College day

Later, in the college,

It was about half past nine in the morning when Alex was sitting silently in the class on one of the benches in the corner with his friends Paul and Barry.

The professor stood beside the main door as he delivered his lecture. Alex, however, was in a world of his own. He sat with his chin resting on the clenched fist of his right hand with his eyes fixed to one area of the wall. As he sat, the fingers of his other hand seemed to have a life of their own as they incessantly tapped the table.

Suddenly the Professor caught his gaze and told him to stand up. This made him the object of everyone else's laughter and it was also the first impression he had of this place. Although he found it a little amusing, he was also embarrassed by being singled out. He turned his head round slowly and smiled nervously back at the other students. The professor, in the meantime, continued with the lecture while Alex remained standing.

As he looked round the room, he noticed a girl had turned towards him. She sat about five benches in front of him and he noticed that she had the most beautiful blue eyes. As soon as she saw him watching her, she smiled and turned back to face the front. This left him wondering why she had looked at him and smiled in that way. The professor had noticed that Alex was not paying attention again and this time he ordered him to leave the classroom. His eyes locked with those of the mysterious girl and she smiled at him again. He, rather sheepishly, returned the smile.

About an hour later during break, everyone sprinted out onto the grounds outside. Alex found most students sat in groups with their own friends and this reminded him of his own school days. He remembered how they used to take their lunch and eat it outside. Those were the good days and he would never forget them. Everyone was busy sharing their views with each other in the bright sunshine while Alex stood and watched. He felt good and smiled and bowed his head up and down while stomping his feet.