Legendary

I had just woken up and it was the day I had been looking forward to since last year. It was the first day of University. I had a rabble of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach as a lay staring at the ceiling of my new apartment. It had been my first night in my new apartment in New York City and now it was going to be my first full day in the City that never Sleeps. The only downside to coming to study at NYU was leaving all my friends back at home in South Africa. 

I was all alone in New York, with no friends or family, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from having the best University experience. With that thought hovering around in my head, I jumped out of bed and made my way over to my bathroom. I put on my morning playlist and fished for my toiletries in a box sitting on the toilet. I hadn't fully unpacked so my small apartment was still filled with boxes.

I took a look in the mirror. My brown eyes looked drained and my mocha skin tone needed some revitalising. I had done braids before coming to America, so my hair was in better condition than the rest of me. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. Afterwards I had a quick shower. I jumped my way over to the lounge area afterwards to find my luggage. Like I said, my place was a mess and it was small, so I was tripping over boxes.

I found my suitcase only to realise that this suitcase was filled with only pjs and underwear and sports gear. I grabbed a light blue matching lingerie set and slipped it on before jumping around back to my room. I shuffled around in my other suitcase trying to find the right outfit. I wanted to find the perfect outfit that sent the right message. I didn't know what that message was exactly but I knew what it looked like. I finally settled on a look.

 I was going to start my first day in University wearing low waisted baggy jeans with a white high neck crop top. I paired it with white heeled leather boots and a black leather jacket. I spiced the look up with chunky jewellery. I let my hair out afterwards. This look said, "I know what I'm doing and I am in complete control," whilst still looking fashionable. I decided to get hot chocolate on the way to school since I hadn't stocked up my mini kitchen. 

"Oh crap!" I was so late. Even when I tried to be on time, somehow I lost track of time. I ran to switch off the music from my playlist and get ready to leave. I quickly collected everything I thought I needed for my first day.

I grabbed the keys off one of the boxes lying around and headed out. The South Africanness in me made sure to lock the door. I headed to the nearest subway station and got on the train. There were a lot of people and it was insanely crowded. It reminded me of the taxi's back home. I trusted this thing about as much as I trusted the taxi's back home. So  basically, not at all.

When the subway train came to a stop I was the first to jump out. 

"Yeah, I don't think that the subway is for me." I thought to myself as I tried to steady myself. I walked out of the station and found my way to the streets of New York. They were as busy as and as smelly the movies made them out to be. It was insane to think I was standing in New York amongst all this greatness. It was a bittersweet moment though because I was experiencing it alone with no friends to enjoy the ride with me.

After wandering around aimlessly, I finally made it to campus. They had a campus café, so I bought myself a drink. I ordered a hot chocolate, since I wasn't really a coffee-kinda girl. I took the cup to go as I wanted to head to class early so as to get an ideal seat. 

My first class of the day was Criminal Law with Professor Jameson. I set up my devices and notepads for the lesson, then scrolled through my socials aimlessly. At around five to ten, the class started filling up. I had chosen a seat closer to the back of the class because if I needed to take a nap I could.

Unfortunately for me a group of obnoxiously loud boys walked into the class and chose to sit in the row right in front of me. They were too loud for their own good, giggling at every ridiculous thing they could find. As the hall continued to fill with people, a girl sat beside me. Her vibe was the total opposite compared to mine. She was blond with blue eyes. She was wearing a pink mini skirt, a white crop  with a denim jacket. She finished the look off with white thin-strapped heels and dainty jewellery. Basically a real life barbie.

I hoped she wasn't snobbish or entitled and just acted like a normal human being. I know that was pretty judgemental since I was going based on appearance, but...  The lecturer still hadn't arrived and there was a minute till the lesson was supposed to start. I was getting angsty, but at exactly at 10am the lecturer waltzed in and began her rant.

"Hey, I'm Kaelie, Kaelie Sinclair. I like your outfit." The girl sitting next to me whispered as the lesson started.

"Thanks. I'm Lulama. Your outfit is cute." I replied. 

"Huh, you have an accent... Where are you from?" Kaelie looked surprised as she heard me speak.

