apartment of my complex. Just in case you began suffering withdrawals and needed to watch me through my window.”
“You are hilarious ,” I reply sarcastically.
“No? You don’t want to watch me? Parky, I’m a little hurt by that. But on a serious note, future-sister-in-law, I think maybe you should go talk to him in your next class. You talk to me just fine, and he doesn’t even have my piercing green eyes.”
“Oh, good, pizza is here. Let’s just drop it, okay? You know I prefer to be in the background.”
“Parky, one day you’re going to realize that you don’t belong in the background. Also, I know there is no way little brother would be wasting time with Marissa if he thought he had a shot at you.”
“Unfortunately, you’ll never know or get to say ‘I told you so’, because there is no way I’m going to ever talk to him. Now, eat your pizza, Casanova.”
PARKER
My favorite day of the week was Tuesday. The day when I could arrive to class early, before others had a chance to forget pencils and chip packets, and sit by myself amongst the rows of clean, empty chairs. Like church pillars, each timber chair faced toward the pristine whiteboard, where a portly gentlemen would soon stand and captivate his congregation. It was always quiet and peaceful in the minutes before everyone arrived. Since my first lesson in this hall, this room had slowly become my sanctuary. A place that allowed me to worship shared knowledge and wisdom, to feel utterly at peace. It was the first place on campus I have found that didn’t leave me feeling lacking. Since starting at Penmore, even though I told myself I was going to embrace who I’m meant to be, I’ve slowly been trying new things and transforming into someone I barely recognize. My new job means that instead of hiding behind my school work, I’m actually making more friends and building my confidence; sharing parts of myself that I’ve never shared before.
Keeley taught me how to use my straightener to carefully curl my long, frizzy brown hair. With all my new clothes, and learning how to style my hair, I almost feel and look like a different person. As exciting as that was at first, this grand lecture hall reminds me that a big part of who I am doesn’t have anything to do with my looks. I’m still the same girl who would rather read and study than get my nails done. A girl with a thirst for knowledge and a dream of becoming a doctor.
It only takes a few minutes before the grandest lecture hall in Penmore is filled with people today. My lips twitch as I watch them yawning and trying to balance their hot coffees and pastries while maneuvering through the crowd to locate their seats. I’m sitting in the middle of the back row today; granted I usually sit in the back of all my classes every day. It allows me to see the entire whiteboard and silently observe the actions of others. And yeah okay, maybe I knew Grayson was always meant to be in this class, which meant I often hid at the back as a defensive reflex. Not that he had ever bothered to show up. I’ve even dropped my guard a little, given up on catching glimpses of him on campus between classes and needing to hide in the shadows. Forgotten all about that first frat party. It was as if he didn’t attend Penmore at all.
My discreet surveillance of the other students comes to an end the moment the professor sets his bag down and turns to the front of the class. It never took long, sitting in my favorite place, before I was completely engrossed in Professor Gibbons’s discussions. Today, he was chatting animatedly on ethnocentrism and the way glorifying the achievements of our own nation in comparison to others might hinder our society. I was so captivated by his hand gestures and changing tones that I didn’t feel my shoulder brush against another student’s as they sat in the empty seat beside me.
It wasn’t until Professor Gibbons started comparing ethnocentric biases with football team
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