I woke up very early that morning. I felt really enthusiastic because it was my first day of university as a junior student. I got enrolled in the Law career together with my two best friends. I know by heart that we were going to be excellent lawyers in the future.
I took a bath, got dressed and prepared a delicious and nutritive breakfast. While I took it, I was thinking how fortunate I was because I was attending a private and privileged university. Obviously, I had to move from my parents’ home so I could live near the campus and the departments where I took classes.
As soon as I finished, I arranged everything I would take to class. I put my netbook, my pencil case and a pair of books in my backpack. I took my mobile, my keys and left my apartment.
I did not use my legs that much on my way to the Faculty of Law. I arrived a bit early before my first class so I took a seat on one of the banks departed all over the campus. I put on my earphones and played my playlist while I had a look at one of the coursebooks I was going to use. After a while, I saw something like a shadow passing in front of me. I looked up and a guy was sitting on another bank near me.
I will not lie. I examined him with my eyes as if I were a scanner. He was wearing white earphones. I wondered what kind of music someone could listen to wearing that cloth. He wore entirely in black: a baggy V-neck T-shirt with some kind of pattern on its front, loose-fitting trousers and, at first sight, low-cost shoes. The only thing I like was his purple backpack but just that.
I thought about what my mother would say if she looked at him. “He looks like a vandal” may she say and I was not far from that opinion. The question was what he was doing there in such a prestigious and expensive university and even in the way of being a lawyer. I thought that he did not have the image and the presence to be one like me or my friends. Anyways, I conceived that he would not stay studying there that much.
When I stopped wondering he stood up and came towards me. “Why?” thought I. He approached and asked me if I knew where the 10th classroom was. Without making eye contact and ignoring his face I told him that I had no idea. “Oh, it’s okay. Thank you!” said he calmly and left. Then I realized that the 10th classroom was where I had to go to my first class. I did not like the idea of having him as a classmate. Fortunately, my best friends were going to be with me or that was what I thought.
Minutes later, my mobile rang. It was a message from one of my friends, Charly. He wrote that he and Penelope were assigned to another classgroup. They were in 1st “B” and I in 1st “A” with that guy. He added that changes were not permitted so we had no option. We were able to see each other only on the breaks between classes. I wrote him back just saying good luck. How unfortunate and frustrated I felt.
It was time and I had to attend my first class. I started moving to the 10th classroom. Meanwhile, I thought about that guy and the unlucky moment when we talked. I also thought that he noted that I actually knew where the classroom was. I arrived, looked into the room and there were some students already. There he was on the front raw. I went in looking down so that he could not notice me and I took a seat away from him.
Some minutes later, our professor arrived and the class started. That subject was called “Ethics” and we started talking about what moral was. It did not take long and the class went on. After an hour, the class was almost finishing when we were given homework and it had to be done in pairs. The worst thing was that Mr. Maslow, the professor, was going to assign us our partners. He took his list with our names and started. Those who were mentioned raised their hand and got to know the partners. Then it was my turn, he said my name, I raised my hand and I listened: “You are going to work with Elliot Winston” and he raised his hand. It was that guy.
As soon as the class finished, I went directly to Mr. Maslow to ask if I could change my partner. He told me that it would not be possible because one of the purposes of that class was to get to know new people and learn how to work collaboratively. I insisted but he denied. Saying nothing I left the classroom infuriated. I had decided to go home despite the fact that I had other classes but so awful that day was that I wanted to be alone.
I left the campus, started walking until I had to cross a street. I did not pay attention to the traffic light when suddenly I felt someone pushing me with his body. We both fell on the ground and I heard the horn of a vehicle and it passing behind us. I was a bit dizzy but I could hear his voice asking: “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”. “I’m a bit…I’m okay. Thank you so much” said I.
I looked up. I saw his bright eyes and a kind of light within them. It was him, Elliot. He was following me because he wanted to talk about the task we were assigned, but he ended up, in a way, saving my life.
How wrong I was, but later I learnt thanks to him. Why? Because our story began that day.
