The Troubles of College

Part 5

As soon as Griffin and Evangeline got their plates piled with food, they went their separate ways.

Griffin chose to sit with some boys in the middle of the cafeteria filled with students and Evangeline chose to sit in a little corner by the window. Evangeline had stacked her plate with chocolate chip pancakes with powdered sugar and syrup. Also on her plate was a cup of parfait, that was piled with fresh strawberries, crispy granola, and of course vanilla yogurt.

Evangeline licked her lips and was about to take her first bite of college food when she heard a voice behind her.

"Can I sit with you?"

Evangeline turned around in her seat to see who this person was.

It was a girl, who had wavy long black hair just like Evangelin's and a slim body. Her eyes were eclectic green instead of Evangelin's sky blue eyes.

"Uh sure," Evangeline cleared her mind trying to get a grip on why this girl was sitting with her.

"I'll introduce myself! I'm Jennifer and you are-" The pretty girl said finally looking at Evangeline.

Both of the girls jumped up and started hugging each other.

"Oh my gosh! Evie! I would have never thought to see you here!" Jennifer exclaimed, squeezing Evangeline.

"I could say the same to you! Did you get a scholarship to go here or something?"

"Yeah! I got a scholarship to play in the band!"

"No way! Me too!" Both girls were already jumping up and down again. Evangeline and Jennifer had been friends since middle school.

"Oh! So why did we ever stop talking to each other? It was like forever ago!" Evangeline said, setting back down into the booth by the window and completely forgot about what time it was or were Griffin was.

"Let's not remember the past, shall we! How about-" Jennifer started but then something oddly strange happened.

Jennifer's soft kind features suddenly hardened and became a face like steel. Jennifer just started at Evangeline like she didn't know who she was.

Just then like time slowed for a second then speed up, Jennifer had swept a knife out of her back pocket of her black outfit and began slicing her wrist open.

"No Jennifer! Uh, help! Someone help! Please!!" Evangeline screamed at the cafeteria, now filled only with a few people.

Griffin sprinted to where Evangeline and Jennifer's booth was.

Griffin shook Jennifer's arms to try to stop her, but in return, Griffin got a vigorous snarl.

"What's happening! She was just fine and happy a minute ago!" Evangeline breathed, as if not sure this was real.

"I think I know what this is. I'm going to go get help, can you uh make sure she doesn't hurt herself even more. And if she does well, just I don't know-" Griffin ushered to Evangeline and took off again.

"But-" Evangeline tried to stop Griffin but he was already gone.

She looked down at her friend, trying to make sense of why one of her friends was hurting herself and acting like an animal.

But now Jennifer was pulling out her hair and about to stab her chest.

"Oh no, you don't!" Evangeline said about trying to try and interfere when she heard squeaky footsteps.

"What happened?" The nurse said coming up behind Griffin and looking at Jennifer with a sense of calm and knowing. She gently took the knife out of Jennifer's hand. Jennifer didn't resist, surprisingly.

"Well, we were just talking and she seemed fine but then her face changed and she pulled out a knife, and yeah," Evangeline said, wrapping her arms around her body. She hated the smell of blood.

Nurse Carol picked up Jennifer's backpack from the tiled floor and opened the main part of it.

"What are you doing, exactly, Nurse Carol?" Evangeline said, curious.

"I'm looking for files or really any medical records." Nurse Carol said, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.

She looked over it and nodded her head like she knew what this thing Jennifer had was about.

"What your friend here has, it's called a multiple personality disorder. It's where she has one side of her that is sweet and fun and doesn't know about the other deadly side of her. The other side is where all the bad thoughts you think of but will say I'll never do that, well she does it. That side can be dangerous and can cause her to end up dead or I jail.

"I know it's a lot to take in so I'm going to bring your friend to my office and let her rest. I'll leave you guys alone to go to class or whatever." Nurse Carol picks up Jennifer who is wide-eyed and stiff. She carries her to the cafeteria doors and leaves.

Evangeline stares at the place where Jennifer had just been, still trying to believe that her friend had a disorder that she never told Evangeline about.

Maybe that's why Jennifer had stopped texted or talking to Evangeline.

"Come on Evie, let's get to first period, don't what to be late on our first day," Griffin said, clearly in a daze after what had just happened.

Evangeline had never dreamed of the first day of college to be this traumatic. She didn't know what was about to hit her.