"I'm from South Africa, Cape Town specifically." I explained hoping she knew where South Africa was.

"Oh! Like the country with eleven official languages?" She looked to me to confirm

"Yep, that's the one. Although, that definitely wouldn't have been the way I thought you'd know South Africa. I actually didn't think you'd know it at all." I admitted.

"I'm not completely uneducated." she sighed, "It's cool, you know, that you're not from here. As you can tell, I was born and bred here. This is all I've known my whole life."

"Well that has its perks. At least you know where everything is. I still have to figure my way around the city."  

"Maybe I could show you around?" She smiled at me.

"Yeah, sure. Maybe, sometime. That'd be cool." I beamed internally and kept a straight face externally. I had unintentionally made a possible new friend and there was a possibility of us hanging out.

Kaelie stood up and walked to the door, she stopped before exiting and looked over to me, "You coming?" She whispered and looked at me expectantly. 

My eyes went big in realisation. I didn't know what she meant now, during the lesson. If I had known, I would've said no thank you. But at the same time, I didn't want to seem like a pussy. So against all my head's desires, I got up and sneaked out of class with her.

"I knew you were cool!" She turned to be smiling as we walked into the passage. My heart fluttered at the compliment. I was cool or at least I looked cool.

"So where are we headed?"I asked, hoping the destination was worth skipping my first lesson for.

"You tried a bagel before, Ms SA?" She wiggled her eyes at me as we continued to walk off campus.

"No, I don't think so." I tried to remember a time when I had even seen a bagel shop back home. According to my memory, I had never seen one.

"Well, that's our first stop!" She grabbed my hand and we ran together off campus. She hollered at the taxi quickly and we were off. 

"These have gotta be the best bagels in town!" She grinned as she took a bite into her bagel. It was like her eyes lit up, when looking at this bagel.

We were at a restaurant called Joshua's Place and according to my tour guide/new friend, they served the best bagels in town. The vibe of the restaurant  was cool too. It was very aesthetic, you know, instagram worthy. We were sitting in the back corner, in the booth section. I was about to take my first bite of my bagel, when

"Wait, wait, wait! I gotta record this! This is going on my story." She fished her phone out of her denim jacket and started recording.

"This is Lulama. I met her today in class. She is a New York newbie and has never had a bagel. Obviously I came to the rescue and brought her to Joshua's Place to try her first bagel. Let's see what she thinks!" she smiled at me, encouraging me to take a bite.

I felt a little uncomfortable eating on camera but I was hungry so I went for it. I slowly brought the bagel to my lips and took a bite. My bagel had avo, bacon, cheddar cheese and feta. Everything about the bagel was ridiculously good and my tastebuds were having a jol.

"Soooo, what do you think?!" She giggled in excitement.

"My tastebuds are having a lekker jol! It's fucking amazing." I smiled into the camera, and eagerly took another bite. I looked up to see a confused expression on Kaelie's face, then it clicked in me why.

"Oh, Yeah! Lekker is Afrikaans for good/great and the word jol is South African slang for like partying or going out. It also has Afrikaans origin." I clarified. The confused expression on her face died down.

"Ok, I think I get it. Can I say 'I'm going jolling tonight!'" She continued pointing the camera at me.

"Yeah, you could say that." I continued eating in an effort to dodge further questioning about South Africa. I wasn't really up for it and I think Kaelie could tell, so she switched off the camera and put her phone away.

We continued eating and talking about random things. Time had passed since our first missed class and I was sure I had missed another. We eventually finished eating  and she took me to another destination. Her favourite thrift store.

"I got an idea. Let's pick outfits for each other and we can try it on and see if we like them." She ran into the store before I could respond. This girl was really energetic.

"I guess I'm doing this."I whispered to myself. I calmly walked into the store and started looking through the racks of clothing. I considered many outfits in my head before settling on an oversized t-shirt paired with a black corset and baggy jeans. I waited at the dressing rooms for Kaelie to finish picking my outfit.

"Ok, hide your clothes for me behind your back and I'll do the same. Then we'll close our eyes and hand them to each other." Kaelie whispered from the rack behind me. This girl was weird, but I liked it.

