The Assistant (Matt Sturniolo)

26

"Ah my little baby on her first day of school!"

"Oh, would you stop?" I groaned, but I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face.

"You look like a lawyer already, Boob" Holly commented as I stood in front of her at the island. She set down her mug and smiled at me. "And don't start saying that I can't call you that. I'd say it's fitting for a day like this"

"Fine, only today you can call me that nickname that's been dead for years" I said, before looking at my outfit. "I'm not too overdressed, am I?"

"No, I think you look very nice. You should dress to impress, as they say"

I hummed in response.

"Are you excited?" Holly's question hit me as I reached for a glass in the cupboard and poured some orange juice into it.

"Yeah, I really am. I know I've already been down this road, but I feel much more confident this time around"

"That say something" she said and I nodded. The slice of bread sinks into the toaster as I set down the jar of jam with my other hand

I grabbed a plate and scooped up the rest of the eggs that Holly left for me. "I'm dying a girls hair purple tomorrow, so there's my big bang"

It finally looks like we found our callings, I thought to myself. I almost cringe at myself, but at the same time, I'm grateful.

"So are most of the classes online?"

"Yeah, but I have this one I have to go on campus for. It's an important one" I said, eating some of the eggs.

Ding!

I dragged my phone across the counter, I looked at the lit up screen. A new text appeared on the screen.

Luke: Good luck on your first day back!! Hoping it goes well and you get a nice teacher!! Take deep breaths!! Don't forget to tell me how it went :)

Sofia (boss): wishing you a great first day back, Y/N. We're all proud of you and we can't wait to see the great things you do! Good luck!

Robert: Proud of you for going back, Y/N. I can't wait to hear all about it. Excited to hang out with you and dad this weekend

Dad: happy first day back to school! I hope your first day back is great. Take your time and ask questions. Call when you get home. Love you x

I smiled, reading the words. I hear his familiar voice in my head, and it makes me feel warm inside. It made me ache for a hug and a head kiss from him. I decided to reply back to my dads text.

You: thank you, dad! I'm really excited, but nervous. I feel like people might know I dropped out...but luckily today is my only face to face and the rest is online. Let me know if you need anything. I can't wait to see you! x

The lecture hall was smaller than I remember, and less run down. After walking up a lot of stairs, I chose an empty table in the middle of the hall. Students stood around, talking about their online course and Snapchat. I placed my laptop in front of me, along with my new notebook, my planner and my bag of pens and pencils. As I set up my laptop, the seats around me fill up. It's not long before the professor takes a seat at the table at the front.

"Oh, don't mind me. We still have a few minutes until class starts and I'm sure this computer will take longer to start up" he said and everyone laughed. "If everyone's here, we can start with introductions. Shall we?"

"I'm Professor O' Malley and I'll be your guide for this semester. It's great to see a group of smiling faces eager to dive into law. Now who'd like to go next?"