The Writer | #4✓

Chapter 5

On Monday I couldn't just sit down and enjoy my classes because I never went and got my textbooks or sorted out my student ID. in between the one-hour classes I headed to the bookstore during the break and eventually got my fall pass and one card and a handful of textbooks. I didn't see Ollie for most of the day. His classes were in a different building, and we didn't share the same breaks in-between lectures.

I was currently walking to my last class for the day, moving through the crowd of students that were heading in the opposite direction, and eventually, I got to the hallway that led to the lecture hall for my Writing 101 class. I walked in, my eyes widening in shock, and I almost dropped my bag.

"Hey," Maxwell said from the other end of the room, making the few other students that were there early to turn to me. I didn't reply to him, I just looked away and hurried to a seat. The lecturer walked in a few minutes later, and she went about showing us the syllabus and explaining how grading would go in the class. From time to time I'd turn to look at Maxwell, and every time he'd be looking right at me, giving me a small smile whenever I turned over to him.

Why do I feel giddy? I asked myself, trying to concentrate on what the lecturer was saying. Why is he taking this class? Is it an elective for him?

It wasn't long until the hour-long lecture ended. I got up from my seat, only to look around to find that Maxwell had already left the classroom. I found myself feeling a bit down, then I shook my head, reminding myself that he probably had a class right after and had to leave quickly. I left the humanities building and took out my phone to call Caleb as I walked to the nearest bus stop to get a ride.

Caleb was my cousin who was going to the art institute just a stone throws away from my college. He was currently living with his boyfriend, and we'd decided to meet up and hang out today. The location was a tiny café just a little bit away from the bus stop I was going to be dropped off at. It was inside a busy brick building it shared with other shops and was a sort of hub for students from both my college and Caleb's art institute.

"You're still coming right?" I asked, holding my phone to my ear as I got down from the bus. It had pulled up at the stop close to the cafe we were planning to meet in. It was mid-noon, and looking through the glass windows I could tell that there weren't many people inside. Most people were in lectures at this time of the day, I believe.

"I'm already in," he said from the other end of the line. I walked into the cafe, looking around until I spotted him sitting at a table at the back. Toby was sitting by him. A sketchpad was on his hand as he moved his pencil on the cardboard paper. I made to walk up to them, and when I was close, Caleb looked up, smiling at me before he hung up and put his phone away.

"Hey," I said, pulling out one of the chairs before sitting down. They were both drinking juice, and a plate of cake was at the center of the table.

"How are you?" Caleb asked as Toby looked up from his drawing pad to give me a small welcoming smile. I smiled back at him, turning my gaze back to my cousin. His brown eyes were bright, and he was wearing a cream sweater today.

"I'm doing fine. I had my first day of classes today," I said, resting my elbows on the wooden table's surface before resting my face on my hands. "The campus is bigger than expected. How about yours? You've started classes, right?" I asked, making Caleb nod as be held on to the cup of juice on his table.

"Do you want anything? My treat," I heard Toby say, making me turn to him. His smile made me look away as I nodded. I ordered some cake and juice just like them, and I talked to Caleb in a low tone as Toby continued to sketch on his drawing pad. The café had a round looking eating corner, that made it look even smaller than it was. The cream walls and smallish furniture gave it a warm look, like you were sitting by a fireplace. Music lacking lyrics played as the workers moved behind the wooden counters to take orders. After a while, Toby excused himself and got up with his drawing pad.