Empty thoughts of nothingness filled her mind. She could not stop thinking, yet she was not thinking at all.
—
The crows are bringing their friends now. I’ve seen more of them recently. I’ll have to buy more bird feed.
Kieran thought for a moment more before throwing the last of his bird feed. The sun hid behind clouds, and the atmosphere changed.
I should be getting home now. He thought. Kieran packed his bag beside him and a cat scared the crows away before he could leave. A voice that belonged to a woman then called after the cat, calling him 'Pablo'.
“Pablo!” she hollered again. The little black cat stopped before Kieran, looking at him curiously.
“Well?” Kieran questioned Pablo, “Are you going to leave or what?” Why am I talking to this stupid cat? Pablo continued to stare until Kieran grew impatient, kicking at him. “Get out of here already! Go back to where you came from!” Pablo scrambled away towards a woman coming near, hiding behind her legs.
“HEY!” The woman wore a style that caught Kieran's eye: a white dress shirt with a corset, black soldier pants, and a black tie; long brown hair adorned with jewels in her braids fell past her waist. “What do you think you’re doing!?" she asked, eyeing him for a moment, “Well?” She narrowed her eyes and asked again. “What do you think you’re doing?”
What? He thought, lifting his eyes to hers, Why does she even care? The woman continued to stare, raising her brows in pursuit of an answer. Finally, Kieran replied, "Keep that vermin away from the crows."
"Vermin?” Taken aback, her mouth hung slightly open. “How could you say that?!” she exclaimed.
"With my mouth. And my voice." Kieran replied nonchalantly. Her voice tires me. He thought. I wish she'd just stop talking.
“Wow... Sarcastic, much?” Unamused, she picked up Pablo. “Quite frankly, the only vermin I see here is you.” She retorted, walking off. Kieran didn't have the chance to say anything back.
Whatever. I don’t care about some random girl whose vermin scared the crows; her insult sucked anyway. He thought, looking toward the sky, and forgetting to leave. The air grew cold and rain began to drizzle.
Standing up from the bench, he looked off the bridge rail, leaning on it and staring into the river below. I should go then, if I don't want to get caught in the rain. He remembered.
—
Beep-beep-beep, Beep-
Kieran hit the alarm, staring at the ceiling. “College starts today. Fun,” he said with a groan. I should get up, but I don’t want to. Letting out a great sigh, I have to be there by 8:00; it's 6:00. Five more minutes. He thought, shutting his eyes.
—
Huh? Kieran woke up to the sun in his eyes. What time is it? Reaching over for the alarm clock, his eyes grew wide as he realized he had slept far past five minutes. 10:37!? Kieran flung his covers off. “Aughh… I’m so late! I should’ve been there almost three hours ago!” He mumbled angrily.
Kieran rushed out the door, throwing on what he found first, (black cargo pants, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket).
“Ten minutes! I have to walk ten minutes to get to the campus!” He yelled angrily between sprints.
—
Out of breath and leaning on a gateway. Just how I wanted my first day of college to go. Kieran huffed, looking around. The campus was empty; a few kids were walking around. I assume everyone is in class right about now. He thought.
“What a way to start my day off." Kieran breathed as he looked at the sky. It’s bright blue today. I like the smell rain leaves in the city air. It doesn’t smell like gasoline anymore. He mused, making his way to the campus doors, and taking in his surroundings.
The school was big and confined to tall brick walls. A garden in the middle of the pathway, filled with an array of flowers, flooded the entry with sweet smells that stung his nose. The building on the left was separate; Must be the gym. He assumed, looking ahead, Why the hell is the entryway so big?
Inside, perceiving that he wasn’t aware of the campus grounds yet, he pulled out his phone to check his schedule.
I missed first period… So, I head to the C wing for my second. Stopping to look around for a moment, I have no idea where the hell I am. Kieran mentally groaned. I should try to find someone I can ask...
Scanning the area Kieran noticed a small girl in a pleated skirt, dress shirt, and hair in a low ponytail stopped at a vending machine across the hall. “There’s someone,” he whispered, making his way across the hall.
“Hey, uh, by any chance-” Huh? Shocked to see the same girl from the bridge, he said, “Oh." Unsure of what to say next, Kieran scratched the back of his neck, shifting uncomfortably.
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“Oh. It’s you.” She seemed uneasy with the silence. “Do… you need something?”
“Right!” Kieran remembered, “I need to get to Communications; do you know where that is?”
“Yeah. I was just about to head there. Um… It’s my next class.” The silence was increasingly uncomfortable. “I can, uh, take you there if you want,” she offered, fidgeting with a soda can.
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.” The walk down the hallway was silent, with nothing but the sound of shoes occasionally squeaking. Both unknowing whether or not to start a conversation. She doesn't wanna talk to me. I should at least thank her, though, right? Yeah. I should. “Uh, thanks. For, y’know showing me the way.” Kieran spoke timidly.
“Mhm,” she said, slightly nodding her head and saying nothing more. Kieran chose it was simply best to stay quiet. The walk to class seemed to take forever. Nothing was said, but the silence was better than the awkward conversations. “What’s your name?”
