"You never know what's around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you've climbed a mountain."

-Tom Hiddleston

It's the third college on my list of potential plan B colleges that the guidance counselor gave me last week. I have until Friday to pick one and I'm hoping that this would be the ah-ha moment where I will just know, this is the one. With everything going on in my life I felt like graduation was going to be a pivotal moment in my life where I can legitimately start over. I'm tired of being KP, tired of all the friends, the attention and the town. I just want to be Kindra Pruet the freshman.

I haven't bothered to research anything about the college before heading up. I only know the address.

As I walk in an almost trance across the campus I try to take it all in. The campus is large, almost the size of my previous choice but has a drastically different feel to it. Whereas CSU has a sleek beach town style this is a polar opposite. The buildings are older, the brown-hued bricks giving you a homey feeling rather than an institute one. Something I never thought about before but am now enjoying.

Even though it's late February the amount of foliage present is apparent. Bushes line nearly every wall of every building. You could tell they are older from their size which also means they are well taken care of. The trees are also massive, allowing at least two groups to study under them in the sunny months.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not seriously impressed.

As I continue to wander in the direction I have determined is the admissions department my ringtone sounds from my pocket causing my brown to crease in slight confusion. There's no one I can think of that could be texting me at this hour.

How's the college tour? Find a winner?

I can't help but roll my eyes but a smile spreads onto my lips regardless. Kies. Honestly, who else would it be?

I just got here. Since when
do you care anyway?

Since always

An instant answer from Kies always leaves me dumbfounded. It's intimidating and honestly a little refreshing he doesn't have to think about his responses. It makes it so I never question his authenticity when he speaks to me. It makes me smile that he's so mature, it also makes me unaware of where I'm walking.

With a painful thud, I walk straight into something hard that speaks.

"Whoa there, sorry about that. Wasn't watching where I was going."

Glancing up my eyes meet the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen in my life. They're mostly an olive green but were touched with a hint of brown around the iris and are speckled with gold flakes. They're mesmerizing to the point of rendering me partially speechless. Blinking a couple of times I let a familiar smile slip onto my lips as I step back and away from the stranger.

"Guess that makes two of us then," I say waggling my phone at him, indicating I had been on my phone.

The guy looks at my phone and then back at me, his eyes scanning my face thoroughly before shoving his own phone in his pocket and speaking once more.

"Ben, nice to meet you." He says in a deep rich voice, extending his hand towards me.

As he did so his ebony waves bounce against his brow and ears. To say he's attractive was an understatement, he had to be a 9 maybe even a 10 on the sexy as fucking hell scale. Even though he has that southern charm thing going for him, smile included, he isn't the boy on the other side of the computer. The one I'm slowly starting to obsess over.

Despite that, I take his outreached hand in mine with a smile. "Kindra, nice to meet you."

The guy nods with a smile, dropping my hand. "So you're thinking of attending here?"

I can't help but chuckle at his directness. It wasn't something you ran across often so I appreciate it when I stumble across someone like that. He also hit the nail right on the head, I was.

"Yeah, I think so." I sigh looking around the quiet campus. "Seems like a quiet place."

Ben shrugs following my gaze. "The main campus tends to be. The dorms are a bit dicey though." He chuckles.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "So you're telling me not to attend then?" I ask in a teasing manner.

Ben gives me an incredulous look with a smirk attached. "Hardly. Just insider information. If you want our house is having festivities this evening. You should stop by and check it out. Make sure you can handle the scene." He offers with a flirtatious wink.

I study the guy standing before me. I have about as much interest in him as I currently do in talking to Christopher. I'd much rather go home and talk on the phone with Kies, that activity sounds much more appealing than a college party. Have I really lost touch with reality that much?

"Sure, that sounds great." I lie with a smile knowing that to make a new life I have to get out there and actually meet the people that will be in it.

The guy returns my smile. "Dorms on the east side of campus." He states, nodding off to the west. "I gotta get to class but it was nice running into you Kindra."

"Yeah, you too." I mimic as he walks away.

I watch for a moment before giving him my back and continuing towards the registrar's office. I sigh, casting my gaze up to the clear blue sky. I wonder if I'm making a mistake, accepting an invitation from a guy I just met. He could be a creep, then again he could be a sweetheart. I have no way of knowing.

I did, however, know one thing for certain. That when I got to the registrar's office I was picking up an application. I really want to attend this school and it isn't because Ben gave a good first impression. It's because for the first time I can remember, someone only knew me by Kindra and the feeling is electric.