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Assoon as I stepped out of my air-conditioned car, I regretted my choice of clothes. It was too damn hot – even in September – for jeans. I was trying to make a good first impression, with it being my first day on campus, but man. Fuck these jeans. I was going to melt before I even made it to my first lecture.
You’ll never survive without me.
I really shouldn’t have been surprised. Changing seasons were nothing but a memory, long past. But I had gotten used to cooler temperatures further north, at my old university. Snatching my backpack from the backseat, I sighed and looked up at the sprawling campus. In theory, it shouldn’t be difficult to find my English class, located in the elegantly named Hayes Hall. In theory.
The parking lot was nearly empty, only a few cars filling the massive space. Gas was expensive, and most families shared cars – if they could afford one at all.
I was planning on selling my car soon too, now a luxury I didn’t need, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.
August had been a chaotic mess of swapping credits and classes, and finding housing that wouldn’t break the bank. The university I had been attending was four hours away, which didn’t seem that bad as a high school senior.
But now, with how quickly the world was changing, I needed to be closer to home, since my mom and stepdad were expecting a baby. Family was the most important thing in life, and Mom needed help. I withdrew from my courses, transferring to the university that ate up a large portion of my home city. Being only halfway through my degree had made it easy to switch.
To be honest, I really didn’t see the point of university anymore. We all attended lectures and seminars, doing our group projects and our essays like there was something to look forward to once we earned our degrees.
In reality, trades jobs were a lot more stable these days, and a university degree didn’t mean you wouldn’t end up stocking the local grocery store for minimum wage anyway. A pretty piece of paper was all it really was.
But people still tried to maintain normalcy, despite the rising temperatures, and schools still pushed university, so seniors kept applying. If I didn’t have a full ride scholarship, I probably would’ve left a long time ago.
I had a full-time job waiting for me at the grain mill I had worked at since I was a teen, but Mom wanted me to “follow my dreams,” whatever that meant anymore.
I found my way inside the first imposing gray building. Students pushed past me, hurrying to their next class. I hoped I was in the right building. It looked like the right one from the map I had studied this morning.
“Excuse me.” A tall girl squeezed past me, rushing with a half-zipped backpack. I wanted to point it out to her, but I stopped myself. These days people didn’t talk to people they didn’t know. They were scared of the unknown. Not that I could blame them. But I was more afraid of what I did know. Mainly that I couldn’t find my damn class.
“You’re blocking everybody, man.” A guy wearing gym shorts shouldered me, and I realized I had been standing still in the middle of the hall.
Fuck. Now I was definitely going to be late. I glanced up at the clock on the sterile white wall. I had three minutes to find my lecture hall. Apparently the buffer I had given myself wasn’t enough. And to make matters worse, my T-shirt was drenched in sweat.
Unfortunately for me, the university wasn’t air conditioned either. No wonder so many of the students dressed in shorts and dresses.
I jogged up to what I hoped was a professor, wearing a badge and standing outside an open door. “I’m looking for room H1022. This is Hayes Hall, right?”
The man gave me a look of sympathy over his glasses, shaking his head.
“This is the McKinley Centre. Hayes Hall is the building to the left if you go back out the doors. There’s a big eagle statue out front. It’s not far, but you’ll want to hurry.”
The clock with its giant analog numbers glared back at me, taunting me with every second I had wasted. “Thanks.”
He called something after me, but I was already racing through the now-empty hall. The heat didn’t faze me as much as it did the first time, the university buildings were just as hot inside as out. Fucking global warming. Wasn’t it supposed to make everything colder?
I turned left, and immediately saw the giant eagle. By the time I opened the door, the hallway was completely empty. Because I was now officially late to my first class on my first day. Fan-fucking-tastic. Thankfully, H1022 wasn’t too far from the front.
I took a moment outside the double doors to compose my breathing. My only hope was that the class was incredibly full, and one person sneaking in a minute or two late wouldn’t be noticeable. I opened the door as slowly as I could, grimacing at the creak as it swung open.
H1022 was a massive lecture hall, the semi-circle kind with staggered seating around a stage for the professor. And this massive lecture hall was filled with exactly one professor, looking at me in irritation from his pulpit, and ten students.
“I’m going to assume you are...” The professor looked at his notes, running his finger down what had to be a very short list. “Mr. Ray Dawson. I didn’t think I was going to have to deal with tardiness in a third-year course.”
I took a couple of steps down, hoping to slide into a desk near the top and be done entirely with this embarrassing situation. Was it too late to transfer back to my old school? “Uhh… yes, I apologize for my lateness. I just transferred here, and got a little mixed up with the buildings.”
I could already tell this professor was one of the ones clinging too hard to the past. A past where English professors were admired and honored. Now people looked at them and wondered how they fed their families. He openly rolled his eyes at me, and waved his hand. “I’ll let it pass this time. Just take a seat, and we can continue discussing the syllabus.”
I slid into the closest seat, five or six rows above the next student. The professor cleared his throat. “A little bit closer if you please, Mr. Dawson. No point in me straining my voice if I don’t have to.”
Dick. I got back out of my seat, certain every student was staring at my sweaty shirt. I peeked up as I stepped down, checking out the next safest row, and grabbed a desk next to a dark-haired girl. I sighed, leaning back in my chair as the professor droned on about course expectations and exams. I needed to talk to my mom about this. I know she wanted me to do “normal” things, but surely I’d be of better use bringing in an income. As I dragged out my notebook and a pen, a scrap of paper slid across my desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at the girl next to me, but her eyes were focused on the professor.
She was cute, from what I could see. Long, dark hair, and bare shoulders freckled by the summer sun. And apparently we were passing notes.
