
"They randomly assigned us to rooms in other buildings where either there is no one, or one person, or giving us empty classrooms. My two roommates and I got an empty classroom. We're pretty excited." She smiled.
"Who told you?"
"Some lady came around with a list. She told us to tell other people to go to the admissions office to find out where they're rooming you. You should go."
"Yeah." I threw off the blanket and hopped out of the ambulance. "Thanks!" I waved to her and started towards the office. I needed a place to stay and call my parents from. I started feeling sick, nauseous and also a little afraid that I was about to lose everything I had in the fire. It was more than my stuffed zebra and a Powerbook. It was all my clothes, all my possessions, and all my money. I opened the door to the admissions office and bumped into someone.
"Hey, wait in line!" he yelled at me.
"I didn't know there was a line." I muttered, and glanced around. It was packed with kids, some were sitting in chairs looking worried and most were standing in a long line in from of the front desk. A few girls were crying, and there was even some guy pacing around. A door opened and a woman came out.
"Hello, can I have all of your attention!" She called and everyone was silent. "I have a list of where you all will be rooming, and handouts on what to do. However, I need you all to line up in an organized row. Don't all come crowd me, please stay in the line you are in if you just arrived. Starting with the third person to the young man in the yellow scarf, come start the line." There was a mess of kids and finally they got organized and I got closer to the desk. In a few minutes I was up, and I walked to the desk.
"Name?"
"Sadie Anderson."
"Lets see… You'll be at the Norman Campus, 11th floor, in room 1286 with one other girl. Here is your handout and you should head over there soon, your new roommate will be expecting you, and she will show you around. If you have any questions call us and we'll help you out. You're all set. Good luck." She handed me the packet and waved me away. I looked at the handout and campus map. I sighed and continued on my way to this girl's dorm.
"This really sucks." I sniffled, and felt my eyes watering. I wiped them on the coat, and then remembering it wasn't mine, pulled my face away. I got to the Norman Campus within minutes and got on the elevator. I was really tired and wanted to take a shower and to call my parents from a phone that I didn't have to worry about my minutes. I took the elevator up and got to the room and knocked.
"Who is it?" Called the girl.
"New roommate." I said despondently. The door flung open and there stood a very tall girl with dreadlocks.
"At least you're not preppy-looking." She said. "Here, come in."
I stepped inside and just stared. It seemed like a regular apartment. My dorm was so tiny; we could barely fit two couch beds and two desks.
"Wow."
"I hear you guys will be living here for a while. That's okay with me, you seem alright." She said and gave me what I thought was a smile. "Yeah, my name is Lauren. And my brother coincidentally lives next door. He told me he got some girl named Brianna, and I checked around. She was your old roommate right?"
I gagged.
"Oh great, I can never escape her." I growled. "Yeah, she's a perfectionist, and a really annoying one at that. She's not in town right now, but I feel bad for your brother. Hey, I thought they weren't supposed to make the rooms co-ed?"
"They aren't, but they stuck him with two girls because there was no room to be picky. One is that Brianna chick, and another is some girl I don't know. Oh well, it's his problem. Do you guys have any idea when you could possibly get your stuff?"
"No idea."
"Wow, I'm really sorry. I heard the fire was set intentionally." She raised her eyebrows. "I have no idea why someone would do that though."
"Yeah me neither." I said as I sank down into the couch.
"Hey, my brother has the same jacket." She said, eyeing me.
I blinked at her.
"Does his name happen to be Lyndon?"
" Ha! Yeah, that's him. You know him?"
" No, I just decided to steal his jacket." I said sarcastically and Lauren laughed. "Actually, he kind of rescued me, and gave me his jacket. I have no idea why, he really hates me."
"He hates you? That's so Lyndon. He hates everyone. Don't take it the wrong way. He even hates me sometimes and we're twins. Oh well, that's just the way he is."
"Great, now I have to live next door to Brianna, and the kid who hates me. My life couldn't have been worse."
"Yeah it could have, you know. If he didn't save you…"
I looked at the ground.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." I said quietly. "Well…it's okay with me, you seem alright." I smiled and Lauren laughed.