I hadn't considered attending college before the letter came. I was going to finish high school, celebrate my 18th birthday right after graduation, and get a job at the mill, like my dad had, and his dad before him, and his dad before him. That's what you did in Pittsburg.
But then I got an invite to... where was this place, anyway? "TAP University"? Never heard of it. The "Budgerigar Islands"? Never heard of them either. And why me? My grades weren't all that great. I had done enough to graduate without flunking, that was about it.
Everything seemed to happen at once. A week after my birthday, both my parents suddenly died, and the doctors couldn't figure out why. The very next day, I got a phone call from a representative of TAP University asking whether I would accept the invitation to attend. I explained what had happened and that I had no money to make it out there, or pay for anything if I did.
"Oh, a hardship case then. No worries, young sir. We will fly you out at no cost to you, and you can live in the dorms. We have many students who live here year-round. The beach is wonderful in the summer. We will provide you with room, board and books, and a small allowance for expenditures. And after you finish your education here, I'm sure we can find you a job at the university."
I had never so much as been outside Pittsburg in my life. But how was I supposed to say no to that?
"Excellent, young sir. We will send a representative to your home tomorrow and you can leave at once, with her."
The "representative" was a student at TAP University, who had just finished her sophomore year, and was thus only slightly older than myself. She was a slim redhead named Vivian, who, as she explained, after classes helped out in the school's infirmary.
I decided right then and there that I would do the same. To help others, and to be close to Viv.
She seemed very pleased with my decision. I noticed she had a small black bag with her - a medical kit? She answered in the affirmative. I asked if she had anything to make me relax, as I was still processing everything and the amount of change in my life was making me nervous.
"Sure." Viv gave me a smile and found a spot to pull the car over. She told me to lean forward. "Close your eyes, You'll feel a little bit of a prick."
Something sharp penetrated my neck, and a second later, I was unconscious.
***
"Wakey, wakey."
I came back to life, slowly, and blinked my eyes. I was in the passenger seat of a car. We were approaching a massive building.
"We're here, Tom."
Viv gave me a charming smile as she parked the car in an open space in the lot. She popped the trunk, I picked up my suitcase, and she led the way in. At the front desk, I was handed a student ID. "It opens all the doors in the classroom wing, and your door in the dorms, and since you requested to work with me, the infirmary door."
Viv had led me to an elevator. We went up to the third floor.
"Classrooms are on the first floor, infirmary/cafeteria/gymnasium on the second, and dorm rooms on the third. Cafeteria and gymnasium are always open to all, 24/7/365."
She showed me to my dorm room. Room 117.
"All dorm rooms are single rooms, but there are four common areas, always open, on this floor for you to mingle if you feel like it. All the dorm rooms have their own bathroom and shower."
We dropped off my stuff, and I locked my door behind me. We then went to the infirmary.
"When not in class, I'm almost always here," Viv explained. "Even when there's not a patient, I can still do useful things."
I helped her sort blood plasma for two hours, putting it in the proper coolant tanks (A, B, AB, and O.)
"Thank you, Tom," Viv said when we were finished. "You're very nice."
I blushed. Viv moved in and kissed me on the neck. "And you're delicious."
Beaming at having impressed Viv, I headed back to my dorm.
I continued to help out every day, and Viv was giving off obvious signs that she was taking more and more of a liking to me. About a week after I arrived, we had a day where the infirmary had a constant flow of patients. Apparently someone had set up an obstacle course in the gym and a lot of people were finding out that they weren't as coordinated as they thought they were.
By the time the flow trickled to a halt, Viv and I were spent. I dashed off to the cafeteria for a snack while Viv finished up in the infirmary. I returned, helped her with the last three minutes of cleanup, and suddenly had a wave of fatigue nearly crumple me to to the ground.
"Viv, I'm too tired to make it back to my dorm. Is there a place I can sleep here?"
"I usually use this bed when that happens to me (which is often). It's a tight fit for two people, but I think we can manage."
I ended up curled up against Viv. with my head on her chest. She tilted her head and kissed the back of my neck.
"Tom... thank you for your help today. I couldn't have possibly managed without you."
My eyes were already closed. I seemed to feel strength ebbing from my exhausted body. "You're welcome."
***
I woke up, still a bit weak, the next morning. Viv's arms were around me from behind.
She kissed my neck again. "I love how you taste, Tom. And you're a total sweetheart."
I may have been physically weak, but hearing her say that made me feel amazing. I extracted myself from her arms and got slowly to my feet.
"Viv, you're wonderful." Then I turned to face her and noticed blood on her upper lip. "You're hurt!"
"Thank you for your concern. But I'll be okay. You run off and eat. You didn't get to eat much yesterday."
