.
A puff of smoke drifts up from her lips and clouds her vision in wispy swirls whilst she surveys the scene before her. A curly-haired brunette girl walks across her eyeline with a bulky rucksack hanging off her shoulders – she almost has to repress the urge to laugh at how the bag weighs the girl down, mammoth in its size in comparison to the girl's slight frame. Finds it even harder to keep a smirk off her face once an older boy roughly passes by and brushes the girl's shoulder in the process, almost sending her to the ground. The girl is startled and flustered as she realizes what's happened but then she, only just, gathers her bearings again before continuing on her merry way.
Yet this scene isn't entirely extraordinary – because no sooner is the girl out of sight than is there an equally as clueless and excited group of girls and guys following after her.
Naomi scoffs. Fucking first years, she thinks sardonically to herself, taking another long drag of her cigarette. She shakes her head. Briefly wonders if she had been as jittery and ecstatic this time last year – dismisses the thought at once. Of course not. Being like that is just embarrassing, and she never allows herself to act so naive. Not then, not now – standing alone in the crisp September air with half a cigarette dangling from in between the index and middle finger of her left hand.
She lets her eyes flicker down to the diminishing embers of her cigarette and inadvertently sets her gaze on her fingertips. Deep indentions are still set into her calluses. She promptly disregards them. She never cared for the manicured look. Not like most of these new fresher girls; prepped and primped to a tee as they futilely try to attract the attention of the absent-minded boys they're lusting after. Only later will they realize that their attempts usually end up in vain, because freshman guys rarely look for relationships when there's this whole new college territory to explore; parties to attend; pills to take; girls to bed.
Yeah. Fucking first years indeed.
Naomi drops her fag butt to the ground and quickly stomps on the dwindling ashes. Then she shrugs her hefty green parka closer around her shoulders and pulls her beanie tighter around her ears. She crosses her arms in front her chest. It offers a meagre amount of protection against the cold.
Her next class is due to start in ten minutes, yet she doesn't feel the need to hurry off to it. Frankly, she's unenthusiastic. It's only been a few days since term started and already her classes have presented her with a pile of work. Assignments, outside reading, looming essays. The summer had been too cushioning and now reality was giving her a firm smack. All work and no more play. Back to business.
Eventually she realizes she can't put things off any longer and roughly tugs her satchel strap back around her neck and heads back into the arts block. Predictably there's another rush of freshers to greet her as they all dash around, hastily scanning their schedules and looking around every which way in confusion as they search for their designated rooms. She rolls her eyes and ignores them. Succeeds in doing so until she's climbed the stairs to the second floor and turns a corner – because that's when she crashes into a small, flustered body.
"Oops, sorry!" exclaims the stranger hurriedly while her book drops to the floor. Naomi simultaneously jerks back and steadies herself. A scowl quickly mars her features as the typical thought crosses her mind – Another bloody fresher. She straightens herself while the girl bends down to retrieve her book. Prepares to shrug off the naive stranger when she feels her planned, derisive comment become inexplicably lodged in her throat.
Once fully upright again, Naomi's gaze is met with a petite girl staring anxiously at her. Even the contrite expression on her face does nothing to obscure her understated beauty. Long and silky crimson red hair flows down from underneath a black bobble hat, coming to rest just below her collarbone. An adorable button nose sits in the middle of her cute, almost pixie-like face. Her cheeks are tinted with a faint pink flush. But it's her eyes that captivate Naomi the most – those big, sparkling brown doe eyes, while they flicker repeatedly up and down between Naomi and the book now back in her arms.
Naomi's mind goes blank momentarily, too caught off guard with her sudden interest in this redheaded girl to speak. The girl eventually notices her lack of response and awkwardly addresses it. "Um...are you okay?" she asks quietly, eyebrow quirked and those sparkling brown eyes inquisitive.
Naomi shakes her head hastily, ridding herself of her muteness. "Erm yeah, I am. Sorry" she answers, her mouth feeling dry for some reason. Sorry? Why should she be sorry? This girl clearly has no regard for anyone, rushing around so mindlessly. Yet Naomi can't help it as a smile colours her face briefly before she quickly glances away. She feels oddly ill-equipped all of a sudden. When she looks back, it's to see the girl grinning. The sight of it causes a fluttering sensation to begin in her stomach. Doesn't know what it means. "Well, I uh, better...go" she says after another awkward moment, abruptly finding that she wants to be as far away from this girl as possible. This stranger.
