Enrollment

Waking up in a drowsy manner, Kayla's eyes shot open to the blaring sunlight streaming through her window. A moment of serenity flowed to her before a wave of panic surged through her veins as she glanced at her Analog clock beside the bed—8:45 AM.

Although her appointment with Matthew was at one in the afternoon, she still has to process her enrollment.

And because she had forgotten to set an alarm the previous night thanks to her exhausting battle with her wardrobe, she yelped, bolting upright from her bed like a cat startled by a vacuum cleaner.

"Oh no! I'm late!"

Still half-dazed from sleep, Kayla stumbled to her closet and yanked it open. Clothes flew in all directions as she scrambled to find her perfect pastel yellow dress, which she had forgotten where she put the night before. "Where is it? Where is it?!" she muttered frantically, her voice muffled by the heap of rejected outfits piling up around her.

Kayla finally found the dress and haphazardly tossed it onto the bed. She then sprinted to the bathroom, nearly crashing into the door on her way. A quick wash of her face, a frenzied application of moisturizer, and she was already dabbing on some foundation.

Mascara? Check. Lip gloss? Check. She threw her hair into a neat ponytail, the ends still slightly damp from last night. No time to worry about that.

She practically tore it off the hanger and hurriedly slipped it on. It fit just right, the pale-yellow fabric flattering her complexion and making her look refreshingly elegant and demure. If only she had time to appreciate it.

In a mad dash to the kitchen, Kayla grabbed a slice of bread, stuffed it into her mouth, and hurriedly slipped on her shoes while still chewing. Her bag was thrown over her shoulder, her phone clutched tightly in her hand as she grabbled the prepared materials in the coffee table, hurried out of her apartment and down the stairs. The elevator was taking too long, and she couldn't afford to lose even a single second.

By the time she made it to the street, she was practically jogging. Luckily, she managed to hail a taxi and gave the driver the address to the university.

The taxi screeched to a halt in front of the university gate. Kayla stumbled out, her heartbeat racing from the rush. She glanced at her phone. 9:28 AM. She made it with two minutes to spare.

She hurried through the crowded campus, her shoes clicking against the pavement as she weaved between groups of students.

The enrollment office was on the first floor of the administration building, and by the time she reached the queue, Kayla was nearly out of breath. She dashed up ahead, her legs protesting from the sudden burst of energy.

She joined the line to get priority number, her chest heaving as she tried to regain her composure. The area was a mix of chattering students and the low hum of printers and computers.

Kayla sat down clutching her ticket number, feeling utterly exhausted as the adrenaline left her body. She breathed heavily, trying hard to calm herself down. After a moment, she checked her face with a compact mirror and quickly adjusted her makeup. Taking a deep breath, she patiently waited for her turn while attempting to steady her nerves.

When it was finally her turn, Kayla handed over her paperwork, her hands trembling slightly.

"Good morning. Here are my documents for enrollment," she said, her voice a little too high-pitched.

The clerk raised an eyebrow but took the documents, shuffling through them with a casual efficiency.

"You're cutting it close," the clerk commented, tapping a pen against the desk.

"I know," Kayla admitted, forcing a sheepish smile. "Had a rough morning."

The clerk just shrugged, then continued processing her papers. The minutes ticked by like hours, but eventually, the clerk handed her back a stamped form.

"All done. You're officially enrolled for the semester."

"Thank you so much!" Kayla beamed, the weight of stress finally lifting from her shoulders. She almost skipped her way out of the building, her heart much lighter than it had been all morning.

Kayla stepped out of the administration building, the sunlight almost blinding her after being inside for so long. She clutched the stamped form in her hand like it was a golden ticket.

The hard part was finally over, and a relieved grin stretched across her face. Now all she had to worry about was meeting Matthew—no big deal, right? She slipped her documents carefully into her bag, feeling a surge of excitement mingled with nervousness.

As she walked down the steps, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Fishing it out, she saw Laura's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey, Laura!" Kayla greeted; her voice still light with the joy of surviving the enrollment process.

"Hey! How did it go? You finally enrolled?" Laura's voice was its usual energetic tone, but there was a hint of something else there—concern? Or was it just stress from her busy life lately?

"Yup! I'm officially enrolled for the semester," Kayla said proudly, her pace slowing as she wandered down the crowded sidewalk.

"Good to hear. I was about to call you an hour ago, but I was swamped with meetings. I swear, if I hear one more person say the word 'merger,' I'm going to lose my mind."

Kayla chuckled. "Sounds tough. You hanging in there?"

"Trying to. Anyway, are you headed back to your apartment now?" Laura asked.

Kayla hesitated for a moment, her fingers tightening around her phone. For a second, she considered telling Laura about her meetup with Matthew. But she dismissed the thought just as quickly.

Laura would just worry, and she didn't need to pile on more stress to her friend's already heavy workload. Besides, it was just a casual meetup, nothing too serious.

"Yeah, I'm just heading out the gate now. I'll be home soon," Kayla lied as she continued to walk down the pathway leading to the university gate.

"Good. And be careful, alright? City T's gotten more crowded and weirder lately."

"I will, don't worry. You just focus on surviving your corporate battles," Kayla replied, her voice trying to sound upbeat and reassuring.

The guilt of hiding something from her dearest friend was pricking at her insides. It felt as if she were a criminal who had committed a crime, and Laura was the cop trying to sound her out.

"You know me, Kayla. I'm invincible," Laura said with a chuckle, but Kayla could hear the weariness under the bravado. "I'll talk to you later, okay? I need to attend another boring meeting."

"Alright, take care, Laura. Talk to you soon."

The call ended just as Kayla reached the university gate. She tucked her phone back into her bag and took a deep breath. Her heartbeat had already picked up speed again, but this time it was from excitement and nervousness. After all, she still had a date to catch.

When they were chatting yesterday, Matthew suggested that it would be best if they met up at the mall, all to be considerate of Kayla's shyness and to help put her at ease. Just then, Kayla received a message from Matthew.

Kayla quickly took out her phone to read the message.

[1 Instagram Notification: Matthew sent you a message]

[Kayla! I'm at the coffee shop on the first floor of the mall. Take your time, okay?]

She smiled while glancing at the text. She then replied enthusiastically.

[Kayla]

[Got it! I'm coming.]

Kayla closed her phone, put it in her bag, and hailed a cab. She entered the cab slowly and told the driver the address of the mall after sitting down comfortably.