Fresh Start
1594 Words
KATHLYN
"Are you sure you want to send me there?" Kath asked her father.
"Why? Don't you want that school?" his father asked.
"It's expensive" she answered.
"Don't worry about the tuition. As long as you don't get yourself in trouble, you'll be fine" he said. Benjamin Moreno is a sergeant major of the Philippine Army. She never thought about how expensive things are, since she's well provided, but as soon as she learned how much her tuition is, she felt nauseated because of pressure.
"Papa" she whimpered.
"It's your first day, collect your things and we'll go" her father commanded.
She sighed. "Yes, Sir" she answered. She decided to take Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. She doesn't know what to take, and she's good in math. So she thought, why not?
Her father drove her to school. She sighed again. The first few years of her school life has always terrified her. "Tell you what" her father started. "Didn't you already reduce your tuition in half when you had your scholarship?" she nodded. "If you manage to still reduce it, be a university scholar or whatever, I'll pay the other half still, and it's yours" he offered.
Her eyes twinkled. Bells rang on her ears. "Really?" she asked. Her father nodded smiling. That's a lot of food she can buy. "Okay, you've got yourself a deal" she extended her hand and her father shook it. She waved at him as she got off the car. She walked inside the building and immediately found the room for her first room. Her father's strict, so he makes sure that she's always ready. She went inside and picked a chair near the window.
"She thinks she looks good on that dress" she heard one girl whisper behind her. She froze before she could even sit.
"Yeah. Some girls just think they can wear whatever they want and look good in it" and they giggled.
But it's first day! She thought. She looked at what she's wearing again. She's about to sit when someone walked toward her. She's beautiful, with a nice peachy make up. Bob cut hair and a really beautiful dress. She stopped in front of her. Oh no! Is she the queen bee? Is she going to humiliate me? Is this 'mean girls' in real life? Her heart is raising. She slowly sat down and the girl walked past her. She sighed relieved.
"I know I look good in this dress. This is Dolce and Gabbana, after all. I can wear whatever I want and look good in it" she said to the girls talking behind her. She seemed to cut their tongues, since they didn't say anything.
Wow. That's so cool! She thought. She walked to the girl who just sat in front of her. The girl looked at her with wrinkled forehead. "Can I help you?" she asked her.
"I want to be your friend" she started. She needs to be able to do this. She's not high school anymore. "I think you're beautiful and" and she didn't know what to say next. "I eat lots" she added. She wants to just eat bullets after hearing what she just said.
The girl still looked at her with lifted brows. She stared at him, head to toe, and then smiled. "You're cute. Fine, I'll keep you" she replied. She smiled back.
"I'm Kathlyn, you can call me Kath" she said extending her hand.
"I'm Rosé" she replied, look at her hand but didn't take it. She stood and went cheek-to-cheek with her (*called beso in the Philippines). "That's how we'll do it from now on" she said.
Kath smiled. She can't believe it! Her first college friend! After their first subject, she walked in front of Rosé. She stood and put a bit of her behind her ear. How can someone be so beautiful? She thought. "We have an hour break before the second subject" she eagerly said. What are they going to do? Snack?
"I know, darling. I have my schedule" she said and quickly realized how bitchy she sounded. She sighed and tried to smile. "What do you want to do? Do you want to eat something?" she asked, remembering how she said she eat lots.
"Yes!" she almost shouted. "Let's go" she said and crossed her arm to hers. Rosé looked at her. She suddenly pulled her arm back. "I'm sorry. Too clingy?" she asked referring to how she just touched her.
"Don't apologize too much. People will think you're a pushover" she scolded her. And stopped. She can't scold her that much since they've just met. She sighed. "I told you I'll keep you. That means you'll be my friend. You don't have to act anything you're not. Just be your weird, clingy self and I'll accept you" she sternly said and then flipped her hair. Kath didn't know what's happening. It feels like she's being scolded but she's still happy. They went to the college canteen. She ordered chicken and lasagna. Rosé did the same when she saw how it looked like. The sat at the table outside, near the library. Rosé watched her eat a few bites. "How is it?" she asked.
