Karma ||H.S||

Chapter 3

Before going to class, I stopped at the coffee cart outside the school and grabbed my morning coffee. If there was one thing I was addicted to, it was definitely coffee. I needed it to survive and I drank at least six cups a day since I got out of the grips of Ryan a few months back.

I was excited to start classes, knowing that the majority of the workload I would be enthralled in would always involve taking pictures or editing them, which was one of the only things in the world that made me happy. Being behind a camera and looking through a lens, was where I was meant to be. I hated pictures being taken of me, so being behind it made all that much more sense. To be able to capture a moment that would never in a lifetime happen again was simply the best feeling in the world. A photo says a thousand words and I loved that no matter what, a picture never changes even if the person in it does.

Photography has always been my way of remembering each and every step of my life. Through the good, the bad and the ugly. Having the life I had in Vancouver allowed me to get some really amazing shots that poured out pain. They were the reason I got into this school actually and despite the fact they reminded me of the darkness that swallowed me, I was really proud of them.

As I walk into my first class of the day, I see a few other people already sitting at tables for two with their cameras sitting in front of them. My heart pounds, realizing that this is it. There is no going back and the future is all that matters. I take a seat in the middle of the class, sitting at an unoccupied table. The room is small and silent. Barely anyone speaks to each other, as I assume no one really knows anyone yet. It's nice knowing I'm not a 'new kid,' as everyone here, is basically in the same position as me.

It isn't long before someone is next to me at the table I sit at alone. I look over to see the camera placed on the table. A Canon EOS 5D. It's the same camera that sits in front of me. The camera my Dad just bought me for getting into college and a thousand times better than any other camera I ever had. It doesn't surprise me that someone else has the same one to be honest. It's the best Canon camera out there right now.

I look up to see who owns the brilliant device, to see the guy I had seen the day before at the picnic tables at the dorms. His curly dark brown hair pulled out of his face by the same green bandanna headband as yesterday. He wears black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt, random tattoos inked down one of his muscular arms. When I meet his gaze, his bright green eyes pierce mine and dimples imprint his cheeks as he smiles down at me. Perfect pink lips and a row of impeccable white teeth.

"This seat isn't taken, is it?" he asks, making the silence in the room disappear. Before I can even answer him, he sits down beside me, the chair screeching underneath him. "Nice camera you got there!"

I smile back at him. "I was thinking the same thing!" We stared at each other for a few moments, losing myself in his perfectly shaped green eyes. Silence in the room setting back in. "I'm Paisley by the way."

"Harry," he simply replies, putting his hand out for me to shake. I put my hand in his to shake it, instantly feeling the warmth and gentleness of his hand. It's something I haven't encountered in a long time; Someone who's gentle and warming.

Harry? I wonder if he's Niall's roommate. He is definitely good looking. That, I'm sure anyone would agree on. I decide not to ask him about his roommate situation, thinking it would make things awkward if he wasn't. And the last thing I need is to be uncomfortable even more than I already feel, despite the calming I feel through his hand in mine.

Just as we're done with our handshake, the professor walks in and to the front of the class, taking both of our attention away from each other. "Welcome to Portraits," he started. His deep voice booming through the small classroom. "I'm Professor Banks. You can call me Drew." He wears a professional suit and tie but his blond hair is a mess, contrasting the whole look of him. He looks too young to be a college professor.