Alice Centaur's First Day at College
The sound of the alarm clock shattered the early morning quiet. Its shrill beeping was interrupted when a hand slammed down on the snooze button. The hand remained there for a minute before sliding off. The red LED lights slowly ticked off the minutes until five digits had changed on the far right. Then it went off again. The hand came out of nowhere again and hit the snooze button one more time. This time, however, a groggy head rose up and blearily looked at the time. Eight-oh-Five. Alice grumbled slightly as she stretched, her arms coming high over her head. Afraid that the clock would start screaming again, she quickly turned it off. Rolling to her feet, she began walking out of her room to the kitchen. There, she saw her mother cooking over the stove and idly swatting flies. Judging from the smell that came from the skillet, her mom was cooking eggs. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since dinner. Walking over to her mom, she gave her a peck on the cheek. "Morning mom." Her mom smiled back at her. "Morning sweety, how'd you sleep?" Alice took her place at the table. "Not too bad." Her mom then heaped her plate with eggs, which Alice quickly pounced on. "Alice! Mind you manners." her mother scolded. Alice smiled sheepishly and slowed down.
After breakfast, Alice trotted back to her room to get her pack and strode back to the kitchen. There her mother smiled and gave her daughter a hug. "I am so proud of you sweety. You're the first to go to college." Alice wiggled slightly, embarrassed, before returning the hug fiercely. "Thanks mom.  I'll see you later." She ran outside where her friend Max was waiting with his truck and trailer.
A few hours later, she stepped out onto the pavement of the school parking lot. As far as she could see, there were cars packed tightly together on more than an acre of pavement. She felt sad that so much land had been paved over, but stepped forward. "Hey, wait up!" shouted Max, as he ran around the truck to stand next to her. She glanced at her curly-haired friend as he adjusted his pack. Satisfied that he was now ready, she took her first steps toward the cluster of buildings on the far end of the parking lot. As she walked, she noticed a lot of people staring. She tossed her head in defiance. Let them stare, she thought, I'll show them all. She had spent the better part of yesterday grooming herself to look her absolute best, and it showed. Her reddish orange coat gleamed in the sunlight. Her platinum blond hair, mane and tail were brushed until they were very soft and with the flowers she had weaved into her hair and tail, she was a sight to see. Her hooves clopped as they went onto the brick walk that led through the center of the lot to the school. It seemed to her to stretch to infinity, with a wall of silent, judgmental eyes on either side of her. She had to fight the urge to turn back and run when Max suddenly spoke beside her. "Do you know which building your first class is in?" She nodded. "Math 119, Algebra. It's inside the Humanities building." Max nodded and pointed to a six-story building nearest the parking lot. "That's the one that you want. My class is in the Engineering building across campus. I'll meet up with you later at the Student Center, okay?" "Okay." She nodded.
She turned towards the building Max had indicated. Striding towards the doors, she caused a pair of students who were in the process of exiting to leap back into the building. She had to duck to get in the pair of human-sized doors. She feared that she might get stuck, but was able to wiggle in. standing upright, she smiled back down at the pair, who were staring with their mouths slightly open. "Thanks for opening the door for me." She said politely. She then unslung her backpack and took out the sheet that told where her classroom was. Classroom 432 at 11 AM. Examining the numbers of the rooms in the hall nearest her, she saw that they read  101, 103, 104, etc. She deduced that her room was three floors above her. To her left was a stairwell. To her right, a row of elevators. She trotted over to the elevators and pressed the up button. The doors of the elevator in front of her slid silently open. Walking inside, she found out something she hadn't counted on. She was too big to fit in! Trying to get in, she turned sideways and angled her butt so that it was against the opposite wall. Bending her human torso down, she contorted herself until she was a centaur pretzel in the elevator. Pushing the button for her floor was a bit of a challenge, but she managed it. How, she'll never figure out. They really need to design elevators for those of us who are humanly challenged, she thought irritably. When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, she saw a couple people move automatically towards the waiting elevator only to stop in surprise. Carefully moving her human half out, she tried not to get her shirt caught on the doors. Once her human half was out, the rest of her followed and she stretched slightly. She walked down to the hallway, her hooves ringing on the linoleum floor. Turning the corner, she found the classrooms were labeled, starting with 440. Smiling, she moved down the hallway like a ship through a river. Students on the way to and from class parted around her and stared as she passed. Her sharp ears could catch their whispers. "What is that?" "Haven't you heard of the Centaurs?" "What is her kind doing her?" "She's a freak!" Were some of the milder things that she heard. She kept her face impassive as she continued to her class. Inside though, she felt sick, as if she wanted to through up.
