Saturn's Graduates (Ch. 1)

The day was hot and muggy, there were no classes scheduled, and Ash and Sky were finding campus life to be extremely monotonous.  They sat across from each other at a small table with two frozen smoothies and a bag of Chex Mix between them.  After exchanging random stories and lame jokes for what seemed like hours, Ash finally stood up and began looking through a basket of old University magazines for something interesting.  1

“Yaha!” exclaimed Ash, “We've got a live one!”  Sky smiled and reached out a hand to catch the magazine being flung in her direction.  Tucking a stubborn clump of brown hair behind her left ear she opened the mag and began to read.  After browsing the table of contents she turned to a featured columnist who enjoyed much popularity in the college arena:  James Carlisle.  He had a reputation for being controversial in his writings and political opinions; a fact which both Sky and Ash enjoyed immensely.  Sky read out loud:2

“It has come to my attention that a student here at Lawhead University has been caught with a large supply of cocaine underneath the mattress in his dorm room.  This man, by the name of Matt Schivofsky, is also known as the biggest hypocritical Bible-thumping bigot ever to walk the halls of our campus..."3

Sky's attention was immediately diverted.  /Matt?/  Her eyes were still glued to the magazine but her mind was a thousand miles away.  /Matt... his name is Matt... where is Matt?  I haven't talked to him in so long... I wonder if he even graduated... what if..."/  4

"Hey- fatso," called Ash from the other end of the room, "are you gonna finish?  Or do I have to come over there and get it from you?"      5

Sky slapped herself across the face and resisted the strong temptation to release a long string of expletives.  /Man.  I did it again./  6

“Um...” Ash peered over her shoulder at Sky in a quizzical manner.  “Dude?”  7

“Nothing... nothing... nothing!”  8

They simultaneously began glaring at each other, eyes bulging from their sockets, each willing the other to break down laughing.  After about five seconds of this, Sky let out a trumpeting belch that echoed off the campus plaster walls and sent them both into fits of violent laughter.  9

“Oo, oo, oo!”  Ash straightened up, ran over to Sky and wagged a hand earnestly in front of her flushed and tear-streaked face.  “Hair!”10

“Gasp,” mocked Sky, still giggling, “where?  Where the hair?  Where, hair, where?”  And then she saw it.  Flowing ever so gently in the breeze created from ceiling fans, frizzy dark ringlets of a length that equaled perfection were striding towards the empty library in which the two friends sat.  All evidence of the raging laughter was promptly eliminated as they both became entranced by the glorious shine of the hair.  Fluorescent lighting never complimented anything so well. 11

“It's like... hobbit hair.”  Sky whispered in awe.12

“No- Josh Groban hair.”13

“Mmm... tropical island hair.”14

“Wait, what?”15

“Shh!  Here it comes!”16

By the time the head of hair entered the room in which they sat, they noticed that it belonged to a man of equally intriguing countenance.  Tall and slim, he had an air of mystery about him as he walked past them with dark eyes that seemed filled with a purpose.  His eyes turned to them and lingered on Ash's for a moment, then blinked and were returned to their place:  staring straight ahead.  It was obvious that he was not aimlessly wandering the campus as they were- there was a goal in his mind which he was determined to reach.  Perhaps, unlike them, he actually had something to do on this humid class-less day.  17

"I like his nose."  Sky commented as he turned a corner and began to scan the library shelves.  Ash nodded absentmindedly for a moment, then reached for her peach smoothie and resumed sipping at it.  Sky wondered at her sudden display of disinterest but resolved not to worry about it.     18

"So, what was that whole slapping oneself thing all about again?"  19

Sky rolled her eyes and made a growling-type sound before responding.  "Same as always."20

Ash nodded.  "Ah.  I see.  Thinking about your little druggie again."21

If it had been anyone else, they would have promptly ended up with a black eye and bleeding nose.  Only Ash knew enough of the situation and was close enough to both parties to be allowed to joke around about Sky and Matt without serious consequence.22

"Not drugs!  Weed.  But yeah, I know.  Same thing."  Sky looked back down at the table and Ash was left to smile and shake her head at her friend's antics and leave to search for a new book to check out.  Matt had meant the world to Sky for as long as she could remember, and as much as he was a terrible person for her, and even though she would never admit it even to herself, Sky would do anything for him.  Even to the point of death.  They were never together, and probably never would be, but it was good enough for Sky to know that there was someone for her to love with everything she was.  23

As for herself, well, Ash had enough friends but always seemed to have the worst of luck when it came to males.  Not that she was looking.  No, she was content enough to assume that there was some guy out there for her to eventually come across.  True, she would love for "eventually" to become /this instant/, but she had seen enough prospects fall through to be extremely skeptical.  24

She let out a small exclamation as she spotted a small collection of manga books on an isle in the back of the library.  She ran to the spot and excitedly began grabbing books off the shelf and reading the titles out loud to herself.25

It was at this moment that the five-star head of hair decided to stroll down her aisle and stop a few feet in front of her.  As he passed, he caused a slight breeze on which a scent lingered that reminded Ash of a rain storm.  She looked up from her book cautiously, and once seeing that he was not looking in her direction, let her eyes play on his face.  He had a slight acne problem on his forehead, but his face was smooth and clear save for a five-o'clock shadow which she found incredibly pleasing.  And Sky was right; he had an awesome nose.  26

Suddenly his eyes snapped from whatever he was previously studying to meet Ash's stare.  She looked away and felt her face burn from embarrassment.  /Crap!  It would have  been better if I just  kept staring and said hello.  This is a friendly place, right?  I'm an idiot!!!/  Her back now turned, she continued to feel the large dark eyes of this stranger follow her as she stumbled back to her seat with Sky and the peach smoothies.   27

But Ash couldn't seem to get back into the mood she had been in two minutes ago.  She felt a tension in the room, and the need to escape it.  "You done with that mag, Sky?"  Sky nodded.  28

They picked themselves and their belongings up and returned to the dorms to talk of Josh Groban, home, favorite smoothie flavors, and the way the air smells during a rainstorm.29