Fresher (chapter 3)

I stood in front of the house as my dad filled the car with my things. My mom kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her chaplet hung loosely around her neck. I had one, but it was in the pocket of my jeans.

My mom was a hardcore Catholic, born, bred, married, and infused. Her beliefs were strong and so were mine. I believed in God; I mean, who didn't. I held my beliefs and dignity to heart, always wanting my mother’s pride above all else. It was just something I was taught, and I took great pleasure in having it.

My mom would say this generation isn’t half bad, but it’s like God doesn’t exist anymore. No one takes their time to say a prayer or even thank him for the day; it’s all about gadgets and parties. I wasn’t the type to force my beliefs on people, but I tried to do some right and say some right. The world needed a little light sometimes.

My dad didn’t waste his time with goodbyes; he had better things or drinks to do. We didn’t have any loving embrace or tear-stained cheeks, just a weird pat and awkward push into the passenger seat. I rolled my eyes. Real subtle, Dad My mom pulled into the road and off we went. We were driving from Colorado to Ontario, and it was going to take a couple of hours. I decided to shut my eyes for the rest of the way. I was so excited the night before, so I had little or no sleep.

I slept for a while, the air conditioning in the car doing wonders to my body, soul, and mind, I wasn’t asleep, but I wasn’t awake either. I just stayed in that state for a while. It was peaceful and serene.

It wasn’t for another hour that I finally opened my eyes. The drive was silent aside from the low hum of the radio. I watched the trees and sometimes other cars, wondering if they were all going to the same place as me.

Finally, we pulled up in front of the University of Toronto. It lived up to my expectations. I stared in awe as we pulled into the parking lot. It was packed. I would have been embarrassed to be dropped off by my mom, but honestly, I needed to feel at home before I stepped into this foreign land.

The structure was majestic and the carvings divine. I'm sure my jaw was on the ground. I let my gaze wander before I helped my mom unload my stuff.

We walked into the majestic building, and I got my slip, key to my dorm room, class schedules, and all other necessities. I was supposed to attend a ceremony-like thing for the grand tour and all that blah-blah-blah. I can’t remember anything. I just needed to get to my dorm and sleep for the rest of the session.

Mom and I successfully placed all my bags in the room. She fussed over me for a while, helped me arrange my things, cried, cried, and then cried some more. We hugged for a long time. Some hours before she left, we prayed. We thanked God for his blessings and his grace for the day. We asked for mercy and appreciated him some more. I was smiling by the time we were done. I was so full with this spirit inside me. I thanked him once again for letting me know him.

Finally, my mom left, and I was all alone in this new world. I heard a few shuffles, footsteps, and keys clinging—seems everyone was fitting themselves in. I wondered how everyone would be and what their characters were. I made up this and that, and finally, I had five imaginary gorgeous friends who probably never existed.

Time seemed to go slow over here. I’ve been lying here for a while, and I could swear four hours had passed, but in real life, it was just an hour. Maybe it was because of my hyper thoughts, but I couldn't stay still any longer, so I did what I didn’t know how to do best. I went out to explore.

The halls were awkwardly quiet, but maybe that’s because my footsteps were the only sounds filling my ears. I hoped I didn’t pick the horror dorm. I didn’t want nightmares. A shiver racked my body as I walked faster.

The sky looked different, maybe because it was like I was seeing it for the first time. My eyes couldn't capture the beauty enough. I walked on, past flowers and majestic buildings, past other people who were looking for their dorms. Jesus, I hoped I didn’t look this lost and out of place. I guess that look was going to hang around me for a while. You could smell the freshmen from a mile away, and the sad thing is I smelt the same way.

I walked past classrooms, glancing into various labs. I wanted to familiarize myself with the environment. I knew I wouldn't get up early enough to attend the ceremony on Friday, so it was better I found my way now.

I walked till the sun begun to set, memorizing lanes, and hiding places. I memorized the routes I would need to use for the next few months of the semester, cafeterias, classrooms, labs, library, toilets, rooftops just to unwind, and many others.