"It's good" she said still eating.
Rosé ate a few bites and then stopped. "it's bland" she commented and watched her eat. After a few minutes, Kath finished her food. "Done?" she asked. Kath looked at her barely touched food, "you want my food?" she asked. Kath nodded. Rosé sighed and gave Kath her plate. Kath ate it in a few minutes. "How do you eat so much with that kind body? This is a lot of carbs" Rosé said.
"I did tell you I eat a lot" she answered walking back to their building.
"Why did you befriend me? You saw me b***h those other girls" she asked.
"I thought it's cool. I am timid, and I was bullied when I was a kid. So, I told myself, this time I'll do better" she answered. "What about you?" she asked.
"I was just startled when you asked. People usually don't approach me like that" she simply answered.
Kath laughed. "Well, no take backs! We're friends now" she said.
"Hmm, assertive. I like that" Rosé smiled.
The instructor went inside their room and their class started. She introduced herself and the subject she'll teach. It's Psychology 100, one of their minors. She took the attendance first before starting. "So, before we begin, I would like to group you into six. That will be your group for the research study you'll conduct" she said. She explained how the activity will be divided across the whole semester. "So, what do you want, we'll group you randomly or you'll choose?" the instructor asked. All of them simultaneously answered choose. "Okay, five minutes, you choose your groupmates"
"Rosé" she called. Rosé looked at her and shrugged. She silently laughed.
"Do you mind if join your group?" a girl asked behind her.
She looked back. Oh, another beautiful one! I like it! She thought. "Sure! What's your name?" she asked.
"Margaux" the girl replied.
She smiled at her.
"Me too! I'll join your group" a boy beside Margaux said. "My name's Darren" he said.
Okay, just one more.
"Andrei, join our group too!" the Darren guy said to the boy behind him.
She looked at the boy he called. Andrei, she thought.
"Did you have your group ready?" their instructor asked.
"Yes, ma'am" they answered.
"Okay. Write your names on this paper, select your leader and give it back to me" she instructed.
"Okay, who's the leader?" Margaux asked.
"It's you right? What's your name again?" Darren asked her.
"Kathlyn. And no, I am not the leader" she answered.
"Why not?" Rosé asked.
"You said it yourself, I am a pushover. It's better to be you" she said. Rosé looked so horrified with what she said.
"Do you want me to do it?" Margaux interrupted. They both looked at her.
Darren stared at Margaux. "I'll do it!" he volunteered. "I'll be the leader" he said as he took the paper from Kathlyn.
"Fine" Rosé said. "We are smart, so make sure you're smarter than us" she told him. Kath giggled.
After their class, all five of them walked together to the bleachers for their group meeting. "So, we have to draft the first part of research, title, objectives, statement of the problem and methodology" Darren started.
"You forgot the RRL" Rosé commented.
"Right. RRL" he said and sighed. "So, how are we going to do it? Every weekend?" he asked.
"Sounds good to me" she replied.
No one objected. "Weekend it is" he said. Kath is looking at Andrei. She looks like Andrei from school, but somehow, different from Andrei from school. "Hey, what are you doing" Darren asked when he noticed Kath's staring at Andrei. "Staring is rude" he said.
She furrowed her eyebrows, "Why? Am I staring at you?" she asked sarcastically. Rosé laughed.
"That's that" Rosé said. "Lunch, Kath?" she asked.
"Yay!" she gleamed totally forgetting about Darren. "Oh, uhm, Margaux, do you want to join us?" she asked. Margaux nodded and went with them.
"You told me you're a pushover, why are you so pushy?" Rosé asked. Kath laughed and held her arm.
"So, where are going again?" she heard Darren asked Andrei.
"Sign up for the volleyball tryouts" Andrei answered.
She thought hard about his voice.
Do you want the chicken?
It feels like a bell suddenly clink in her ears. It is him!
- Writer
