Common Ground (The Common Ground Trilogy Book 1)

by Barry Chaison

  “Nice to finally meet you guys. I’m Steph,” she said as her wild emerald eyes excitedly jumped from Annie to me, “and this is Hope”. Hope just gave us a half smile and a lazy wave of her hand while Steph shook both of ours. “We’re just off to The Pit to get a quick bite before Orientation, you guys in?”

  “Sure!” Annie said overly enthused as the four of us started out for the cafeteria. “Wow Steph, I love your hair!”

  “Thanks,” she replied, throwing her perfectly curled, fire-red hair over her shoulder where it rested nicely. “It’s impossible to keep it curly here though. It’ll be straight by the time we get to campus!”

  Steph’s hair was just the beginning of what was an extremely beautiful girl. Her cheekbones were perfectly defined on her thin face, which was covered by a few auburn freckles and her body was toned like that of an Olympic swimmer. I would have been surprised if she had an ounce of body fat anywhere. She covered her natural beauty with heavy eyeliner, blush and ruby red lipstick. She wore a very tight lime green strapless t-shirt and high riding khaki shorts, which just emphasized the perfection that was her body. After studying her, I glanced down at my own slim but un-toned body and felt a twinge of jealousy.

  “I know what you mean,” Annie said, tugging on her own frizzled locks. “When did you guys move in?”

  “Yesterday. I actually came upstairs to say hello, but you guys weren’t home.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. We went out to Soaking Wet,” Annie said as the two of them started to break off from the pack, leaving Hope and I slightly behind.

  The two of us walked in silence for what felt like an eternity as Annie and Steph were talking enough for the four of us. My eyes and ears were locked onto them as they had started talking about how gorgeous the guys were in Vegas. Every now and then, my eyes peeked over at Hope who just kept her head down and stammered forward. After a few minutes, things just started to feel awkward.

  “So, how do you and Steph know each other?” I asked hesitantly.

  Hope’s head jerked up so fast she had to re-position her thick glasses back into their normal spot.

  “Huh?” she asked surprised. “Oh, well we went to the same high school,” Hope said, barely loud enough for me to hear.

  “Where’d you go?”

  “Um, this high school down in Tucson, you wouldn’t know it.”

  “Oh, so you guys must have been friends for a while then?”

  She just shook her head. “They just put us together because of that.”

  “Ah, well that’s too bad,” I said, not really sure what else to say. “Are you enjoying it here so far?”

  “It’s fine I guess,” she shrugged. “Better than Tucson that’s for sure. What about you?”

  “We came from Seattle so it’s a pretty big change but we’ve been here for two weeks already. I’ve gotten used to it.”

  She nodded and seemed to relax just a bit as her shoulders slouched a little and she had picked up the pace. “How do you two know each other?”

  “That’s a long story,” I sighed. “Let’s just say we grew up together. She’s my best friend.”

  “Cool,” Hope said with a soft smile. Her smile was quite a change from the somewhat awkwardness of her appearance. She had shoulder length black hair, but it was completely matted and uncombed. It rested on top of a very round and chubby face. Her deep brown eyes were hidden behind extra thick glasses, which rested on a long and pointy nose, as pimples and other random blemishes covered the rest of her face. A pair of really baggy jeans covered her legs, and a plain yellow t-shirt covered her undefined chest. She wasn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination, but she wasn’t in the same ballpark as me, Annie or especially Steph. But Hope had a friendly and innocent vibe about her, something I found deeply refreshing.

  As we walked on in silence, listening to Steph and Annie continue to chatter like hens, I realized how bizarre the whole situation truly was. It was like looking into a mirror. Annie and Steph were the long lost siblings, who looked dazzling and impressive, whereas Hope and I were the shy, unaware younger sisters that tagged along for the ride.

  “Have you met any of the other people in the complex?” I asked.

  “Yeah, yesterday we saw a group of guys moving in next door while we were moving. There was also a guy and girl moving in below them at the same time,” Hope said.

