It was the first day of the term. Everyone was lining up in front of the classroom ready to enter. Katie was the last one in line.
Her stomach churned and she wanted to leave. What was she thinking, going to college away from home? This was different. These people were all much older than her. She hadn't yet had a class with anyone her age. She was twenty years old. She felt like she wouldn't fit in. Tears welled in her eyes, and she swallowed them away.
The door opened, and she went in with the rest of the students. They all seemed to know each other. Talked, mingled, left her to lag behind. How was she going to make friends? She wished she knew what she'd done in high school to make friends. It would sure come in handy right now.
She went through her first class taking notes as well as she could. She was so flustered Her pages fell from her desk at one point. The bell had rung and scared her. She had those tiny desks that you could only rest your arm on. They folded down after you were done using them.
The day dragged on slowly. There were only three classes, but they were long. Since it was the first day, a lot of introductions were made. Katie made sure to hide at the back of the class every time.
"I want you all to pick lab partners." the Chemistry professor was saying. "Your partner will be with you all term, so please choose wisely. I will be grading participation, so anyone not carrying their weight will get two letter grades deducted from the final grade." The whole class moaned as Mr. Rice said this. "You are in college now. This isn't child's play." He said bitterly. "No complaining."
Everyone rushed around picking lab partners. Katie felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
"Hello, there." She said smiling brightly at her. "You're in my first period Psychology class. Want to be lab partners?" she asked as she took the seat behind her.
She nodded. She could feel her face getting warm.
"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked as she took out her notebook and pen. "My name is Janice." She said as she stretched her hand out.
"Katie. My friends call me Kat." she said softly.
"Nice to meet you, Kat. I have a feeling we'll be good friends by the end of the term." Janice said flashing her one of those happy motherly smiles.
"I'm painfully shy." Kat said as her mouth dried up.
"I'm painfully extroverted. I'll have you out of that shell in no time." She said as the teacher began to talk again.
"Wanna go to lunch?" Janice asked after class. "We have homework we can go over. For both classes."
They ended up going to what was basically dinner. It was three in the afternoon when they went to the campus cafeteria and ate. She paid for the food and Kat thanked her endlessly.
She was way older than Kat. She didn't know how old. Her face looked worn, and she looked like she'd seen things through life. Her hair was short. Long on the top, short on the sides, like a man's cut. It suited her. She wore black slacks and a nice black blouse with a nice blazer. Her face had no trace of makeup. Her eyes were a dull green. They were the shape of Katie's mom's eyes. Only her mother had brown eyes.
"Hello, I'm talking to you." She said in her gruff voice. "I said, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty years old." Kat muttered looking down at her shoes.
"You all right, Kat? You've been very quiet all day." Janice said looking concerned.
"I'm really shy." Kat repeated sadly. "I'm starting to really regret coming here."
"Would you like to talk about it?" she asked as they finished their food.
"I bet you're over fifty." Kat guessed looking at her grey hair.
"I'm fifty six." She said softly. "Why?"
"I haven't run into anyone my age this whole time." Kat said as she looked around. "It's like all my classes are full of older folks. They all seem to know each other. They all seem to fit in. I don't think I expected this. I thought if I came to this university, I'd be surrounded by younger folks."
"That's because you haven't gone exploring. There are age crowds of all kinds on this campus." She said as she reached out and put a hand over Kat's. She felt instantly calmer. "I'll hook you up with the right crowd if you want." She said as she squeezed the young girl's hand. "Don't leave yet just because you feel like it's not for you."
She was the most lovely creature Janice had ever seen. Her legs were slender and shapely. Her hair was waist length and brown. Janice just wanted to reach out and touch it. She kept it down, aside from her black or silver headband. She wore a different one depending on what outfits she wore. She looked good. Janice never thought she could feel these feelings for anyone, ever. She was after all post menopause. She thought her sex drive was supposed to fade. And for the most part, it had. Now, was a different story. Kat had her heart. Janice was a woman lusting after this twenty year old beauty. She was thirty six years older than her, but Janice didn't care. If she made Kat her lab partner, she could make her a friend as well. Janice was going to try and find out all she could about this girl.
So she did. She took her out to several lunches. A couple dinners. Kat paid for some, Janice for the rest. She couldn't stop staring at her. Her shapely breasts, her hips, her nice curvaceous ass. Janice wanted to do so many naughty things to this girl. She hoped she was a lesbian.
Kat slowly started adjusting to college life. Janice had already gone through a lot of college. Right now, she was taking classes at the university just because. She had just retired, and was trying to find things to do with her life. She and Kat had a lot in common. Musically, and in television. Kat wondered if those things were true. She was, after all, a lot older. How was it possible she liked the same things Kat did?
