The College Life

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RiniPinja

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Luce looked around the noisy library, trying to find any place to sit comfortably. Annoyance started to creep up on him, as he saw no available tables or seats to sit at. This is a library, for goodness sake, why are there so many people socializing here?!

Not that Luce would mind on a normal day, but he had a crapload of homework to deal with. He sighed, running his hand through his long red hair. Maybe there was a seat somewhere in the back of the library, he just had to... somehow... go through these crowds of actively gossiping people.

He took a deep breath and quickly began his trudge through the people. "Excuse me!" He tried to call out loudly, but most of the time it fell on deaf ears. "I really just want to get through." He muttered as people glare at his so called rudeness.

Seriously. I shouldn't need to exert this much effort to find a seat.
 
Bailey was having a rather good day for the middle of the semester. Sure, there were three projects and a research paper due at the end of the week, but what did that matter when the sun was still shining, the birds were singing, and she hadn't been called anything like a "fucking freshman" in at least three weeks? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

The brunette was mostly minding her own business as she took the back stairwell to the second floor of the campus library, having every intention of working on the aforementioned projects and paper. Bailey was no stranger to pushing her way through the crowds that tended to form in this area, but there was a boy who seemed to be not even remotely impressed by the cluster.

She bit back a smile despite herself, not meaning to laugh at his struggle but slightly amused all the while. She was a naturally likable individual, which made her quest to get to the tables at the back of the library momentarily fall by the wayside as she greeted a handful of people she knew before she continued on.

"I've found it's almost easier to skip the pleasantries and just push your way through." Bailey took the liberty of informing the boy.
 
When Luce finally made his way through the dreaded crowd, he panted as if he ran a marathon. Really, was the shoves and cusses from the people really a necessary action?

Suddenly, someone spoke up beside him and he jumped a bit. A creeping paranoid suspicion suspected the voice to have come from one of the monsters in the crowd that followed him out, only to drag him back into the great depths of crowded hell. But when he looked, it was just a girl, that looked roughly his age. His grey eyes eyed her a bit, and he answered "I guess..." He muttered, feeling a blush come up despite himself. Did this girl see his entire ordeal? "I'm just not use to having to shove people around yet, I suppose."

Not to mention, even if he did, some of those people are much larger and taller than him. It sucks being an average height, lanky guy, it really does. But... Not that this girl is any bigger than he is. "Are you capable of just shoving them out of your way?" He asked with curiosity.
 
She ducked her head, realizing she'd been rather forward towards this stranger. "That's not really a bad thing. The not being used to it, I mean." She told him, shoving her hands into her pockets.

He asked if she was capable of it, and she shrugged. She was 5'5" on a good day, and pretty much average for that height category. "I just pretend I'm bigger than I am. I think they're just intimidated by my ego." She joked, cracking an easy smile at him, green eyes meeting his for a moment before she adjusted her shoulders on the bag that was kind of weighing her down. How the freshman fifteen could exist when the books were comparable to weights she did not know.

Suddenly realizing that, despite throwing herself into conversation with him, she'd been rather rude in not introducing herself right off the bat. "I'm Bailey, by the way." She said easily, wondering if she was keeping him from something far more important than the topic of the large crowd that didn't seem to be dispersing anytime soon.
 
He was rather surprised that the girl seemed to try to comfort him. Most people would begin to tease him relentlessly, which was actually getting pretty old, so the new response was a refresher.

Luce laughed a bit, "From the sounds of it, I suppose your ego is pretty large." He smiled back. She certainly had a nice smile, it made it easier to talk to her, despite being a complete stranger. "Not that that's a bad thing either, it helps." He grinned, taking the words from her mouth. He looked over at her shoulder a bit, realizing that she too was carrying a large stack of books within the confines of her bag. At the reminder, he slightly stretched his own back, taking notice of the burden on his back.

As she said her name, he shifted the bag from his back, placing it on the ground. He had some work to get to, but... a little procrastination never killed anyone immediately. And, if they were going to stand here for a while, he certainly did not want to be carrying his bags.

