The tail ends of summer clung to the air, racing along with the eager faced freshmen and their over protective parents. Professors strolled through the campus, unburdened by the troubles that would weigh down their shoulders as the school year progressed. Campus guides with bright smiles and even brighter voices waved and pointed out notable landmarks on the Hale University grounds.

Charlie sat on a bench, her legs tucked beneath her, and her chin resting in her hands. A half forgotten smile sat on her lips as she watched the activity of the start of school. She breathed in, the smile growing as she smelled the scent of cut grass. Students wandered by their faces creased with the puzzlement of an expansive campus and their lack of maps.

"Excuse me?" a deep voice with the hint of a southern drawl said.

Charlie squeaked, her thoughts skittering away. She looked up to find a guy, no older than 19 staring down at her, with hazel eyes. He gave her a shy, closed lip smile. Charlie continued to stare, her mouth half open, pieces of her light brown hair falling into her face.

"I didn't mean to startle you," the guy said.

Charlie flushed and coughed, her deserting thoughts slowly returning to their original positions.

"It's fine," she said. "I mean I'm fine. Well, it's fine now. When you startled me I wasn't fine but since time has passed from when you startled and now then I've become fine."

Charlie bit down hard on her lip, cringing as she meet the guy's gaze again. Instead of the odd expression she was accustomed to the guy was smiling. A genuine, amused smile. He held out a hand.

"I'm Forest," he said.

Charlie blushed again and took his hand.

"I'm Charlie. Well, that's not my legal name, it's just what people call me. My real name is Charlotte, but as a custom people shortened it too Charlie. It was my sister to be specific. Not sure why they didn't do Loti instead, but there you have it."

Too Charlie's surprise, Forest laughed, the sound warm and inviting, like home after a long trip. Charlie relaxed.

"I like the name Charlotte. It's actually the name of my dog. Not that you remind me of my dog. Because you don't. You're a lot prettier than a dog...."

Charlie laughed and Forest ran a hand through his wavy dirty blonde hair, looking down at the ground.

"I like you, Forest," Charlie said.

He looked up startled and Charlie's blush raced back into her cheeks.

"I mean...as in you seem...like the kind of person...someone could get to know and like and find comforting at times....and..."

Charlie buried her head in her hands.

"This is usually when people take the opportunity to sneak away," she muttered.

There was no sound and Charlie let out a sigh. When she looked up though, Forest was still standing there.

"You're still here?" she said, cocking her head.

Forest gave a nervous laugh and glanced down at the ground before looking back up.

"Uh...I actually came over here in the first place to ask for directions," he said.

"From me?"

Forest nodded.

"You seemed nice enough and like you would know your way around."

"I'm guessing you're rethinking your initial thoughts." Charlie shook her head. "Not that I want you to. I am normal. Kind of. I think I'm nice. Not sure." She held up a confident finger. "I do know my way around, so that thought wasn't wrong."

Forest just looked at her with a quiet smile tucked in the corner of his mouth.

"So you can give me directions?" he asked.

Charlie nodded.

"Where do you need to go?" she asked.

Forest pulled out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his faded blue jeans.

"I'm looking for room E7. Literature with Professor Dallas."

"Oh! You'll like him," Charlie said. "He's tough on essays but will really help you develop your own style. That's what everyone around here says."

"You know the place then?"

Charlie nodded and stood. She pointed to the left.

"If you just follow this path around the library," she said, "then you will come to a statue of a man holding a globe. Well, I think it's a globe. It might be some sort of circular structure, though I can't be sure. You take a right at him and follow the path that curves around the pond, on the right side. Up the hill and it will be the third building on the left. It's big and made of stone. About five stories tall." Charlie paused. "Or is it six. It has windows in it, that I do know. So yeah, that's how you get there."

She  turned back to Forest to find a look of complete confusion written out on his down-to-earth features. He gave her an apologetic shrug.

"Mind saying that again?" he asked.

"Ummm...yeah...it's just..." She stopped. "You want me to walk with you there. I mean if you don't mind it. I don't want be a bother and I could probably draw you a map, though I flunked out of art class last year. So it might not be that great but-"

Forest held up a hand cutting off her tirade of words.

