Crap, crap crap! Stupid, stupid, stupid!! The list of profanities shouting through Christine's head grew intense as she flew up the steps of the college, her dark tresses flying behind her as she remembered too late that she forgot her class roster at home in the printer. The first day of school along with her first day of teaching was starting to wear on her before the day had even begun.
Just short of running now, Christine zipped through the hallways of MRU to her classroom, nearly knocking two students down in the process. Once at her desk, she dumped her tote in search of her USB key, hoping that she had saved the roster on the drive. "Aaaah yes! Thank you!" she praised quietly as the small drive fell nicely into her palm. With minutes to spare, she just might save herself some embarrassment on her first day. Now all that's left is to survive the rest…yikes…
Christine Daae had been a student at Maple River University long before her teaching career here had ever started. A graphic design student, she threw herself into the work, hoping to learn whatever she could so that she could make up for the time lost trying to "find herself" with the few, okay, several majors she'd attempted in her first years at the university. Luckily, the fates had saved the best for last. Christine was a natural at design, a talent noted early on by her teachers and fellow students. Slowly, the department heads began giving Christine some side work. Logos for upcoming musical productions, the staff letterhead, really any design work that could be done for free for the university. By her last year in the program, she was heading up a team of students doing freelance work for MRU. The success of her academic career prompted the Graphics Department to offer her a staff position, unheard of for a student with no outside experience. And so, Christine moved on from Maple River Graphics Club and into a paid position at the very place she knew and loved so much.
Having had the summer to prepare for this daunting new task, Christine was kicking herself for still finding a way to begin the fall semester feeling more and more inadequate as the minutes ticked by. She could only hope that the students would be forgiving on her first day.
By lunch, Christine had tripped over herself, dropped her papers, mispronounced 10 students' names and even managed to make up a word in her nervousness. The 45 minute break before her last 2 classes was very much needed.
Slowly walking along the sidewalks to the Notes & Paint Café, the small campus bistro connecting the art and music schools, Christine let out a sigh of relief as she saw Meg loping towards her.
"Hi, Sweets! I can't wait to tell you about my morning! You look exhausted; I thought I heard you tossing around last night, I guess I was right. Was the first half really that bad? Well you look cute, regardless. I'm starving, want to split a panini again?" Meg's rambling was part of her charm and a friendly touch that calmed Christine's anxious nerves a bit. "Sure, hon, let's get the chicken pesto this time. I'll get it, you go find a spot." Feeling a little more at ease with her surroundings, Christine ordered their sandwich and drinks and made her way to their seats outside. As she walked, she noticed Erik De Lorme walking towards the café with beautiful, ginger, Olivia McAdams trotting alongside him. I will never understand that relationship, she thought to herself. What does he see in her, well, besides the obvious? He just doesn't look like the shallow type… Her thoughts cut short as she set the tray down at the little table and settled in for Meg's stories that she could see were practically bursting out of her.
"Okay, so you know how I told you that the department was thinking about taking on a hip hop instructor to broaden the course opportunities? Well, he is here and lord, he is certainly not queer! That is the most gorgeous, straight man that I have seen in the dance halls in quite some time!" Meg whistled at the thought. "His name is Ethan, he's from New York and I have already managed to flip my hair and flirt a little since he got here this morning!" She let out a little squeal at her glee. Meg Giry had very good luck with men and, unlike Christine, had no problems with feeling nervous or foolish in front of them. She was bold and blonde, with that perfect dancer's body and cute girlish quirks. She'd been teaching ballet at MRU for 2 years now and had already managed to date most of the "qualified" male teachers on campus. Sometimes Christine wondered how they could be friends and roommates when they were so obviously different.
"Cute, huh? So have you given him your number yet or are you willing to wait 24 hours before completely pouncing on the new guy?" Meg rolled her eyes at Christine, making her 26 year old self look more like a teenager than the breathtaking beauty that she was.
"Of course not! How many times have I told you that they have to be the ones to make the first move? You're just supposed to make them salivate while they work up the nerve. I'm betting he'll call by the end of the week, mark my words." And Christine knew it, too. When Meg set her sights on someone, they were at her beck and call within a month, completely in love with her. She could no longer count the number of guys who came and went through the girls' apartment in the matter of a few years, all blissfully enraptured with Meg. The woman was definitely blessed. The jealous thought tug at Christine's heart for a moment before she recovered and told her friend about her own day.
Before long, their time was up and Christine began gathering their empty plates, bidding Meg goodbye as the dancer had to meet a student early before her next class. Christine was refilling her soda, an addictive need for diet coke, when she saw him out of the corner of her eye. There he was again, Erik De Lorme, with that dark hair cropped perfectly atop his head, the chiseled jaw line and flawless nose. His strange mask was the only imperfection she could find on him, even his clothes were classic and masculine, top of the line. Christine's breathing quickened as she watched him, writing in a notebook at the back of the café, sitting across from that woman he had walked over with as she chatted away. She watched as Olivia, obviously perturbed at her uninterested audience, stood up to leave. She waved him goodbye, twittering her fingers only like girls of her character do, and with a swift flip of her hair, sauntered out of the café. Erik acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to write in that thick notebook, his brow creased as if he were deep in thought.
Christine, now so enthralled with his movements, nearly choked on her soda when his eyes suddenly met hers as he looked up from his writing. Realizing that she had been staring this whole time, Christine quickly averted her eyes and bolted away from the soda machine she had been standing at, stumbling out the door. Back in her classroom, she allowed herself to breathe. Ugh, I'm such a stalker. Jesus, Christine, get a grip! Her hands were shaky as she thought back to the man whom she had been silently watching for the last year. Erik had some kind of hold on Christine, this unyielding power to stop her in her tracks and she had yet to even speak to the man! At first, the mask was her mental excuse to observe him, curiosity winning over. But as the months progressed, Christine noticed that her curiosity was not the only thing drawing her to him. Her heart would beat faster as she would see him exiting the buildings, sitting in secluded areas around the art and music buildings. She found that she was attracted to Erik in a way that shocked her, she didn't even really know him! But every day on campus began with the hope that she would see him again, hoping that maybe some day they would speak in passing, even a small acknowledgement from him to let her know that he knew she existed. And here was her answer…if you put your nose where it doesn't belong, he's sure to notice you! Christine shook her head at herself, and with the resolve that she would surely die before interacting with him as a human being, began the first of her last 2 classes for the day.
Well, the first day's over, though not really a complete success. I hope Meg's cooking tonight… Christine walked out to her car, thankful for the near empty lot so that she could think quietly to herself and get on the road home without worrying about the usually heavy student traffic. Luckily, the drive to her apartment was relatively short, and since she had taken a job at the school, she hadn't needed to move after graduation. Her apartment was large enough for herself and Meg, with windows overlooking the local daycare center where she could usually hear the happy shouts of the children as they played. She loved their small space in this small town, a city busy with mostly students traveling from all over for the well-known music school at MRU.
As Christine relaxed that evening alone in her apartment while Meg was out with a man she'd met over the summer, she thought again about her future here in Maple River. She hoped that sooner or later she would find a reason to settle here other than just her work. The darkness crept across the sky and those familiar tears flowed freely as thoughts of her past and her fears settled in for the night.