  “Were they nice?” I asked.

  “Yeah, they were pretty cool,” Hope replied. “The couple was from here in Vegas. Emily and Sean I think their names were. And the two guys were your typical jocks, Chase and Tyler if I remember correctly. Didn’t really talk to them much, but the guys seemed rather cocky and kind of on the dimmer side.”

  “I’m sure Annie will be introducing us in no time,” I sighed. “Can’t wait to meet them.”

  Our conversation continued for another five minutes before we arrived at The Pit. Annie and Steph had finally finished their conversation; realizing how far back Hope and I had drifted as we approached the massive double glass doors. The place was extremely crowded. I couldn’t believe how many options there were to eat. There was everything from omelet and cereal bars to pancake and waffle irons. Not to mention the abundance of fresh fruit and five separate juice options. I finally was able to understand how the phrase “freshman fifteen” started. Hope and Annie only grabbed a few pieces of toast, which I believed was a sign of their nerves. Steph and I, on the other hand, loaded up with as many carbs as we could find. Steph was clearly calm and excited to be where she was, but Annie had started to quiet down a little bit since we got there. I could only guess she had started to get nervous about school starting.

  The common area was a huge room decorated with all types of school logos, pictures of famous alumni and murals of a Spartan, the school mascot. Tables were scattered all over the floor and were full of advertisements from different clubs all around campus inviting new students to join. The tables extended all the way to the windows, which covered the wall just like the Johnson’s kitchen, except these windows extended over twenty feet in the air. That wall of windows overlooked Spartan Stream, a manmade stream that ran through the middle of campus. We sat down in chairs that definitely didn’t meet my expectations, especially because of what tuition cost. They were rock hard, and had no cushioning on either the butt or the back. I wondered if it would be a bad idea to bring in a pillow to protect from eventual bruising. Then again, Annie would probably kill me for social status assassination.

  As we finished up our breakfast, which Steph had controlled for the most part with her thoughts about fraternity parties and college guys, we headed towards the University Center for orientation. The UC was the biggest building on campus. Every person, office or department that we’d ever need seemed to be in the one building. Our orientation was in the main conference hall on the seventh floor, and because so many students were coming in at once, we decided to take the stairs instead of waiting forever for the elevator to empty. Once at the top, we waited in a short line to receive our orientation packets before we entered the hall.

  I stared in awe as we walked into the conference hall. There must have been at least five hundred solo desks laid out similar to an amphitheater, with a long desk at the base. The ceiling rose high into the air, which gave the room a convention center feel. Behind the long desk were four large whiteboards, and an overhead projector screen was pulled down, covering the middle two boards. The place was moderately full, but we were able to find four seats right next to each other about half way up. After about ten minutes, the room was completely full, and some late stragglers actually had to stand along the walls and take notes standing up. After another minute, an older, balding man and a younger, more attractive man entered the room and stood at the podium, dressed very professionally in full, black pin striped suits.

  “Good morning, and welcome to the University of Las Vegas. We’re so delighted to see you all here this early. You know, one of the first things I notice every year is
how excited students are to know that classes start two hours later than in high school!” the older man said cheerfully to a resounding applause from the packed house. “I’m President Goodwin, and this is Dean Bradley.”

  “The next four years of your lives are going to have many ups and downs, abundant surprises and many happy memories. Our goal with this orientation is to give you a basic idea of what to expect your first few weeks here. We want you to know where all campus services are located, how to utilize your ID cards, and also to explain how campus advisors work,” he continued.

  “This first week of school is designed only for freshman, to help you get a feel for the campus and how things work, without the craziness that accompanies upperclassmen. As the week progresses, you’ll meet with all of your professors and start your first class, Perspectives. It’s a course designed specifically for freshmen to get used to the rigors of college academia. You will listen to fascinating lectures from some of the top scholars in the country, take notes and participate in intense discussions and debates. Finally, you will be writing three papers over the course of the semester to familiarize yourself with our writing guidelines and expectations.”