My legs were aching but in a good way. I walked back to my dorm. This time, I heard some chatter and saw a few people leave their rooms for once. It must be nice to actually be accepted into the same school with your best friend or someone you know. At least it takes the weirdness away. The thought of talking to someone tomorrow filled me with dread.

I was a social bird. I loved people’s company, and mine was appreciated... I think. But the art of talking and making friends wasn't my thing. I guess I would let whatever happen just happen.

"Um, are you going in, or did you get lost?" a voice said right beside me.

I almost shrieked, but it came out as a silent scream.

"Jesus, woman, do you want me to drop dead?" I turned to take a look at my almost killer.

"Y-o-u should have s-e-e-n your fa-c-e," the stranger said while trying and failing to hold in the laughter. I stood there silently watching this slightly crazy person. I couldn't help but laugh along. Her laugh was so contagious and, oh boy, was she short. She barely got to my chest.

We laughed for a while, earning some amused stares our way. It took a while to calm down but eventually we did. The silence after was very comfortable. I would have loved to bathe in it, but unfortunately, I was really tired, so I decided to make a quick introduction before I slept right in front of this lovely door.

"Hey, killer stranger. I'm Katya. Nice to meet you," I said as I held my hand out.

"So polite. I like that. I'm Cherry, by the way, and nice to meet you," she said as we shook hands.

I giggled. I was really going to get along with this girl. She was my kind of hyper. We talked for a while and exchanged contact information. Turned out, her dorm was next to mine. She squealed like a little kid on Christmas and did a cute, weird dance. I just kept laughing.

After she had fixed a date for tomorrow, which consisted of her depriving me of my sleep so we could walk around town, we finally parted ways. I unlocked my door and hung the key. My clothes came off next and finally I flopped down on this nice loving bed.

I guess my adventures were going to be fun after all.

*******

I hadn't even blinked for two seconds, and someone was having a wrestling match with my door. I whined and covered my ears with a pillow, hoping this intruder would let me be. After a while, it got worse. I'm certain my door was seconds away from splitting open. I dragged myself out of bed and stomped to the door. Someone was going to get it. I swung it open, and I was left confused till I looked down at a hyper bundle of joy.

"Morning, partner," Cherry sang in an annoying morning voice.

"What do you want?" I grumbled. I hated waking up so early.

"Aw, come on. We have to walk around today. Go get ready. I'll pick out your clothes and wait for you here," she said, skipping to my wardrobe. My eyes hurt just looking at this bright human.

I grumbled and lamented as I got myself ready. In under twenty minutes, I was up and ready for another round of exploring.

Today was Friday, the last weekday before classes would commence, so we were free to walk around town. We walked out of school and got a taxi to take us deeper into Ontario. This was my first time here, and I wanted to know the magical places I could discover today.

Cherry chatted on and on, and I returned the same energy. She had an adopted sister, and she was accepted here too. They stayed together, but her sister was in Paris, and she wasn’t coming back anytime soon. She was a bit of a wild child from what I learned. I looked at Cherry and tried to picture her wild. All the results came out cute, so I gave up and prepared myself for the best surprise her sister could give me.

We walked past beautiful buildings and ate some of the best foods at some of the best restaurants around. We visited the hottest arcade centers and bought several video games. Cherry never got tired. Her happy streak didn’t dim one bit. Nothing seemed to stop her. We took a break in a park watching the day go by, having conversations here and there, laughing at funny passersby, eating a lot of junk food, and basically goofing around.

*****

The halls were quiet when we got back, not creepy this time, just a comfortable silence. The day hit both of us hard, and even Cherry couldn’t stop yawning while rubbing her eyes like a little child. Cute, I tell you.

I hugged her goodbye while she squirmed around. She claimed she was looking for a comfortable position. I chuckled. This girl.

The room was finally feeling like home. I knew where what was. It was really calming. I kicked off my shoes and allowed this sweet, lovely bed to enfold me. Tomorrow was Saturday, so Cherry must sleep in, right? I would get to sleep as long as I liked without anyone trying to disturb my peace, right?

I'm sure I would.

Once again, I was wrong.