A few weeks later, I started my first year of university as a psychology major. My dream was originally to become a writer, but that didn't agree with my mother's plans concerning my existence. Since I didn't have the grades to make it into either medicine or law, I thought psychology might be the next best thing.
I arrived to my first class ten minutes early. I stood in the entrance for a moment. A bunch of students were already there, chatting as if they had all somehow become best friends on the first day of the semester. I sat on a chair next to a girl with Dutch braids and a loud voice. I took out my phone and started reading some novel. I hadn't finished one paragraph when I heard the loud voice asking, "Hey, what are you reading?"
I looked up at the girl who was now leaning over my shoulder. Without thinking, I shielded the screen of my phone with my hand.
"Great Expectations..." I replied.
"Oh, yeah, they made us read that in high school. Are you coming to the party next week?"
'No' was what I meant to reply, but because of this stupid personality I have, here was my actual answer, "Maybe, I'm not sure."
"You should come!"
"I might have some stuff..."
"Friday night? Haha!"
Then, some bulky guy who wore his hair in a bun, probably one of her new best friends, decided to chime in, "I think you should come. It's a great opportunity to meet people from our cohort." What was that? Who were these people? Why were they insisting I should go to that party?
I was saved by the entrance of the one I assumed was the professor. He looked younger than I expected any university teacher to be and... he also seemed strangely familiar. I stared at him for a good two minutes, at which point my eyes became dry, my vision blurred slightly and I felt recognition jolt me in my seat.
"Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Daniel Lewis and I'll be teaching Introduction to Behavioural Neurobiology" That was the tissue guy! He was a university professor! Teaching this class! Goddammit.
I squirmed in my chair and lowered my gaze, reasoning that if I didn't look at him, he wouldn't look at me either. The minutes trickled by and at last, the class ended. I packed my things. Daniel, a.k.a. Dr. Lewis, was talking with a couple of students, so I took advantage of the situation to leave unnoticed. I cherished the freedom of the corridor for a split second, thinking my strategy had succeeded... when I heard him call me from behind.
"Damian?"
I deliberated for one moment whether I should pretend not to have heard him and just keep going. But I hadn't been raised like that and I turned around to face the awkwardness.
"Yes... Nice to see you again, Da... Dr. Lewis."
"Haha, call me Daniel. What a coincidence that you're taking my class!"
"I was thinking the same thing..."
I lowered my gaze and noticed Daniel was wearing a black tie with blue pinstripes. Because I wasn't sure if staring at someone's tie for an extended period of time was polite, I shifted my gaze to the floor. There, danger averted.
"Actually, I just started here as an associate professor," Daniel continued. "It's nice to see a familiar face." I looked up again and he smiled in a friendly manner.
"Oh, congratulations."
"Thanks. Hum, are you in a hurry? Would you like to go have coffee?"
In this world, there were many things I didn't understand. For example, the creation of the universe, quantum physics, my mother... But at this moment, the greatest source of wonder was this: why was it that, when I was trying my best to go unnoticed, people were intercepting me left and right to incite me to socialise?
"Well, my next class is at 2pm..."
"Great! Wait a second, I'll just go grab my stuff."
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