anywhere but here (DAC, Fall 2087)

October 2087. Amy Jones is 21, Josie Booth is 20, Ariel Beech is 19, Drake Cannon is 19, Marcus Sylvester is 19, Liza Hathe is 18. 

previously: Liza didn't want to go to SNU // last year at DAC // Drake & Josie make it work and Ariel's boyfriend is a dud // the festival got rained out

Liza didn’t want to admit to her mother that this quiet arts college had been a bad choice. Who ever wanted to tell their mother that she was right? But the truth was, the reputable science college would have been a bad choice as well. So would the modern tech college, the historic ivy league college, and even the local community college. Liza did not want to attend college at all.

How absurd, right? Liza was so smart. Of course she would go to college. That was what everyone expected of her. What else would she do? Certainly not pocket all of her scholarship money and buy two plane tickets to anywhere. Crazy idea—Robbie was still in high school for eight more months.

Campus was busy and full of strangers. She was a country girl, a forest girl, a long babbling creek girl. All these loud, smelly, strange young people made her feel anxious. 

She tried making friends for a quick minute, but the girl only found her irritating and strange. Isn't that what everyone always said about her? She was the quiet, weird girl? Why would it be different now? She had always been lucky to have Robbie as her champion. Popular, charming, and protective, Robbie would never let anyone pick on her. But without Robbie by her side, Liza stuck out worse than ever.

So she hid out in the art studio and banged on some woodwork. Or she ate her breakfast outside on a bench, quiet and still enough to blend into the bushes. She was outside, alone, at least, which made her feel better.

Marcus, however, was in his prime here at Dresden. A shining star in the making. Learning an instrument here was part of the arts curriculum, and he was eager to study the piano with teaching legend Jeremy Nova. He would also study drama and public speaking.  

Marcus made quick friends with Josie, as the two of them shared their artistic vision with each other. Ariel wondered why Josie needed to steal so much attention from the new guy. She already had a boyfriend—you know, the dorky one cooking vegetables by choice on a Thursday night. 

Josie couldn't help but notice that her friend had become sullen. "What crawled up your butt?" 

"This college sucks and if we don’t have more fun here this year, I’m suing you, personally." 

"How is it my fault? You could have transferred." 

"Not by myself! And you didn't want to go," Ariel whined. "Also, dibs on Marcus." 

"You don’t need to call dibs. I have a boyfriend. Drake, remember?" 

"Huh, is he a boy? I never thought of him that way. I thought he was a grandpa."  

Ariel was still not impressed with the college life here. But she decided maybe her expectations were all wrong. Too many college comedies about exciting parties and sizzling romances had gotten her hopes set in an unrealistic direction. So she got a job in town, joined student government, and nearly half done with her studies now, she felt too invested to leave. And she’d probably miss Josie if she transferred. So she would stick it out here to the bitter end. And yes, she was certain it would be bitter. 

Though she wouldn’t miss the way Josie’s culinary arts boyfriend cooked breakfast for only the two of them and flaunted it in front of everyone, with the warm gooey scent of fresh pancakes filling the room while they ate cold stale cereal. Even Marcus realized how rude that was.

But Drake was in love, and for a dorky young artisanal chef, his expression of love was through his food. Josie was well fed here on campus. Her parents didn’t need to worry about her going hungry or malnourished.

And the two of them finally grew past whatever awkward start they had last year. They learned new things about each other all the time. 

Like that tidy, finicky Drake didn’t mind getting down and dirty as long as they did it in the shower. Josie could accommodate him. It wouldn’t be the most demanding compromise that a girl had ever made for a boy.

 

And Drake learned that Josie's father was a little bit of a helicopter parent, freely stopping by during the dorm's visiting hours whenever he got the chance. Drake hoped to make a good impression, since they were destined to see so much of each other. He tried not to let on how naked and soapy he'd just been with the man's precious middle child and only daughter. 

Dresden students enjoyed moving into a new dorm this semester. While some of them might miss the historic old building's charm, this new building is much more spacious. 

The walls are bare at the moment, and the fresh linoleum floors haven't yet been puked or peed on. Instead of considering it generic, these art students might find themselves inspired to leave an imprint of their talents behind for future classes to admire. If there is time after video games, of course.  

 

Oh, hey, and Amy goes to school here, too. For a quick minute. She actually finished the last of her credits this fall, and will skip straight ahead to graduation in the spring. 

Ariel felt that she and Marcus were getting closer every day. They were so comfortable with each other now that they often sat outside together in pajamas after breakfast, gossiping and finishing their homework. She hoped Marcus might be one thing she could look forward to this year. 

Until he said, “Shame about Drake, huh?” 

“Why? What do you mean?” 

“That he likes girls," Marcus said. "Because, damn, that boy sure could cook me up something if you know what I mean.” 

Ariel blinked three times. “Oooooooh,” she said, her voice falling as slow and flat as her hopes for anything exciting happening at all at this godforsaken place. 

But if it was going to be a boy, Marcus could do way better. “Ew, we’ll find you someone better than Drake! He’s such a bore.”

—

notes: As for grades, I don't seem to have noted how these guys did. Nobody failed, as far as I recall. 

I think Liza struggled a little more than the others—not just in life, but in grades too. Probably her mood put a damper on her academics. Her loner trait is torture in a dorm full of sociable strangers! Poor girl!