The Outlanders

Readjust

JACKIE

The door closes behind me, and while I trust Mars with everything that I am, a small part of me still hopes that he'd actually do what I asked him to. Because I know that I'm going to do my part in making tonight a good night. And it starts by looking for Kasper. I have my doubts about how behaved Lane will be throughout the day, but I'm sure this Jasmine can keep him under control. He was always that much more behaved when trying to play the part of the nice guy, but I don't think too much about it. While she's nice, I doubt I'll know her for too long. I'm in the elevator, and I'm rummaging through my handbag, checking, and double checking if I have everything I need. I do. Everything else  that I don't have , is already stored in my locker just by the laboratory. Lab gown, goggles, books, notebooks, pens, you name it. I don't take the time to carry them around with me since I have access to a locker anyway. It would just be counter intuitive. I mentally map out how the rest of my day is going to be. And it goes like this:

12:30 pm - Introduction to Medical Chemistry class

2:15 pm - Start looking for Kasper in his Modern Theater class

2:30 pm - Tell Kasper that it's Grayson's birthday

2:45 pm - Pick up the special birthday cake I've ordered from Caketopia

3:00 pm - Head back to the apartment

I'm irritated, but I try my best not to let it show. What irritates me is the fact that I know I'll have to contend with the students lining up in the elevator. My mistake for not leaving the apartment a few minutes earlier. I resolve the conflict by taking the stairs. It's not like it was such a difficult problem to solve, I just didn't like the physical workout I've had to do to achieve it. I suppose it could serve as my daily exercise. The thought helps lessen the mental stress. I'm not the only one taking the stairs. A few classmates I recognize jog ahead of me, greeting me on their way up. I greet them back as sweetly as I can. They don't deserve a bitchy attitude, not when we're all just trying to get to the same destination. I think about the time it takes for me to walk the flights of stairs until I reach the eleventh floor. Seven minutes. I calculate the distance between this building, and Kas'.

I readjust.

12:30 pm - Introduction to Medical Chemistry class

2:32 pm - Start looking for Kasper in his Modern Theater class

2:47 pm - Tell Kasper that it's Grayson's birthday

3:02 pm - Pick up the special birthday cake I've ordered from Caketopia

3:17 pm - Head back to the apartment

I don't like it, but it is what it is.

A single drop of sweat trickles down the side of my forehead, I'm glad I've been taking Archery, at the very least, I'm not completely out of shape, and not as banged up as the rest of my stair-taking classmates. Brittney expresses her jealousy of how I manage not to lose my composure like the rest of them. I play it off with a joke, and head to my locker. For a moment I pause in front of it, breathe through my nose, and exhale through my mouth. I realize I'm a lot more tired than I initially thought. But it doesn't stop me from trudging forward and inputting the code for my locker. 012196. I swing the door open, and then greeted by the familiar sight of polaroid pictures of me and Mars back in high school. The prom, the graduation ball, every field trip we've had, and a few pictures that had Kasper. As if he'd been our designated third wheel. I don't think that'll ever change. I move the air freshener stored inside the locker aside to grab an extra pen for jotting down notes. Today was supposed to be experimentation day, and I chuckle to myself thinking about how this isn't the usual college experimentation phase for most people, but this is mine. And I wouldn't want it any other way. I've been called a prude before, an old maid, a bluenose, you name it. I just know what I want, and it's to be able to tell myself that I've made it. I'll be honest, I haven't. And not just because I'm still in college, but because I haven't even begun to dip my feet in what having a career is like. It's an urge that no matter how many side jobs, or projects I do, it can never be squelched. Which is exactly why I support Mars in what he wants to do. If what he wants is to be the best at a certain game, I don't stop him. It's his version of success. If Lane wants to be the biggest slut in the entire campus, I let him. He's not my responsibility, and in a way, if he feels great about it, I'm not going to be the person to stop him. Kasper's a little trickier. Doing nothing makes him happy. Recently he's tried branching out, but branching out also meant leaving us in the dust most days. While the four of us spend a lot of time with one another, it's a far cry from what it used to be like in middle school. Kasper was far happier as a child than he was a teen. I don't blame him entirely. Years of agitation and bullying could do that to a person. Especially when Zach was treated far better by his peers than Kas ever was. I'm not from here, I was born in Spain. And even I never received the kind of treatment Kas did, despite the belief that the minority were supposed to be treated differently. Maybe it's because I'm a girl. But matters of sexism and racism were far beyond the grasp of people one would consider as your stereotypical bully. The locker next to me opened, it's Polly. Polly and I aren't close, but we like to talk before, during, and after class. It helps with the mood. While I pride myself in thinking that I'm an all-business type of person, I'm still just a person who wants --no-- needs some form of relaxation every now and then. I can hear from the way she was breathing that she's either tired, or pissed. Again.