"Tell me all about bowling," Nadia asked as soon as I walked into our room, ignoring the giant giraffe as if it was normal and to be expected. In Nadia's world, it probably was.

"I sucked at it," I said, setting down my purse and prizes.

"Was it fun, at least?" Nadia asked, sitting up in her bed. 

"Yeah, it was really fun," I said. Despite losing with the actual bowling, I had a good time. Tonight was the most fun I'd had in a long time. 

"Was River an asshole?"

"No, he was quite nice, actually." Even though he teased me, I knew it was all in good fun.

"That's surprising," Nadia replied.

"Why's that surprising?"

"Because all I've ever heard about him was that he was a jerk."

"Don't believe everything you hear," I shrugged. Even though River seemed nice, I was still cautious because of his reputation. People were not always what they seemed to be.

"Anyway, I'm assuming you won that giraffe?"

"Yep. Sorry that it takes up so much space."

"It's totally fine. I really like it," Nadia laughed.

"What should we name it, and is it a boy or a girl?" I asked, stroking the giraffe's ears.

"I'm getting a girl vibe," Nadia responded.

"Okay, what about naming her Cupcake?"

"Nah, too sweet. This giraffe seems like a badass." I smiled at the fact that Nadia could tell the personality of a stuffed animal by looking at it.

"Okay, what about Rocki?"

"I like it," Nadia perked up.

"Great, now let's go to bed. It's late," I said before yawning.

"Okay, mom," Nadia joked as I headed to the bathroom.

After taking off my makeup, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and changing into my pajamas, I came out and snuggled underneath my comforter.

"Good night," I whispered, turning out the lamp on my nightstand.

"Sweet dreams," Nadia said back.

*****

"Where's my shoe?" Nadia cried as she scrambled around her side of the dorm.

"How do you lose a shoe in such a small room?" I asked, amazed at her disorganization.

"Found it!" She yelled, pulling out a converse from under a pile of clothes that had to have been sitting there since I moved in.

"Good, now let's get going, or we'll be late," I said, opening the door.

"I need coffee," Nadia whined as we walked down the stairs and out the door. After acquiring our coffees, Nadia and I split up to go to our separate classes. I found a seat in the back of my English course and settled into the chair.

Yesterday was the first day of classes, so I was still getting used to everything, like the smell of pencils in the air and the uncomfortable seats. 

I heard a thump next to me and looked over to find a brown-haired boy who looked quite attractive. He wasn't as good-looking as River, but he was still pretty high up on that list.

I didn't say a word to him as he got out his computer to take notes, and he didn't say a word to me either for the first few minutes.

"Like what you see?" The boy sneered.

"What?" I said.

"You're staring."

"Sorry," I said when I realized that I had been caught.

"No, it's cute."

"Uh, thanks," I said, not sure if that was flirting or not. Guys didn't pay attention to me in high school, and I didn't pay attention to them, so flirting was a topic I had little to no experience in.

The professor's voice dragged us away from our conversation as class started.

After an hour of diligent note-taking, the professor began talking about some kind of project. I was not too fond of projects because they meant that I would have to present in front of the class, and I despised public speaking.

After the professor finished explaining the project, he said we would also be working with the person next to us. Working in a group with other people was another thing I loathed, so that did nothing to make my nerves better. 

I felt a tap on my shoulder, pulling me away from my worries and back into the real world.

"We're working together," The guy from earlier said.

"Okay," I replied, accepting the fact that I would have to work with him.

"What's your name?"

"Alani."

"That's pretty."

"Thanks," I said. Was he flirting again? From what I'd seen in movies, flirting was more intense than that, so I concluded that he was just being nice.

Silence surrounded us before he asked, "Are you going to ask my name?"

"Oh, yeah, right."

"It's Daniel," He said.

"That's a nice name," I said.

"Thanks. Can I get your number?"

"Um, sure," I said, typing my number into his phone as my hands shook. I almost always got nervous when talking to new people, especially people my own age. River was the only exception, and that was only because my need to get my notebook back overpowered my nerves when we first met.

"Thanks, I'll text you later, and we can set up a date to meet."

"Okay," I said before Daniel walked off.

*****

River: You up for horseback riding tonight?

It was the end of my second day of classes when I opened my phone and read the text I received from River. A smile spread across my face as I texted him back.

Alani: Sure. Can you pick me up?

River: I'll be there around 7:00

"What are you smiling at?" Nadia asked, causing me to look up from my phone. "If it's something funny, send it to me!"

"Nothing. Just texting River."

"Okay," She said with a smile, getting back to her work.

After getting ready for horseback riding, I waited outside my dorm building for River. He had told me to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, so I was burning up and sweating like crazy. It was September, which meant it was still summer-like weather in Ohio. Growing up, I liked the fact that Ohio had different weather throughout the year, so I could experience warmth and snow, in addition to seeing autumn colors. 

When River pulled up in the parking lot, I rushed toward his car, but more importantly, the air conditioning.

"Hello to you too," River said as I jumped into his car and turned the air conditing all the way up.

"Hi," I smiled once I was nice and cool.

"Are you excited?" He asked.

"Definitely."

"I thought we could add some more things to your list," He said with a grin before driving.

"Like what?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"What about dying a streak of your hair?"

"My hair is dark brown. It's basically black. It would barely show up."

"Bleach it."

"That is so bad for your hair."

"It would look badass."

"Okay, I'll think about it," I said since I was trying new things, and that sure was something I had never done. "What else?" 

"What about watching a scary horror movie in the theater?"

"I haven't watched that many horror movies, and definitely none in the theatre," I admitted.

"That's why it's perfect."

"We already have a drive-in movie on the list."

"That's completely different. When you watch a horror movie at the movie theatre, you get an entirely new thrill. The dark room, the large screen, and everyone else's reactions in the theatre complete the experience."

"Okay, I'll add that. Anything else?"

"Rollerskating and Iceskating. Also, add going to a laser tag place. Oh, and also a trampoline park. And-"

"River. Calm down. I think we have enough stuff. We have sixteen things now. How long do you think it will take to complete the list?" I asked.

"At the rate that we are going, I bet we'll be done by the end of the month," He said.

It was September 2nd. I doubted that we would finish everything in only four weeks, but River was pretty sure, so I went along with it.

"So, are you ready for horseback riding?" He asked.

"Yep," I replied.