University of Change

Chapter One: Allison

Monday 7:00 AM

Allison lay in her dorm room bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about summer. She had spent the summer working part-time at a bookstore and relishing the freedom from schoolwork. Now, as her second year of college was on the verge of starting, the responsibilities were coming back to her again.

The start of her day was calm and quiet. The only sounds were the soft hum of the AC and the faint rustle of leaves outside. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the room. Allison stretched and yawned, feeling relaxed yet energized. She had missed the hustle and bustle of campus life and was looking forward to seeing her friends and professors again. It was good to be back to school.

"Can you believe summer's over?" Allison sighed, turning her gaze toward her roommate, Rachel, sitting cross-legged on her own bed, flipping through a magazine. Her eyes traveled up and down Rachel's body, lingering on her bare legs and the hint of her lacy pink panties peeking out from beneath her shorts.

Rachel glanced up from her magazine, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulder. "I know, right? It went by way too fast. I wish we had just one more week of vacation. My Psychology professor emailed the class about a quiz this Thursday."

Allison shook her head. "What is it with professors and handing out quizzes in the first week?"

Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes as she put her magazine aside. "At least I don't have to worry about homework until the end of the day."

Allison smiled back. "I hear that." She and Rachel had hit it off from the moment they met during their freshman year. Allison was more focused on her extracurricular activities like band, orchestra, and volleyball. On the other hand, Rachel seemed to make it her mission to take as many courses as possible in a semester. Rachel can say she wasn't the smartest student, but Allison knew her roommate was only being modest. Rachel came in very handy to help her with her assignments, and she helped Rachel get out of the dorm room and enjoy campus life. "So," Allison said as she watched Rachel get up and walk toward her meticulously organizing her desk. "Are you going to the cafeteria first, or do you have to go to class first?"

Rachel glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. "Actually, I should head to class first. It starts in about an hour, and I need to pick up my textbooks from the campus bookstore before that."

Allison nodded understandingly. "No problem. I'll probably hit the cafeteria first, grab some breakfast, and then check out my schedule for the day. We can catch up later."

Rachel smiled appreciatively. "Sounds like a plan. Can you save a muffin for me?"

Allison chuckled. "Of course."

"You're the best!" As Rachel rushed to get ready to start her busy day, Allison got out of bed and started getting dressed for the day. She slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt, wanting to keep things casual for the first day back. After grabbing her bag, she made her way to the cafeteria.

The campus was starting to wake up, with students milling about, some chatting excitedly, while others looked a bit tired from the early start. Allison enjoyed the hustle and bustle as she entered the cafeteria. After the friendly cashier scanned her card, she grabbed a tray and joined the line for food. The air was filled with the sound of laughter and the smell of freshly made breakfast. Allison looked over her options: eggs, toast, coffee, and muffin.

While she was waiting, she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was her friend Josh, who she'd met in orchestra during freshman year and was a third year student now. He played the first violin in the orchestra and guitar in his personal band, while she played the second clarinet. After meeting during the orchestra's icebreaker, they became close friends. The two bonded over their love for indie music and late-night conversations about the latest Marvel movie.

Allison's face lit up as she waved at Josh, who waved back with a smile that could light up a room. "Hey," he greeted her warmly, his voice carrying the smooth tones of a musician. "What's for lunch?"

"Just grabbing some breakfast," Allison replied as they moved along the line, inching closer to the tempting breakfast offerings.

"Same here," Josh said, his stomach grumbling. "I'm starving." They both laughed.

After grabbing their breakfast, they sat down at a nearby table. The cafeteria was filled with the soft murmur of conversations and clinking silverware hitting plates, creating a comfortable atmosphere to start the day. "So, what's new?" Allison asked.

Josh leaned in, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "I've been busy the past weekend, diving deeper into my music," he revealed. "I'm trying to put a band together again, and we've got some gigs lined up."

Allison's eyes widened as she nodded. "That's awesome! You guys sounded very good last year," she said. "I'd love to see you guys play again."

A warm grin played on Josh's lips as he leaned back, taking a sip of his coffee. "Thanks," he said. "I'll keep you posted on our next performance. It'd be great to have you in the audience."

Allison couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement at the thought of seeing Josh and his band perform again. She had loved their previous shows and couldn't wait to see what direction their music would go. "I'll be there for sure," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Josh beamed with gratitude. "Thanks, Allison. Your support means the world to me."

