Red
By Anna Dixon
12/2/13
Lynchburg is known for its famous down pours, Lindsay Owens thought. She pulled on her blue swing sweater that she always gets comments on. Then, she yanked on her black jeggings. Jeggings are like pants, and leggings. Next she stumbled in the dark to find her wool socks (her roommates are still sleeping, and she only had the mirror light on). Finally, she placed her polka dot rain boots on to her feet.
Lindsay grabbed her yellow rain coat and her polka dot umbrella. She hated waiting at the bus stop to go to North Campus, and she wished she had a car on campus. It was cold and freezing rain for October.
The bus finally came and she hopped on, but she was forced to stand. The bus made its way through traffic and stopped at North Campus. She followed the students off the bus and headed into North Campus.
North Campus was busy as ever and Lindsay glanced at her watch. It's quarter to eleven on a Thursday, she had time to grab a bite of lunch with her boyfriend, Cody Miller. Cody's Bible 101 class was about to end, and she had thirty minutes to wait before her English 101 class started.
She lingered by Cody's classroom and went over her persuasive essay for the English 101 class.
"Hi," Lynda O'Connor greeted her and sat down next to Lindsay.
"Hey," Lindsay smiled. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but Cody. She studied her paper, making red marks-it was only her first rough draft. But she decided it was nice to make small talk. "How are you this morning?"
"Drenched, I hate rain," Lynda replied. Lynda was always complaining, and it hit Lindsay's nerve.
"Mm," Lindsay spoke, still studying her paper and not glancing up. "Yeah, it's defiantly raining all right." Lindsay put her paper away and then Cody finally came out of his classroom, rescuing her.
"Well I better go. There's Cody," Lindsay replied. Lynda nodded and left, and Lindsay was glad. Lynda was a nice person, but she just complained too much.
"Hey, baby," Cody smiled at her, and hugged her-even though Lindsay was drenched with rain. "How's your day so far? Wet?"
"Haha," Lindsay laughed. "Duh."
"Let's go grab some lunch," Cody suggested. The two headed off to the North Campus' cafeteria. "Do you want to go to the football game with me this Saturday? It's Homecoming Weekend."
"I'd love too," Lindsay smiled. Out of every sport, football was Lindsay's favorite. She loved how her college would come together, wearing red to each game-supporting their school. Lindsay loved the school spirit. She wouldn't miss a single game, when it came to football.
"We can go out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant," Cody offered. "With several of my buddies."
"Yeah," Lindsay sighed. Recently, they were always with someone, if not a couple of people. They hardly got any alone time. Sure, Lindsay felt comfortable with Cody, but she wasn't sure if Cody was comfortable being alone with her. Lindsay always wondered why, if she'd done anything.
Lindsay and Cody had been dating for five months, he spotted her at a luncheon with the leadership team of both brother and sister dorms. They were planning activities for the school year. It was Lindsay's first year as a prayer leader, and Cody is an RA for dorm eight. The two hit it off by talking about sports. Cody thought Lindsay stood out from the crowd, because of her love for football.
Lindsay could play football if she'd really wanted to, but the coach of Lindsay's high school wouldn't let her play because she was a girl. Needless to say, her coach got fired because of discrimination. Lindsay felt discouraged, she really wanted to play.
"We should toss the football around," Lindsay suggested. "Tomorrow, after convocation."
"Yeah, that would be fun. But are you sure you don't want to lose?" Cody teased.
"Very funny. The question should, are you ready to lose?" Lindsay giggled at him. She poked him, and they carried on a poking war. Lindsay broke out in laughing fits that she'd began coughing. She took a sip of her ice tea and then the coughing stopped.
"Are you okay?" Cody asked.
"Yeah, fine," Lindsay replied. They'd finished up lunch, and Cody walked Lindsay to her English 101 class. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Oh… I need to meet up with my SLD," Cody replied. "How about a rain check tomorrow's breakfast, with my dorm?"
"Sure," Lindsay sighed. Lindsay entered her English 101 class and waited for Professor Raymond to start the class. Professor Raymond was going over his grade book when Lindsay took her seat in front of the classroom. Lindsay had a hearing problem, and she needed to sit in front of the classroom. She would have her hearing aids, but they bothered her.
"Welcome class. Please take your seats. Today we will be editing our persuasive essays," Professor Raymond said. Lindsay took out her essay and settled it on her desk, and then put her folder away. She took out her red pen and placed it next to her paper.
Professor Raymond took attendance when most of the students were in the classroom. Lindsay listened carefully of the guidelines they were supposed to follow when editing essays. Next, they paired up to edit them.
"Yours is good," Clarisse commented. "I liked it."
"Yours is good too," Lindsay smiled. They exchanged papers and there were many red marks on Lindsay's paper. Her essay was about football and how girls should be allowed to play. Lindsay returned to her seat, and started rewriting her second rough draft.
