1:
Kim looked down at the paper booklet held in her hands. The cover had a red bear sticking its head through a letter 'H' and the title read, Welcome Harnell Alumni! Mrs. Dr. Possible was driving. "Kimmy, isn't this exciting?"
"Uh-huh." Inside, however, Kim's stomach was a bundle of rubbery nerves. Almost a thousand missions and I'm more nervous than a canary at a cat convention. She frowned. What am I so freaked about? It's just college. Everyone else is going to college.
Kim noticed she was twisting the booklet like a soggy towel. Quickly, she stuck it in her bag before she tore it to shreds. Sighing, she sat back and stared out the window.
She wished Ron was with her, but he was back in Middleton. In three weeks, he would start his first semester commuting to Lowerton Community College. They had said their goodbyes three nights ago; the next morning the two Dr. Possibles and Kim had packed up the cars and started the long trip out of state. She wouldn't see Ron until Thanksgiving.
Monique had been accepted to a Fashion School in New York; she had moved there the day after Graduation to "get used to the city." According to her emails, she was having the time of her life.
The Tweebs were still in high school, but were already applying to Mr. Dr. Possible's Alma Madre, The Middleton Institute of Science and Technology, much to their father's delight.
As for Bonnie, who cared about Bonnie? It didn't matter to Kim whether Bonnie attended Upperton, Middleton, Lowerton, or the University of Parachuteless Cliff Divers. If there was one good thing about going out of state, it was that she was on the coast, and Bonnie Rockwaller was not.
The car suddenly stopped. "Here we are, Kimmy!" Her mother put the car in park and got out. Behind them, Mr. Dr. Possible, who was driving Kim's car, stopped. Kim opened the door and stuck her head out for her first real look at Harnell University.
It was a gigantic brick building with endless windows and a large pointy tower on top. Students mobbed the campus, making Kim feel like a tiny guppy in a huge ocean.
As she grabbed her suitcase off the top of the van, someone suddenly accosted her. She was all ready to flip the stranger over the vehicle when she saw it wasn't a person. At least, not on the outside.
It was a fuzzy red mascot and its blank grinning face was inches away from Kim. "Hello New Student!" It said in a voice that reminded Kim of Barney the Dinosaur. "I'm your Crimson Bear and I'm here to welcome you to Harnell!" He wore a satchel over his shoulder.
"Great," said Kim, trying to step around the annoying costume. "I'm really busy, so…" The Crimson Bear suddenly shoved a piece of paper into her hand.
"Student orientation in an hour! Here's a map to the Harnell Auditorium! And here!" He put a red baseball cap with a letter H stitched on it on her head. "Free hats for freshman!"
"I hate baseball caps!"
"See you at orientation!" He gave a creepy chuckle and danced away to another student.
Kim stuck the paper in her pocket. "Stupid bear." She muttered.
Kim's college dorm room was small and bare, with two sheetless beds and a desk near the window. "Isn't this nice, Kimmy?" Said Mrs. Dr. Possible, giving Kim a squeeze around the middle.
"It's twice as big as my old dorm!" Mr. Dr. Possible set the suitcases down on one of the beds.
"Oh yeah. It's really nice." Kim said uncertainly. She felt like she was in a large closet rather than an actual room. Is this really going to be 'home' for the next four years? Suddenly, Mrs. Dr. Possible grabbed Kim in a hug.
"My baby is in college! How did it happen so fast?"
"Mom…"
Her father joined in. "We sure are going to miss you, Kimmy-Cub."
"I'll miss you too."
Mrs. Dr. Possible broke away and sniffled. Mr. Dr. Possible wiped his eyes. "Just got something in them!" He lied.
Kim smiled. "Uh-huh."
Mrs. Dr. Possible grasped her daughter's hands. "Well, we ought to be going now. We'll see you at Thanksgiving."
Mr. Dr. Possible nodded. "Stay safe, study hard…" He waved his finger. "And stay away from boys! Guys in college are nothing but trouble!"
His wife elbowed him and smiled, muttering, "And you ought to know."
A few minutes later, Kim watched them pull away from the window. She was alone.
She started to pull clothes out of her suitcase. As she did, her watch caught her eye. Fifteen till. It was almost time for orientation.
The auditorium was crammed full so Kim could hardly breathe. "Excuse me, pardon me…" She tried to shove her way through the crowd. "Come on! Make room!"
A microphone squealed. Kim clasped her ears. The lady on stage, a small, round black woman in a purple dress with pince-nez on her nose, straightened the mic. "Hello, Harnell Freshman! It is my privilege to welcome you to our esteemed university and to a tradition that many of you will no doubt…"
Someone tapped Kim on the back. It was the Crimson Bear. "Hello there, Freshman!"
"Again? Look, I already have a map to orientation!" Kim tried to keep the aggravation out of her voice. "See? I'm right here!"
"Of course you are! And I see you're wearing your swell new hat!" Kim touched the top of her head.
"I must've forgotten to take it off."
"Well, no Harnell Hat is complete without a Harnell T-shirt!" He handed her a folded red shirt.
"But…"
The Crimson Bear was no longer listening. "Hey you!" He pointed to a girl. "You with the nose ring! Know what would go great with that?"
Kim groaned and tucked her new shirt under her arm. She didn't mind freebies. But why did they have to come from a stupid mascot?
The Dean was still talking. "Today, you are all seeing new faces and new friends…" It was then Kim noticed someone familiar. Someone with short brown hair and olive skin. "For some of you, you might be seeing some old ones as well."
"Bonnie?"
She turned, shock spreading on her face. "Kim?"