The Sunset Keeper - 4

My first week in college was orientation, and I must say it was a breeze. My shyness soon dissolved, and my life was full of late night parties and hanging out with Sam and Hayden. Hayden will never admit it, but he loves to listen in on Sam and I gossip. The three of us get along so well together, it's like three parts of a puzzle.  We were so busy registering for classes, partying and hanging out with Hayden, we forgot to get our books. The first day of classes were about to begin, so Sam and I made a rush for the campus bookstore.  Books were acquired the traditional way here at UNJ, so we had to hurry. The store was huge with every kind of novelty we could imagine. I got lost in the garment section while Sam was browsing the gift items. We walked out of the shop with a lot more than just books. I got a cozy sweatshirt with UNJ on the front with a big beechall on the front. The university mascot, the most tenacious, fastest running animal in the world was on everything; and I mean everything. Sam's mug had a beechall on it, too. Our football field even had the beechal cut and colored in the grass with the slogan “Beechalls don't fight, we conquer!” Our sports teams are some of the best, and a lot of players have gone on to play in the big leagues. It makes me kind of proud to be a Beechall. Sam and I ran around all day getting everything we needed to start classes on Monday. Tonight, we decided to grab our meals from The Student's Beechall Building which is a general building containing everything we need for school including a little canteen with tables to eat at. We grabbed some calzones and ate on the rooftop overlooking the city. The three of us watched the suns go down into a big heart as we ate our food. Hayden seemed to have the best ideas for where to eat, so we decided that he should be the sunset keeper. He would be the one to decide where we would meet up for a sunset dinner when we decided to do so. The next day, we all discovered that we had geometry together, and it was up to the sunset keeper to decide where we would study for the quiz we had each Tuesday.  Tuesdays were perfect.  It wasn't on the weekend when we would most likely be wanting to party, and it wasn't a Monday when we would be recovering from the weekend.  Hayden had Intro to Astronomy on Wednesday nights, and Thursday started the weekend for any healthy college student, so Tuesdays it is. 

This Tuesday, we studied out on the football field. The weather wasn't cold, yet and we wound up doing more laughing and joking around than studying, anyway.

      “Hey, Hayden,” laughed Sam, “Tell us about astronomy class. Does the prof take you out to look at any planets?” It was pretty late, and we were starting to get the night giggles.

      “Na, we don't do any fieldwork. It's an introductory course,” he said in his twang. He sat up in his army green pants that he wore with a black long sleeved t-shirt covered by red plaid rolled up and stomped cementing his feet wide with his long, strapped up boots planted into the ground. He raised two hands forming a picture with his fingers directed towards the stars and looked through his hand-made frame. “The professor is blue, so I think he's from somewhere east of us.” He looked with an intense gaze, and then Sam and I just started laughing again.

      “You mean we've got an abridged professor?” Sam's sparkly, dark brown eyes widened as she became impressed.

      “Yeah, we've got a whole lot of 'em here at University of New Jaspern. This is a really well known school, you know.”

      “What's an abridged professor?” I asked naively.

      “Some schools have extraterrestrial teachers to help bridge the gap for some of the subjects that other places are better known for aquiring certain knowledge about. Like take astronomy and math for instance...” Hayden had his mouth open for the next words when Sam jumped in.

      “Planets to the east are better known for science so some schools choose to import them and they're called abridged professors because those in charge have shortened the time it takes for these people have become qualified professors.  You know, because their home planets specialize in these fields. Get it...abridged?” We all looked at each other and began giggling again. I guess that's what happens when you start your study group at 11 pm.

      “So, he must have so much he can teach you! I mean, he's travelled intergalactically!”  I was amazed. I've heard of interplanetary people, but never actually met one.

      “Well, it is a good course.  I mean, these teachers are supposed to be amazing!"  Hayden got serious and usually does when the subject entails math or astronomy.

      “Yeah, but some of us aren't mathematicians like you, Hayden,” Sam teased as she held some of her calzone pastry between her elegant slender fingers.

      “No, it's an introductory course! You can take it as a gen ed!  Dr. Alexis is an awsome professor!”  Now Hayden was trying to encourage us to take the course.  Sam and I both just looked at him ready to laugh when Sam snickered and threw the crust at him.  He grabbed her hand and wrestled her down while she laughed away, and I just sat there staring at the stars wondering about my dear old family and my beloved friend, James.

