Monday. First day of classes at a new school.
Liberty had already attended her chemistry class, which had begun at seven that morning. Following that, she had an honors biology course. Both had been in huge lecture halls, brimming with students. Students which came in late, showed up early, and students who left before lecture had even started.
Compared to the tight-knit groups of twenty to fourty in high school, Destiny City was a bit overwhelming.
It seemed her third class was also not going to center around social interaction and conversation. On one hand, it meant no group projects. On the other, it meant it would be harder to establish strong connections with other students quickly.
It was 1:07. All classes after the hour of noon started at ten after. There was an overhead reading, 'The Independent Company; ECO 134C; 1:10-2:00pm MWF". Liberty took in a deep breath and made her way down the leftward set of stairs towards the front of the room. She settled for a spot in the middle, sinking heavily into her seat and pulling a notebook out of her bag.
Raising her head from the lined paper, she scanned the room. Her heart jumped a beat. She looked away, swung a full scan of the room, and then returned her eyesight to what she'd seen to make sure she wasn't imagining things. No, that was definitely the gorgeous young woman from the stables. The one whose horse she was exercising part time.
She already had a group of students around her, some stoic, others attempting to chat her up. The room was humming with the voices. They were quickly cut off by the professor's voice testing his microphone.
As a result, Liberty found herself stuck in that awkward situation of not having said hello. Her eyes would move over when she should have been paying attention, and she'd be surprised to find she was looking at straightened, dark hair, and brown skin all over again. She'd tell herself to pay attention, and then a few minutes later, would just be stealing a glance to make sure she'd seen right before.
1:56; the professor sounded like he was winding down. Several students were already packing up their notebooks. Some had already left. Liberty was usually one to stay until the very last minute, but she deftly put away her own notebook. It would give her the few seconds she needed to say hello, provided Avery also didn't pack up early.
- Avery Hollister's hazel eyes had been locked on her phone before class started, missing the opportunity for a moment of instant recognition with Liberty. Instead, she spent most of the class with her chin propped on the palm of her hand, gaze trailing the professor as he wandered back and forth in front of the room.
It wasn't until the last few minutes, when someone toward the back of the class had the audacity to actually answer their phone before actually exiting the room, that Avery glanced over her shoulder and caught bright green eyes. The girl from the stables. Arched brows furrowed briefly as she mouthed, in both greeting and surprise, the word 'Cowboy?' A quick smile, and she turned back around to catch the Professor's last instructions for the day.
As she packed up her things, she caught sight of the The super nice, super cool girl from the stables heading her direction, and let her smile return in full force. Avery was only a few months less new to DC than Liberty, and was in dire need of friends instead of the large number of 'acquaintances' she attracted like white on wonder bread.
Liberty had to pause to let by a few of the rushing students before took the last few steps to where Avery was finishing putting away her things.
If Liberty hadn't already been displaying a wide smile, she certainly would have had no trouble in the face of the brunette's own. "Hey," she called out when she was nearly within touching distance.
"Looks like we share a class." Fancy that. Liberty's smile got broader. "Is this your last one of the day?"
- "Hi," Avery offered back, dropping her phone in the leather side satchel she used for school before snapping it shut. She didn't quite laugh as Libby pointed out something they both already knew. "Yeah, I guess so. I wish this was the last."
The strap went over her shoulder as the students for the next class began flooding their way in, and Avery found herself bumping back into Liberty as she side stepped a quad of friends that clearly needed to sit next to one another. "Sorry," Her hand touched the redhead's arm. "I'm stuck here most of the day, actually. I couldn't get an earlier section of dance, so I've got this awkward break period on the middle."
Avery was the kind of girl that liked to maximize her time. She wanted to attend school, leave school, and do other things. Lingering on campus wasn't her ideal, and she often ended up doing work from her phone and laptop. "You?"
"I know--" she began to engage, before she found Avery far closer than before.
Liberty passed a slightly perturbed look at the impatient pushers, and her hand instinctively reached out to stop Avery from being pushed further off balance. The steady press of her palm lasted only a few moments.
Liberty withdrew her arm a little more slowly than she had initially intended. She tried not to think about how much nicer it would have been to keep it there, or to let it slide further along a well-toned back.
Instead, she gestured with her touched arm to the now open doorway and stepped in pace with Avery towards it. "Animal Cytogenics," Liberty said with a laugh. "Which. . . is on the other side of campus." This morning, it had seemed like a pleasant walk. Now, she was wishing she had the time slot open.
Liberty paused to let someone squeeze by her before continuing, the cool air of Destiny City's winter brushing her face as they exited the lecture hall. "I'd better get going. It was great to see you again, Avery."
She was beaming when she slipped away from the invisible social tie that had briefly held them together.