I followed Kaeli's instructions and she appeared from behind the curtain with my clothing behind her back. She skipped over and closed her eyes then I handed her my outfit. I did the same and she handed me my outfit. We each walked to our respective fitting rooms.

I opened my eyes and looked at the outfit properly in the dressing room. What the hell was this outfit? We had clashing colours going on and different patterns. Maybe it would look cohesive when I had it on, I thought.

"You ready?"Kaelie asked. The hell! I had only just glanced over my clothing items and this girl had completely finished changing.

"No! I'm not. How the hell did you change so fast?" I was shocked.

"Hmmm...I don't know...Maybe you were daydreaming instead of changing." she replied.

"One would swear you're a vampire, considering how fast you are," I joked.

"What! No! That's impossible" Kaelie giggled "I wish! Vampires are total badasses." We giggled.

Our laughter died down and after a few minutes of shuffling to get my clothes on, she asked again. "You ready now? I'm tired of waiting!" she groaned

"Yes, I'm done, you impatient vampire." I joked, slipping my final piece of clothing on.

"Ok, on three, we'll both reveal our outfits!" she began counting, " One, two, three!"

She burst out from behind the curtain, while I moved the curtain out of the way, then walked forward calmly.

"So how do I look?" She playfully modeled her outfit sassily, making drastic dramatic moves.

"You look good. I wish I could pair it with a nice pair of sneakers." I examined her. "It would elevate the fit just that bit more that it needs. How about me , how do I look?" I strutted my stuff on the spot.

"To be honest with you babes, I fucked up." She scrunched her eyes, disgruntled. "You look like shit. I was trying to go for this look I saw on Pintrist. I figured I could try it on you before I try it on myself, you know in case it went wrong. I'm so sorry! I had an idea in my head and it didn't quite pan out the way I expected." she scratched her head and pointed to the direction of the mirror.

I turned to face the mirror to see the disaster I had on. I was horrified. I was dressed in layered knitwear, that was completely colour blocking, head to toe. If you don't understand my description, I'm sorry. I don't know how else to explain the disaster I was wearing.

I was so horrified. I burst out in uncontrollable laughter. I even began crying. Kaelie joined in and we stood crying in the middle of the dressing rooms because of how ridiculous I looked . We obviously got a bunch of looks from the other shoppers and I'm pretty sure the workers wanted to kick us out, but we just couldn't control ourselves. It was too ridiculous not to laugh.

"So, shall we rate the fits out of ten then?" I nodded in response, "I give mine a 7 out of ten. I don't know, it's just lacking something. Maybe, some pizazz?!" Kaelie said, after our laughter had died down.

"Ok, well I rate  my outfit -20 out of ten. It's just... just horrifying!" I burst out into uncontrollable laughter again, but this time I refrained from crying.

"Well, I'm going to change, pay for this corset and then we'll go to our last location because I have to be somewhere at six and I'm assuming it's pretty late." Kaelie said

I quickly grabbed my phone from the fitting rooms to check the exact time, "It's 4pm on the dot." 

"Well we better get moving then if we want to beat New York City traffic." With that Kaelie changed insanely fast and I changed at the pace of a sloth in comparison and we were out of there after she had paid at the counter.

We walked outside and Kaelie taught me how to hollar a taxi. I was a bit embarrassed about doing it but one actually came quickly.

"So where are we headed?" I asked , settling into the taxi and wondering if I had made a horrible decision by going anywhere with this girl and thinking about the possibility that she may have kidnapped  me.

"Central Park!" Her eyes twinkled like the stars and her already inviting smile grew bigger, "Dun! Dun! DUN!" I laughed at her antics and playfulness and for some reason I received a glare from the driver. I guess he wasn't a fan of my laugh, so I quickly stopped laughing. We arrived at central and I can honestly say it was the most scenic thing I'd seen in a while.

There were so many people and trees and kids. Everyone seemed happy and they were laughing and talking or listening to music. Kaelie dragged me to the middle of  the park after she had paid for our ride. We laid on the grass, which was really sharp and poked into my back, and looked up at the cotton candied sky. We lay in silence for a while.

