"Art Imitating Life"

She hugged the History textbook closer to her chest, not realizing that the pressure was causing her sternum to ache. It was her first day as a junior in the unfamiliar surroundings and she was a sole musketeer since all of her friends were under a different matriculation program, though under the same roof, or only joining her during the next intake.
    Oh well, she thought. I don't blame them either. We're all heading to divergent routes after our foundation course. It's sooner or later that we have to leave each other's nest. I might as well learn to cope with it now by living, eating and breathing studies. With a sigh, she shoved the door to the classroom open and didn't know what to think when she saw that it was empty. The paper slip that she held and wristwatch she wore indicated otherwise; she was in the correct place and not running behind schedule. Suspecting that she may've arrived earlier than the would-be classmates, she strode on and settled in her seat, the further away from the whiteboard, the better.
    She was less than interested in attracting attention or even establishing acquaintances with anyone just yet. What she wanted was some time to be accustomed with the way things rolled on campus, but she failed to realize that her awkwardness was attracting more attention than desired or expected.
    It was shortly after that more of the students dashed into the classroom and the notebook that was sprawled in front of her assisted her to feign that she was engaged. The lecturer was the last to arrive and as he walked in, he greeted the class before taking attendance. With that being done, he came forward and sat one of the empty tables in front. He initiated the icebreaking process by mentioning that he was Mr. Anthony, and he looked like he was in his mid-thirties with wind-blown brown hair. He spoke at the volume of a speaker, something that bothered the students immediately because they were frightened by the notion of him being vocal about issues. His projection, however, was to allow the entire classroom to understand the context of his lectures without him having to repeat himself.
    He gave the floor to them to continue the cycle, randomly selecting the pupils concurrently. Being the first to introduce herself was nerve-wrecking because she was unsure on what to say, but she used Mr. Anthony's presentation as an example and took it from there. With shaky hands, she casually left the workbook on the table and rose to her full height.
    She was Patricia, a short-haired brunette with a sharp chin and adorable round brown eyes. Her hourglass figure accentuated the flowy floral dress and short-sleeved white shirt that she wore, which was complimented by a pair of knee-length leather boots and a charm bracelet around her wrist. She added that although she harbored a vested interest in history and visual arts, her lifelong aspiration was pursue a double major in Law and Communications, either in Australia, Canada or the States.