Snippet #2814480

Bernadette couldn't help but regret the situation; it had suddenly turned from giving a random peer a ride home to getting asked to dinner plans. Giving Yael the money home seemed like such a small act that she would have preferred to put it somewhere at the back of her mind and forget it.

Bernadette didn't reply as she got her phone back. Looking into her phone screen, she paused for a moment, wondering if it would be best to give her phone number out after all. After a second, Bernadette hesitantly typed "Bernadette." and sent it to Yael's number. Safety reigned in her eyes after all.

There was always the possibility to raincheck, she decided. It was not that Bernadette cared whether she was seen with Yael or someone out of her social status; most of her time abroad had been spent with strangers that had much less than her in life since she didn't always choose to stay in expensive spots. Yael just didn't seem like the kind to mix with her.

"I hope you have a safe trip home," Bernadette said as she watched Yael step out. She stayed to make sure that she got into the taxi safely before driving away.

The campus, as it always was during the first day of Fall classes, was full of students moving between classes and meeting up with people they had not seen for the past three months. There were the freshmen and the fourth-years, the groups that gathered and blocked sidewalks to talk. In this sense, Olympus University was not very different from normal universities. Bernadette could feel the heat of the day, her white cat-eye sunglasses blocked the bright rays. The last couple of days had been mostly spent home, working on her individual pieces as much as possible before classes began. There were some exhibits she had her eyes on and the perfect pieces to compliment but art was not an overnight process and her desire for perfection and high expectations from others meant taking her time with every piece.

In her last year, Bernadette had been left with upper-level degree courses and the thought of a challenge excited her. Her foundations were strong and she was ready for her classes to measure up. There had always been a debate whether to pursue an art degree; thankfully, Olympus' art program focused on developing each students' individual art rather than produce students with the same style.

The class she had taken was one she had been looking forward to, the professor was very well-known in the art world and revered by students. Having reached the classroom door, Bernadette stepped inside and took a seat besides one of her acquaintances.