By far, I was the most underdressed girl here. My strawberry waves were restricted by a straining elastic haphazardly at the back of my head. My t-shirt fit my curves closely, but honestly, what shirt didn’t? Flat had never been a description of me. My boobs started taking shape when I was only eleven. Would they ever stop? Standing 5’9”, I couldn’t hide, nor could I ever be invisible. I had a butt, I had curves, and overall, I was healthy. My legs looked long and lean in my simple cut-off jeans. They used to be one of my favorites until I gracefully took a tumble and ripped the whole knee out.
Within three steps of the door I already had beer spilled on me. Tight quarters. Too tight for me. The tide of people pushed me forward, so I focused on the back door and knew that would be my destination. After all, I promised myself to try and go to a normal college party, I didn’t promise to stay for long. One pass through would serve the purpose and check the box of attending. I ignored the noises around me, putting one foot in front of the other, very slowly. I tuned out the high-pitched sounds of girls giggling and guys laughing at each other. I locked in on the door, feeling it almost grow farther away with every step.
The air grew cooler as I approached the exit. The heavy stench of too many people thinned slightly, allowing me to breath, and steady my mind. Almost there--just a few more feet.
“Hey, don’t I have you in my chemistry class?” A dark-haired boy blocked my path like a fallen tree. I stopped short, trying to avoid crashing directly into his chest.
“Um no, I don’t think so.” I answered, trying to maneuver around him.
“You sure?” He stepped closer. How was that possible? “I am pretty sure you were in there yesterday.”
His eyes raked my front, down once and back up to meet my eyes.
I instinctively curved my shoulders inward, “No, I am positive. I’m not in chemistry.” I ducked around him, doubling back the other way as he tried to follow. Barely I slipped passed his outstretched hand. I spun my body back towards the beckoning door.
The crisp fall air filled my lungs. I inhaled deeply, allowing myself to calm. Too many people. Who knew there were even that many people on campus?
“Hey, don’t I have you in chemistry class?” The voice came from beside me.
I turned, ready to finally put a stop to this madness.
“Relax, I am only joking.” Tyler’s dimples disarmed my defenses. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. KC was really trying back there.”
“KC? You know him?”
Tyler shrugged, “He’s a football player. Kinda, he’s cool.”
I shook my head. Of course, Tyler would know him. “I thought you were a freshman.”
“I am.”
“Then how do you know everyone?”
Tyler wrinkled his brow. “How do you not? The gym, practice, class, the caf. How do you not know everyone? It isn’t like the school is that big.”
“How big was your high school?”
Tyler gave me a half smile. “A few thousand.”
“Thousand?” I felt my chest close just thinking about that many people. “Wow.”
“It wasn’t like we knew everyone, but we knew most people. Maybe it was just a Washington thing.” Tyler rocked back on his heels. “You must be from a small town?”
“Yeah, we had a few hundred.” I smiled, looking up with a small giggle. “In the whole school.”
“So, you pretty much just walked through your entire high school!” he laughed. “You don’t like crowds do you.” It wasn’t a question; it was an observation.
I blushed deeply, “Not particularly. I mean, it isn’t like I can’t handle people, but super loud groups make me crazy.” I tucked a small piece of hair that escaped my pony behind my ear. “Is it obvious?”
“Only if you pay attention.” He smiled again. “Did you wanna get out of here?”
I stiffened slightly.
“Relax, would you? I just meant I am walking back to campus if you want company. Geez, chill.” He put his hands up in front of him. “Honestly, I don’t know what has you so spooked, but I promise I am not THAT guy.”
“That would be great. Thank you.’’ I pulled my pony loose, letting my hair fall to my shoulders. “I can’t take this anymore, sorry it is gonna be wild.” I ran my fingers through the uncontrollable fluff. All the while, Tyler’s eyes never left my face.
“I like it better. Feels more natural. More you.” We headed back to campus, chatting lightly. Tyler was easy to talk to. He wasn’t as thick as some athletes, and honestly seemed to genuinely care about my life. It helped that he had that light brown hair that curled naturally, peeking out of his baseball cap.
“Why here? I mean, if you are from Washington, why would you even come to Idaho?”
Tyler chuckled, “It is a really good school, Savannah.”
I rolled my eyes, “I know, but there are a lot of good schools. Why this one?”
“I’m planning to go to med school.” He shrugged, looking down at the ground, “This school is gonna give me a better shot at heading straight there after college.”
“Medicine? I thought you were like a superstar jock; I just didn’t realize you-well…” I stumbled on my words.
Tyler stopped and laughed, squaring his shoulders towards me. “Wow. Ok, I see how it is.” He shook his head slowly. “You think I’m dumb. Thanks, Savanah. Did you want to give me directions? I might not be smart enough to find campus on my own.”
I blushed deeply. “That isn’t what I meant.