When room 432 came up, she flung open the door with a bit more force than she ought to have. The door slammed into the wall with a sound like a gunshot, quieting everyone and causing her to become the center of attention. Embarrassed, she could feel her face flaming as she darted into the classroom, her hooves skidding a little on the slick floor. The teacher at the front of the room was a kindly looking woman. She smiled gently at Alice and asked her name. Alice stared at her in surprise. How could anyone, she wondered, mistake her for anyone else? "Alice, ma'am." She managed to say in a strangled voice. "Ms. Alice. Ah, yes. I have you here on the rolls now. Please take…" she paused. "Oh, well I guess you can't do that. Well, let me think here. You could push a couple of chairs away from the table and, ummm." She coughed slightly, her face showed her struggle. "Lay down ma'am?" Alice sighed. Her face cleared up immediately. "Yes. I believe there is some room on the right side table if you want to stay in the front. And by the way, I am Mrs. Blakely." "It's a pleasure to meet you Professor." Alice said politely. Moving to the spot the professor had indicated, she moved a couple of chairs out of her way and then unslung her pack and lay down. Even down, she was several feet above the table. The professor saw this and frowned. "We'll," she said slowly. "I'll have to call special services and see if they can arrange for a proper desk for you. I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until next week to get it though." Alice shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Thank you Professor. I'm sure I'll be fine until then."
Mrs. Blakely went back to preparing her lecture for the day. Alice pulled out her notebook and some pencils from the pack she had. It was certainly going to be an interesting class! She watched as other students filed in. Some were so absorbed in their own conversations on their phones that they went straight to their seats without a word. Others walked in, spotted her and did a comedic double-take. Slowly the room started to fill up, as students took seats and pulled out their bags. She noticed that no one wanted to sit next to her though. Probably didn't want to sit next to the freak, she thought angrily. She pulled out her math book and started perusing the chapter. She wasn't really reading, she just didn't want to look at the rest of the class. As she was looking at the quadratic formula, she was interrupted by a voice next to her. "Excuse me miss, but is this seat taken?" She looked up, startled to be addressed, and found herself looking into a pair of dark brown eyes. It took her a moment to look past the eyes and see the man with them. He was tall, slightly round with a slight grin on his face. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that read "Chicks dig me. I'z Smart!" She mutely shook her head, not sure what to make of this development. "Cool." The man said. Grabbing one of the chairs she had discarded, he set it up next to her and sat down. Pulling out his book, he set out his notebook beside it with pencil and pen.
"So, what are you going for?" he asked Alice. Again surprised, she turned to look at him. "Ummm, I'm not really sure. I decided to start with my associate's degree in arts and science, but then I am thinking afterwards of pursuing a degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Veterinary medicine. How about you?" "I am going for a degree in Computer Science as well, but with a minor in Electrical Engineering. First Quarter?" She nodded her head. "Yeah." "Well, don't let the work get you down, this is only my second quarter here, myself. It's a tough course, but I hear the early classes are the roughest. Then the rest goes easier. At least, that's what I've heard. Oh, sorry!" he slapped his forehead. "My name is Paul." He stuck out his hand. She took it. "My name is Alice." "Nice to meet you." They both let go and then turned back to the front of the classroom.