As they ate breakfast, they chatted about their upcoming semester schedules. Allison pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her classes, taking note of the times and locations.

"So, what's your schedule looking like?" Josh asked, taking a bite of his muffin.

Allison glanced at her screen and began listing off her classes and activities. "I have English Literature at 10 AM, followed by Music Theory at noon, Film Studies at 2 PM, then Band rehearsal on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Orchestra rehearsal on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. And I'm squeezing in a volleyball practice at 5 PM."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "You're not wasting any time, are you?"

Allison chuckled. "I guess not, but you should see Rachel's schedule. It makes mine look like a walk in the park. How about you? What's your schedule like?"

Josh leaned back, thinking about his schedule. "I've got Music Composition in the morning, followed by an Art History lecture, and of course band and orchestra. Then, I'm free until my band practice at 8 PM."

Allison couldn't help but grin. "Look at that. You've got yourself some free time there. I guess you'll be working on your music?"

Josh's eyes lit up with excitement as he nodded. "You know it. It's my chance to fine-tune some songs and maybe even write some new ones. I have a feeling this semester will be the best one yet."

"I can't wait to hear what you come up with this semester," she said. "I know it's going to be amazing." Allison grabbed her near empty plate and cup and got up. Josh did the same as they traveled toward the trash can and conveyor belt for the kitchen staff to clean. The two continued their talk as they dumped their trash and disposed of their empty plates and cups.

Josh's gaze locked with hers, followed by a mischievous smirk. "You know, Allison, it's not just the music that's going to be amazing this semester," he replied, his voice dropping to a whisper.

For some reason, her heart skipped a beat as Allison started to feel weird. She decided to lean even closer, trying to hear what her friend was trying to say. "What do you mean, Josh?" she murmured, acting like Josh was going to tell her a secret.

Suddenly, Allison's phone buzzed with an email notification, cutting Josh off mid-sentence. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was from the university's registrar. She tapped on it and started reading. Her expression changed from curiosity to confusion and then to worry.

"This can't be right," Allison finally said, her eyes trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

Josh looked over at his friend, torn between peeking at her phone and waiting to hear what Allison would say. "What's not right?"

Allison held up her phone to show him the email. "I just received an email from the registrar's office. It's about a class called Cultural History of American Bimbos. There are no details about the time or location, though it's taught by Professor Danica Tuck."

"Never heard of her," said Josh.

"Me neither," said Allison. "The email also says I've successfully enrolled, but I don't remember doing that."

Josh frowned, clearly confused. "That's weird. They didn't give any more details?"

Allison shook her head. "No, it's just a confirmation of enrollment in the class, but nothing else. The university doesn't just... enroll classes for you... right?"

Josh shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "We're still in the first week of school, so you can still drop the course."

Allison slowly nodded as she put her phone away. "I'll do that after my first class," she said. She leaned in to give Josh a hug. "Catch you later."

"See you," he said as he waved back.

Allison was about to leave the cafeteria when she remembered Rachel asking for a muffin. She grabbed a small plastic bag from her book bag and made a U-turn for the muffin stand.

Allison couldn't shake off the odd feeling that had crept over her as she headed toward the food area. The registrar's email had thrown her for a loop, and she couldn't understand how she had been enrolled in a class she had no memory of signing up for.

She decided to put the strange occurrence aside for the moment and focused on the task at hand. Allison picked up a double chocolate muffin, a nice surprise and reward for her roommate, and placed it carefully in the small plastic bag she had brought. Her roommate had a long day ahead, and this muffin would brighten her morning.

The cashier waved at her as she left the cafeteria. Once outside, Allison felt the warmth of the sun on her face and took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. She needed to focus on her first class, but that email kept bugging her.

As Allison made her way across the campus to her English Literature class, she couldn't help but wonder why the registrar sent her the email for the feminist history class. The topic sounded interesting, but without much to go off and the strong chance of it clashing with her schedule, she might have to drop the course before it affected her GPA.

Arriving at her classroom, she put the email out of her mind and focused on Dr. Jameson's lesson. Other students made their way into the lecture hall as Dr. Jameson handed out the syllabus. By the time class was over, Allison had all but forgotten about the registrar's email.

Allison made a beeline for the dorm, wanting to stop by there before heading to the registrar's office. She opened the door and saw her roommate at her desk by the window, buried in her textbook and laptop. Allison couldn't help but smile as she approached, excited by the thought of surprising Rachel with the muffin.