"I'm..." He paused, real name or nickname? She wasn't religious was she? "Luce." He decided last minute, best to go with nickname, just in case. It'll be bad to add Bailey to his list of offended people.

He stuck out his hand to shake hers, "Nice to meet you, Bailey!"
 
She nodded, an amused expression crossing her face as she bit her lip. His use of the same words she'd used just moments before was fitting. She held up her thumb and forefinger with about an inch between them. "Just a bit." She watched as he moved his bag from his back to the floor.

She felt as though this verified her concern about keeping him from something far more important than the likes of her, but he wasn't giving the signs of a man wishing to leave. No turning of the feet, no disinterested responses.. It was all rather confusing for her, but she wasn't going to complain.

She noticed a slight hesitation as he formed the words that would make up his returned introduction. She nodded, putting his name with his face and smiling at him, hand reaching out to grasp his own. "It's nice to meet you too, Luce." Bailey said, glancing down at his book bag once more. "I probably shouldn't keep you any longer, should I? It seems selfish." Once again, she was making fun of herself. A bad habit, but one that seemed to lighten the mood when it came to meeting new people. And believe her, she really needed to do that more often.
 
As she looked down at his bags, he internally sighed. He really did not want to do his work yet. If anything, meeting a new person is a lot more exciting. But, she might have to do the same thing, she also had books of her own. Perhaps she had some work she needed to do.

Hey, but she was the one to approach him. Luce thought for a brief second, before coming up with a slight proposition. Well, maybe, hopefully he doesn't freak her out. It's not as if he wanted to stalk her or anything, it's just nice not having to do work alone. His best friend has been telling him he needs to get out of his comfort shell. "I do have some homework..." He confirmed hesitantly, but hastily continued. "But, who doesn't? Are you a freshmen? We might have the same classes."
 
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Bailey had been hesitant to even say anything, as she had no desire to work on her homework assignments and she was really enjoying Luce's company.

When he admitted to having homework, some part of her was a little disappointed. She really wasn't wanting to run away from this conversation, it was interesting and new people were always fun to talk to. Much, much more fun than a research project regarding subliminal advertising (which she was still a little annoyed with as it technically doesn't exist). She believed she was catching his drift when he continued to speak, mentioning the likelihood of them having the same classes. "I am, actually. I've got a lot of the GenEds this semester. How about you?"
 
Luce felt a grin appear on his face. So they are both freshmen! Now he's even more glad that he did not finish all of the general college classes while he was in high school. "Yeah, I'm taking some of them. Are you taking US History or Algebra?"

Say yes, please say yes! He silently begged her.

He also took a glance around, just to see if maybe someone was waiting for her already. He didn't think of it earlier, but she might have came here to study with some friends already.
 
She noticed that he began to grin, and her mouth twisted upwards at the corner. Smiles suited this boy incredibly well. "I'm in US History. I was actually coming to work on a project for it." She said, brow raising. "Is your professor Kyle Sullivan?" It still felt strange referring to her instructors by first and last names. Especially ones like Sullivan, who greatly preferred to be called by his first, rather than last, name.

She followed suit when he glanced around, wondering if there was someone here that was waiting for him to work on whatever coursework he happened to have.

God, college was all fun and games until you attended class. Then the homework kind of attempted to weasel it's way into your late night snack runs and games of pool at the student center.
 
Luce laughs a bit, unable to hold his excitement. "Yeah, I have her." At the mention of the project though, he flinched a bit. "And yes, I have that too. I have no idea what to do though... Do you want to work together?" He asked hesitantly, looking up at her hopefully. Luce noticed her looking around, but he wondered if she was just looking because he was looking. She didn't seem to pinpoint anything in the distance, so his best guess must be right. Otherwise she would have waved at someone, right? He thought to himself.

In any case, he decided to pick up his backpack yet again, grunting lightly at the weight. He placed it back on his back, getting ready to go wherever he needs to go next - hopefully the place included Bailey also.
 