Soon, they started hanging out too much. Kat spent a lot of time at her apartment, or Janice at her dorm room. They had other friends outside of their relationship, but not many. They also didn't seek them out as much as they sought each other out.
The pair of them went shopping. Went on pick nicks, walks in the park. When they went for walks, they walked beside each other comfortably. She was nice company. Kat never felt like she had to pretend to be extroverted with her. They could walk for fifteen or twenty minutes without saying a word. She loved being in Janice's company. She was becoming a really good friend.
"You were so worried you wouldn't fit in here." She said one day as they finished studying for midterms. "Wanna go to the movies? My treat." She said as she looked hopefully at Kat. "Down in the mess hall, they're showing nightmare on Elm street." She said as she saw Kat flinch.
"Hell no." laughing at her, Kat shook her head. "I don't watch horror movies."
Much to her delight and Kat's dismay, they were in the mess hall before Kat knew it, and the film was rolling.
Not long after, Kat was trembling beside her as the movie played on. She hid her face in Janice's shoulder for some parts of it, and waited for them to pass. She shrieked at one point, nearly biting her tongue. Her shriek coincided with Nancy's shriek.
"Haha! Janice said in a whisper. "You jumped so high that time."
"I hate you." Kat muttered as she tried to get her body to calm down.
They got out at twelve thirty. Kat told her she could stay in her dorm room if she wanted. "I don't want you driving back to the apartment in the dark."
"We'll have to really squeeze into my bed." Kat laughed. "It's a twin."
They stayed up talking until three in the morning. Kat never had so much to say to anyone. Ever. She is a serious introvert. Janice seemed to really want to know about her though. Kat found her interesting as well. Before they knew it, they were talking about hobbies, and interests. They both had a lot in common., The age difference and how much they had in common still made Kat puzzled. Yet she wanted to know more about her. Janice seemed to want the same from her as well.
Kat woke up that Saturday afternoon, Janice spooning her from behind. She didn't move. She felt so at home here. Janice smelled wonderful, of lavender and orange. Her favorite essential oils. Kat had shared her own favorites, and they talked about how to get good quality products. Her arm was resting comfortably on Kat's waist as she lightly snored.
Before Janice new it, it was finals. It was finals and she hadn't asked her out. She didn't even know if she was a lesbian. How could Janice find out? Would she shy away if Janice told her she was? She was also a lot older. Would Kat think it was disgusting? She needed to know. Katie was becoming her obsession. She thought about her often, and she day dreamed about things she could do to her. Janice wondered if she'd ever made love to another woman? Or had a woman make love to her? God, if she was a complete virgin, Janice wanted her even more. She had to find out somehow.
Janice got an opportunity when they went out for their finals celebration. She couldn't drink alcohol, but they definitely had a great time partying at the various university bashes. They mostly went to eat and drink sodas or ice cream floats.
Janice was the nicest soul. She held doors open for Kat, and when they were about to sit sometimes, she'd brush the seat off if it was dirty. She was so nice. She looked into Kat's eyes when they spoke, and Janice actually got her! Kat could tell her anything. When they got drinks, she'd get Kat's, and bring it from the bar. She'd touch her hand ever so gently as she handed it over. Her fingers were rough and worn from all the labor she'd done over the years, Kat observed. She didn't care as much about the age difference. They were quickly becoming best friends.
Soon, they broached the topic Kat was most dreading. Dating. She told Janice about her attraction to girls. How she'd had her first crush at ten, without knowing what that actually meant. How she couldn't tell her parents, because her father was extremely, violently homophobic. He had stopped talking to his mom when she came out as bisexual. Kat was in tears and couldn't stop crying.
"Oh, darling, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" Janice said as she came running around the table and put her strong arms around her. "Oh, Kat. I'm so sorry." She said as she turned Kat's face up to look at her. Kat looked down.
"I feel so ashamed." she whispered as they sat at the restaurant.
"No, dear heart, no." Janice said as she got a tissue from her purse and dried her face. "It's completely natural. Love is love. It doesn't matter who you fall for, or who you have crushes on." She said as Kat stopped crying.
"I knew I could tell you." she said softly. "You're like the mother I never had."
"I'm a lesbian too." She said as she sat across from her again and they resumed the conversation. "I tried dating a guy in high school. We even went all the way. Well, he had a five year old condom in his wallet. I ended up with a kid. I was a teen mom before I knew it." She said softly. "I know this is too much info, but I never...," She looked at Kat and their eyes gazed into each other for a couple seconds. "...had..., you know."