The girl doesn't argue. They both give a curt nod and Naomi takes off past the redheaded stranger, leaving both their exchange and her lapse in composure behind. When she eventually takes her seat in the lecture, which has now thankfully started, it's with relief. Allows her to focus on something other than her muddled thoughts or the flurry of activity in her stomach.
Fifty minutes later and Naomi emerges from the theatre with another item of required reading to add to her ever-growing list. Groans at the thought of it. How she's going to keep up with all of this work and balance it with her outside commitments was a mystery – but she couldn't start complaining now. Instead she finds her feet moving of their own accord to the nearest coffee shop, reasoning that caffeine might help to lighten her mood. It definitely couldn't hurt.
She joins the queue of weary and preoccupied students and runs a hand through her long peroxide blonde locks, releasing a sigh. She'd taken off her hat during the lecture and her hair now lies a bit flat because of it, but she doesn't care. Her hair doesn't tend to behave most of the time anyway and this proves a change from its usual trend of sticking out in a chaotic fashion.
She's at the top of the queue, collecting her mocha, when a strangely familiar voice murmurs behind her. "Careful when you turn around. Books are fine, but I doubt either one of us wants coffee all down their front". Her fingers instinctively clench around her cup while she slowly revolves around. It's the same redhead from earlier; only this time there's no book in her hand and her expression is brighter. Calmer. A coy smile is stretched across her face.
And bizarrely, the blonde finds herself grinning back. Again. "Well, lucky for you, I tend to look where I'm going. Unlike some people" she replies coolly. There's implication in her voice as she takes a sip from her cup and her eyes narrow mischievously.
The girl's smile widens and she blinks deliberately. "Is that accusation I hear?" she asks. The huskiness of her voice reverberates through Naomi's skull. "'Cause, unless I'm mistaken, you seemed just as careless with your sense of direction earlier, as well" she retorts, biting her lip.
Naomi's just about to reply when she hears a groan of frustration in her periphery – she looks up to find a queue of annoyed customers standing behind them. The redhead quickly notices too and they both step out of the line, but not before Naomi catches the embarrassed look that flashes across the girl's face. Finds her stomach bubbling again at the endearment of it.
"I knew exactly where I was going – you, on the other hand, were a confused mess. But you are a freshman, I suppose, so I can't say I blame you" she continues in an innocent tone. The girl gasps in mock offence while Naomi takes another sip. Then she watches as the girl tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear. Naomi trains her eyes on the action, momentarily distracted. Her hat is gone too; glossy strands of hair fall about her cheeks and further down her shoulders. The red is more vivid, no longer hidden by the hat. Intense. Crimson. Burning.
"What makes you think I'm a freshman?" the redhead asks astutely. Naomi can't help but notice that her words seem very far away.
The blonde swallows an insult. "Just a guess" is all she says, before finally meeting the girl's eyes again. The mischief is gone from her expression and in its place a look of curiosity and expectation. It's this, more than anything, which allows the next question to fall from Naomi's lips without reserve. "What's your name?" she asks, her voice noticeably gentler.
Another cute smile. "Emily" she says simply, extending her hand. Naomi glances at it, then up to her face, before taking the hand with her free one and shaking it firmly.
"Naomi" she replies confidently. She allows a smirk to pull at the corner of her lips, masking the anxiety she feels on the inside. Nervous. When do I get nervous? she thinks uncomprehendingly to herself once they both let go. She watches as Emily looks down awkwardly and shuffles her feet. Thinks of what to say next. Her tongue feels huge in her dry mouth. But when Emily looks up again there's another inquisitive look in her eye and Naomi realizes that this is the reason she's nervous. Can't for the life of her figure out why.
"So, Naomi" Emily says, rolling the name off her tongue as if testing it. Then she smiles softly. "What are you studying?"
Naomi's smirk widens and she's about to rattle off her practiced spiel, when a vibrating sensation interrupts her train of thought. An imperceptible frown creases her brow fleetingly – she conceals it from Emily – and she pulls up her satchel flap and reaches inside. Seconds later and her phone is clutched in her long fingers, the screen indicating she has one new message. She opens it and reads it rapidly. Her expression contorts into a grimace.
