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Community college.

The two words left a bitter taste on Susan Greer's tongue and it wasn't because of the coffee she carefully filled to the brim of her favorite on-the-go cup. She placed the insulated cup's lid on with a soft pmpf and grinned before she took a sip of the hot liquid. She liked the way it burned the inside of her mouth and scorched her throat, warming her chest in a way she'd always found to be... comforting.

She needed the comfort today.

Rider-Waite's student lounge was abuzz with activity. Peers and professors alike filtered in and out of the room. A group of friends bellowed as someone scored in the game of virtual soccer they were all playing in heated competition. People were scattered among the rounded tables placed haphazardly around the room, studying or browsing the web. In the corner, a few were playing some sort of trading card game.

All Susan had come for was the free coffee.

She left the lounge and made her way to the school counselor's office. She had credits to transfer and classes to schedule, as well as- she was sure- a plethora of paperwork to fill out. She approached the secretary's desk and quickly added her name to the walk-in waiting list. There was a good amount of names on the list before her, which meant she'd probably be here for a while.

She settled herself down into one of the many chairs lining the wall opposite to the secretary's desk and took a long gulp of coffee. She was prepared to wait however long she had to in order to get her life back on track.

Susan jumped at the sudden sound of a voice that was... well, familiar. She had drifted off into a daydreamy state and hadn't even realized someone had settled into the cushioned chair next to her until the moment they spoke. Quickly, she adjusted her glasses and turned to look at the woman head-on.

She knew exactly who she was.

"Temperance?!" If she were a more outgoing individual, she might've yelled or embraced the other girl. Instead, her voice was nothing more than an elated half-whisper (she always felt the need to be quiet in waiting rooms).

"Susan," she said. "Susan Greer-- from high school?" She touched her navy-colored locks, suddenly self-conscious. "I used to be a ginger... and a bit more twig-like..." What if she didn't remember her? What if it was weird that Susan remembered Temperance? What if she asked her why she was here of all places? The pale, freckled twenty-one year sucked in her lower lip and bit down on it. She pushed her hair behind her ear and glanced down at the tile beneath them. "Um- how have you been?"

Nerves ate at her stomach like little gut termites. She hadn't prepared herself for too much social interaction today, and she was feeling somewhat jittery from all the coffee she had inhaled. Hopefully she'd be able to keep her anxiety in check and not make a scene.

"Th-- thank you!" Susan smiled and blushed at the compliment. She was happy when she discovered Temperance did indeed remember her, though their friendship had been a brief one and hadn't really ever ventured past casual conversations and a partnership in their chemistry class.

"I'm... well, I'm here to get my credits transferred and see about getting a few classes scheduled for the upcoming semester?" Susan sighed, looking a tad bit dejected. "I know it's a bit late but I figured there'd be at least a few classes with a spot or two open... I don't really care what they are... just need something to keep me busy, you know?"

She wiggled a blue ink-stained finger into the shredded hole that exposed her left knee. The dark-colored jeans she wore had been in her possession for quite some time and they were practically coming apart. She wished now that she had sprung to at least put on some makeup but her face was bare, each and every freckle on her face demanding attention.

"What about you? Probably something to do with a ******** up schedule, right? I heard a couple other people grumbling about some sort of administration level hiccup." She blinked at her old friend, eyes wide and curious. She was happy that it was Temperance of all people that she had run into, though she hadn't thought about the girl in years. It was a nice surprise.

Susan blushed. Again.

"I'm not sure yet... I figured I would just finish up my A.A., then decide from there?" She nervously avoided eye contact and turned her gaze to the white tiles beneath them. She'd always found Temperance to be attractive, back when they'd both still been in high school. Her status as girlfriend to one of the more popular guys in their grade, and Susan's general lack of self confidence had stopped her from acting on any feelings she might've held for the girl.

But, damn, was she pretty.

Susan hadn't realized until the moment Temperance had finished her question that she had lifted her dark-eyed gaze from the floor. She'd been staring at Temperance's face, watching her talk but barely listening.

"Wh- what? I- I live just a few blocks from my parents' place..." Had Temperance ever been to her childhood home on White Chapel lane? Susan couldn't remember. Her chest felt tight.

"I'm on 33rd street now..." The freckled twenty-one year old huffed, doing her best to quell the panic that clenched at her lungs and made it hard to breathe.

"What-- um-- what about you? Where do you live, what are you majoring in?" She felt like she was in high school again. Shy, awkward, self-conscious. She'd changed a lot since then, but her nostalgia triggered old insecurities, and they mingled with the ones that she'd created since. She was a mess.

"U--uh-um no... not art." She'd been saying the exact opposite all her life, so it was unsurprising that Temperance would ask her about it. The blue-haired woman withdrew into herself a bit. She wrapped her arms around her torso and bit her lip. The confidence she'd so desperately been clinging to only moments before seemed to have forsaken her. She did her best to listen to the other woman's words.

Nursing. A studio on Vine street.

She was eons ahead of Susan, way out of her league. Still, Susan perked at the invitation.

"Y-yeah! That'd be-- I mean, I'd love to. I just got back a few weeks ago... haven't really done much socializing since, uh, you know. I fell out of contact with pretty much everyone." The freckled female huffed. "It's weird, coming back after being gone for a few years. Everything's the same but... different. Or maybe I'm just different... or too the same I-- I dunno. I'm not making sense, sorry."

"Hon-honestly I'll just be happy with whatever classes are available, since it's already so close to the upcoming semester..." She sipped at her coffee, having just remembered that it was there on the small end table next to her chair. "I will try to avoid statistics though." She said, with a solemn nod and scrunch of her nose.

The caffeine was beginning to make her feel jittery and even more nervous. She hoped it didn't show too much. She did her best to smile. "It's fine, you- ahm- you wouldn't have been able to get in touch with me anyway? I got a new phone, new number... sort of just dropped off the edge of the world, really. My friend Megan and I went together, so, I just sorta forgot about everything else... so I probably owe you an apology too." She laughed, albeit nervously.

"Do you wanna-- um, I dunno, exchange numbers or something?" The question had left her lips before she could stop it. She wanted to pull them back into her mouth and swallow them whole. She did her best to make it seem innocent. "Now that I'm back, you know... it would be really nice to have a friend... if- I mean- if that's alright with you." Shut up, Susan, shut up!

Megan.

Susan's heart jumped into her throat and she made a face. She adjusted her glasses and glanced down at her lap, doing her best not to seem as upset by the mention of her best friend as she was... and, of course, failing.

"She texts me back. Um. S-sometimes."

Then there was a phone being handed over and Susan was happy for the distraction. She took her own cell from her back pocket, scooting forward and leaning a bit so she could slide her hand in between her butt and the chair. She passed it over. Her own screen featured one of her drawings which, in hindsight, she thought might seem a bit egotistical... but it was too late to jump in and change it.

She busied herself by adding her number to Temperance's contact list, pausing a bit when she came to the part in the form where she was supposed to enter her name. Should she put an emoji? Susan bit her lip. Probably not.