The photography building was at the ass end of campus. It was an old, worn down structure that probably had been built before the second World War. There was a paved path that lead away towards the dorms on one side and Middleton National Forest on the other. Inside was only slightly less dank and dark than the exterior suggested with the only significant source of light spilling out of the open door to the classroom. Shaking off a chill, I walked in.

Everyone was seated, and I quickly spotted Heather bookended by a huge jock and a very small girl. She whispered something to the jock as I walked down the aisle and he shot an unhappy glance at me before standing up and moving to fill the only other empty seat. Heather beckoned me over. I wasn’t sure another trip to boner town was the best option, but she wasn’t leaving me much choice.

“Please everyone take their seats. I am Professor French, welcome to Photography 101. Now, who knows what F-stop means?” A few hands went up as I slid into the chair next to Heather. She brushed a black strand of hair away from her face and gave me a welcoming smile.

Mr. French engaged in a back and forth with a few of the more experienced students, while Heather turned to me and whispered, “Can you believe how run down this place is?”

“I know, it’s nuts.” I whispered back.

“It’s like, axe murderer territory.”

“University must hate photographers, probably sent us here to die.”

Heather snorted a laugh and Mr. French interrupted himself, “Excuse me, Miss… if you find something amusing please share it with the class.”

“We were just wondering why this building is so creepy,” Heather said boldly.

“Ahh right. Well, I will thank you to keep side conversations to a minimum but you bring up a fair point. I actually had to fight to get our class moved to this building because the University has been considering it for demolition. The reason we are here is part of one of the lessons I hope to teach you. That is: if you want to be successful in photography you must seek a unique perspective. Show people something they have not seen before, or if you must show them something familiar; do so in a new light. This place has history and is unlike any other place you will see on campus. Does that answer your question?”

“Yeah,” Heather replied with the disinterested air of someone who had stopped paying attention. Fortunately, Mr. French didn’t seem to notice. With Heather’s sweater puppies tucked away in my jacket I was able to actually focus on what was being said and so the rest of class passed without incident.

As students began to file out the door Heather caught my arm and said, “Hey, I have time before my next class. Want to stop by my room so I can give your jacket back?”

Heather Vance had just invited me to her room; it was impossible not to get excited. “Sure, sounds good,” I replied as nonchalantly as possible.

To my surprise Heather lived in the dorms. I had suspected she would be living the posh apartment lifestyle so I was off-balance when she lead me through the girl’s dormitory and into one of the shared suites. At least, it was supposed to be a shared suite. Heather’s stuff was everywhere. MSU wasn’t the wealthiest school and they had adjustable beds you could raise up for storage space. One bed was raised a little off the floor, just enough for boxes to be squeezed beneath and beside them a sleeping bag was given a narrow berth. The other bedframe (someone had removed the mattress) was cluttered above and below by boxes, designer shopping bags, and all sorts of junk that I guessed was Heather’s extensive wardrobe.

I was reminded of a popular picture of Brazil where luxurious high rise condos towered over ramshackle housing that was just across the street. Heather occupied nearly every inch of space except for the pathetically cramped sleeping bag on the floor beneath her bed. “Are you in a hurry?” Heather asked over her shoulder as she began sifting through one of the many bags. “Sorry this place is such a mess, my roomie was supposed to clean it up. It’s going to take me a bit to find something.”

“That’s okay. My next class isn’t for a couple hours yet,” I said, keeping my face angled away so it wasn’t obvious that I was staring at her butt. Her glutes were positively packed into faded, straining denim that seemed likely to tear at any moment.

“Oh good,” Heather said cheerfully. “Thanks again for helping me out, I really owe you one.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you go running around school half naked,” I lied. Nothing would have pleased me more. Well, nothing short of an opportunity to get into her good graces such as I had now.

Heather laughed. “I’m not sure everyone would agree with that.” They definitely wouldn’t, I thought. It was almost refreshing to see her casual arrogance shine through. I was beginning to wonder when the other shoe would drop but as long as I was getting a chance to check her out, what was the worst thing that could happen?

“Hello?” The girl I had seen sitting next to Heather in photography appeared in the doorway. I had passed her over with a glance before but seeing her body out from behind a desk jogged my memory. Crystal Holland was a bit of a pariah at Sedgwick due to a rare wasting sickness that kept her out of school most of the time. If I remembered correctly her parents only allowed her to come to class because Heather acted as her sponsor- a guardian of sorts. I remembered seeing them together quite a few times.

Crystal was a sickly, frail looking girl that was well shy of five feet tall. Paired with Heather it was no wonder she was so easily overlooked. Seeing her up close I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Gaunt cheeks, bony arms, thin flaxen hair, and a waxy complexion made her seem like she had one foot in the grave. If I was being completely honest; she creeped me out a little.  

“Hi, I’m Mike.” I stuck out my hand in greeting. Crystal looked at my hand hesitantly then glanced over my shoulder towards Heather.

“Oh I’m so happy you two could meet.” Heather said. Crystal awkwardly took my hand- her fingers were so cold and bony it was like shaking hands with a skeleton. “She doesn’t get many chances to make friends due to her condition, isn’t that right Crystal?”

“Y-yes.” Crystal murmured, staring at the floor.

“You know,” Heather continued, “Since we are all taking photography together we should start a study group.”  

“I’m game.” I said way too quickly. Heather’s knowing smile was confirmation of that. I needed to recover. “Why don’t you hang onto my jacket for now. I should get going anyway.”

“Aww,” Heather pouted. “You sure you don’t want to help me pick out an outfit.” She began to slowly and seductively draw down the jacket’s zipper. My eyes must have gone wide as tennis balls because Heather immediately doubled over with laughter. “Oh wow, Mike. Really. I’m just teasing!”