“My name?” Kieren asked, surprised.
“Who else would I be talking to?” She asked, making it clear she was rolling her eyes without turning her head.
“Kieran. You?”
“Seven,” she said, turning her head for the first time since they started walking, her lips slightly curved upward. The sun hit her eyes, revealing that they were a dark gray-blue. Turning again and stopping, “We’re here,” she announced.
Upon opening the door, there was a room full of students. The room was set up in a way that looked triangular. Chairs were going down on different levels, which led down to the professor in front of a large screen.
“Right on time!” the professor exclaimed. He was a tall, well-dressed man with sleek blonde hair. “Choose any seat,” he motioned to the rest of the room.
Seven started down the stairs toward another girl, waving at her, and Kieran sat in the nearest seat.
The lecture was mundane, and Kieran tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought. Oh. I left my bag at the dorm. I don’t have anything… He realized.
Turning to the side, he asked for a pencil and paper from the student next to him, who introduced himself as Lucas. “Let me know if you need something else; we all leave our stuff at home at some point!” Lucas chuckled.
“Thanks, man.” Kieran smiled for what might’ve been the first time that day. He seems nice enough. Once class ended, he followed Lucas to the dining hall. The campus is huge, so the walk was long.
Once there, they sat at a table near the entryway. Lucas had extra food he offered Kieran and another kid sharing the table with them. (Who politely denied it, as he did not know them.) Kieran pulled out a leather journal with an outline of a bird carved into it.
“What’s that?” Lucas asked, leaning in.
“Nothing,” Kieran said.
“Aww… Looks sick though! Maybe you’ll show me one day.”He said, smiling.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Kieran spent his time scribbling away in the notebook, covering it with his hand, and leaning over it, mouthing words. Lost in thought, he jumped when Lucas tapped his shoulder.
“Bro, you good?” He expressed concern in his voice.
“What?” Puzzled, Kieran tilted his head to the side.
“You’ve been vigorously writing in that notebook; you look like a maniac.” Lucas chuckled nervously. “It's pretty intense.”
“Oh,” he said looking down and starting to laugh, “Did I really look like a maniac?”
“You did!” Lucas exclaimed, his chuckle turning into full-blown laughter. Soon, both boys were laughing loudly, wiping tears from their eyes.
---
Once their break ended, Kieran parted with Lucas after 3rd period, took a break at the library to study (which wasn’t quite a break.), and went on to 4th period. Around 6:00 p.m., they were released, and Lucas gave him a tour of the campus.
“So, how long have you been going?” Kieran asked.
“I’m in my second year.” Lucas replied, “I’m getting a psychology major.”
“How’re you feeling about that choice?”
“Pretty good so far.” He said, looking out the window, “Wanna grab a snack?” Kieran nodded his head in agreement, and they left for the vending machine.
“What do you think of your first day of college?” Lucas inquired, handing Kieran a soda.
“It wasn’t too bad, but I would’ve rather stayed home or gotten a job,” Kieran replied, his soda can hissing as he opened it. “My mom had been asking me to go since I graduated high school, and I finally gave in.”
“Hah! You didn't even have a job? Although I can't believe she allowed you to stay that long, my mom would've kicked me out!” he laughed, leaning his back on the wall.
“I don’t have a job, but I do other stuff,” Kieran said, downing the soda.
“What kind of other stuff?” He asked, eyes wide, staring at the now empty soda can.
“Just stuff.” Tossing the can in the trash, Kieran asks, “What time is it?”
“We should get going now,” he said, checking his watch. “It’s 6:45, and I got a little sister who I promised some chips.”
“Alright. See you Wednesday.” Kieran waved him off.
“Don’t forget your bag next time!” Lucas shouted.
“I won't!” Turning to leave and taking another look at the vending machine. Seven. The girl with the stupid cat. He mused, subconsciously scrunching his face. I best be getting back now.
Once home, he placed the homework on the desk and sat on the bed. What next? He thought, pulling the journal from his pocket.
Losing track of time, he jumped when an alarm went off on his phone. The crows. he mused, sitting up. Grabbing the bird feed, I just hope that stupid cat isn't there this time. Kieran thought sourly, putting his shoes on.
Stopping to look out the dorm window, he noticed movement. “What the...” he murmured. I’m on the second floor. Only birds should be able to get here. Only birds should be able to get here. It’s autumn, so there shouldn’t be any doves around and crows aren’t white.
Stepping closer, he came to see something poking out from behind one of the flower boxes: a white bird. It looked like a crow, but Kieran had never seen a white crow before, and it was clearly not a dove.
“What?” baffled, Kieran stepped back, worried he might scare the bird away. “What kind of bird are you?” It looked at him intently and flew away. It can’t be a dove; it looks like a crow, but it’s white. Is there such a thing as white crows? He wondered, slowly backing away.
Picking up his laptop and forgetting about the crows on the bridge, Kieran researched white crows. “So there is such a thing as white crows,” he said in awe. “What luck. I wish I could’ve gotten a picture.”
Kieran lay in bed wondering about the crow the rest of the night, “What a sight,” he thought.