Oblivion

04 | Endearment

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Annabel rose from her bed with a lump in her throat, her stomach churning inside her body.

Today happened to be her first day of classes. The beginning of the next years of her life were starting today.

She wasn't sure if she was nervous or excited, she just knew she felt something abnormal whenever she thought about herself, inside those classrooms, surrounded by her peers.

She climbed out of her bed, prepared to go to the communal restrooms to wash her face and brush her teeth. Annabel grabbed her shower caddy and exited her dorm, heading towards the restroom.

She hastily cleaned herself, not wanting to be late for her first day of class.

Annabel soon returned back to her bedroom, picking out an outfit for the day, and then she was out the door.

Heading down the stairwell towards the doors of Hansee Hall, Annabel pulled out her phone to check it.

A few messages from her mother wishing her a happy first day of classes, and a text from an unfamiliar number.

It read, 'Hey, I've got some free time today after my History of Psych class, it'll be over at around 9:15 ish, wanna meet for breakfast?'

She replied, confused, 'Who is this?'

A reply almost instantly, 'Mason lol'

Suddenly, she recognized footsteps coming from behind her on the stairwell.

Annabel turned around, meeting the same person she had been texting.

"Speak of the devil!" Mason said, a yawn following it. He had stopped his movements down the stairs.

"I have History of Psych too! With Abbott, right?" She asked.

"Shit, let me check," he paused, pulling out his phone. He scrolled for a bit, tapping his phone screen a few times, before saying, "How fucking dandy." There was a sense of disgust present on his face, which Annabel recognized.

Annabel wasn't very fond his cursing. Yes, sometimes cursing can be justified, but it still doesn't make it any less harsh. She felt herself cringe every so often whenever she was around Mason, his words coming out contaminated.

"Well, let's walk together then!" She said, trying to lighten his mood.

She paused waiting for him to catch up, and they walked down the stairs and out the front doors, side-by-side.

Their walk across campus was a quiet one. With August coming to an end, the trees were creating a warm atmosphere, with yellow and red leaves falling from above. The air was brisk, so Annabel was grateful for her choice of her embroidered pullover sweatshirt, paired with a pair of heather grey sweatpants. She's never been a person to get extremely dressed up, unless she felt like it. The majority of the time, she simply wished to be comfortable, but she also loved the excitement of wearing more formal clothing.

After a little while, Mason and Annabel arrived at Guthrie Hall. Annabel's heart jumped inside of her body, excited to truly begin her college career.

Mason was kind and reached to open the door for her. She smiled at him, showing thanks, and stepped inside the building.

"I've taken a couple classes in here before, I can lead the way," he said.

Annabel nodded, following the boy clad in all black. The scent of cigarette smoke cascaded behind him as he walked, flowing into Annabel's face. She wondered why he smoked, what he gained from doing such a thing to his body.