"So... Nike or Adidas?" she asked, breaking the silence between us.

"Adidas." I replied, "You?"

"Nike for me." she answered, "Black or White, just like in general?"Kaelie asked another.

"Black."

"I prefer White." she answered.

"Are we doing a verbal questionnaire?" I turned my head to look at her as I asked.

"Yep! Next question! Favourite Juice?"

I thought for a second, "Apple."

"Berry."

"Oooh, I've got one." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, "Waffles or Pancakes? I mean like South African pannekoeke, not fluffy american ones." I specified, realising that our images of pancakes may have differed.

"Well I don't know what South African pancakes look or taste like." she shrugged.

"It's like batter that you fry on a pan, but like the batter is very thin so you end up with this thin... uhm... pancake. It is best served with cinnamon sugar, but having it with a savoury filling is also good." My tummy growled just thinking about hot-off-the-pan pancakes dusted with cinnamon sugar. Mhmm... so, divine. 

"Oh, it's like crepes. Crepes are like thin versions of American pancakes and they are also really good." 

"Nope, it's not the same thing. Crepes are more dense and chewier than pancakes, but I get why you would think it is the same thing." I tried my best to explain the slight differences between the batters.

"So I'm guessing you and your stomach prefer South African pancakes then," Kaelie replied, "Any chance I could change your mind by making you try American fluffy pancakes?"

I imagined a large plate of fluffy american pancakes smothered in maple syrup and sided with fresh berries. It looked good in my head, and my stomach wondered what it would taste like.

"My stomach wouldn't mind honestly, but speaking of pancakes or flapjacks regardless of which one you prefer, you can't have them dry, so what are you smothering on top?"

"Well to answer your previous question, I prefer waffles and I always smother golden syrup all over them every morning." Kaelie sat up, when she replied. I did the same.

"I'm a maple girl, myself. I tend to find that golden syrup has a bit of a metallic taste to it."

We sat in a comfortable silence , just staring at the sky, cloud watching and people- watching. The sound of birds singing, people shouting and wind blowing became the background music, while i phathomed how I made a friend so quickly. At least I thought we were friends, maybe I was reaching, but I hoped that she would become a close friend of mine.

Kaelie interrupted my thoughts and started our previous game up again, "Winter Or Summer?"

"Summer and spring." I replied.

"Well I prefer winter and autumn. It is so peaceful outside, sleeping becomes easier and it snows, so..."

"Wait, what?! New York has snow?! We didn't have much snow back home. Our Christmases were always sunny and our winters were full of rain, that didn't include snow. I'm so excited now!" I exclaimed, clapped my hands in excitement and anticipation. How cool would it be to make snow angels and snow men like in the movies.

"New York is like snow central, so you're in luck if you're thinking of making snowmen and snow angels. Next question, basketball or football?"

"I don't really know much about those sports. We have basketball in SA but it's not as popular as it is in America. However, we don't have football. Rugby is our version of your football. I do play netball though." I was a great netball player back home and netball was kind of my sanctuary, but I knew when coming here that I was probably never going to play netball here.

"Well, I'm sure you know that those aren't big sports here. I'm personally a basketball fan, but I don't mind a bit of the NFL. A bit of tackling here and there, kind of turns me on." Kaelie closed her eyes, bit her bottom lip and started giggling.

"Ewww, gross Kaelie. I doubt I needed to know that bit of information."

"You know it's going to be so weird to be on the other side of the world, opposite hemispheres, in a completely different country that has a completely different lifestyle than back home." I thought aloud.

"Well that's the fun part. You get to explore a different part of the world and learn new cultures and different ways of thinking and doing things." Kaelie explained, "Plus you get to meet new awesome people, like myself." 

"I know. I'm just saying, it's going to be hard." I sighed.

"Well, hopefully I'll be here to make it easier for you.  I know a little company can do one some good in a tough time." she smiled my way and playfully punched me, "Homebody or outdoor activity kind of gal?"

"Honestly I enjoy the outdoors. I like exercising and trying new adventures. There's so many cool things I want to have done before I tap out, you know." 

