Mistakes of the Heart

It takes me a few seconds to recover, but I convince myself that there is slim possibility I will even see that jerk again - being that it is such a big school. Maybe I can still turn this day around? But whom am I kidding. The first two people I meet are complete assholes and it is not like I am really in the mood to start making friends.So I take a deep breath, grab my bags, and decide to look for my room.

Before I know it, I am completely and undeniably lost. It must have been pretty obvious, because when I look up from my map, a bunch of unfamiliar faces are just staring at me. And when I say staring, I mean staring. Don’t they have something better to do? Today is just not my day.

I just look back down at my map, ignore the smirks, and try to figure out where the admissions office is. Then I hear a male voice say, “ Hey new girl! Are you lost?” I just ignore him and continue to look intensely at my map, hoping that I will somehow magically figure out where I am.

Then I hear the voice again. “ Psst! New girl. Are. You. Lost?!” he shouts at me.

I decide that I rather talk to him then let him keep yelling at me like a child. When I look up, slightly irritated, I see a guy who looked about 6’2, with brown shaggy hair, brown eyes, and had a thin athletic-like figure.

I respond by saying, “No I just like staring at maps for fun.” Now this guy was smiling, like really smiling, with teeth showing and all. I should have taken that as a sign, because before I could even blink, he grabbed my hand and was pulling me in the opposite direction - away from the starers.

“Um, where are we going?”

“Don’t you want to know where the admissions office is, Mrs. Sarcastic?” he asks cheerily.

“Well, yeah, but-” he interrupts me before I can say anything else.

“By the way, I'm Tanner. It's about time we had someone new around here. This place was starting to get boring.” Man, did this guy have a grip! I couldn’t even budge. I guess it’s better than being hopelessly lost. Then I remembered that all my bags were back with all the “starers”.

“What about my stuff? I probably shouldn't just leave it there.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. The dorms are in that direction anyways. So, you must be Melanie,” he says with another huge smile.

“Mhm, but I like to be called Me-” Tanner interrupts me again, but this time, he's rambling.

“I can’t wait to tell the guys I met the new girl. They're going to flip a shit. And let me just blatantly be honest and say that you are really hot.” He says this while glancing over at me.

Oh, great – testosterone.

“ Please don’t tell me you have a boyfriend back home. I mean I wouldn’t be surprised but it would be rather unfortunate.” Its like I was going from one extreme to the next. First those two jerks now this guy.

I am too distracted by Tanner’s tight grip to answer his question and say, “Uh, Tanner, do you mind slowing down? I really prefer to keep my arm intact.” He must have been really preoccupied because he suddenly drops my arm as if he was caught doing something inappropriate.

“Oh sorry, it is just that me and my buddies have this bet going on involving you…” He went on, aimlessly speaking about some competition he was having with his friends that has something to do with me. Honestly, that was the last thing I wanted to think about right now.

All I want to do is find my room. Is it that so hard to ask? The ride on the plane and car had left me exhausted. Not to mention, my blond hair was now a mess, and I am pretty sure I have dark circles under my hazel eyes. I wouldn’t mind taking a shower and changing out of my sweats too. Plus, I knew I had to still cool down from my unsuccessful confrontation with that jerk.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before Tanner’s so-called buddies found him.

“Dude, not fair!” says one of the guys.

“Damn, why do you always find the hot ones?” says another. Do these guys have no shame? I practically felt like yelling, "I’m right here!"

So, I finally speak up and say, “Um, guys, is anyone going to show me where the admissions office is?” Before I have a chance to even blink, I see five guys start running towards me, and shouting “I will”.

Then Tanner stands in front of me proudly and declares, “I found her so that means I get to show her.”

A chorus of “awwws,” and “you suck, man,” followed after. Then Tanner confidently puts his arm around my shoulders, as if we were together, and starts to lead me in direction of the admissions office. I shrug him off and turn around to find all five of the guys checking out my ass.

This is going to be a very long day.

