I am walking down the street. I turn the corner, and I almost run into a very tall, broad-shouldered man. He says hello, but I ignore him as I head to my class reciting Unit 1 and 2's vocabulary with the definitions. I was not going to be late to my first day of college.
I enter the room that's both expansive and barren, spare the janitor wiping off the whiteboard. The woman takes no notice of me, so I take my seat in the front row. I then take out my eyeglass cleaning fluid along with the cloth it came with. I thoroughly clean my spectacles because there's no point in trying to learn in a condition that's less than optimal if you can control it, or, at least, that's what my dad told me.
Once I finished cleaning my glasses I begin arranging my study supplies, starting with my text book, as it's the largest. I meticulously lay everything out according to my preferences and home study habits. The janitor leaves and a few other students take their seats. I pay them no mind as I study the first two chapters of the book with an intense focus. I could practically recite them at this point. I sink deeper into my own world, protected by the spell of this repetition. My focus is torn, however, as soon as a person sits beside me. I check the clock before the intruder, and find that class will start in five minutes. Finally I let my eyes go back to analyze the person beside me.
"Hey there, welcome to Earth. You looked lonely, so I thought I'd join you." The same man from before announces with a shy smile. I scan the area around me and find that he and I are the only ones occupying the front row. This revelation doesn't come as a surprise to me anymore, given past experiences, not that I minded. I don't really like social experiences.
"Oh, did I? I'm quite sorry if I seemed that way, for that would be a lie. I do not feel lonely at all." I mumble, looking to my books in an attempt to escape this interaction.
"Hrm." He hums and I feel his eyes linger on me, and I know that he wants me to start a conversation.
I ignore him anyways. I could get thirty seconds in of studying if he shuts up right now. I begin reading again.
"You don't seem very talkative." He tells me.
I ignore him again, continuing to study my book.
"Were you heading to class when you ran into me earlier today?" He asks me.
I roll my eyes, again ignoring him. Perhaps he'll give up soon. It's only a matter of time until people give up on talking to me.
The bell rings, interrupting what I'm sure would've been a very one-sided conversation. I sigh in relief. A pudgy man with a boisterous step makes his way to the front of the classroom. He begins speaking and introduces himself as Mr. Wilcox. I jot down the name in the first page of my pink anatomy notebook. I then turn the page and write down the date at the top. The real lecture begins.
The bell rings an hour later, and I'm broken out of the note-taking I was previously invested in. The teacher tells us to each grab a packet of homework before we leave. I pack up my stuff and obey, putting the assignment in the pink folder.
"My name's Ethan, what's yours?" The tall man from before questions, standing in the way of the most efficient way to exit this classroom.
"Excuse me." I say, already impatient with this futile attempt to gain my conversation.
"Oh come on, don't be so cold to me! I'm just asking your name!" He whines at me. I roll my eyes. He is acting like a child in front of our professor. It's embarrassing.
"Excuse me." I repeat myself a little louder, looking up to the face that towers over me.
He scoffs, looking frustrated. "Fine, be that way." He steps to the side, following my stride out the door.
I sneakily check what he is holding and find that he doesn't have anything, including the homework. My lips curl into a small smirk. "You forgot your homework." I inform him innocently, and leave when he turns away to retrieve it.