"I'm kinda lost in that sense too. I'd love to work with you on it." She said, excitement leaking into her tone at the prospect of a newfound.. friend? This counted, right? Studying together voluntarily was generally an act of friendship, or so Bailey was convinced. Once again, she shifted under the weight of her bag on her shoulders.

She broke into a smile once more, motioning with her hand toward a free table a small ways away from a group that was working furiously on something that looked rather complicated. "Shall we, then?" She asked, taking a small step in that direction. Bailey's thoughts drifted momentarily as she caught sight of a window. It was far too nice of weather to spend the day indoors, spurring her to want to work harder to get the project done. It wasn't that she wanted to escape Luce's company, but the girl adored the outdoors.
 
Luce was glad that Bailey seemed happy about their new arrangement. Huzzah! Mission accomplished. Luce successfully got the girl to come join him, dispel his loneliness as he worked on the horrid project, and she did not seem to have any desire to completely run out of the door. Take that, he mentally thought to his best friend back in his old home town I AM capable of getting out of my comfort zone!

He nodded and followed after Bailey to the empty desk. He was about to ask her if she had any sort of inkling on what to do for her project, but he found her gazing outside. He followed her gaze, but all he saw was the clear blue skies. He slightly had to shield his eyes from the sun rays that was shining through, and he felt a desire to just go out there and bask in the sun's heat.

But it was not meant to be. "Going to college is like signing away your soul to be locked up in a dungeon, huh?" He said without a thought. He didn't mean to say it aloud, his thoughts just sort of stumbled out, oh well, too late to take it back now. He glanced at Bailey again, looking to see for her reaction.
 
She slid her bag off her shoulders and set it down on one of the empty chairs, remaining standing as she unzipped and sifted through for the things she needed. She burst into laughter when he spoke, taking a second to recompose herself. She'd been caught a little off guard by such a statement, having not anticipated that of all things from Luce. He seemed so.. quiet.

"It's a startling similarity, really." She agreed, shaking her head and pulling out the US History textbook. Bailey didn't quite understand how a book so dull could be worth three hundred some dollars. Used. College was a racket, and it was pretty much the bully of the real world, holding you upside down and shaking you, like some old rendition of a kid trying to steal your lunch money. "So I've got to ask, did you actually understand this assignment at all?"

Bailey was a good student. Really, she was. College assignments were just a world away from the ones she got in high school and sometimes she missed the mark, or the point, or the class she was supposed to be in to receive the assignments.
 
Luce smiled as Bailey laughed. He was right, she was really easy to talk to, and the way she sounds is a very nice bonus. She pulled out her textbook and he saw how ratty it looked, not that his book was in any better shape. He sat down, placing his bag on the floor and took out his books, following her example. He also reached to grab the syllabus the teacher gave for this assignment. He mentally groaned at the sight of the grades. Who lets a project become 40% of their overall grades? The teachers here are insane.

After a glance over at the syllabus for a reminder, he nodded lightly at Bailey. "I believe so. I think... All she wants is a timeline and a presentation of a significant event... We can work on the timeline together." He offered, looking back up at her. He was already forming ways to develop the timeline, something that was quite easy to do. "All we need are the dates and a summary. Most of it is in the back of the book, but we can look up some extra ones to appeal to Dr. Kyle."

He then reached down to pull out his old laptop. It was heavy, and a very outdated model, but it still worked like a charm - which is all he cared for. He booted up the laptop. His desktop image was that of a silver wolf howling at the night sky. But... Other than that, there wasn't much else to the laptop. It seems as though he has the bare minimum a person can operate on the computer: Internet and a document program. He internally winced at the lack of programs on his laptop, it's not his fault he is like an old man when it comes to computers...
 
"Alright... I think I understand. I didn't actually go to class when it was assigned, and the kid next to me... well, not the best at reiterating teacher-speak." She explained. As long as Luce didn't ask why she didn't attend class, they would be footloose and fancy free. Generally she didn't start her friendships off by divulging information on too-late nights when she'd been dragged out by her rather exuberant roommate. Bailey tended to avoid that, in fact.