"If it's not too much trouble I will accept your offer," he said.

Charlie gave a shaky laugh.

"Yeah, okay. Ummm....let's go. Yeah, just follow me."

Before more words could be ejected from her mouth, she turned and walked down the path. Forest trotted to keep up with her. For a long moment, neither of them spoke, Charlie desperately clinging to every word that rose to her throat, forcing it back down. When the battle became to much she twisted toward Forest.

"I'm surprised you agreed. Most people I talk to run away or jump into a pond to hide. Though that was only once and I'm not sure whether or not he was really just looking for his missing golf ball. That's beside the point, most people...ummm...don't stay." 

Charlie looked away, suddenly finding intense interest in the progress of a butterfly.

"You remind me of home, that's all," Forest said.

Charlie looked at him, brown eyes brightening with curiosity.

"Oh? How so?"

She bit down on her lip before more words could tumble free.

"I'm from Georgia," Forest said. "I come from a big family. Eight of us all together. I'm the eighth. First one to leave too."

"Pennsylvania is kind of far from Georgia."

"It is and different too, but I like it so far," Forest said.

"Why do I remind you of home?"

"You talk a lot."

Charlie blushed and dropped her gaze. Forest laughed.

"I like it," he said.

"You would be the first," Charlie said.

They were just rounding the pond when an older man with a small goatee dressed in a suit appeared. When he spotted Charlie, he let a warm chuckle as an amused smile spread across his wrinkled features.

"Hello Charlotte," the man said. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised running into you."

"Hi, Professor Denswell," Charlie said.

Professor Denswell glanced at Forest.

"Showing around a new student I see. You know we have guides for such a thing."

Charlie looked between him and Forest.

"Oh I know, just Forest came up to me looking for directions and I thought I would help him out seeing as I do know my way around campus-"

Professor Denswell held up a hand.

"I don't doubt that you know this campus better than another other. Your father used to often joke about calling you for directions," he said.

Charlie smiled but the gesture didn't reach into her eyes. Denswell turned to Forest.

"Welcome to Hale University, I hope you enjoy yourself." He nodded to the both of them. "Good day."

Charlie pressed on, after Denswell moved around them, Forest keeping up with her.

"Your father's a professor?" he asked.

"He was."

Charlie said no more and Forest didn't push for more. They finished the rest of their journey in silence. When they arrived at their destination, Charlie motioned to an open doorway, where students turned in.

"Thanks for helping me," Forest said.

Charlie nodded and took a step back, holding her tongue on check.

"How can I find you?" Forest asked, before Charlie could disappear.

She laughed.

"Don't worry, I frequent the lawn a good amount. I'll be around. I mean that is if you want to find me. Because you know some people don't-"

Her gush of words stopped as Forest smiled.

"I know where to look then. I'll see you around Charlie," he said.

"Probably," she said, waving.

He disappeared into his classroom and Charlie turned away melting into the tide of students. A second later her phone rang. She dug it out and answered.

"Girl! Where are you?" a bubbly voice asked.

"Hi Sammy, I'm at the Hale Campus," Charlie said.

"Don't hi Sammy me and why are you there? If you don't hurry you'll miss our last first day high school! Seniors baby!"

Charlie could picture the sweet faced, red head doing a small dance and laughed.

"I know. I'm on my way."

***************

Well howdy do!

This story is about a girl struggling to be heard in loud family, and dealing with the grief of her father. Spending most of her life going unseen and unheard it surprises her when a guy does see and listen to her. In turn she helps him adjust to a new life and a new world.

This idea came to me when I was on a drive up the coast. I passed a beautiful campus and had the strongest desire to be able to go and hang out there. Then it just hit me, what if a girl hung out on a college campus because her father used to be a professor and got mistaken for a college girl, what would happen. Then it just went from there.

Any thoughts? Do you ever feel like Charlie out of place and a little odd? I know I do! 😄

Vote, comment, follow! Ramble on in the comments if you want to, haha it doesn't even have to be about the book, I'll answer it anyways!