"Me too. I love travelling and doing crazy shit, like bungee jumping or sky-diving!"

"Exactly! Things like that just get my blood pumping." I exclaimed.

"I love night-time adventures, even better if it's in winter. Amazzinng!"She sighed, "At least we have something in common."

"Maybe a joint love for the outdoors will explain to me, why the hell you aren't in class, Kaelie?!" Kaelie's eyes widened at the hoarse voice that spoke behind us. An unknown man appeared above us and blocked our view. 

"Ugh!" Kaelie groaned, "Cassian, why do you have to be such a tightarse!"

"Kaelie, why don't you ever just follow instructions!"

Kaelie stood up to face the man towering above us, "You always ruin my fun! For once just let me have fun, do my own thing."

"Maybe I wouldn't have to ruin your fun, if you just went to your classes and did as you were told. Maybe if you did that, it would be easier for everyone and no one would worry about you."

I wondered if I should've stood or remained seated. If I moved now, I would've become the target for Cassian's anger. So I stayed seated and didn't move.

"It's not like I'm going to fail. Between the two of us, you are more likely to fail. I would put in the work and energy to catch up and you know that." She said, clearly annoyed with the Mitchell guy.

"Kaelie, it's not about that. It's about whether you'll get the opportunity to even do any of that and you know that. Have you forgotten what is currently happening?"

What major event was happening in the world... other than racism, human trafficking, slavery, sexism, i thought to myself.

"It's time you stop living in this fairytale world of yours where you can act like a normal person, live a normal person's life. It's just not going to happen Kaelie! Now it's time you start realising that your actions have consequences!" Stranger continued.

Now I was curious. What major event was the Cassian guy talking about? How was Kaelie not a normal person? She seemed pretty normal and average to me and I had been hanging out with her the whole day.

"Sorry for interrupting, but I just feel like you're making a big deal out of nothing. She skipped class, so what? She already said she is going to catch it up, so I just think we can all calm down a bit..."

The stranger stepped to the side of Kaelie to look down at me. 

"Who are you?" The man looked me up and down, skeptically.  I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. I think he had only just noticed me.

It gave me an opportunity to get a proper look at him. He was way taller than me. I knew this because I was shorter than Kaelie and he was towering  over her. He was at least a foot taller than me, not that I knew what that meant. 

He was sporting a fresh buzz cut that was freshly tapered. He had a bit of stubble going on but it suited him. His green eyes that were currently scanning over me and looking between Kaelie and I. My insides were squirming as he kept glaring at me. He was well built and he seemed to be covered in blackwork tattoos from head to toe. He had tattoos wrapping around his neck and a ton on his arms.

"Who is this?" He looked at Kaelie, clearly irritated. Kaelie gave him a nervous smile.

"I'm Lulama" I answered his question.

He narrowed his eyes on me and I think my nerves reached a climax because I felt like the butterflies in my stomach had babies who immediately metamorphosed. "Why are you with my sister? What do you want from her?"

"Listen here, Mr Paranoia. Your sister is the one who approached me  and coaxed me into ditching the first class of my first year. Don't try to make me the villain, when you know damn well that your sister is really convincing."

"Seriously Kaelie. We told you to be careful. You can't just go around trusting strangers. You don't know anything about this girl." I could hear the irritation levels slowly increase in his voice as he refocused his anger at Kaelie.

"I know she likes the outdoors." Kaelie giggled as she answered.

"This isn't a joke Kaelie. She could be a spy, did you think about that? No, you didn't because you don't think, do you?"

"Why the hell would I be a spy unless you were some elite royal family?" I said. Kaelie looked away as I said that and Mitchell's eyes went big.

"You're not right?" I asked now, not sure if she was as average as I had claimed.

"Well..." Kaelie looked at me nervously.

"We're not." Mitchell stated. He glared at her.

