The university conference hall was huge, with hundreds of seats filling the dome building. Students filled the hall in their numbers, noisily looking for empty seats.
The two girls walked into the crowded hall, glancing around to find an unoccupied space.
"Dang it. All the good seats are gone," Steph muttered, before turning back to look at her friend who seemed like she was in shock. "Keish, are you okay?"
Her words startled her friend, who quickly darted her eyes to the older girl. "Oh, I'm fine. There's just a lot of people here."
Keisha was lying through her teeth, as she was far from fine. The sheer magnitude of the crowd had triggered her anxiety, and she suddenly felt self-conscious. Looking down at her attire which consisted of a medium cropped hoodie, leggings and sneakers, Keisha felt underdressed.
If she had known so many people would be there, she'd have dressed up more nicely like Steph.
"Yeah. Almost the entire school is here," Steph said agreeably. "It's compulsory remember?"
Keisha just nodded in response, feeling too anxious to speak. Following her friend as they began to navigate through the hall in search of a seat, she tried to calm herself down.
This wasn't her high school; nobody here was going to hurt her. There was no need to be scared as this was just an opportunity for her to put herself out there. She'd promised herself that she'd make the most of her time in Henderickson, and that was a promise she intended to keep no matter what.
She wasn't about to let fear get in the way.
Feeling motivated, Keisha let out a breath as she followed Steph towards the back of the hall. She noticed a boy sitting in a group call out to Steph, and Steph nodded in acknowledgment as they made their way towards him.
The boy had short dark hair that framed his chiseled face. He wore a letterman jacket over his tall, bulky frame and Keisha assumed he was probably an athlete.
Next to him sat a girl dressed in denim shorts that showed off her long legs and a white crop top, her blonde hair falling past her shoulders as she chewed her gum absentmindedly.
The final member of the group was a tall, slender boy who wore a long-sleeved plaid shirt buttoned all the way to the top, along with black ripped jeans and combat boots. His brown mid-length hair fell messily in all directions, giving him a care-free vibe.
"Move over, Mark," Steph said to the boy on arrival, not bothering to greet him.
Mark pouted his lips, making a puppy face at her. "Not even a hello?"
"No," she responded dryly, glaring at him. "Now move over before I bite you."
"Always so mean to me," Mark muttered in defeat, moving over to the next seat. Glancing over to Keisha, a smirk spread across his face.
"Why, Steph, you should've told us you were bringing such a pretty girl to keep us company. I would've prepared myself to be swept off my feet," the boy said, winking at the freshman. His friends perked up at this, finally casting their curious glances at her.
Keisha, who wasn't very used to getting attention from cute boys, looked away flustered. Steph smacked his arm before pulling Keisha into the seat next to her.
"Stop making her uncomfortable, you dimwit!"
"I'm not making her uncomfortable! Just confessing my feelings to a beautiful damsel," he protested, throwing a flirty glance at Keisha. "You are truly lovely, milady."
He bowed dramatically at that last part, and Keisha giggled in both embarrassment and amusement. "Thank you," she responded shyly. "You're very funny."
Mark perked up at that, throwing his hands in the air. "I can finally die in peace! A pretty girl thinks I'm funny."
"Shut up, Mark," the other boy who had been watching silently finally spoke. "The only parts of that sentence that made sense was you dying and the new girl being pretty."
The entire group snickered at that, while Mark's face fell. He shot a glare at the boy in the plaid shirt, who ignored him and focused on Keisha.
"Got a name, new girl?"
"Depends. Who's asking?"
The group erupted in a chorus of 'ooohs' at Keisha's response, Steph even poking her playfully. The boy smirked, a small chuckle escaping his lips.
"The name's Jacob. You can call me Jake."
"Keisha."
"Such a pretty name," Mark mused, batting his eyelids dramatically. "I could say it forever!"
"You guys are so embarrassing!"
This time it was the blonde girl that spoke up, her irritation evident in her voice. Turning to Keisha, she smiled sweetly. "My name is Jessica. I'm Jake's twin sister."
Keisha acknowledged her with a nod, glancing between the siblings.
Now that Jessica mentioned it, Keisha realized that the twins did bear a strong resemblance. Other than their different hair colors, everything else on them from their green eyes to their pearly teeth looked near identical.
"It's nice to meet you all," she said with a smile. Glancing around at them, Keisha couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
Not too long ago, she would never dream of approaching a group of strangers like this. But here she was sitting and talking with a whole group of attractive people. Heck, they even thought she was pretty too!
She was actually on track to keeping her promise, and that filled her with so much joy. It was hard to think that she felt nervous a few minutes ago.
What was she so afraid of?
"What're you thinking of?" Steph's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "The orientation is starting."
