Chapter 3
Three
Jaclyn
Yesterday was filled with getting stuff for my room. It took me two days to finish all of my errands. I also had to call the school to ask a couple of questions before coming to class.
I got a job as a server at a small diner in a plaza called No-Doze Diner. It’s like a version of Ruby’s but better and not as colorful. It’s a minimalist diner. The girl who interviewed me, Andy, basically said I would be hired but she has to double check with her grandma who owns the diner. It’s a family owned business, she said only a couple of longtime employees work there but since the summer ended they had to go back to their usual jobs as teachers.
She said I start later today which is good because I need to start getting money in to help Calvin pay for the mortgage. It was part of our agreement when I asked to live with him. I pay half of the mortgage and get to live there and basically do whatever I want, with some restrictions.
I pull into a parking spot and turn the engine off. After I grab my bag and lock the doors I walk towards the building that towers over me. My first class of the day is my journalism class. I’m majoring in journalism because I’m hoping to be a sports journalist when I’m done with college. It’s good that I finished all of my general ed classes in community college so I don’t have to really worry about those classes for my last two years of college.
I walk inside the class and pause when I see the professor talking. She looks at me and nods her head before continuing her lecture. Blush spreads on my cheeks as I walk past her and go towards the seats in the last row of the class where only one girl is sitting.
I sit a few seats away from her and put my bag on the chair next to me.
I focus my attention on the professor as she starts talking about what we should expect for this semester. Most of the students in the class are either taking notes of what she is saying or they are on their phones. There are some people who are just listening to her, like me.
I’m not taking notes because I know she will probably provide a packet with everything she said and I probably won’t even remember what she is saying.
“Hey.” I hear someone whisper, making me turn my head and look at the girl who is sitting in the same row I am. She scoots over a seat and smiles at me. “I’m Natalia.”
I give her a small smile in return. “Jaclyn.”
Natalia has blonde hair and bright hazel eyes. Her smile is genuine and one of the kind of smiles that a girl wishes she could have that show off her full lips.
It's times like this when I wish I had fuller lips. I’m not insecure about my small lips but I do wish I had full lips sometimes like Natalia’s or some of the Instagram models I see.
I remember the first time I kissed a boy, which was when I was eighteen, he told me I have small lips which made me feel like shit.
Thank god it didn’t work out between us. Right after the date he ended up getting back together with his ex-girlfriend.
“Can I just say first, you are so gorgeous. I had to introduce myself so that we could be friends.”
I smile again and try not to blush at her compliment. “Thank you, I was just admiring how beautiful you are compared to me.”
“Oh stop it. You’re just saying that.” Natalia throws her long hair over her shoulder. “You’re a journalism major I’m guessing?”
“Yes and a psychology minor.”
“My brother is a psychology minor too. He is also studying business because our dad wants him too.” At the last part, Natalia rolls her eyes. “He hates it though and most of the time he is skipping his classes anyways to piss off our dad.”
“Your dad sounds like a handful.”
“You should meet my brother. He is even more of a handful. Always has something arrogant to say.” Natalia leans in her chair and gets comfortable. “So are you living in the dorms? Are you a freshman or transfer? I’ve never seen you here before and I know almost everyone here.”
“I live with my uncle and I’m a transfer.”
“Nice, I live with my brother in the college apartments that are like ten minutes away from here.”
“Have you always lived in Arizona?”
“No, I’m actually from Utah. Park City to be exact. It’s small but can get crazy sometimes. What about you? From Arizona or somewhere else?” Natalia asks.
“Southern California.”
“California, baby. You’re not one of those fakes right? I heard that in California there are a lot of fake people.”
I laugh at that.
So many people think because I’m from California, that I’m fake or spoiled when in reality, I’m none of those things. I’m not the type of person to be fake friends with someone to get something in return. I love having friends, real ones because it’s hard to find a good group of real friends that don’t fuck you over or leave.
All of the friends I’ve had either left because my mom ruined those friendships because she thought they weren’t good enough for me or because I pushed them away because they weren’t giving me the same energy I was giving them.
I felt like they didn’t want to be my friends anymore so I pushed them away and they had no problem leaving.
“No, but I have had my fair share of fakes.”
Natalia and I talk for the rest of the class in a low tone. The professor did side eye us a few times for Natalia laughing too loud. She kind of reminds me of one of my old friends I had in high school. Her name was Ava and she was one of the good friends.
I’m the one who ended up messing up that friendship because I pulled myself away from her when I became friends with other girls. I tried to reconnect with her but it never worked out. I regret distancing myself from her because she genuinely made me happy and her parents treated me like a daughter. I felt so welcomed and included.
I learned that Natalia’s favorite color is blue and her favorite TV show is The Vampire Diaries which is a classic. She used to play soccer in elementary school, which I did as well. I can tell from talking to her that she has a bubbly, sunshine personality which I like about her a lot. A lot of the friends I had in high school were negative. Having Natalia around is like a breath of fresh air.
By the time the professor tells us we are free to go, Natalia and I exchange numbers. “I’ll be messaging you to hang out soon. You better answer,” she tells me as we walk outside of the classroom.
“I will.” I smile before saying goodbye.
I walk towards the direction of my next class while Natalia walks the in the opposite direction.
The next class I have is psychology. I made my schedule to where all of my fun classes are Mondays and Wednesdays and all of my boring classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I don’t have many classes that I’m taking.
Journalism, Creative Writing, and Psychology are on Mondays and Wednesdays while Speech & Communications, Television News Writing, and Broadcast Journalism are on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
When I’m in front of the door for psychology I push it open and head to the back of the class again. I feel more comfortable sitting in the back just because it’s nice and dark back there.
Students start piling in the classroom and taking their seats while the professor smiles at everyone.
I put in one of my AirPods and lean into the seat as the song “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys plays.
The professor starts talking about what to expect for the course, basically the same thing my journalism teacher talked about.
Assignment grading, class norms, cheating, etc.
I have taken psychology classes in the past because I find them interesting and I know that using psychology for my career will be good for me. I can take what I learn in these lessons into what I do for future interviews with sports stars.
As the professor starts talking about the units we’ll be learning, the class door opens making me look at who walks in.
He doesn’t pay the professor any mind as he walks past her and moves up the stairs to the back of the class.
I admire him as he walks closer and closer to my row from the opposite side of the room. His steps are angry and strong. He is acting as if he didn’t interrupt the class and people aren’t staring at him.
He throws his bag in a chair and sits down in another one with his legs spread and arm resting on the arm rest.
This guy looked like he walked out of every girl’s nightmare about a guy. He looks dangerous, the quiet kind that sneaks up on you. He has dark brown hair that is short at the sides. His jaw is so sharp, it looks like it could cut your finger if you ran it along the bone. Just from the clothes he’s wearing you can tell he is all muscle under the sweater and baggy jeans.
As if he can feel my staring, he turns his head. I can’t take my eyes off of him as I recognize his face.
He has the kind of face that one would never forget but where could I know him from? I wish I could get closer to him to figure out who he is and why my body is screaming at me to figure it out.
The rest of the class I try to focus on what the professor is saying but I feel eyes on me that have to be from him as if he is trying to bait me. I turn my music up and drown myself in it while the professor talks and talks and talks.
When the class is finally over I decide not to try my luck with him and instead make my way out of the class.