First Day of School
He stood there on the campus of Berkeley in his new sweatshirt as the morning hustle and bustle of the first day surrounded him. There were students all around and signs welcoming the freshman on their first day of classes. He stood in the middle of the courtyard and just took in his surroundings. Staring around he took a deep breath, this was his life now, he was going to Berkeley.
Looking down at his map, he tried to figure out where he was before turning to the left and going down a walkway toward a beaming figure. He had 2 hours before his first class started but there were reasons why he was searching around with his map now, and that person was holding coffee.
Folding the map up and putting it in his pocket he walked over to smiling figure, a wide grin across his face also. "Hey you", Ryan said as he kissed the vibrant girl in front of him, "are one of those for me."
"Yep", she said handing him over a steaming cup of coffee.
"So what are we doing up this early Taylor? I mean we could just go back to our dorms you know, make use of the time at hand before classes", he said with a mischievous grin on his face.
"No Ryan, I want to compare schedules and what time we have between classes and maybe see when we could spend time together."
"Taaaaylor, do we have to?" he whined.
"Yes, now don't whine, you sound like Seth", she said as she looped her hand in his and started guiding him toward the center of campus, "now I know on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday we have calculus together at 10, but what other classes are you taking?"
Ryan let go of her hand and dug into his pocket for the schedule before handing it to her.
"Let's see, you have Calculus, Physics, Design, English, and History of Architecture. No foreign languages Ryan?" she teased as she read over his schedule, "well, we have two classes together, Calculus and English on Tuesday and Friday, and both are before lunch everyday of the week, so now we can have lunch everyday, how does that sound." She said in her overly cheery attitude.
"Perfect", Ryan said as he thought of other things and how the last week they hadn't spent any "quality" time together.
Taylor noticed his distant look and decided to play with his mind a little, "we should try eating at every dining room on campus the first couple of weeks so that we know which ones are best."
Ryan snapped his head at Taylor quickly, "What?"
"You know, eating lunch at the different places on campus?" She smiled back.
"Well I was thinking since you had a private room and all we could do lunch there, like today maybe?" Ryan asked, lowering his tone as they passed by a large group of students.
Taylor stopped mid step and gasped, "Ryan! We can't skip lunch, that would be horrible, remember the orientation yesterday said we need at least three balanced meals to keep us going through our everyday studies."
Ryan furrowed his eyebrows as he started to get frustrated with his girlfriend, "Taaylor…" he began to whine again.
Taylor smiled, knowing she got him where she wanted him, she ran the few feet toward him and pecked his lips quickly before pulling away with a giggle, "I was just kidding Ryan, lunch in my room today sounds good, how about today?" She said with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.
"Hiding from your fellow student body already you two, its only day one, go out and make some friends, none of this lunch in the dorm room thing." Sandy Cohen's voice broke into their conversation as he walked down the steps of Boalt Hall.
"Hi Sandy!" Taylor responded in her chipper attitude as she turned to her right to watch him descend the building stairs, "How is your first day on the job?"
"Hey Sandy", Ryan said as Sandy engulfed him in a hug.
"It is a good first day, I get to see my son wearing a Berkeley sweatshirt, on his first day of school, no father would be happier, now if I could show you two the way toward the environmental clubs table, it would be even better. You know I met Kirsten while trying to get members, and since you two are already a pair, its easy, you just have to join, how about it?"
"Um, maybe after we settle in Sandy", Ryan said as he tried to find an answer to his father's impending question.
"Okay, well at least you are thinking about it", Sandy said before turning to Taylor, "Now you, I was going through my roster for my Juvenile Justice class and look who's name I came across, one Taylor Townsend."
Taylor beamed a smile, "Really? You are the staff teacher they put on the Monday, Wednesday class?"
"A last minute addition, now Taylor, how did you get into that class as a freshman?" Sandy asked, "It's an upper level class."
"Well I did spend two semesters at the Sorbonne so technically I am not a freshman but not all of my classes transferred so I still am a freshman in a way, but I met all the prerequisites for the class and I thought I would take it, and now I am glad I am because I get to have Sandy Cohen as my professor, how fun is that Ryan?" Taylor rambled on.
"My dad and my girlfriend, interesting", Ryan said once again at a loss for words.
"Well I have to get to teaching my first class, but I will see you two later, Kirsten wants you both home for dinner okay?" Sandy said more than asked as he retreated away.
"We will be there", Taylor responded for the both of them before turning to Ryan, "this is going to be the best four years ever Ryan!"
Ryan could only smile as he watched her grin wider at the prospects of their years at Berkeley, "Yeah it will be", he said as he took their empty cups to the trashcan before retreating back to her and taking her hand as they walked toward wherever Taylor was leading them.
As Taylor rambled on and on about the school, and their classes, and things they should do, Ryan let his mind drift to how everything fell into place, and how they all were now living at Berkeley, starting new lives.
It had all started on the train when Ryan continued from Newport to San Bernardino with Taylor, after spending some quality time in Taylor's sleeper car, Ryan held Taylor in his arms and thought about how he wasn't ready to get off the train in 10 minutes, and how he never really wanted to let go of her again. As she nuzzled in closer to his naked body, Ryan looked down and into the large hazel eyes of the girl he loved and simply asked, "Stay, don't go back to France." She had been a little confused at first but after a minute of him just throwing the idea out, of her staying in California and going to Berkeley with him, she simply agreed, it was all Taylor ever really wanted from him, to ask her to stay. After getting off the train and getting all of her luggage, they took a taxi back to Newport and discussed how Taylor was going to get back into Berkeley for the fall semester in 3 weeks. The answer was Sandy Cohen, who had called Paul Glass in excitement about moving to Berkeley when Paul offered him a position to fill the missing Professor of Law position that they were trying to hire for. It had worked out perfectly for everybody now that they were moving to Berkeley, and so they called Sandy from the cab and from there he called Paul and asked to re-instate Taylor's spot at Berkeley. Taylor went back to her mom's house, packed up as much as possible, then shipped everything to Berkeley, and after a plane ride, she arrived on the Cohen's front door step, ready to start her college adventure with Ryan. Everything seemed to work out in the long run for everybody, even Seth was getting along well at RISD. Ryan smiled as he thought of how everything had fallen into place, and how lucky he was to be surrounded by the people he loved when a voice called out to him.
"RYAN, RYAN, are you even listening to me?" Taylor said as called out to her distracted boyfriend.
Ryan woke out of his memory and turned to her, "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"About what?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"How lucky I am to be here, going to school, having my family close by, and with the most amazing girl ever." He said as he held Taylor by the waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Yeah? Are you talking about Sophie Rose or me Ryan Atwood- Cohen." She joked.
"Sophie is cute and all, but she hasn't quite started talking, so I am going to say you", and with that he kissed her in the middle of the courtyard. Pulling away slowly he looked at her suspiciously, "Why did you just call me Atwood-Cohen?"
Taylor smiled mischievously before responding, "Okay fine, I snooped and saw the applications for name change on your desk, it was such a large pile of papers and envelopes I couldn't help myself."
Ryan laughed as he kissed her forehead softly, "It's fine, I am not surprised, you're Taylor Townsend, I expected I can't hide a secret, but you can't tell anyone, it's going to take a while, and I figured I would announce it at Christmas."
"I can keep a secret Ryan, but I know of a way you can make sure I keep my mouth shut", she said as she raveled her arms from around his neck, "but you'll have to catch me first", and then she took off running through the courtyard.
Stunned for a second, Ryan snapped back and ran after her thinking, things were going to be great if every first day of school started off this way.