"This seemed a lot more manageable during the tour." Lacey muttered to herself.
The students on Lacey's college campus were a lurching sea of stop and go as everyone scrambled en route to their first day of classes.
Lacey looked at the map and her schedule and simply could not focus on where she was supposed to go now that hundreds of other freshman were knocking into each other as they did the same.
Scores of lost souls asking each other for directions, hoping they would snag an upperclassmen and not have them guide them back to the registrars office in jest (again).
As Lacey looked down at the map, she missed the group in front of her stopping short. The guy she inevitably bounced off of didn't budge, sending her flying backward several feet and flat out onto her ass. This was the moment Lacey had one of her decisions register as a positive: she had worn pants today instead of one of her signature skirts.
While she was happy she didn't just flash her bits to the entire student body, it barely helped to temper her sheer embarrassment at falling not so gracefully in front of them. Perhaps the silver lining was in the fact that everyone who had watched her descent was just happy it wasn't them. You're welcome! Lacey thought.
Lacey gathered herself and looked to see the guy she had bounced off of hovering over her, hand extended. He was impossibly handsome, longer dark hair and a brilliant smile. Great.
"You okay?" He asked as he pulled Lacey to her feet.
"Yeah, thanks. Sorry, I didn't see you—"
"No worries, it happens." He said as he chased down her map and schedule while Lacey straightened her shirt.
Lacey couldn't help her roaming eyes from taking in his laid back look. Obscure band t-shirt half covered by some college sports zip up hoodie and jeans.
"I'm Danny." He smirked at her, busting her appraisal and handing her the paperwork.
Lacey accepted and moved to shake his hand, "Lacey."
"You know, Lacey, if you wanted to get my attention, you didn't need to try that hard." He joked.
Lacey smiled, her cheeks flushed.
"Desai, lets go!" One if the other guys in the group shouted over to Danny.
"Your first class is in there." Danny pointed to the building to her left, "Last door on the right." He winked before turning to join his friends.
Lacey didn't say anything else, instead giving a single nod as she stared at his retreating form like a lusty high school kid. His hoodie was embroidered with Syracuse University Football on the back. He was number 10.
As Danny connected with his friends again Lacey heard their razzing.
"Stalking the fresh meat already, Desai?!" One of them said.
"Who were you talking to? You hit that yet?" Said another.
Lacey rolled her eyes, returning her gaze to Danny just in time to see him glance back at her before he spoke again.
"No, and don't be assholes." Danny said with authority, earning general groans from the other guys.
Stereotypical jocks, check. Lacey sighed and headed toward her first class.
At the end of her first day, Lacey was exhausted. She had more homework than she could have ever imagined. She dragged her bags into her dorm room and collapsed onto her tiny double bed.
"Hey Lacey, first day take a lot out of you?" Her roommate giggled.
"I don't think I can do this, Phoebe." Lacey complained through her pillow.
"Aww, c'mon tell me everything." Phoebe said enthusiastically as she bounced up into a seated position to face Lacey.
"I bum-rushed some hot dude and fell on my ass in front of the entire football team. I was late to every class, and my lunch card didn't work in the cafeteria so now I'm starving."
"Jesus!" Phoebe cringed for her new friend.
Lacey sat up and kicked her sneakers off.
"Oh! I also have about thirty hours of homework I need to complete in exactly…." Lacey checked her watch, "sixteen hours and twelve minutes."
"Okay, come on—" Phoebe stood and pulled on Lacey's arm.
"No, I need a nap and—" Lacey protested.
"Food first. I'm buying. We'll come back and knock out the homework together. We can do this!"
Lacey's mouth quirked into a smile, "Are you always like this?"
"Hell yes, now get your ass moving!"
Phoebe dragged Lacey to her feet. Lacey slammed said feet back into her sneakers and the two were off for their first dinner as college roommates.
The pizzeria on campus was slamming. By some miracle Lacey and Phoebe got into a booth just before the dinner rush began. They ordered calzones and feasted on their complimentary salads as they inconspicuously people-watched.
"Oh my god." Lacey picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth in panic.
"What's up?" Phoebe asked lazily as she inhaled a loose pepperoni.
"The hot guy I body slammed today, he just walked in."
Phoebe turned around and spotted several football players pushing each other through the entrance. Their boisterous energy suddenly overtaking the pizzeria.
"They're all hot, which one is he?!"
"The one….who is coming over here right now, oh my god." Lacey slouched a little, hoping Danny was en route to some destination beyond their booth.
"Hey, look who it is! Lacey, right?" Danny smiled at her sweetly. God she loved his smile.
"Right. Hello again Danny." Lacey smiled back.
"Hi, I'm Lacey's roommate Phoebe." Phoebe introduced herself and held out her hand.
Danny shook it, turning it into a fist bump at the end, "Cool, nice to meet you."
"You too. You're on the football team?" Phoebe asked, trying to collect data on Lacey's behalf.
Danny looked down at his sweatshirt, "What gave it away?"
"What position?" Lacey added.
Danny shot her a pointed look, "All the positions." His eyes dropped to her mouth and back up to her beautiful brown eyes.
Lacey licked her lips in irritation and looked back down at her food. Why was that charming and infuriating at the same time? Ugh.
"Oh, you meant on the team? I'm the punter."
"Yo D! We got a table, c'mon man!" The largest guy shouted over toward Danny.
"You're being summoned." Lacey nodded to the lumbering jock signaling Danny by the front door.
"Yeah, I guess I am. It was nice to see you, Lacey. I'm sure we'll probably, you know, run into each other again." Danny laughed quietly.
"Very funny." Lacey rolled her eyes at him.
"Hey, hey, I'm just kidding. I'll see ya around." Danny waved to them as he turned to head back toward his team.
"Wow, he's so hot Lacey."
"He's a smart-ass. I hate guys like that." Lacey said with disappointment.
"He wasn't that bad, maybe he's just nervous."
"Of what?" Lacey quirked an eyebrow.
"Of you! You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, I'm sure he thinks the same!"
"Oh PLEASE! I'm an awkward freshman, trust me, he's not interested."
"Are you kidding me? He remembered your name, he flirted with you—"
"He was not flirting with me!"
"Yes he was! 'All the positions'?!" Phoebe used air quotes, eyebrows all the way up to her hairline at this point.
"Whatever, the last thing I need is to fuck around with some douche-jock."
"Do you know what year he's in?" Phoebe probed.
"No, the extent of our conversation this morning was me grunting as I slammed into him, then groaning when I hit the pavement."
"Ouch, good lord you've had a day. Let's get out of here and bust out some homework."