Letters of Love (Lessons in Love) by Clarissa Carlyle

Princeton, how much he’d supported her, how much he loved her. What would he think if he could see her now?
    Burning with betrayal , Alex rose up and nodded emphatically at Miss Dunne. “I promise that I’m going to get my act together.”
    “Good, make sure that you do.”
     
    ****
     
    “I can’t believe that all your classes are early,” Ashley moaned beneath the covers as Alex pottered around their bedroom, getting herself ready. “You are so unlucky,” Ashley murmured sleepily.
    “Yeah, it sucks,” Alex agreed as she threw on a hooded top and shoved her textbook into her backpack.
    “Next semester I’ll have to follow your lead and only take afternoon classes!”
    “It’s the only way to do college,” Ashley said, her voice muffled by the bedding that embraced her.
    “Sure is .” Alex sighed, glancing longingly at the bed she’d previously vacated after only four hours’ sleep.
    “Aren’t you tired?” Ashley asked, yawning on cue.
    “Just a bit,” Alex admitted. Her limbs already ached with fatigue, her mind struggling to be alert, the lure of more sleep preventing her thoughts from having complete clarity. “It was worth it, though.”
    Ashley finally emerged from the duvet and sat up to look directly at her friend. Ashley’s dark locks were tangled madly around her head , and the makeup from the previous night was strewn wildly down her cheeks, making her look like a demented clown.
    “You’re a mess!” Alex laughed fondly.
    “I feel a mess,” Ashley croaked, her voice hoarse.
    “I’m not surprised. I lost you halfway through the night , and you weren’t here when I crept in to bed at three. I began to wonder if you’d even make it back here.”
    “Well, ta-dah, here I am,” Ashley tried to sound dramatic but lacked the energy to do so.
    “So what happened with Tad?” Alex asked, glancing briefly at the clock to make sure that she still had time to stand and gossip.
    “Urgh,” Ashley groaned and fell back into her bedding.
    “Guess you didn’t see his motorcycle, then?” Alex teased.
    “Let’s just say that I’m still looking for my Oscar .” Ashley sighed sadly.
    “Oscar isn’t so perfect.”
    “Isn’t he?” Ashley propped herself up again with her right arm, yawning again as she did so. “You’re totally hung up on him,” she continued. “Whenever you think about him you get this goofy smile on your face.”
    “No , I don’t.”
    “See, there it is!” Ashley pointed proudly at Alex’s now smiling face. “Alex Heron , you are in love. Your smile is proof enough!”
    “Go back to sleep!” Alex playfully threw a pillow over at her friend.
    “Get to class!” Ashley snapped as a rebuttal. “I need you here next year to listen to my man troubles, so make sure you keep those grades up!”
    “I will!” Alex promised, leaving their bedroom, and by the time the door clicked shut , Ashley had already fallen back into a deep sleep.
    The sorority house was always quiet at such an early hour. A few sisters were eating breakfast in the communal dining room, but there was an unspoken rule that before 9 a.m. all noise was kept to an absolute minimum, and so abiding by this rule, Alex quietly made her way down the stairs and out the front door.
    There was a brisk coolness in the air that made Alex thankful she’d chosen to wear her hoody. She walked purposefully towards the main campus, full of enthusiasm for the class ahead despite her lack of sleep. She could sleep later, when Ashley was out at classes, and then by the evening they’d both be caught up on their rest.
    Rounding a corner , Alex could see the building that housed her class, a tall building with a clock tower at its pinnacle. In front of it was a grassy area, where on sunny days students would sit out and read, but on this cold morning it was deserted.
    As she walked, Alex went through her mental checklist of what she needed to do for class. There was an assignment to hand in and a test she was