She followed suit, digging out her syllabus. It was in a little rough shape, but things happen, y'know? She glanced down at the grading rubric and her heart might of stopped momentarily in her chest. "FORTY percent? As is four zero? That's.. not okay with me. Nope." She really needed to stop speaking her mind. Censorship, her mother called it. "Filter your damn mouth", her best friend from home had told her on more than one occasion.

Her computer was definitely different from his. Where his was somewhat bulky, hers was sleek and new, a graduation present from her grandparents. It's simplistic design wasn't to be offset by numerous programs she didn't need, and instead she only had a select few. Well, that and a few games for her more boring lectures where phones were 'discouraged'. Whatever that meant.
 
Luce laughed. He understands, "Yeah, some of the people here are... well... not the brightest." He looked at her slightly, she skipped class? "Were you sick?" He asked tentatively. There is a chance that somehow, despite her appearance and personality, she might be the party-all-night type of girl. He hopes not - drunkards are such a pain to deal with.

He sighed at her comment; she noticed the rubric insanity. "No kidding!" He glared at the piece of paper, as if it was entirely it's fault that project was worth so much. "I don't know what Dr. Kyle was thinking. I'm just hoping she's going to grade easy."

"But... Just in case, do you want to perhaps meet up again to do extra work on this project?" He smiled a bit shyly, but then hesitantly added "If we don't finish today, I mean!"

Luce then realized his mistake. He was sort of talking to much, after all, he just asked two questions in a row without giving her a chance to answer. Hopefully she's won't get annoyed with him.
 
"Well... yes and no. But please don't read too far into that. I just happened to cave into peer pressure for once in my life and karma decided to take it's chunk immediately rather than taking it's sweet time in doing so." She pulled a face and ducked her head. Definitely not the impression she wanted to give. Sure, a drink or two at a party wasn't unheard of. She was in college and fully intended to make the most of it. Friendships, memories, the whole shebang.

She nodded her agreement. "Or at least let there be a curve. I didn't know how much I appreciated those until I took my first test." Although smart, Bailey was human and therefore had flaws. Flaws that included but were not limited to a lot of procrastinating and her brain's denial of all things scientific. Oh, Bio 102 you heartless bitch.

She brightened at his invitation to meet up again on the project. "Oh, absolutely! Two brains are always better than one, as they say." Who said that? She was almost certain people really did.
 
He raised an eyebrow lightly at her admittance. He supposed it is a college, so a lot of people are doing it, but she seemed to have regretted it. Good, not another person ruined because of college craziness. "Alright, as long as you're not getting downright crazy." He teased lightly, a small smirk appearing on his face.

Luce didn't really understand her appreciation with curve. He's always been on the... upper side of the grade spectrum, even on those terrible tests that were meant to fail everyone. He nodded once anyways, he didn't say anything else, worried that he might come off as snobby or narcissistic. He wouldn't call himself 'smart' after all, he knew all too well that academic intelligence didn't constitute for a genius.

But he smiled at her once she agreed to come meet up with him again. So far, she seems excited to talk to him and become friends. Might as well go the entire way, right? Modern kids means modern way of contact. With that in mind, he then pulled out his phone and handed it to her, "Mind if I have your number then? So we can contact each other to meet up when we're available."
 
"Don't gotta get drunk to do that." She said, sticking her tongue out at him. She didn't really mean anything by that, it was just a joke. Bailey prided herself fin having sanity, if nothing else of note. She did a once over of Luce out of curiosity. He didn't strike her as much of the partying type.

Average. Bailey was painfully, gloriously average. Her parents were both teachers who pushed her toward high grades, but they'd fallen slightly short of creating their perfect A student in her. So much so that they'd had a second child when she was seven. Of course, that wasn't the reason for her brother. He was what they called an accident in modern times. Ah, well. He was a good kid, definitely smarter than she was. She pushed back the wandering thoughts and finally took a seat at the table.

When he handed her the phone, she pulled out her own and got it to the right screen so he could enter his number in turn. "Makes sense. And hey, maybe if we decide we like each other, we can hang out or something." She only hoped that he didn't think she meant she didn't like him. She did. Here she was again, doubting her word choice.
 
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