Mallory was just beginning her first semester at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and didn’t know anyone on campus when she first arrived there. It was a beautiful campus and she loved the self-contained aspect of it as well as all of the lakes. It was definitely her favorite of those that she toured before making her final decision. She had applied to three different schools and was accepted by all three of them, which at first seemed to be exciting but then Mallory quickly realized that problem that it actually presented. She felt like her work was over simply by narrowing her options to three schools. However, when she received her acceptance letters she realized it had only just begun.

Finally, her decision came down to a gut instinct to go to Charlotte. Her parents were happy with her choice though she never confessed how she arrived there. They had been with her on her original visit and they all stayed in one of the Charlotte luxury hotels. Both of her parents were impressed with the campus and the school and her mother loved the university neighborhood in which it was located. At the time Mallory fantasized about which apartment she would live in and all the friends she would meet while at school.

The actuality of the demands of college and realities of being on her own had fully settled in as Mallory made her way to her early Monday morning algebra class. The highlight of that class, well aside from the fact that she actually liked algebra, was the fact that an incredibly good looking guy sat right across from her every day. She sat at her desk and looked forward to seeing him when someone tapped on her shoulder. She looked up and it was Matt, that good lucking guy! He asked her if she was doing okay with their current section and she said she was, which she immediately regretted thinking he was going to offer to help her. Instead, Matt looked relieved and asked if she would be willing to meet him in the library later that afternoon to help him. Mallory agreed she would and suddenly, and for the first time, realized she loved college life.