Class was dismissed at twelve thirty, and Lindsay headed back to her dorm in the pouring rain. Lindsay opened her umbrella, she felt impatient for the bus this time. Rain splattered down her, and as she reached her dorm, she was fully drenched with rain.
"Good rainy day," Lindsay said to herself. She wanted a hot shower, but the showers in her dorm were already in use. Lindsay sat at her computer, and logged on to Facebook. She moved her mouse down her newsfeed, a few couples had recently just got engaged. She congratulated them, and then set her Facebook status.
Her Facebook status was set to the latest Psalm she read this morning. It spoke to her deeply, and she prayed to God over the Psalm. It moved her, that's for sure. Lindsay thanked God for the rainy day, and turned her focus on to her homework.
Lindsay finished up writing her second rough draft of her English persuasive paper. Then, she glanced over it, making sure she'd corrected her errors. Lindsay thought it would be a perfect day to take a nap. She'd dream about football no doubt, instead of dreaming about Cody.
"Hey," Lindsay roommate, Natalya greeted her.
"Hey," Lindsay replied. "How was your day?"
"Soaking wet," Natalya laughed. "It's so cold outside."
'Yep, welcome to Lynchburg," Lindsay chuckled. "I'm about to get comfortable under my sheets."
"Yeah, same here." Lindsay shut the door and then changed into her pajamas. Her covers were a football fabric, and she loved them. She climbed into bed, and shut her eyes. Next thing she knew, she slept right through her last class of the day. Lindsay didn't care, after all it was a good raining day to sleep.
She got up from her bed and changed back into her normal clothes.
"Want to go to the Rot?" Lindsay asked Natalya.
"Sure," Natalya replied. "Have you've seen Emily?"
"Oh no, I haven't," Lindsay retorted. "Not since this morning." Lindsay grabbed her student ID and her purse. She threw on her raincoat and then snatched her umbrella. They ambled down the stairs and passed Vines Center.
They entered the Rot, and Lindsay spotted Cody with his dorm. Lindsay waved and Cody smiled and nodded in her direction. Lindsay grabbed a hamburger and joined Natalya.
"Are you going to the football game tomorrow night?" Natalya asked, in between bites of her tacos.
"Yep, with Cody," Lindsay replied.
"Awe," Natalya retorted. "How are you two doing?"
"Good, except we don't have any alone time together. We're always with someone," Lindsay sighed.
"You don't go on dates?' Natalya said shockingly.
"Well, with our schedules and homework, we hardly have time to date. I just wonder where our relationship is going, you know?" Lindsay replied. She scarved down her dinner and then waited for Natalya to finish up.
"Hm," Natalya said. "I thought you two were doing great."
"I thought so too, it started out great the first two weeks or months," Lindsay responded. "Isn't it always goes that way? Dating is fun at the beginning, since it's so new and fresh."
"Yeah, I see your point," Natalya nodded. "Have you've considered breaking up with him?"
"I have," Lindsay said slowly. "It's a tough choice to make." The two cleared their trays and dumped them into the tray area. They exited the Rot and headed out into the rain.
The next day, it was sunny. Lindsay woke up in a good mood, her spirits were high. It was the day before the Homecoming football game, and Lindsay couldn't wait. Today, the whole school-including faculty wears red to support the Liberty Flames.
"Good morning! It's Homecoming Weekend!" Lindsay squealed, when her roommates woke up. Natalya climbed down from her bunk bed and opened the blinds to the windows.
"It's not raining for once!" Natalya replied. Lindsay and Natalya high fived, and then Lindsay started her morning chores. She'd wash her dishes night before, so she cleaned the sink and wiped down the mirror. Then she got dressed, wearing her red Liberty Flames' shirt.
Lindsay's phone buzzed with Cody's text, shown on the screen.
Cody: Tomorrow is game day!
Lindsay: It sure is! I've been looking forward to it.
Cody: Ditto.
Lindsay placed her cell phone in the back of her pocket and resumed to her chores. She'd made up her bed, then picked up her dirty laundry and threw the clothes into the hamper. Finally, when she was done it was about nine-thirty.
She scurried with her roommate to the Vines Center for Convocation. The Vines Center was already full of students wearing red to support Liberty. The Campus Praise Band was practicing when the Vines Center swam with students.
"There's so much red!" Lindsay giggled. Her excitement grew ten times bigger than Texas state itself. Lindsay felt giddy for the Homecoming game, that's for sure.
The Campus Praise Band began playing, and inviting the students to worship their God. In between songs, Pastor David prayed over the game and Homecoming Weekend. Then the worship music wrapped up, and the announcements commenced.
"Tonight is the Bonfire," Jerry Falwell was saying. Lindsay wondered if she and Cody could go, just by themselves-without anyone interrupting their date. She didn't think so, but she'd hope it'd happen. Announcements then rolled into Thirty Seconds of Liberty-a few video clips of events that took place this past week. Thirty Seconds of Liberty was usually aired on Wednesdays, but they had technical difficulties on Wednesday.