The professor started the class with a roll call, and then told the class to open the books to the first chapter. They started with the concept of quadratic equations and how they worked. Then the professor passed out a set of In Class Exercises, or ICE. Alice bent down so that she could work on the problem. "Need some help?" Paul asked. Alice nodded gratefully. Together, they worked on the exercises until it was time to go.
As Alice gathered up her stuff, Paul asked whether or not she had to run straight to her other class. "No. I've got a four hour break until my English 101 class." "Then why don't we go to the Student Center for lunch and then head off to class." She was surprised to learn that he was in her 101 class as well. Together they walked to the large student center. On the way, folks continued to stop and stare at the strangeness they made. A human and a centaur walking along the campus made for an odd sight.
The rumble of conversation stopped when they entered the center. Round tables filled the large communal center, packed with students. The students were staring at her again. She felt terribly self-conscious, but Paul suddenly grabbed her hand. "Hey look, there's an open spot near the deli counter." He led her towards the table. Once there, he moved some chairs and let her lay down there. She quickly folded her back legs and then her front legs. Settling down, she pulled out her homework and began working on it. Paul sat next to her, chattering like a magpie. Alice was grateful for his presence. It took her mind off the stares of the others. The girl behind the counter leaned over and smiled at them. "Hey Paul, whose your friend?" "Hey Jeannette. This is my friend, Alice. We met in Math Class." "Well, it's nice to meet you. See anything you like?" the girl asked. Alice smiled. She was relieved that the girl was so nice. She looked at the selection of sandwiches. "I'll take the veggie- delite." She said. "That will be two-fifty." She pulled the indicated sandwich while Alice went into her pack and pulled out some change. "Thanks Sweety." Jennette said ringing up the sale. Alice accepted the wrapped sandwich and set it off to the side to eat later.
Alice and Paul worked on their homework until it was time for English class. Then they walked out of the student center, waving goodbye to Jeanette. Then they went out to the humanities building, were the class was. Fortunately, this time the class was on the ground floor, so this time, she didn't have to take the elevator, for which she was thankful. Walking down the hall, they came to their classroom. Alice went into the room and picked a table near the back, where there was more space for her to lay comfortably. Paul took the seat next to her and set out his books. She looked over at the seat beside him. A pretty girl with brown hair and glasses sat at the other end. "What are you looking at?" She snarled. "Nothing." Alice said quickly, not wanting to start a fight. "She's looking wherever she darn well wants to." Paul growled, with a slight smile on his face. "Bite me." The woman growled with the same slight smile. Alice kept quiet, looking back and force. "I take it you two know each other?" she ventured. The two looked at each other and laughed. "You could say that." Paul smiled slightly. "Natalie and I go way back, to grade school in fact." "Since he tied to steal my lunch in the classroom and I defeated him." Natalie smirked. Paul simply laughed. They quieted as the professor walked in. He was an elderly gentleman in an actual tweed suit. He even had the stereotypical suitcase in his hand. A few of the kids giggled at the sight. The man smiled at them. "I'm glad you're all in a good mood. There's going to be a little quiz to determine where you are and what we need to cover for this quarter." And with that, he opened up his briefcase and removed two stacks of paper, which he proceeded to pass out to the class. When he got to Alice, he paused only a moment, before passing her a blank sheet. Compared to a lot of the other reactions she had gotten, it was very reserved.
After Class, Alice left with Paul and Natalie. Paul was talking about some sort of class he was in, called" Choir". It sounded like fun. "You've got to try it!" Paul pleaded, ignoring Natalie who was making faces behind him. "I'll try," Alice said. "No promises though." She then spotted Matt waving at her from the walkway. "I've got to go home now. I'll see you tomorrow." She waves goodbye and surged forward to a gallop, scattering students in her way. As she Charged, she heard Natalie say "Wow, wish I could do that!" She smiled as she showed to a walk, happy. "What's with you?" Matt asked as she caught up, ignoring the curses that followed her dash. "Nothing." Alice said. Together they headed for the truck and trailer. It was the end of her first day of college; she had made two new friends, and hadn't had a problem all day. Together, they left campus.