  At that point, I glanced at Annie whose face had gone colorless, with her eyes bulging out of their sockets. I patted her knee and smiled encouragingly, trying to let her know she’d be fine, which I knew would be true.

  “The students in your Perspectives class are also the same students in your orientation group. After your class today, each group will be meeting with your orientation leaders, who will give you a campus tour. If you look in your orientation packets, you’ll find your schedule with all the classes you registered for earlier this summer. On the bottom left-hand corner of your schedules, you’ll see the names of your two upperclassmen leaders,” he said, giving us a minute to find and look over our schedules. As I reviewed my schedule, I noticed Simi Miller and Liam Talbott in small print at the bottom. I looked over at Annie’s sheet and saw we were in the same group and a huge smile had replaced the look of fear.

  “Do you think it’s the same guy from yesterday?” she whispered excitedly.

  “Liam isn’t really a common name, so it’s definitely possible,” I shrugged, observing the rest of my schedule. Something inside was hoping it wasn’t the same guy. He sounded too pushy and assertive trying to get Annie to do something she wasn’t sure of doing.

  “Remember, your orientation leaders are here to help you with any problems you may face with your transition onto campus. They are your friends and will lend a helping hand, or ear, if you need them. Their guidance extends all year long so don’t be afraid to use them if you have any troubles,” he said sternly.

  “Now, before you leave here and go to your Perspectives class, our Dean of Students has a slideshow presentation on the city, and what types of services you may find useful during your time in Las Vegas. Dean Bradley, the floor belongs to you…” he finished, to a round of applause. They shook hands as the Dean took the stage.

  Dean Bradley gave a much less personable welcome. After a few seconds, the lights dimmed and the presentation started. It was twenty minutes of insanely boring maps, photos and telephone numbers of local hotspots. Since Annie and I had already seen a majority of the places during our first two weeks, my eyes wandered to the schedule sitting on the desk. I squinted in the mild darkness at what was to come that semester. Even though I had registered a month ago, I couldn’t help but review the fun that was on the horizon: Philosophy, Statistics, Intro to Religion, Perspectives, and finally, to get my Exercise Science credit out of the way, Yoga. Everything looked so exciting, so new. Maybe things were going to turn out better than I expected. Suddenly, without me even realizing it, the presentation was over and Annie was pulling me up in an attempt to get us out of there as soon as possible, with Steph and Hope waving goodbye as we left for our separate classes.

  Perspectives was exactly what President Goodwin warned. Lots of lecturing, note taking and discussion; all of which turned out to be way over Annie’s head. Our topic for the semester was Comparative World Religions, which shocked me seeing as I had never taken a religion class in my life and now I’d be taking two in one semester. But she survived, though she almost hyperventilated when the professor asked her if she thought religion was good or bad for society.

  “How can you take two religion classes at once?” Annie asked in admiration as we headed back to the UC to meet our leaders.

  “I just signed up for the first one on a whim, it seemed interesting enough and I’ve never had the opportunity to learn about it,” I shrugged. “It won’t be too bad. How about you, I thought you were going to pass out back there.”

  “Oh shut up,” she spat. “Why did he have to gang up on me in there? I don’t know anything about religion! Oh man, I’m going to fail out of this place, I know it. You’ve gotta help me!”

  “You’re nuts,” I laughed. “You tell me to get more confidence and I’ll get any guy I want, but you can’t even take a Professor asking you for your opinion? Of course I’ll help you, but you’ll figure it out on your own pretty quickly I think.”

