Through the point of view of Beatrix
I wake up still angry .. or upset rather.
How dare he? The audacity that guy had to be so repulsive boggles my mind.
The hot shower I take greatly decreases my anger, and I feel somewhat more relaxed as I wash my body slowly.
With every motion of my hand, I try to wash away all the unnecessary thoughts, focusing on listening to the music playing on my phone instead.
A classic and old love song, by Bertha Tillman.
My mom enjoyed listening to this song while doing my hair. I smile, remembering fondly of her gentle yet firm hands as they parted and combed each inch of my beautiful hair.
"Gosh! Another comb .. broken. Jesus Beatrix." She'd exclaim laughing and once my hair was finished, shower me in praises of how beautiful my hair looked.
With my mood sufficiently boosted, I step out of the shower feeling very refreshed.
I wrap myself up in a fluffy pink robe, pausing the music on my phone and placing it on my nightstand to charge.
Today I decide to wear a skirt instead of jeans, picking out a jean skirt with some boots. I'm torn between a blue sweater and black one.
In the end, I decide to go with the black sweater and begin working on my makeup.
I use some concealer, do my eyebrows, and choose to a double winged liner, which takes the longest and the most of my attention out of my routine.
After taking a swift glance in my mirror, I decide I don't look too awful.
Now for breakfast.
After making myself some eggs over easy and a bagel, I text my mother about how I'm doing. She asks if I've made any friends, and I text her that I haven't so far, but I'm hopeful.
I wash my dishes, grab my things, and with that I'm out into the bustling hallways once again. Fortunately, my memory isn't as shit as I thought it was, and I remember where my homeroom is.
Again, I'm one of the first people there.
I sit down in the seat I chose yesterday and look out the window, thankful to myself for choosing a seat that provided me with some entertainment.
Today the football field was occupied, if that was even the word. It was full to say the least, with guys practicing drills, conversing with other teammates and some just walking around aimlessly.
Against my will, my eyes spot a familiar person .. Anthony, from Spanish class.
I observe as he says something to the guys around him and they all erupt into laughter as Anthony shakes his head.
He's about to say something else before he glances over at the window I'm seated at, and shamelessly staring through.
Our eyes meet.
Less than a second passes before I whip my entire body back to the class, my chair squeaking against the floor as a result.
I keep my eyes on my desk for the rest of homeroom until I hear the bell ring.
The rest of the day goes smoothly so when lunch rolls around I'm excited to eat and have some peace and quiet in my dorm.
I fill my plate with some blueberries, a mango yogurt, two small sandwiches and a bottle of water. The walk back to my dorm room is quiet, and I'm thankful that the hallways are easy to navigate for once.
The food is good, and I eat it happily while watching some television in my room. Once I'm finished, I pack my materials for the next courses I have and head to the lunchroom to drop off my tray.
As usual, I'm excited when I get to my Sculpture class.
We pick up pretty quickly, only after a greeting from the professor. I plug in my earphones and start molding the bottom foundation up to the sides of the mug.
It doesn't take long for me to get immersed in my work, it's easy once I hear the music.
After an hour or so, I'm halfway finished, and the professor announces it's time for us to start putting materials away.
The bell rings as everyone rushes to put their materials away where they belong, and I have to push my way through the crowd of students just to put one of the tools away.
Five entire and long minutes later, I open the door to my Spanish class.
I glance at my desk and am immediately filled with dread when I see Anthony present and sitting the desk as well.
The bell rings as I shut the door behind me begrudgingly and take my seat in silence.
"Alright class, today we'll pick up where we left off yesterday. I want you and the person sitting next to you to pretend that someone you know recently had a family member pass I their family." I take my notebook and pencil out as the professor explains the assignment further.
"Write a heartfelt letter to them expressing your emotions and sentiment, and please let it actually sound genuine or I'm taking 20 points off for lack of creativity." He finishes and the class erupts into simultaneous groans.
"Yeah, groan all you want." The professor murmurs under his breath before taking a seat in his chair.
The clearing of a throat makes me want to roll my eyes and I turn to my partner. I'm not sure what my expression is, but whatever it looks like makes him visibly grimace.
"I .. wanted to apologize.." He begins to say, but our Professors voice interrupts him.
"By the way, I will be throwing a surprise pop quiz this week. This means the quiz could take place between today and Friday, please ensure that you're studying everyday .. and you won't fail it."