"Look Mitchell, I was sick and tired of being told what to do by everyone. So, I said screw it and made a friend of my own. Not someone you or our parents chose for me. I get it. We aren't in the clear yet, but I needed this. I'm not going to expose us, I promise. I'll be as careful as possible, I swear! Just let me have this please, Mitchell!" Kaelie pleaded, even pulling out the puppy eyes. Mitchell seemed unbreakable until the puppy eyes. He tried to resist but they were too strong for him.

"Fine Kay, you can have this. Just this one time." Mitchell threw a glance my way, " But, you have to be extremely alert and careful. Also, don't tell Mom and Dad because they won't be as nice." Mitchell warned her, before enveloping her in a hug and giving her a kiss on the head.

He was about to leave when he turned to Kaelie again, "Don't forget the family..." He looked at me again, "dinner tonight at six. Don't forget our little gift. You know mom and dad won't be pleased if you show up without it. " Kaelie nodded in response. Only then did he actually leave.

I felt heavily uncomfortable about all the glances and looks Mitchell had given me. My stomach was still squirming even after he had left. I couldn't even look him in the eyes, I just felt his gaze on me.

What was Mitchell talking about? Who brought gifts to their own family dinner? Maybe it was a special occasion.  Also,  was Kaelie part of  some elite royal family I didn't know about? I didn't bother asking though because Mitchell had just warned her about being too trusting. So I doubt she would be so willing to answer my questions, at least truthfully.

"I'm truly sorry about him."She turned to me after he had disappeared." He's just very protective." She looked a bit flustered and in thought, after excusing her brother's weird behaviour.

"Is there some reason he is so protective or is he just being a controlling ass?" I joked trying to lighten the mood.

"The latter most of the time, but sometimes he has his reasons. So, I guess, it's both." Kaelie replied, looking totally spaced out and twiddling her fingers. Then she suddenly snapped out of this state and pulled me up from the grass, "We should probably get back to campus right, your last class of the day and all."

She started walking towards the exit of the park, leaving me behind. Her brain seemed preoccupied since the mention of the gift for her family dinner. She stopped and checked the time.

"Don't stress. I'm sure there is a place open now to get your parents a cool gift!" I tried to reassure her.

"What?" She looked at me and her expression became confused.

I tried to clarify, "That's why you're stressed right? I know what it feels like to forget an important day and not get someone a gift. I can help you. What is the forgotten occasion? Is it an anniversary, a birthday, or a family reunion?"

"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about the gift. It's fine, I know what to get them, don't worry." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She took out her phone and began furiously typing.

"I can come with you to pick it up. You seem like you could use some company." I suggested and she glanced up at my suggestion.

"It's cool, Lulama. I got it." She continued out of the park and we stood on the side of the street. She hailed me a taxi and gave the driver cash and tip. "Don't worry about me. Just get back to campus in time for your last class." She ushered me into the cab.

"You sure, you don't want me to come along with you?" I asked again, hoping she wanted company. But she was sure and she shook her head no. She walked away down the street, and the cab driver started driving in the opposite direction of her.

I slumped into the backseat of the taxi, when it hit me that I had skipped my entire first day to hangout with a stranger. I sat up at this thought. What was wrong with me? I started freaking out and cursing under my breath.

"You ok there, ma'am?" The cab driver asked. Clearly I wasn't swearing under my breath, "You seem worried?"

I looked into the rearview mirror, "I'm good." NO! I'M NOT! I wanted to scream so bad. What was I supposed to tell my parents? 

'Hey, I skipped all my first day classes to hangout with a complete stranger named Kaelie' - No that clearly wouldn't work. But, I couldn't lie to them either. I would feel so bad. But, If I didn't lie and my dad found out the truth, he would drag my ass back to SA! Not that I would mind, but I only just got here so, telling the truth was clearly not an option.

I could always bend the truth, I thought. It wasn't outright lying, but rather twisting the truth to suit me, so I don't get into trouble. It was settled, I think. 

I slouched into the backseats again and I chewed my lip nervously, hoping my parents didn't call tonight.

I thought about my interaction with Kaelie's brother and how it had left me a bit on edge and feeling uncomfortable. He was probably the most attractive guy I had ever laid eyes on apart from Michael B Jordan, yet he made me so scared. What was he looking at me for? Did he not like me for some unknown reason?

