"I'm sorry I'm late!" I plopped down on the seat in front of her, dropped my bag on the floor, and opened the menu on the table in front of me. Unlike back in D.C., the waiters and waitresses in New York didn't wait long before asking for our orders. Perks of living in a city where everyone was busy and needed a quick meal.
Jess raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. "It's okay." She gave me a reassuring smile, being generous as always even when I was one hour late. "I just came. Colton didn't wake me up and I was so tired that I couldn't even hear my alarm." Jess shook her head. "Damn, I miss my mom yelling at me from downstairs, telling me that I was late for school."
I could only smile instead of nodding along. My mom has always been up before everyone else since she had an early broadcast in the morning and had to reached the station by six to get her hair and makeup done. "I miss Steven yelling 'good morning, sunshine'. Though I hated it whenever he did that."
Jess' hands reached for mine on the table and she squeezed it lightly. "We're finally here!" Her face showed the excitement she had within her. "I almost can't believe it when I woke up this morning and nearly kicked Colton out of bed." She let out a giggle and I laughed.
"See," I countered as I squeezed her hand back. "You've got nothing to worry about. You two aren't just high school sweethearts." All through high school, Jess had always been worried that she and her boyfriend of four years, Colton Barnes, would break up once they finished high school. Yet here she was, in New York, living with Colton as they attended the same university, NYU, together.
She frowned a little. "Shame that we have to live apart," said Jess, referring to the fact that I lived in Broadway, Upper Manhattan, while Jess lived in Lower Manhattan. She and Colton pinched some money and rented a small loft near NYU.
"We're close at hearts!" I tried to cheer her up. With Mey in Taiwan and Norma stayed back in D.C., Jess was my only best friend left who lived in the same city although we were postal codes away. New York was such a big city compared to Washington. "We'll go out often that it feels like we're living close to each other, okay?"
Jess smile and nodded. "Okay! We'll make time to meet despite our college life!" She gave my hand a little squeezed and I squeezed back. We grinned at each other just like we always did, back in D.C.
Nothing would change, everything would be just the same. Not even New York could change our friendship.
- - -
"Hey, let's go check your university while we're here!" said Jess once we went outside the cafe in downtown Manhattan.
We went to NYU yesterday but we haven't got any chance to see Columbia. "Let's go!"
It didn't take long to get to Columbia since the cafe that we went was only a few blocks away. We took our time by walking instead of calling a cab or taking a bus. We went to the school of business, the major I was enrolled in.
"Your campus is huge!" exclaimed Jess almost as soon as we arrived. "Carlton is nothing compared to this."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Carlton is just a high school, this is a university. You can't compare the two." I nudged her arm jokingly.
Mentioning about Carlton brought back some memories. Those joyful times when we skipped the first period to celebrate Jess' birthday, the spot behind the sports building where Ty and I shared a kiss under the pouring rain, the big hall where we had our proms, and so many other places in Carlton that we made meaningful memories. After all, we've spent four years of our lives there.
I let out a deep sigh and put my arm around Jess' shoulders. "Damn. I really miss Carlton." I told her what was in my mind.
Jess raised her hand and entwined her fingers with mine. "I know right," she countered. "We spent four years wishing we could get out and move to NYC. But now that we're finally here, we're feeling homesick."
We spent two hours walking around Columbia. Ignoring the look that everyone giving us, we kept saying 'aww' and 'wow' like kids in a toy store. Once our legs screamed their protest, we sat on the bench under the shade of a huge tree.
"How're you feeling?" She looked up at me with a concerned look on her face. A small frown appeared on her forehead telling me her worries. "Tomorrow's your first orientation day, right?"
"Yeah." My brows lifted. "To be honest, I haven't given much thought to it." I've been unpacking these last two days. The small loft that Ty and I rented, it wasn't fully furnished. We ended up going to IKEA and bought some stuff. While Ty was trying to figure out how to set the small cabinet, I was unpacking our clothes and put it in the drawers.
"Don't worry. Just be yourself." The small frown disappeared as her lips turned into a smile.
I groaned. "Everyone always gives that advice, but don't you know how hard it is to be yourself when you're nervous? Hell, I don't even remember how I usually behave when I'm super nervous." I kicked the small rock with the front of my boot, sending it straight to someone else's shoes.
I wouldn't give much thought if the person didn't suddenly kick the rock and sent it back to me. My eyes widened in surprise. I let my gaze follow the shoes up to a pair of beautiful dark brown eyes.
A guy with dark brown hair offered me a smile. "Hi, are you girls new here?" There was a trace of an accent in his voice but I couldn't tell what accent it was.
Jess and I exchanged look before she replied, "I'm not but she is."
The guy gave a small nod. "I'm Irwin." He held out his hand. Jess took his hand and shook it. "I'm Jess."
I followed suit and introduced myself. "Autumn."
"Like the season?" asked Irwin with a smirk. He would've rolled on the grass laughing if he knew my surname.
"Yes. Like the season," I replied with a nod.
"So," Irwin paused to clear his throat before continuing, "are you girls free tonight? We're having a party."
"Who's we?" asked Jess. By the look on her face, I could tell that she was excited about the prospect of showing off her makeup skill. I stifled a groan and kept my mouth shut, choosing to be a spectator rather than a speaker.
Irwin shrugged. "Some seniors and newcomers." He shifted his gaze to me and smiled. "Wanna come?"
"I don't think--" I wasn't able to finish my sentence since Jess suddenly nudged me on my ribs, causing me to flinch.
"We should come!" She faced me and winked. "We will come. Tell me when and where." She turned to Irwin who was grinning from ear to ear like he just won a lottery.
"Give me your number, I'll text you!" Again, his eyes were on me when he said that although he pulled his cell phone and saved Jess' number when she told him hers. "I'll see you girls tonight!" He beamed before leaving us to join a group of guys who were sitting on the grass a few feet away. Some of the guys slapped him on the back and they were all laughing like a typical group of college boys.
I took a deep breath. "Do we really have to go to that party?" My whole body was still feeling sore and I really could use some rest before the big day tomorrow. Plus, Ty had texted me saying that he'd give me a massage before bed tonight.
Jess looked at me like I was asking the obvious. "Duh?!" She turned to watch the guys sitting on the grass. "It'd help you break the ice. You'll meet a bunch of people at the party. Some of the newcomers might be there as well, who knew there'll be a few who are going to be your classmate?"
"But party means dressing up and pretending I'm having fun when I'm actually missing my bed at home," I tried to argue.
Jess turned and gave me a reassuring smile. "It'll be fun!"
I let out an exasperated sigh. "I doubt it." Irwin caught my eyes and I shifted my gaze to the right. I had a bad feeling about this party. If only there was a way to change Jess' mind.
* * *
𝓐. 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮 ✘ ☻ Loads of Pizza! Cos Pizza is Love!