***

Finally, at the admissions office, I see a lady who looks to be in her forties. She looks me up and down, taking in my appearance.

“Thank you Mr. Warren for escorting Ms. Tyler, but I suggest you get back to your class," she says.

“But Ms. Phillips…” Tanner whines.

“Don’t start with me,” she says while giving him a harsh look.

He then puts on a look of defeat and starts walking away, but quickly turns around to mouth, “We will talk later.” Then he gives me a huge smile before Ms. Phillips yells at him again. She finally looks up at me.

“We have been expecting you, Ms. Tyler. It looks like you will have no problem making friends.” I don’t know if I exactly agree with that statement.

She pulls out a map, which is far less confusing than the one I had printed out online. “Here are the dorms,” She points to the far right section on the map.

“Unfortunately due to your late entry, you have to stay in the guest dorms. Mainly the substitute teachers and student aids stay there, but the good thing is that you will have your own room!” I guess I won’t have to worry about dealing with a roommate. I don’t really have the energy anyway.

“Here is your class schedule. You will have time this weekend to figure out where your classes are. I am sure any of our students would be more than willing to help you. If you have any questions,” she hands me a card, “you can call this number and I would be happy to answer them for you.”

After a couple more minutes of pointing out important places on the map, I was finally able to go to my room. Luckily, I was able to grab my luggage without anyone spotting me this time. I practically sprint to the dorms as if my life depends on it. Now I can just relax and have a moment to take everything in.

I find my room on the first floor all the way at the end of the building. I was relieved to see that the rooms were widely spread apart, other than the one right across from me. I just hope that whoever stays there doesn’t mind that a student is bunking across from them.

I slide in my key and turn the knob. Just at a single glance, I can tell that my room is pretty spacious. There is a bed in the corner of the room, with a desk and lamp, a decent size television, a mini fridge, and a small bathroom. Not to mention, the beautiful view of the ocean. I wonder if all the dorms are this nice. I decide that this would be a good time to plug in my phone and check my messages. Also, I take out my laptop, and luckily discover that there is free Wi-Fi.

On my phone, I see that I have three text messages and one voicemail. Of course, the texts are all from my best friend, Callie, who has stuck with me through all the craziness. I love her to death, and luckily she is one of those people who does not take shit from anyone. Knowing this, I didn't feel as bad leaving her back home to deal with all the questions that might follow my sudden absence. She seriously has enough attitude for the both of us, which is why I am not surprised that she practically has every guy after her.

She, unsurprisingly, is asking if I have spotted any “hot guys” and wants me to call her “ASAP.” All I can think about is the asshole from this morning and I agree to just forget about him altogether. I decide to check my voicemail first, and I already know who it's from - my parents, or really my mom. I'm still mad at them for sending me here, especially in the middle of my senior year.

My mom had tried to make it up to me by buying me new clothes, makeup, and a new laptop. Before I sound like some “spoiled brat”, it's not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s just that ever since what happened, she doesn’t even look at me the same way, and keeps trying to distract herself. I wish that she would just look me in the eye and at least be honest with me. I guess she decided that some time apart would do us both some good.

The voicemail is basically her telling me how, “great the school is,” and that I will, “fit right in.” Then she goes on: practically begging me to stay out of trouble. I guess they don’t want any more surprises from their once “perfect” daughter. She ends the voicemail with, “your father and I love you very much! Talk to you soon!”

As soon as the message ends, disappointment fills me immediately. I know I shouldn’t have expected them to change their minds, but I was really hoping they would. Might as well squash that thought.

I realize that I still need to take a shower and choose to call Callie when I am not feeling so depressed. The message from my mom has left me even more exhausted, but I do send Callie a text saying, “ Crazy day! Fill you in later” It’s time for me to get out of these sweats, and make myself look somewhat presentable. I grab a pair of shorts and a cute shirt and head for the shower.

I make a mental note to unpack my things later, knowing that I am not leaving anytime soon.