I made it back to campus and went to my last class of the day. We all know it was first, but whatever right? The class was pretty boring but I tried my best to pay attention. After the class I went to the campus cafe to buy myself a hot chocolate before heading home to my apartment. I went to the counter to fetch my drink after waiting a bit.

"Thank you." I smiled and took my cup from the barista.

"No problem." She replied. 

I looked at the time and realised it was getting late, so I quickly turned around to head home. However, It wasn't that easy. I collided with an eiffel tower of a man in front of me and my hot chocolate spilled all over him. Not even a droplet spilled on me, all of it either landed on him or on the floor.

"Shit!" He cursed.

I looked up quickly and hazel eyes looked down at me then back at his top. His eyes screamed  frustrated with a tad bit of annoyance. His jaw flexed as he whispered to himself. He ran a hand through his blonde curls then finally looked back at me

"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to  burn you, you just gave me a moerse fright. I'm not saying it's your fault that I burnt you, wait I am saying that... what I mean is that it isn't your fault that I am easily frightened, but that I am so sorry." I rambled on because I was so embarrassed, "What can I do to help?"

"First I need you to relax, breathe..." I giggled then took a deep breath, "I know you didn't mean for your drink to spill on me, and just so you know you didn't burn me. It's all good." he tried to reassure me.

"No it's not. What can I do to help?" I insisted, feeling completely embarrassed, "Are you sure I didn't burn you?"

"Yes, I'm sure that I'm not burnt. Can you pass me some napkins though?" He pointed to the counter behind me. I quickly turned around, grabbed a bunch and handed them to him.

"Once again, I'm really sorry." I was too embarrassed to buy myself a new hot chocolate, so I turned to whisper sorry to the barista about the mess and was about to head out.

"Hey, wait up! I know what you can do for me... Let me buy you a drink, what was it you ordered?" The man smiled after he had gotten out as much hot chocolate out of his shirt as possible.

"That's not necessary, really." I couldn't let the man duy me drink, after I burnt him.

He turned to the barista, completely ignoring my response, "Whatever the lady ordered, I'll have two of those." The barista nodded and began ringing it up.

"At least let me pay, considering I was the one who got us into this mess." I pulled out my card and handed it to the barista before he could protest. I turned to him and smiled shyly.

"So what's the name of the girl that burnt me?" The blond guy asked as we both grabbed our cups from the counter.

"Hey!! You said I didn't burn you!" My eyes went wide, scared I had actually injured this man.

"My bad, I meant to say, what is the name of the girl who bought me a cup of," He took a slow sip from his cup, "hot chocolate. Interesting." He eyed me slowly.

"I'm Lulama. Lulama Pretorius and you are?" I introduced myself before I took a long sip of my hot chocolate.

"I'm Jacob. Jacob Black. You studying here Ms. Pretorius?" His hand appeared, as he offered me a handshake. I slipped my hand into his and reciprocated. He had quite a shake on him.

Jacob Black, huh? Well Mr Jacob Black, may I just say you are one fine specimen of a man. His hazel eyes were focused on mine and had his arms folded in front of him revealing his muscles. He clearly went to the gym. He had a glistening white smile that clearly was used to charm the ladies. He also had a gold nose ring which was barely noticeable, but clearly important to the look. I thought it gave him a bit of an edge.

"Hey can you two disney love birds move out of the way, the rest of us still want to order." The lady behind me tapped my shoulder, irritation clearly sketched on her features. We quickly stepped to the side of the line. 

"Yes, I actually started today, well actually I had my first-last lesson just now." I said, still admiring Jacob. He looked a little confused at my answer, so I explained, " I bunked my first day of classes and only made it back in time for my last one. That's why it's my first-last class."

"Oh, so you're a rebel. You sure don't look like one or act like one, considering how apologetic you were earlier." He raised his eyebrows at my confession.

"Just because I'm a rebel, doesn't mean I have to be an asshole. I'm a rebel with respect." I said jokingly. Jacob lip turned up a bit at it, but not fully. "Do you go to NYU?" I flipped the question to him.

