Opinions.

After orientation was over, we had about two hours until the next class, which would pretty much be an introduction to one of our courses. Mr. Lewis… Or should I call him Professor Lewis? Well, after he left, I kind of expected everyone to get up and go on their ways, and that was my intention, too, but instead everyone stayed in their seats for some reason. And me, being the weirdo that I am, suddenly didn’t want to be the first one to stand up and left.

“Can you believe what he said?” one girl in the front row asked, turning around in her chair to look back at most of us. “Shouldn’t a professor, the head of the department of all things, be convincing us that we made the right choice coming here?”

“Well, would you prefer he had lied?” asked the same redheaded guy from before, the one who had been talking to Luna and Ruby. “We all knew, or at least I’d hope so, that this university didn’t have a good rep in regards to its arts majors, yet we’re here regardless.”

“Doesn’t it sound irresponsible to you?” another guy asked him. “Instead of improving things here, he’s making us shoulder the entire burden.”

Beside me, Eric grumbled and muttered, “That’s how it is, though…”

I sighed. “Yeah, but I get his point, too.”

“Learning was always going to be our responsibility,” the guy said. “Honestly, I think that what he said makes a lot of sense. In fact, I like the freedom we’re being given.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” another guy said. “You’re already earning by the thousands, aren’t you? What about those of us who feel like they’ve plateaued?”

Wait, earning by the thousands? “Is that guy famous?” I muttered to Eric.

“I suppose you wouldn’t know him since you don’t use social media,” he said in hushed tones. “He’s famous for uploading clips of himself playing all kinds of instruments, and all of them disgustingly well. Many of those clips go viral often. I believe he has a subscriber page.”

“I see…” So he’s a professional already? I wonder what he’s doing here, then.

“That’s true. I suppose some people learn faster with proper guidance…” the redheaded guy sighed. “Anyway, I’m just saying I’m fine with what he said. I’m not trying to convince anyone else to be.” He stood up, picked his backpack and threw it over his shoulder. “I’m going to grow regardless of where I am.”

“...”

The room went quiet, yet I could see some of our classmates muttering under their breath. I suppose talk like that coming from someone already successful rings hollow.

The redhead turned to Luna and Ruby, smiling like that conversation never happened. “Wanna go have lunch together?”

The two girls smiled. “Yeah, sure!” Ruby said.

Thankfully, that meant everyone else began getting ready to leave, too. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I didn’t want to be here anymore, so I stood up.

“Ah, you. The guy with the wavy dark hair!”

I flinched. Was that… me? I turned around and saw the redhead walking up to me, Luna and Ruby scowling behind him.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Would you join us for lunch?”

“Me? Why?”

“I want to talk to people who are putting their music out there already,” he said. “I want to share views and all that. Besides, you’re really cute and I’m hoping you swing this way.”

Beside me, Eric had to restrain his laughter and it ended up coming out as a snicker. The same thing happened at the very back of the classroom, too, right where I saw Julian was leaving.

I smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I don’t.”

“Well, shit. Lunch offer is still open, though. Show me some of your stuff. Music, I mean.”

That got a short laugh out of me. “You know what? Sure. Unless your friends are against it,” I said, looking past him to the girls behind him.

“Ah, right.” The redhead turned to Luna and Ruby. “Are you okay with this? Do you actually know him or is this just an internet grudge?”

Again, Luna and Ruby went red in the face. “W-We don’t… actually know him,” Ruby admitted.

“Cool,” the redhead said, grinning. “Then we can talk things out like the adults we now are. Speaking of, am I the only one still reeling from realizing I’m out of high school and in university already?”

I snickered. “No, I’ve been feeling that since yesterday.”

“Good to know I’m not the only one.”

Eric, feeling really awkward next to me, picked up his bag and was about to leave, but…

“Hey, you’re his friend, aren’t you? Come eat with us,” the redhead said.

“Who, me? Ah, but… I don’t… I don’t really share my music at all, so…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not like that’s a requirement or anything. Come on, let’s all eat together.”

This guy… I guess social butterflies are everywhere. Those kinds of extroverts that just pull people to them like it’s as natural as breathing. He reminded me of Thomas, actually.

I patted Eric on the back. “We might as well, don’t you think? Or did you have other plans?”

Eric sighed and shook his head. “Not really…”

“Cool. It’s decided. Let’s go to the cafeteria. Ah, what ARE your names, by the way? I forgot to ask.”

“Eric.”

“Oliver.”

“Steven Rojas,” he said. He shook hands with Eric, then with me. He glanced back at the girls behind him, wordlessly, and kept that graze on them until they gave in.

“Luna,” the slender brunette said, shaking my hand, then Eric’s.

“Ruby,” said the curvy girl with the dyed red hair, doing the same.

It was a bit ****, yes, but a step-up from the hostility of the other day.

And just like that, without me doing much, if anything at all, I was part of a group already. We weren’t the only ones, either. Pretty much everyone had formed smaller groups.

And here I had mentally prepared myself to spend the entire day alone… You can’t predict anything in this world, can you?

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