"Hey, Rach," Allison said, leaning against the desk beside her. She placed the plastic bag on the table and hid it behind her back. "I got you a little something."

Rachel looked up from her book, her eyes lighting up when she saw Allison. "Ooh, what's the surprise?" she asked excitedly.

Allison leaned in, mischief written all over her face. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand," she said.

Playfully rolled her eyes, Rachel closed her eyes and extended her hand. Allison grabbed the double chocolate muffin from the bag and placed it in Rachel's palm.

"Eyes open!" Allison said with a giggle.

Rachel's eyes blinked open and smiled. "Oh my god, Allison, you're the best!" she exclaimed, eyeing the muffin with delight. She wasted no time taking a bite, savoring the rich chocolatey goodness.

Allison watched Rachel's lips wrap around the muffin, and a mischievous thought flashed through her mind. But then she remembered the registrar's email and the need to figure out what was happening. She quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

As Rachel chewed her muffin, Allison stretched and stood up. Pulling out her laptop, Allison held it as she navigated to her course schedule. Sure enough, that class was on her list. The time and location still remained annoyingly unknown. "Rachel, have you ever heard of the class Cultural History of American Bimbos? It's taught by Professor Danica Tuck."

Rachel's eyes widened as she swallowed her bite. "Yeah, actually," she replied, her voice unsure. "I've heard rumors about it. Apparently, it's a new course that started last year. Students who take it experience something... transformative."

Allison's eyebrow raised as she tried to look for a way to remove the class from her schedule. "Transformative?" she repeated as she scrolled through the webpage. Still no information. "I got an email from the registrar this morning saying I've enrolled in the class. But the thing is, I don't remember choosing to apply. The weirder part is I can't find it anywhere on the university's website."

Rachel frowned as she listened to Allison's explanation. She set the half-eaten muffin aside and stood next to her roommate. "That does sound weird," she said as she tried to make sense of what was on Allison's screen. "Students and academic advisors usually have to give their signature to enroll in a class. And if it's not on the university's website, that's even more strange."

Allison nodded. She closed her laptop and set it inside her bag as she prepared to leave. "I'm going to head to the registrar's office right now," she said. "I really don't need an unnecessary course adding too much drama for the semester."

Rachel nodded in agreement. "Definitely a good idea. Let me know how it goes."

Allison quickly hugged Rachel before grabbing her bag and heading out the door. As she walked across campus towards the registrar's office, her mind raced with thoughts of the mysterious class. How did she end up enrolled in it? And what did Rachel mean by "transformative"?

Pushing open the registrar's office door, Allison was met with a bustling crowd of students. She joined the line, impatiently tapping her foot as she waited for her turn. She was about to put her earphones on and wait until it was her turn when she listened to the conversations. The two students in front were arguing with the staff about dropping that history class while the staff members tried to explain that they hadn't sent out an email about the course.

And they weren't the only ones complaining about the class.

No matter where Allison looked, she found waiting students trying to figure out why they had been mysteriously enrolled in the cultural history class, trying and failing to drop the course on their own, or trying to figure out who Professor Danica Tuck was.

Finally, a staff member, Mrs. Johnson, stood from her desk and waved her arm. "Excuse me, is everyone in this room inquiring about Cultural History of American Bimbos and are trying to drop the course?"

The room filled with nods and murmurs as students whispered with each other. At least Allison wasn't the only one dealing with this problem, though the number of students affected was a bit alarming.

Mrs. Johnson motioned Allison and the other students to come closer. "I know you're all worried," she said, her voice calm, though Allison couldn't help but feel the worriedness in the woman's voice. "We're looking into this as we speak. We don't have any record of sending out emails about this course, and we don't have any information about Professor Danica Tuck in our system."

That wasn't what the students wanted to hear. The room erupted in speculation and confusion as students traded theories about what was happening. Allison couldn't help but overhear bits and pieces of conversations, some suggesting it might be a system glitch while others wondered if something foul was at play.

Mrs. Johnson raised her hand again, and the room gradually got quieter. Mrs. Johnson continued, "We're working closely with the university administration to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please bear with us as we investigate and try to provide answers. Please expect to see an email by the end of the day."

The crowd of students left the registrar's office, and Allison couldn't help but feel she was back to where she started. She dialed Rachel's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hey, Allison," Rachel answered cheerfully. "How did it go at the registrar's office?"

Allison took a deep breath and sighed.

"Not good, Rachel," she said. "Not good at all."