"Clara?... Clara!", an aggravated voice barked as a hand smacked down on Clara's desk. She reluctantly lifted her head and glared at the brown eyed girl in front of her who so rudely interrupted her nap.
"You don't have to yell," Clara yawned and lifted her head reluctantly. She reclined in her seat. She lifted her arms over her head and arched her back in a feline stretch. Emily's hand was still on the desk as she leaned toward Clara, her dark loose curls littering the desk. She frowned at her unwavered friend.
"If you keep falling asleep in class you're going to fail", Emily scolded.
"Pffft! Please. This class is so easy, I could sleep every day for a month and still pass with an A", Clara scoffed coolly with a smile. She put both hands behind her head and melted even further in her seat, still smiling arrogantly.
"Well not everyone is a genius like you Clara, and if you get kicked out of school for sleeping, I won't have anyone to sneak answers from so get your butt up before we're late to our next class!"
Clara was a stickler to the rules for most things but when it came to academics she often found herself bored and understimulated. She had really hoped that the university studies would be as challenging as her high school teachers had warned her about but alas, two years later and she is still very much ahead of her classmates.
"Ugh, fine I'll try to stay awake. It's not my fault that the history of literature is an absolute snore fest." Clara complained as she collected her things and started to walk out.
"True, but we're pretty lucky that we were able to snag two classes together this semester. And I love outdoor aerobics class, don't you!?" Emily bounced as she linked arms with her self proclaimed bestie.
"It's my absolute favorite class", Clara agreed. "But mostly because we get to chit-chat and recharge, get some fresh air and the instructor doesn't yell at me. That's always a plus."
The girls made their way to the field where the class was held but before stepping out into the sunlight, they stopped just at the end of the hall. Emily stepped into the restroom to change. The red high waisted shorts and skin-tight crop top that she was wearing wasn't exactly appropriate athletic wear.
"I'll be right over here." Clara pointed straight ahead.
She patiently waited at the outside corridor to escape the horrid fluorescents. She leaned on the wall as she watched the students bustle about around her, the warm sun resting gently on her cheeks. Unlike Emily, Clara had thought ahead and wore her athletic attire under her dress. Clara also seemed to think that her dress looked much too pretty to waste on her boring history class. She chuckled and smoothed out the pretty pink polka-dot dress, thinking about how funny "wasting" an outfit sounded. She was still looking down when a tall stranger dressed in all black passed through her lowered eyelashes.
A warm, earthy scent lingered in the air as he brushed through the crowded students. It smelled like fresh cut cedar and maple leaves. She inhaled and a soft, involuntary moan escaped her lips, like tasting a warm bite of your favorite pie. Her eyes flashed up quickly as she tried to get a glance of the face of the tasty smelling stranger, but she missed him by half a second. She watched the back of his black-haired head turn the corner just as Emily suddenly bounced in front of her, blocking her view.
"How does this look? Too slutty?" she said spinning around in her sports-bra, lululemon leggings stretched over her mile long legs. Her rich brown curls were now up in a swinging ponytail. Slutty was definitely a word someone might use to describe Emily, but Clara knew her much better than that. She was a romanticist who has had plenty of boyfriends but her dearest Emily believes that you must kiss many frogs to find your prince.
"You look hot. Stunning actually, as usual… can we go now?" Clara answered quickly, peeking around Emily's shoulder to get one last look at the stranger but he was already gone. She did, in fact look stunning, Emily always did. She looked like a model, even on her worst days. Both girls did. The two of them were always looking for the next trend and their style changed seamlessly before a new fad emerged. This week is all about high waisted shorts, next week would be cropped pullovers.
"Not as hot as you! Women go under the knife to get the lips and jugs you were God gifted! You're literally a bombshell, babe." Emily bragged as Clara rolled her eyes.
"Really! And beyond beauty, you're like an actual genius, like when were you going to tell me that you were accepted to every university single you applied to?! And on full scholarship? We've been in school for almost two years, you could have told me sooner!" Emily fussed.
When you're a busty blonde, no one takes you seriously. No one except Emily. Clara shrugged as she tied up her hair. "It didn't matter. I wanted to go wherever you went."
Emily sighed in defeat.
The two pulled out their yoga mats and began their warm up streatches. The instructor was a short, fit woman in her early 30's. "Today we are going to do high-intensity interval training" she said to the students.
"Nevermind, I hate this class too" Clara mumbled.
After an intense workout, the class was over.
"See you all next week!" The aerobics instructor called out to the class.
They both rolled up their mats and stuffed it in their bags. Clara pulled her dress back over her workout shorts and let her hair down.
"I'll call you later" Clara called as they were departing to their separate classes. Clara wouldn't see Emily again that day.
Clara shoved a stray golden strand of hair behind her ear and placed an earphone in it. She walked quietly to another class she enjoyed, computer coding. As the music dosed her with warm serotonin she felt effervescent walking into class, but unbeknownst to her... it wouldn't last.
She sat down and crossed her perfectly lean legs, the thought of the quick encounter with the dark haired stranger popped back into her mind vaguely. She leaned a hand on her pink soft cheek. She put her pinky to her lip. And if by sole will power, a head of dark hair passed through the threshold. She slowly removed the earphone. "You gotta be shitting me."