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Mariana wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he decided to go to college in america. She was so used to Mexico where he didn’t have to struggle to understand people. Even though Mariana spoke fluent spanish he did learn a bit of english in preparation for moments like this.
It was the start of a new school year and Mariana was getting dress for her first class of the day. He decided to wear his favorite pair of black cargo pants with a white t-shirt. Before he left his house he grabbed his ultra paradise monster out the fridge and left. A tan backpack tossed over her shoulder as she made her way to her car.
The drive from Marianas house to his college was about 10 minutes. When he eventually got there and found a parking spot he turned off his car. Before getting out though, he took a few breaths to calm her nerves. Mariana grabbed his bag and got out his car to walk and find his classroom.
As Mariana walked to his class he could hear people speaking in english about something he couldn’t understand. When she found his class she walked in and found a seat. What he did not know was that the seat he chose happened to be right next to one of the dumbest smart kids ever.
She pulled out her notebook and computer to wait for the professor to get into the classroom. As he was looking for his pencil someone tapped his shoulder. “Hello? Do you need something?” Mariana asked confused.
The guy next to her wore this green nirvana shirt with grey sweatpants which clashed horribly. She tried to ignore his clothes and looked at his bright green eyes. “Hi! My name is Charlie! Im not used to having a desk mate.” The guys, Charlie, spoke quickly but someone Mariana was able to decently understand him.
Mariana gave Charlie a soft smile and spoke, “My name is Mariana. Sorry for bad english too.” Charlie shook his head quickly and smiled back. “Youre english is pretty good and clear. Where are you from?”Even though she knew her english was far from perfect she found the compliment very sweet, “Mexico. This is my first time in america.”
Charlie and Mariana talked for a while longer before they were shushed by the professor walking in. Mariana didn’t really understand everything the professor said but luckily Charlie helped her every time she didn’t quite understand. “Mariana? Do you have a class after this?” He looked up from his notebook at Charlie and shook his head. Charlies face lit up and a wide smile was ok his face, “How do you feel about getting something to eat together? This class ends around 11 anyway.” And so the two decided to get lunch together after class.
Finally, class was done and the two walked out together. “Hey uhm. Mariana? Could we take your car? I don’t really have one.” Mariana chucked and nodded, “yes yes. how do you uh.. get here?” Charlie explained how he rides with a friend of his or takes the public buses.
Picking what to eat was difficult for them since their taste buds were completely different. They decided on just getting a pizza to share between them. Mariana drove them to [insert pizza place] and took a seat in one the booths in the back of the restaurant. “So Mariana? Do you have any classes later today? Or was that your only one?” He looked at his phone where he wrote his schedule and shook his head no, “It was only that one class. Do you have any?” Charlie sigh and frowned, “I have one more class then im free. But don’t worry. Ill have my friend pick me up from here.”
“No no I will take you. I brought you here so its only fair.” She spoke slowly making sure her words came out clearly. Charlie tried to deny the ride but Mariana is not one to let others reject her help. “Fine. I guess you can take me back.” Charlie finally said stretching the s in the word ‘guess’ out a little bit.
When their waitress walked over she asked for their drinks. Charlie asked for a pepsi while Mariana got a water. “Water? Are you the no sugar type or person?” Mariana laughed a bit and said, “oh no. I just did not want anything sugary right now.” A long ‘oh’ sound left Charlies mouth as he nodded in understanding.
Soon enough their drinks were brought back to them. “Are we ready to order or do you need more time?” the waitress asked and Mariana responded, “We are just going to get a large pizza to share.” The waitress write down the order and walked away again and into the kitchen.
Mariana suddenly asked, “Charlie, should we exchange numbers? So we can text?” She pulled out her phone and handed it to the other who put his number in her phone. “You can just text me and i’ll save your number in my phone too.” She nodded and sent a ‘:>’ to him. Charlie pulled out his phone and saved her number and responded to the text with an ‘;}’. The two laughed before being shushed by some old woman sitting near them.
They eventually finished the pizza and got back into Marianas car. “Im so stuffed!” Charlie groaned as he stretched his arms out in the air. “You were the one who ate 6 slices of the pizza.” Mariana giggled before he felt a slap on the shoulder. “It was just too good to not eat it.” The two decided they needed to get Charlie back to the school so that he wasn’t late to his class.
By the time they got there Charlie had 5 minutes to get into his class. “Ok I have to run! Bye Mariana! Ill text you when im out!” Mariana waved bye as Charlie literally ran into the building. He sat for a few minutes before starting back up the car and deiving back home.
Mariana arrived home 20 minutes later because the traffic was absolutely terrible. He walked into his house, dropping his bag onto the floor and walking to sit on his couch. The first day was so much better than he would have expected. Class went surprisingly well and he made a new friend. Even though that friend seemed very stupid he was decently smart in some way or form.