      “Guys, it's 4:30am, lets go get some strongly caffeinated roogah so I don't fall asleep in class,” requested Sam from Hayden's easy headlock.  There are three types of roogah.  The kind of roogah that Hayden, Sam and I were going for at 4:30 in the morning, was much richer in taste and contained a lot of caffeine.  This kind came from the root as opposed to the non-caffeinate roogah, which my parents serve derived from the plant's berries.  The leaves are made into another kind of roogah which is fermented and can only legally be consumed by those over 21 years of age.    

The SBB building was pretty empty with the exception of a few students drinking roogah and studying like Sam, Hayden and I. That's what we were supposidly doing, anyway.  We were actually bonding and sharing stories.  We were developing the bonds of friendship that would last for many years to come.  The bonds of friendship that they say can only be made during one's college years.  The bonds that were developed over all nighters of roogah and deep conversations.  The nights of bonding that we were meant to form the friendships, that would last a lifetime.  We sat on the couches by the big, tall window, sipping our roogah until the suns came up. This morning, the aura was purpley because of the colder weather. The three of us watched the suns rise quietly. This was our first college all-nighter. I didn't know it at the time, but this was a morning I would remember for many years to come.

Today's classes were just what I expected.  Every movement felt surreal, and I only took in half the words in my lectures. To my amazement, I had an abridged professor of my own.   Dr. Mallorie D' Jacence.  She was amazing!  She taught intergallactic economics, which is fulfilling my philosophy gen ed. Economics on a domestic level is a business course, but planets vary in culture so widely that, at an intergallactic level, economics simply becomes an idea. Nonetheless, she is my favorite professor so far, and I enjoyed what I could absorp of her lecture today.  The rest of the week flew by just as quickly, and it was time for our Tuesday night study group. This week, we snuck roogah into the library at 10pm and gathered into a little area in the back behind the fiction section where we shouldn't get caught. We were intent with our study. So intent, in fact, that we didn't realize when the library was closing and got locked in for the night.

Author's Note

If you read this, please leave a review and tell me your experience. Constructive cristicism is always welcome. Thank you to anyone who reads my work and those who leave feedback. Please give as honest feedback as possible so that I may grow as a writer.

Reviews

[Tala]

I really do like this. it's really interesting and considering they're already travelling between planets i really wanna know how earth comes into it. the fact they're interplanetary makes the college idea far more interesting. really like it. if i were you i might go back and redo parts of it, it's nothing major just sort of first draft bluntness that could be smoothed over, still awesome though.

[StarNinja]

You do know abridged means to shorten, right? So unless these are really short professors, I think you can find a better word for the concept. Its an interesting concept by the way. This world of yours just keeps getting more interesting and richer the more I read. This chapter overall was pretty good. I haven't read this book in a while. It was nice to revisit it.

[Ravyne Hawke]

Another interesting chapter.. I really love the friendship developing between the three.. and the idea of abridged professors.. excellent! You are doing a remarkable job with this. I would like to see more character development.. detailed descriptions of Sam, Hayden, and even Leanne. I think longer descriptions of places and people will help you flush out the story more and create longer chapters. Overall, great job here.

[Jessi Berlasty]

"was orientation(,) and I must say it was" "soon dissolved(,) and my life was full of late" "well together(,) it's like it was always" "about to begin(,) so Sam and I made" "aquired(acquired) the old(-)fashioned way(,) so we had to hurry." "some of the best(,) and a lot of players have gone" "Tonight(,) we decided to grab our meals from The Student's Beechall Building(,) which is a general building containing" "for where to eat(,) so we decided that he" "The next day(,) we all discovered that we had geometry together(,) and it was up to the sunset" "wanting to party(,) and it wasn't a Monday" " Wednesday nights(,) and Thursday started the weekend for any healthy college student(,) so Tuesdays it is." "This Tuesday(,) we studied out on the football field." "pretty late(,) and we were starting" "professor is blue(,) so I think he's from" "an intense gaze(,) and then Sam and I just" "she laughed away(,) and I just sat there" "The nights of bonding we that(that we) were meant to form the friendships(,) that would last a lifetime." "by the big, tall window(,) sipping our roogah until" "This morning(,) the aura was purpley because" "felt surreal(,) and I only took in half the" " intergallactic economics(,) which is fulfilling my philosophy" "None the less(Nonetheless), she is my favorite professor so far(,) and I enjoyed what I" "by just as quickly(,) and it was time for"

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

A talented write of emotion and slashed thinking, well done