Where the Real Story Begins

After a long and Taylor Swift filled ride home, I was ready to celebrate my 21st birthday with my closest friends.  I knew that this winter vacation was going to be different.  I would be able to take on the town with my babes and we were even going to be celebrating New Years in Philadelphia.  I was going to take full advantage of my single winter break. The madness that ensued after my arrival home is probably best kept off the internet but I can let you know that it was the perfect way to restart.  I headed back up to Rhode Island with a clear mind and full heart for my third season of college gymnastics.  This is where the story really begins.

The end of winter break whizzes by and the first week of classes is upon us.  Each day I walk into my classrooms praying to see his familiar face.  I search the room only to be met with defeat.  Somehow, out of the limited selection of classes our school has, we were not together in a single one.  Thursday was my last chance to be able to see you again

The sun rose on Thursday and I reluctantly climbed from my bed.  The air felt different that day.  Not in a "I know this is all going to work out" type of a way but more of a "the temperature dropped 15 degrees and I am frozen to the core" type of way.  I bundled up and ventured off into the snow covered campus.  I'm making it sound like my campus was enormous and I had to trek miles to get to class.  Instead, it was more a 30 second bone chilling walk for the shuttle that provided me with door to door service.  Same thing.  I sat through my day of classes until the last one arrived at 6:00.  I crawled my way to a chair and plopped my bag on the chair next to me.  I was surrounded by friends I regularly had classes with and we were happy to catch up after break.  Then it happened.  He walked into class.

He didn't always sit with my crowd but I saw him from across the classroom and shouted, "Hey Ted!! Come sit with us!"  What was I doing?  Where did this gallantry come from?  I quickly moved my bag from his chair and he took a seat next to me as the professor began to call attendance.