Convocation ended at 11:00am, and Lindsay joined up with Cody to head to the library.
"We should go to the Bonfire, it'll be a beautiful night for it," Lindsay suggested. "You know, as a date."
"Yeah, we defiantly should," Cody replied. "And it'll be a date." Lindsay nodded, and the two walked hand in hand towards DeMoss Hall.
The library was crowded, and Lindsay grabbed a seat in the cubicle. She had a test to study for that was today-in a couple of hours in fact. Math was Lindsay's least favorite subject. It was complicated, especially in the higher more challenging courses. It was Math 102, and Lindsay struggled with it. Cody would tutor her, but his schedule is too darn busy.
She bit the top of the pencil, meditating on how to solve the word problem. She grew frustrated, no doubt like she always did when working on math homework. Lindsay got out her calculator, and started the equation she came up with over again. Finally, she came out with the right answer.
"How's the homework coming?" Cody asked, looking down at her paper.
"Frustrating," Lindsay answered. "Yours?"
"Good," Cody replied. "I'm studying with the most beautiful girl." Lindsay blushed, and then laughed.
"Shh," one student said that was next to them. They were in the quiet zone, no talking, no cell phones were allowed. It was complete quiet area where students could completely study with no noise of interruptions. Lindsay and Cody had forgotten about that. They resumed to their homework, concentrating hard on it.
Finally, they left the library and it was six o'clock, a long hard day of studying. Lindsay had left to go to her seven o'clock class, which lasted until nine-right before the Bonfire. She met up with Cody and the two waited for the Bonfire to be lit.
When it did lit, the students that were there clapped and hollered. Excitement filled everyone. Cody and Lindsay walked closer to the bonfire and felt its heat. Lindsay grabbed her digital camera out of her purse and took a couple of pictures of the fire.
The flames of the fire danced in the cool night, the smoke rising to the sky. Students lingered around the fire and played on their acoustic guitars. Lindsay and Cody joined the students, watching them play.
It was a beautiful night, no doubt. Lindsay's heart warmed as she listened to the guitarists sings their hearts out to God, letting their voices touch Lindsay's heart. Lindsay wrapped her arm around Cody's waist, and Cody pulled her closer to him.
"Our God is greater, our God is stronger than any other," one of the guitarists sang and Lindsay also sang. Tears stung Lindsay's eyes, the worship music really moved her.
The night ended about eleven o'clock, and Cody walked her back to Lindsay's dorm room. It was a great night, just them and Liberty's student body. When Lindsay entered her dorm room, Natalya and Emily were watching a movie with other girls on the hall.
"Hey. How was the bonfire?" Natalya asked.
"Romantic, it was amazing," Lindsay smiled.
"I'm glad to hear," Natalya replied. Lindsay got ready for bed, and the girls continued watching their movie. Lindsay didn't mind them watching the movie; she liked the company while she slept. She thanked God for the amazing night she had with Cody.
Finally, it was Saturday. The day that Lindsay was waiting for. Saturdays were Lindsay's favorite day of the week; it was game day, after all. Lindsay threw on her red Liberty Flames shirt and grabbed her red towel. The campus handed out red towels at the beginning of the semester to every student. It was just another way to show team spirit.
The game started at noon, and thrill of excitement pervaded Lindsay's body. She ate her breakfast quickly, and completed her homework in no time. Lindsay checked her Facebook and changed her status to "go Liberty!" A few of her friends commented on it, and Lindsay closed down Facebook.
She rushed out of her dorm room, and met up with Cody at the entrance gate to the Liberty Flames' stadium. The stadium was already buzzing about with team spirit. The students were wearing red, and even a couple of guys from Lindsay's brother dorm painted their faces red, white and blue.
"Welcome everyone! To Homecoming Weekend!" the announcer shouted above the crowds in the overhead speakers. Liberty Flames came out on to the field, with the Liberty students screaming at the top of their lungs. The Flames took position at the starting point, and the other team-Clemson joined them on the green grass down below.
Lindsay watched the first play take place on the flat screen ahead. She clapped as one of Liberty's football players scored a first touchdown of the game.
"That was awesome!" Cody yelled above the crowd.
"Defiantly," Lindsay screamed back. The crowd grew wild as the quarterback made another touchdown for Liberty Flames. At half time, the game was 10-11, with Liberty winning. Lindsay watched the game intently, as Liberty made a final touchdown when the timer was running short.
The crowd grew wild, Liberty won the football game! Lindsay's heart pounded with joy, and she'd hugged Cody. Lindsay and Cody jumped up and down along with the student body. The game was well played, that's for sure. Lindsay had faith in the team players that they would win.
"That sure was a great game!" Lindsay said as she and Cody ambled back to Lindsay's dorm.
"It sure was," Cody replied. "I'll take you out to a celebration dinner."