Chapter 6

AUTUMN POV

I woke up alone. He was nowhere on the bed. My first thought was that he was probably in the shower or busy in the kitchen. Tyler was an early riser, after all, he was wide awake once his feet touched the ground and he’d stay wide awake throughout the day.

I, on the other hand, was not a morning person. I hated waking up. Be it for school or on weekends. I was one of those bed-huggers. The longer I stayed on the bed, the happier I was. I’d be grumpy the whole day if I didn’t get enough sleep. Tyler knew of this, which was why he’d never wake me up unless it was necessary.

I stretched my body across the king-sized bed and then stared at the ceiling for a solid five minutes, contemplating my way from bed to the fridge. I pushed myself up and made a small trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face before heading to the kitchen. A sticky note was placed on the counter by the fridge.

I’m going in early after the gym. I’ll pick you up later. Ty

I widened my eyes, picked up the note, and reread the message one more time. Did he say ‘gym’? I had no idea he was a gym rat. For all I knew, the only sport he’d like to do was jogging. I crumpled the note and tossed it into the bin.

One thing I enjoyed in the morning was juice and right now I craved something a little sour. I grabbed the orange juice and took a glass from the cupboard. I poured myself a good amount and then downed it in one go. By the time I went back to the bedroom to pick up clean clothes, my phone buzzed. It was from Jess.

Good luck on your first day! Sorry I was too drunk to function last night.

I smiled and quickly typed a reply.

It’s ok. How’s the hangover?

Her reply was fast and short.

A bitch.

I laughed and tossed my phone on the bed. I was about to grab a T-shirt but then prompted myself as I remember that no one could get away the first day at school by wearing a T-shirt. The first impression was everything these days. So I grabbed a maroon halter top and a pair of black jeans.

I took a shower as if my nerves weren’t a wreck. As if my mind wasn’t racing and my heart wasn’t beating with anticipation. It was the first day, I finally went to the University of my dream.

I got ready pretty quick. Judging by how my hands shook as I pulled my hair back into a high ponytail on the top of my head, putting eyeliner on wasn’t a good idea. I might accidentally stab my eyeball and risk getting blind. So I kept my makeup simple, with foundation, and setting powder. At this time I missed Jess and her killer makeup skill. She’d fix my makeup real quick and without a hitch.

“That’ll have to do,” I muttered to myself as I stared at my reflection in the mirror above the sink.

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As I walked towards the building, I noticed people were whispering around me and wondered what was that all about. My thought was easily dismissed as I realized I’d be late if I didn’t run because my class was on the top floor.

By the time I reached the class, I was five minutes early. I took a seat at the back, something I’ve often done in high school. No matter what people said, sitting in front of the class didn’t help me focus on the lecture. Again, the whisper started.

A beautiful girl walked toward me. When she was only three steps left, she stumbled and dropped the books she was carrying. I got out of my seat and helped her. She muttered her thanks and settled on a seat beside me. “Hi, I’m Carina Joana.” She smiled and stuck out her hand.

I returned her smile and shook her hand. “I’m Autumn Summers.” My social skill was a bit rusty. In Carlton High, I didn’t have to introduce myself and make friends. They all knew who I was and wanted to be my friends so I didn’t really have to do much.

Her smile flattened as she heard my name. She quickly pulled out her hand from my grasp. “Oh, you’re that girl.”

I frowned at the sudden change of attitude. “What girl?”

She didn’t face me when she answered in a voice that was barely above the whisper. “The girl that slept with the admission board.”

Damn you, Frazier.

“I didn’t sleep with the admission board.” I felt the need to defend myself although by the look she was giving me, I didn’t think I could change her mind. One statement at a party last night apparently could travel to school.

She gave a harsh laugh. “Yeah, right. You don’t have to explain yourself, I get it. History repeated itself and all.” She pushed her books to the right and moved to the empty seat next to her, leaving one empty seat between us. Just when I thought that we could be friends.

I wanted to ask her what did she mean but Prof. Longhorn walked into the classroom and began the lecture.

At the end of the lecture, I decided that I hated Economics with great passion. Didn’t matter if it was Microeconomics or Macroeconomics. I hated them both equally. There was a two-hour break between this class and my next class, so I decided to go to John Jay Dining Hall and get something to stop my stomach from singing the hungry anthem.

I went in and settled on the table by the window. I put my books on the table and headed to the counter. It wasn’t exactly lunchtime so the queue wasn’t long. In minutes I was able to get the grilled chicken, salad, and a bottle of water. They didn’t accept cash so I used my MasterCard to pay.

I was just finishing my salad when the door suddenly opened. The noise coming from a loud crowd filled in the entire hall. I paused and stole a look at the crowd. I didn’t believe in coincidence but my eyes locked with his. He was wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch dark grey T-shirt with a pair of white pants, standing in the cafeteria as if he owned the place.

After last night, I didn’t know how to behave if I saw him. Should I smile or should I run across the room and slap him for making shït up last night? His bullshït and lies had traveled all the way to school and into my economics class. The buzz I’ve been hearing the entire day was probably because of him.

His eyes narrowed and a smile twisted one corner of his lips. He looked like he wanted to say something, even though it would be impossible for me to hear what he got to say from this distance, but he broke the connection and dropped his gaze.

When he finally looked up again, he was facing a brunette girl in a ponytail. She smiled like she just won the Miss World competition and linked her arm to his. They moved to a huge table in the middle and the crowd moved with them.

I finished my grilled chicken quickly and down half of the water in the bottle. I returned my tray and shoved the bottle of water inside my bag.

I still had one hour to kill so I decided to check up on Tyler. I sent him a quick text, asking how his day has been. His reply came as I took a seat on one of the benches by the tree. I put my books on the empty spot beside me and pulled out my phone.

Fun. Now I know why Mey loves microbiology so much. How was yours? Have you eaten lunch?

I laughed when I saw him mentioning my best friend Mey. She was dating his best friend, Hunter Jones, and they were currently in Taiwan, studying Mandarin. Mey was of Chinese descent but she couldn’t speak Chinese at all so her parents sent her to Taiwan to study the language. Hunter came along, saying he wanted to support her. But Tyler told me that the real reason was so he could understand what Mey’s parents talking about behind his back.

I hate economics. Can you remind me again why I decided to take a business major? I just had grilled chicken and salad. Have you eaten?

I hit send and lowered my phone. I watched Frazier and his crowd moved towards an empty spot on the grass. Some of them were sitting while the others were laying on their backs. They all looked like they were having a good time.

Well, he certainly looked like he was having a good time. His hand was on the back of the brunette girl from earlier while his tongue was probably down her throat. Again, he was making out like they were at his house and not in public. Sure, last night he really was at his place so I couldn’t blame him but right now, in the middle of the lawn, it was extreme PDA.

I opened my book and started to reread the chapter Prof. Longhorn was teaching us today. I was on page twelve when I caught movement out of the corner of my eyes. I looked up and saw him walking away from the crowd. Maybe this was my time to confront him. I should definitely tell him to stop the rumor before one of the teachers heard of it. I picked up my book, shoved them into my bag, and ran towards him.