"I wasn't trying to be disrespectful or make you feel like I had hidden intentions behind my offer. I only wanted to study with you." I stare at Anthony, my eyes scanning his face for any signs of possible deception.
His expression is one of earnest, and his pretty brown eyes are apologetic as they stare down at me.
I look away quickly but play it off with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders.
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who misread the situation." I tell him, staring down at my notebook. There's some silence between us before Anthony speaks again.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven, and we can start over?" He asks me, and I look over at him once again.
Today he's dressed in a graphic black t-shirt, and jeans. It's effortless but good looking.
His nose is adorned with a piercing, and the diamond glints as the lights shine onto it.
I look down at his lips and see he's slightly smiling.
"If you can get me out of class early like yesterday then .. maybe." I try to focus back on our assignment but feel a small smile gracing my lips as he nods, as if he's accepting some sort of challenge.
"So we're writing a letter to our friend and his sister recently passed. How do we start?" He asks as I tear of a piece of paper from my notebook.
I pause and try to think of how I would approach someone I knew like that.
"We could start with 'Querido amigo, estoy escribiendo esta carta para darte mi apoyo y cariño. I ask, and Anthony writes my words down onto the paper.
"Very good, very heartfelt." He teases, and I roll my eyes before taking the pencil from his hands. I slide the note over to me and turn to Anthony.
"Your turn." I say, eager.
"Alright, to follow up on that 'Sé que ahora mismo sientes que nadie está a tu lado, pero espero que estas letras transmitan todo lo que no puedo decir en persona." I write the words down and read them over again.
"Your turn, B." Anthony slides the pencil out of my hand and pulls the note over to him.
"Don't call me that." I giggle at the nickname and place my palm under my chin as I think of how to wrap the note up in sentimental words.
"How do you think the note should end?" He asks me, and I pause to think more before giving my final answer.
"Lamento mucho su pérdida. Mi único arrepentimiento es no haber estado a su lado .. consolándolo." The last bit comes out more softly than I intended it to, but Anthony writes the words down anyway.
"You sure have a way with words." Anthony laughs, staring at the finished card. He offers me the pencil after signing his name at the top.
I follow his lead and sign my name at the top, right next to his.
"I'll go give the paper to the professor and let him know we're done." Anthony takes the card, and I nod as he stands up. I stuff my materials away back into my backpack and zip it up, ready to leave.
When I leave the classroom, the hallways are somewhat empty with only a few people wandering around or at their lockers.
I was just glad to be done with classes for the day and go back to my dorm to relax.
"Is all forgiven?" I hear a voice ask, and I turn to lay eyes on Anthony. He closes the door behind him before joining me in the middle of the hallway.
"Of course." I say, slinging my backpack around my shoulder.
"Then can I, in good faith walk you back to your dorm? If you're heading there?" He seems unsure of my reaction to the offer, his brown eyes darting up to mine to assess my face.
"I would like that, thank you very much." I speak the words softly, but make sure there is still a firmness to my tone.
Anthony ushers down the hallway and I roll my eyes but still follow.
"How's your second day been?" He asks and I look over at the rows and rows of white lockers lining the walls, contemplating the answer to the question.
"Truthfully, it hasn't been too awful. I'm slowly .. and that's very slowly, getting used to the environment here. It's comfortable, and I have much more privacy and freedom." I speak honestly to Anthony, and it surprises me.
Conversation ceased being my strong suit after high school.
"Have you made any friends yet? Besides me, of course." I smile at his stupid teasing, but I ultimately shake my head no.
"I haven't yet. But I'm not giving up, it's only my second day here." I admit, and Anthony nods in agreement.
"You know you still owe me a study session." He says, as we finally stop at my dorm room.
I give him an unsure look as he leans on the doorframe, his stature almost half as tall as the door itself.
"I just want to make a new impression, the first one was disappointing .. for you." He admits with a solemn tone.
"And that wasn't me, I'm actually really fun to hang around. I'll bring flashcards, pencils, notebooks and some snacks for us from the lunchroom." The offer leaves me slightly nervous, but I wasn't ready to pass up the possibility of gaining a new friend on my second day.
So, I agree.
"I am saying yes, but .. you have to bring two fruit tarts. I love them." I offer Anthony my ultimatum, and he accepts it without any complaints.
"Alright, your place, 6:30." He gives me a quick smile before leaving down the hallway and leaving me to wonder why I accepted the offer in the first place.