Adrien's POV

I was nervous. It was the first day of classes, my first class being a painting class at ten in the morning.

I didn't know what to expect from the painting class, or from art school in general. I was afraid I wouldn't do well compared to my other peers and in the eyes of my teachers. I wanted to do well, and I wanted people to see and appreciate my work. I also knew that I would likely be criticized for my work since it is art school and they are going to grade you on the work you do. I've never really had people criticize my work, other than Ms. Sawyer back in high school.

I stood underneath the spray of steaming hot water, the anxious thoughts racing through my head as I rinsed the shampoo and conditioner out of my hair. Another thing that has been bugging me alongside art school, was that Preston and I barely talked last week. I knew it was because it was orientation week and so there were a lot of events going on, and I'm sure that he's enjoying his time with his new friends, but it did dampen my mood a little.

We used to talk all the time, and hang out all the time, so having a week with little to no interaction threw me off, leaving my chest feeling heavy. I tried to ignore it, and just focus on anything else, but at times where I wasn't doing anything like laying in bed, that's when the thoughts would creep up on me again.

After I stepped out of the shower, drying off my body and hair with a towel. I lathered on body lotion before getting dressed into a white knitted t-shirt, a necklace, and a pair of light-washed jeans that were cuffed at the ankles.

I stepped out of the bathroom after getting dressed, brushing my damp hair out of my face as I headed to the kitchen.

When I reached the kitchen, Karsten was already there, leaning his hip against the counter as he ate a bowl of cereal. He lifted his head when I walked in and flashed me a smile.

"Morning, Adrien," Karsten greeted, taking another bite of his cereal, "you have class this morning?"

"Yeah, I do," I nodded, flashing a slight smile in return as I wandered over to the cupboards, "I have a painting class at ten."

"Oooh, sounds exciting."

I hummed and nodded, I grabbed two slices of bread from the cupboards, popping them into the toaster. Then, I grabbed a plate, a jar of peanut butter, and a knife.

"To be honest, I'm kind of nervous about it," I admitted, shaking my head with a sigh. Karsten raised a brow at me.

"Nervous? Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know...I'm just worried I'm going to paint something and then my prof or another student is going to tell me it's terrible."

"From the artwork you've shown me, you're an amazing artist. They're not going to tell you your work is horrible," Karsten shook his head, "and if your prof did tell you that, then they shouldn't even be teaching. Plus, you wouldn't have gotten into this school if you weren't talented at what you do."

"Yeah...I guess you're right," I nodded my head slowly, "I just can't help but worry."

"You'll be fine! Just take a deep breath. You got this."

When my toast popped up, I put the slices onto my plate and slathered them in peanut butter. We chatted for a bit while we ate breakfast, but once it was time for me to head to class, I said goodbye to him before grabbing my bag, slipping on my shoes, and heading out the door.

I headed down the elevator and exited the residence building, plugging my earphones into my ears. The sun was out and the sky was a bright blue, and the weather was still warm, though it was starting to cool down since it was the second week of September. There were other students walking around campus, either heading to class or resting under the shade, making campus appear much more lively than I've ever seen it.

The building I had to go to for class was only a five-minute walk, so it didn't take me too long to get there, and honestly, the walk was peaceful. When I reached the building, I headed inside, walked past the main foyer and down a hall, passing other students as I glanced around at the different classroom numbers, trying to find my classroom, though I ended up just walking around in circles trying to find it.

I gasped as I suddenly bumped into someone, books falling out of the hands of the person I bumped into. I stumbled back slightly, eyes wide and cheeks red in embarrassment.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, pulling out my earphones, heart pounding fast against my chest. The guy I just bumped into smiled crookedly at me, a chuckle falling from his lips.

"It's okay, I should have paid more attention to where I was going," He said, kneeling down to pick up his books. I scrambled to help him, picking up a couple of his books and handed them over to him. He thanked me, and then we stood up.

"I'm really sorry. I clearly was the one who wasn't paying attention. I was too busy looking at the classroom numbers to see where I was going—" I rambled on, still feeling flustered from the whole ideal, but the guy—a king—just laughed.

"It's honestly not a big deal, don't worry. Accidents happen," He said, shaking his head. He had a charming smile on his face, which just made my cheeks burn hotter, "I'm Luka. Luka Whitfield."

"Oh, uh, I-I'm Adrien. Adrien Aguilera."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Adrien," Luka laughed softly, a strand of his short dirty blonde hair falling against his forehead, "are you on your way to class right now?"

"Ah, yeah...I am," I nodded my head, "I have a painting class in room 120."

"Oh, you're also in painting 1103?" Luka perked up slightly, "I'm also in that class. Was just about to head over there. Perhaps we could walk together?"

"That would be great, actually," I nodded, smiling at him. Luka smiled back at me, a dimple forming on his left cheek, his hazel eyes shining brightly.

"Okay, awesome."

Luka and I headed to class together. Unlike me, he seemed to know where he was going, to which I was grateful for because I was honestly about to start panicking if I was late to my very first college class.

The classroom was a decently sized painting studio, with easels standing all around with stools, supplies scattered around and paintings sitting on the walls. There were already students in the class, sitting at different easels and waiting, and so Luka and I took our seats, sitting on stools next to each other.