  Annie playfully shoved me as color slowly returned to her cheeks. We had finally reached the stairs of the UC which stood just yards from the stream. Any energy I built up from class had quickly extinguished, as I just wasn’t prepared to deal with meeting Liam. Annie on the other hand seemed to get extra pep in her step as we arrived. Luckily, there was only one leader standing at the steps of the UC and she was not a man. The maroon t-shirt she was wearing with a large, gold Spartan head in the middle was completely overshadowed by her downright homely appearance. Her ebony face was somewhat deformed with deep scars on her cheeks and heavy acne. Long, dark braids spiraled all the way down to her waist, which was covered by a long pair of tan colored shorts. Her clothes hung loosely off of her thick frame. She wasn’t smiling, but her brown eyes looked quite focused and attentive. Annie gave me a look of hesitation as we cautiously approached, following the lead of our other uncertain group members.

  “If you could all gather around please and take a seat,” she spoke in a surprisingly soft, sweet voice to the seventeen freshmen that surrounded her.

  “My name is Simi Miller and I’m one of your Orientation Leaders,” she said with a wide, friendly smile that came out of left field. Pearly white teeth just illuminated her face and made her seem much more pleasant. “If you guys could just sit around here in a circle, that’d be great! Your other leader, Liam Talbott, should be here any minute. I know that we are both so thrilled to see you here. I hope you’re enjoying your first day!” Most students timidly nodded in approval.

  “The first thing I want to tell you is that we all hate being called orientation leaders. We prefer you call us Orlies.” Everyone looked at each other nervously, not sure they wanted to actually ever say that word aloud.

  “The second thing is that it’s our job to make sure you guys get two vital components of campus life, your ID cards and a campus tour. Since Liam isn’t here yet to help with any of that, I’d like to tell you all a little about myself, and if we have some time, you can go around the group and introduce yourselves” she said as she looked around at all our faces. At that moment, my stomach began to do cartwheels. If there was one thing I hated more than being in the spotlight, it was speaking in the spotlight. Sweat started to build on my brow as Simi gave us a quick rundown of herself.

  Her personality was extremely likable and energetic. She spoke of her academic accomplishments, as well as her hours of volunteer work in the community. As she spoke, the anxiety I had about public speaking seemed to melt away. The tone of her voice was very reassuring and comforting, which seemed to loosen everyone else up as well. But, the kindness of her words seemed to offset the harshness of her appearance.

  When she finished, Liam still hadn’t arrived. There was a slight trace of impatience and frustration that passed over Simi’s distorted face as she glanced down at her watch. She quick
ly shook it off, regained her smile and started asking the students in our group to introduce themselves. As each student spoke briefly about themselves, the line quickly approached me. After Annie’s surprisingly lackluster introduction, all eyes turned to me as I was the last member to speak.

  “Um,” I said, my voice shaking. “I’m Zoe.”

  I couldn’t quite figure out exactly what to say as my silence started to make things quite awkward.

  “Where are you from Zoe?” Simi asked pleasantly.

  “Seattle.”

  “Oh cool! So do you and Annie know each other then?” Simi asked. I glanced over at Annie whose eyes were scanning the campus. She was sporting a rather eager and expectant face.

  “Yeah, we grew up together,” I said, my voice regaining some strength. “She’s my best friend.”

  “Awesome!” Simi cried. “So what do you do for fun Zoe?”

  My nerves rapidly began to subside. The butterflies that were tickling my stomach originally had faded.

  “Not much really,” I said. “I love to read, but that’s about it.”

  Everyone around the group still had their focus on me. Nobody had laughed or turned away to make jokes, which was quite different than my past experiences in high school. A small smile lit up my face as Simi continued to talk.

  “That’s cool, I love to read too. Did you play any sports in school?”

  ‘No. I used to own a bike, but that was a while ago. My parents never really let me do those kinds of things. I guess you could say I’ve had a pretty sheltered life,” I shrugged.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Simi said sweetly. “Besides, here you’ll be able to do whatever you want to do. That’s the beauty of this place. I think you’ll really find a whole new world here that you never even knew existed!”

  “Sounds fun,” I replied.

  “Is there anything else you want to tell us about yourself?” she said, looking down at her watch.