Sitting up, Keisha averted her gaze to the main stage where several teachers were mounting. Among them was Mr. Samuel, who was discussing something with the man that nearly knocked her over earlier.
"So, he's a teacher," she thought aloud, earning Steph's attention.
"Who is a teacher?"
"Mr. Samuel," she motioned in the direction of the teacher.
"Oh, that cutie," Steph giggled, earning an eyeroll from her friend. "He's the Dean of Student Affairs."
Keisha's eyes nearly popped out of her head. That hot, young man was the Dean? "What?"
"You didn't know?"
"No, I didn't. I thought he was like an assistant or something."
"Why would you think that?"
Steph's curious gaze pierced through her friend, and Keisha felt like an idiot for not realizing who Mr. Samuel was sooner. "I met him earlier today and I helped him carry some papers to his office. He's the one that helped me with directions to our dorm."
"Not bad, newbie," Steph praised. "First day and you're already catching the attention of hot guys. I mean, I always thought Mr. Samuel was a prude, but you even got him to let you into his office for non-counselling reasons."
At this, Keisha made a face. "Don't be gross, Steph. He is our dean. Also, he's like thirty."
"Twenty-nine," she corrected. "And last I checked, this college's minimum admission age is eighteen so it's perfectly legal."
"You're crazy."
"But you love it."
Rolling her eyes, Keisha focused back on the stage where Mr. Samuel stood along with several other teachers and staff. How could someone so young be a dean at such a prestigious university?
Looking at all the staff on stage, she realized most of them looked quite young as well. Nobody there looked up to fifty, most of them seemed to be in their thirties.
How odd.
One of the staff stepped forward unto the podium where the mic was mounted. He seemed to be the oldest, although he looked to be in his forties. With a clean cut and dark brown skin, he exuded an aura of authority as he cleared his throat.
"Good day, everyone. A warm welcome to all new students and welcome back to those of you who are returning. For those who don't know me, I am Mr. Eli Kingston, the Vice Chancellor of Henderickson Prep. The staff standing before you are all Deans and Academic Heads who will be in charge of your wellbeing and the running of this fine establishment.
"Later on, they will introduce themselves to you. As of right now, I have some important pieces of information to share. Do well to listen closely and take note."
Mr. Kingston carried on with his speech, sensitizing the students on how the college worked and what was expected of them. After that, the deans and academic heads introduced themselves. When Mr. Samuel had his turn, the hall erupted into loud cheers with the students applauding wildly.
"He seems to be quite popular," Keisha noted, and Steph gave a nod.
"He's the nicest of the bunch," she explained. "He's the only one who actually relates with us."
"I see."
The orientation carried on as scheduled and soon, it was over. The hall quickly began to empty as students rushed back to their dorms, eager to leave the assembly.
As Keisha and her friends joined them, she could feel someone's eyes on her and she turned to look. Glancing around, her eyes eventually fell on the culprit – Mr. Samuel. He offered her a small nod, and she waved back with a small smile.
Deciding she should thank him for helping her with directions, she excused herself from the group and walked up to the stage to meet him.
"Hello, Mr. Samuel," she greeted cheerily, bowing her head slightly.
"Hey, Just Keisha," they both chuckled before he continued. "Did you make it to your dorm in one piece?"
"Yes, Sir. I actually wanted to thank you for helping me with directions."
"There's no need for that. It's my job after all," he smiled kindly at her. "So how are you finding it so far? I hope you're finding our college comfortable?"
"Henderickson is lovely, Sir. And I'm settling in quite nicely too, thanks to my roommate. She's very nice."
"Good to hear you're having a nice time here. If you have any problems, feel free to ask me."
"Of course, Sir," she nodded enthusiastically. "And if you ever have a stack of grade sheets to carry, feel free to ask me."
Mr. Samuel let out a hearty laugh at that. "Will do, Just Keisha."
Smiling brightly, Keisha motioned toward the exit. "I have to go now, Sir. My friends are probably waiting. I'll see you around."
With that, she ran off leaving the amused dean staring in her wake. What a nice girl, he thought.
"Mr. Barnum," he called out to the teacher who had run into his office earlier today.
"Yes, Mr. Samuel?"
"Can you do something for me? Please have the file of a student called Keisha Brown sent up to my office. She's a new intake."
Mr. Barnum let out a disappointed sigh. "A freshman and she's already gotten in trouble? Kids of today are something else."
"It's not like that, Mr. Barnum," the young dean explained, still smiling from his interaction with his student. "She's not in trouble. She's just piqued my interest."
"You know we're not allowed to feed on students, right?" The other man lowered his voice, so as to avoid any unwanted listeners.
Mr. Samuel turned to face his colleague, who was giving him a questioning stare. "Oh, I don't want to drink her. I have a much more interesting use for her."