She finds her gaze involuntarily flickering back up to Emily. Those bright brown eyes are staring intently at her, although Naomi notices they're a bit more narrowed than before. Finds herself surprised that she can even tell. "I'm sorry, Emily" she mumbles softly, and she really is. "I have to go now" she explains unhelpfully. She shrugs in an apologetic sort of way.
A genuine, although tight, smile flashes across Emily's face. "No problem. I have to get to my next class anyway" the redhead says smoothly. Detachedly. "I'll see you around, then" she adds. Less of a question than Naomi would like.
The blonde nods stiffly and runs a hand through her hair again. "Yeah. See you around". I hope, her brain hastens to add, much to her confusion. And that's it; Emily turns around and walks out the door of the shop without glancing back. Naomi stands there staring after her for a moment. Then she takes another sip of her mocha, just for something to do. Abruptly remembering she has somewhere to be however, she forces her feet to move and quickly walks through the block and back out the entrance.
She tries not to let her brain linger on her exchange with the redheaded stranger. Finds it practically impossible as she trudges to the green. The red and gold autumn leaves kick at her heels while she walks. Her attention immediately focuses on the red ones.
Questions plague her from every angle whilst she pulls out her hat and pulls it close over her ears once more. Why hadn't Emily – cute, bouncy, naive little Emily – annoyed her, like so many other newbies would have? And why, despite the fact that they were in a coffee shop, did Emily fail to buy any coffee? Nevertheless, as Naomi approaches the green she forces herself to push these questions and flashes of crimson red from her brain.
Emily's just a girl. Just another student. Normal, unremarkable. Naomi would probably never see her again. Forget about her, she commands herself with a stern frown.
Just a girl.
The blonde looks up then and smiles. There she stands. Powerful. Confident. Otherworldly. She leans against the back of a wooden bench with her arms and ankles crossed, her stance ever the enigma. People pass by and do double takes, although Naomi can hardly blame them. She exudes the aura of a Goddess; someone who shouldn't belong in these simple surroundings, this campus green, or wear such plain clothing.
Naomi draws nearer and the girl spots her. A faint smile brightens her pallid face, but it's gone in the blink of an eye. "Hey" the girl says once Naomi comes to a stop just in front of her.
The blonde's fingers twitch on her satchel strap. "Hey Effy" she replies, biting her lip. Naomi observes while she pulls out a cigarette packet from her breast pocket. She offers the pack to Naomi, who politely declines. Then she takes one out, deftly lights it, and returns the pack to her pocket. Takes a long drag and exhales, the smoke swirling up between them.
"How was your literature lecture?" Effy asks, surveying her with those searching, ethereal blue eyes.
Naomi shrugs noncommittally. "Alright, I guess. Bit boring" she plainly answers. Silence befalls them while Effy continues to drag on her fag. Naomi stares out over the green in the meantime. Students have taken to sitting on the grass; they eat, they chat. The dew coating the ground fails to put them off. When she meets Effy's eyes again, she's not surprised to find the brunette watching her. It's commonplace now. Effy watches everybody.
Another drag. "You're happy" she says next.
Naomi's brow creases. "Pardon?" she asks.
Effy tucks some of her scraggly brown hair behind her ear. "Glowing. You've got a glow" she comments. Naomi holds her stare. Blue holds blue. She doesn't look away, but Effy's expression fails to waver either. Naomi sighs. Doesn't even know what to say.
"Right" is all she replies with instead, hastily looking away. Effy doesn't push it. In fact, she doesn't say anything at all. They continue to stand in silence until Naomi sees a cigarette butt fall to the ground out of the corner of her eye.
"We've got practice this evening. Cook wants to run through the set" says Effy eventually. Naomi nods. Doesn't comment. She looks back at Effy, whose face is lit up with a wry grin. "Want to get something to eat?" she asks softly. She backs off the bench and stands upright. Then reaches for Naomi's hand and twines their fingers together.
Naomi smiles at this rare gesture of affection. "Sure" she replies. She hesitates, then leans forward to peck Effy on the lips. They stroll down the path together, hand in hand. The blonde looks down at their joined hands. Effy's fingers are cold and, upon further inspection, faintly blue in colour. But they're steady. Firm. She looks up again and another red leaf flitters down in front of her face. It gets crushed by her boot while she walks.
.