"Yeah, I'm starting my third year." He sighed, "Well, it was nice meeting a rebel with respect, but I got to run. I have to be somewhere in a few but I hope to see you around on Campus." He gave me a shining smile before walking away and out of the cafe. 

I smiled at the stranger's kindness and walked out of the cafe as well. I was headed back to my messy, box-filled apartment feeling content with my first day. I had made a friend and I could expect to see a friendly face on Campus. I took the subway home even though I didn't like it. It was kind of my only option because I didn't have a car and I wasn't confident in my skills in hailing a taxi.

I got home, ordered some Carl's Jr and browsed through Netflix looking for horror movies to watch. My phone rang and checked to see the caller ID and it was my dad. I was nervous, considering I never went to any of my lessons today. I answered my phone quickly because I knew my dad was paranoid. If I left him waiting for too long, he would book the first flight to New York and show up at my doorstep. 

"Hey Tata!" I greeted.

"Molo, my angel. How are you doing? Do you need to come back home? I can organise that for you, you know that." My dad bombarded me with questions, giving me little opportunity to reply. 

"Tata, relax! I'm doing great. I don't need to come back home and NO, you don't need to book a flight for me to go home. I like it here." I tried to ease his nerves, "Where's ma, anyway?" I asked, shifting the conversation away from my dad's paranoia.

"I'm right here, sweetheart! How was your first day at NYU? How was your first class? Do you like your professors? Did you make any friends?" My mom did the same as my dad and bombarded me with questions.

"Slowwww down, ma." I tried to think of believable answers to her questions, "Just breathe, one question at a time."

"Ok, how were your classes sweetheart?" She listened and asked me only one question. The problem was she asked me a question I didn't have the answer to.

"They were fine, I guess. They were just like any other classes. Pretty normal, I think" I lied, hoping it was convincing enough for my mom to believe.

"That's good. Did you make any friends or meet any nice people?"Ma asked again.

"Yes, I did. I think I made a friend named Kaelie and I met this other guy at the campus cafe." At least this wasn't a lie. I had made a friend named Kaelie and met some guy at a cafe.

"What guy at the campus cafe? If he breaks your heart I'll break his nose!" My dad snatched the phone from my mom at the mention of Jacob.

"No, no, no! It's not like that at all, Tata!" I protested, "Jacob's more like an acquaintance, a friendly face around campus." I tried to calm my dad down. He was completely overreacting as per usual.

"It better stay that way... or he'll get these hands!" I laughed at the thought of my dad trying to fight Jacob. Why the hell would my dad want to fight a random college dude?

"Anyway tata, I had a good day. How are things back home?" I asked them. I was concerned about my parents. I was their only daughter and I had just left the country, the continent. Hell, the flipping hemisphere. They were probably scared and worried-sick about me. 

"It's pretty quiet here at home without you and little mix blasting on your speaker. Siyakukhumbula mntanam." My dad sighed. "When can we visit?" my dad asked.

"Not any time soon tata. I just got here. Give me time to get used to being here before you ambush me." I refused. I didn't want my parents here yet. They would totally cramp style and try to convince me to come back home with them.

"Fine. We'll wait and give you time to settle in." my dad huffed at my refusal, obviously disappointed.

"Thank you guys. Anyway I think I might have to go. My order just arrived," I lied because I was getting bored of the conversation, "so we'll talk later. I promise." I kissed the air and hung up after both my parents wished me goodbye.

I waited till my food arrived and I picked  a random horror movie to watch. I laid back on my couch, thinking about the events of the day. I had met a great girl named Kaelie, who convinced me to skip a whole day of classes, go thrifting, and cloud/people watching. Then I unexpectedly met her beautiful but paranoid brother who clearly didn't like me. It was fine though, I knew I wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Then me, being a clutz, spilt hot chocolate on a Jacob Black, who may I say had a great smile. 

It was an eventful day by my account. I was excited for the rest of the year if this was what the first day had been like. As long as I remembered who I was for the rest of the year and didn't compromise my morals for anyone or anything, I would be fine, I told myself. 

I clearly had no idea what the rest of my first year had in store for me.