Ride The Storm

Beau

My morning has already started off poorly. I woke up to a sudden crash, finding that a bird had flown directly into my bedroom window. If that wasn’t enough to scare me awake, Angelo’s fierce barking definitely was. He seemed to be just as shaken up by the bird’s collision as I was.

With enough treats and belly rubs, Angelo was quick to bounce back to his usual composed demeanor. By the time I finished calming him, it was already seven in the morning.

“I guess it’s time to get a move on,” I mumble to myself, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

I start to run through my daily routine, trying my best to focus on the coffee I’m brewing without spiraling. Knowing that I would be officially starting my college life today did nothing but make focusing even more difficult. What if I’m not doing the right thing? Surely people don’t usually doubt themselves this much, do they? I sigh, having realized that there is no escaping the wandering thoughts and anxieties.

I place my full travel mug on the kitchen counter before moving toward the couch to pull on my shoes. As soon as I rise from my seat with the leash in hand, Angelo bounds over. Watching his tail wag excitedly, I let out a light chuckle before attaching the leash to his harness and walking him to the front door.

Sweat drips down my face, falling into my eyes as the sun beams down on me. It is indescribably hot outside. With each step I take, I can feel the humidity in the air clinging to every inch of exposed skin and the insides of my lungs. The weather is as expected from a southern day in early August. That, however, doesn’t change how gross it feels out.

Angelo doesn’t seem to mind the fact that the sun is actively trying to bake us. He walks at a casual pace while we make our rounds on the apartment’s paved pet trail. He sniffs about, takes care of his business, and drinks some water I give him before we head back to the apartment. Once I remove his leash, Angelo goes to his bed and lays down. He closes his eyes as he relishes the cool air coming from the vent above.

I go back to my bedroom to change into what I decided would be today’s outfit. Last night, I knew I’d be a nervous wreck trying to figure out what I’d wear if I left to be a morning decision. So, I took my time going through my clothes before settling on a graphic band tee, ripped jeans, and shoes with darned holes from the hell I’ve worn them through. As much as I wish I could wear my boots and a jacket, it’s way too hot outside to even consider. I settle on wrapping the sleeves around my waist, hoping my classrooms would be cold.

Except for turning off my alarm, I haven’t touched my phone all morning. I glance at my lockscreen to check the time. It’s 7:45, so the bus should be arriving in 15 minutes. I know logically that I have time to finish my coffee before leaving, the bus stop being right outside of the complex’s front door. However, I’m always anxious about punctuality despite how much time I know I have. I sip down the remainder of my coffee before grabbing my backpack, placing my headphones over my ears, and heading downstairs.

I reach the covered bench and sit as I await the bus’s arrival. Since it’s a bit of a walk to the university, a shuttle bus makes its stops around town and campus. A lot of Central Everly students live here, according to the clerk in the housing office. Although, I haven’t seen anyone that I recognize from my freshman orientation around the complex. It’s not like I’d have the nerves to speak to anyone anyway, so I figure it works out.

Noticing that the bus should be approaching at any second, I hear a light rumble which I assume is the shuttle coming up the street. As soon as I see it, I grab my bag and stand, readying myself to board. When the bus starts slowing to a stop, the apartment building’s doors swing open from behind me as a figure bursts from them. I can’t tell what the person looks like until they come up on my side, panting from what I assume is the effect of running to catch the shuttle. I feel a push at my side from the person that arrived late.

“Oh, shit. Sorry! Didn’t mean to bump into ya,” the guy says. He looks oddly familiar somehow.

I give the man a stiff nod and put up my hand, a signal letting him know it’s alright. The bus, now stopped, opens the doors and I begin to board. I am suddenly all too aware of how many people there are on board. I feel my heartbeat quicken and take a breath. I keep moving forward after I spot a pair of seats on the right side. After taking my seat next to the window, I begin to take deep breaths. My breathing halts, however, when someone sits next to me.

“Hey! Do you mind if I sit next to you? I think we’re the last stop, so it’s packed in here,” the guy from earlier says to me, speaking over the bus’s chatter.

Shrugging lightly, I acknowledge that I heard him despite the fact that I’m wearing headphones. I stare back down at my phone. Before I get the chance to queue a few songs for the ride, he speaks again.

“Have I met you before? You look mighty familiar... Maybe orientation?” he questions, and then it clicks in my brain.

This is the guy from my orientation group. From what I remember of him, he was loud. Not rude or anything, but he seemed friendly with a lot of the people in our group and constantly participated in the group orientation activities. I avoided being near everyone as much as I could in hopes that I wouldn’t have to worry about speaking. I can’t seem to remember his name.

“Wait, I remember! You were the guy with the cool character keychains on his bag!” the mystery man says, an excited smile painting his face.

I stare blankly, a bit confused. He noticed me? I didn’t even say anything besides my name at orientation last Saturday night. I haven’t even spoken a word to him now. My throat feels frozen, unable to form a sentence to express my thanks for the compliment.

Instead of trying to fumble through my words, I set my backpack on my lap and start scrolling on my phone. I forget that there are pins and key chains adorning the canvas bag. Silently, I’m kicking myself for the array of fandom merch I wasn’t intending on showing off to some guy on the bus.

“Woah, your bag really is the coolest,” the guy compliments. “If I remember correctly, your name tag Saturday night said you’re Beau?” I stare at him, slightly stunned by his memory.

How did he remember me? I think we’re both in the STEM department in some capacity, but that’s as far as my knowledge goes. The questions are flying around my head when he breaks me out of my mental block.

“I’m Theodore, but my family calls me Teddy! Just in case you didn’t see my name,” he says.

Theodore flashes a bright smile my way and I can feel the positivity radiating out of him. It’s nice, I figure, but unexpected. Keeping to myself wasn’t going to plan. I have no clue what I did to get him to talk to me, but I find myself just going along with whatever he’s saying.

He spends the majority of our bus ride talking about where he’s from and what he’s going to Central Everly for. He’s a studio art major with a concentration in sculpture. As he put it, he mainly makes sculptures instead of focusing on building architecture since it’s “not his vibe.” I wouldn’t have guessed the combination of major and minor he’s got going on at all.

I start to feel pretty bad. He’s been carrying this conversation, and we reached the campus without me saying a word. If he has a problem with it, he doesn’t say anything about it. He still has a smile plastered on his face when we get off the shuttle and start walking in our own directions.

“Thanks for chattin’ with me! I know we were both in the creative group on Saturday, so I’ll hopefully see you around?” Theodore says to me, the grin still holding on his face.

I wonder how he doesn’t get tired from smiling and talking so much. Especially since I didn’t give any responses other than the occasional gesture.

I nod and start walking toward my first English class. It’s in the large hall behind the shuttle stop we arrived at. Theodore waves an enthusiastic goodbye before darting toward the math and science building. As unusual as the experience has been, he didn’t seem all that bad. I assume that’s all I’ll see of him today, so I resume my focus on finding my classes for the day.