Eighteen-year-old Nat falls for five different boys during her first month at college, but never openly admits her crushes - until one night she drunk texts all five of them. She finds her freshman year turned upside down as she navigates the world...
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I pulled the door open, handle gripped with both hands. The wind fought me, pushing the door closed, but I slipped into the main student building. I paused in the vestibule to catch my breath.
Outside the tall glass doors, leaves in all hues of red and orange danced in the gusts. A majestic display from the inside, but on the other side, it wreaked havoc with more than my hair. I pulled my eyes away and focused back on my mission through the hordes of students.
The door to the central area opened with ease. The welcome scent of coffee brewing greeted me, albeit tainted by the musty smell of the older building.
My mouth salivated, and I honed in on the source of my lifeblood- Tim Hortons.
I made a beeline for the coffee shop, despite the long line. Nothing could come between this girl and her coffee. After the hellish Calc class I suffered through, I desperately needed my caffeine fix.
Voices overlapped as students swarmed, here for the lunch rush, like me.
Being the only Tims on campus that served their whole menu, more people flocked to it than a Marvel movie on opening night. As a super fan, I would wait an inordinate amount of time, sans costume.
The flutter of papers on the community board when the doors opened, and the breeze gusted in drew my attention. Posters for the upcoming hockey game on Friday were stapled all over.
I edged closer to read the details. Sports had never been a focus at my high school, but maybe things were different here at Summit University.
"Hey, you in line or what?" the tall guy behind me said, and I jolted away from the board.
The line had shifted forward while I stopped.
"Yeah, sorry." I moved up as the complainer scowled at me, and from there, I made it to the front in no time.
"I'll take a large double-double and five assorted Timbits," I said and got the goods in minutes. Efficient and delicious.
While others wasted time stalking tables where the current occupants were possibly packing up, I didn't even bother scanning the filled cafeteria-style seating area.
I went to my empty table, obscured from view by a vending machine.
After tossing my backpack in the seat next to me, I plopped into the chair. I sucked in a breath at the sudden scalding pain at slopping coffee on my wrist.
Lifting the plastic tab of the cup, I inhaled the aromatic scent, face upturned. Bliss. Infused by warmth as the coffee filled my stomach, I sipped the hot drink. I savoured the perfect balance of bitter and sweet for a moment before dragging my phone out of my jacket pocket.
I bit the bullet and swiped into my contacts, then pressed the little green icon. The call rang for the longest thirty seconds of my life before she picked up.
