You walk around, curious about who is ending up with who. The others are busy getting into groups and choosing who is going to get what role, so they barely pay any attention to you as you hover around them and pick up their conversations.
The first group you identify as being made up of artists.
“I think I should get to be the mother”, said Priya Patel, her jewelry jingling under her long, wavy hair. “My figure’s better for it”.
Lila Nguyen scoffed. She was two inches shorter than her friend, and unlike Priya, had a slender, athletic build under paint-spattered overalls. Her long, straight black hair went down to her mid-back. “You know that doesn’t make a difference”, she said. She glanced down at Priya’s chest a bit enviously. “I think other things are more important. Ethan?”
Ethan Carter blushed from his curly blonde hair to his scruffy beard. His gaze strayed to Lila, who winked.
Priya’s eyes widened. “Wait, you two are…?”
They nodded sheepishly.
“And you never told me?”
“It wasn’t official yet…” said Ethan, as Priya rolled her eyes.
“Great. Just great. My best friends are boning behind my back and this is how I find out”, she muttered.
You move on to the second group. You’re not surprised to see that the athletes have gravitated together.
“Ugh, it’s hard to decide”, complained Sophia Martinez, adjusting her long brown ponytail as she looked from Marcus Johnson to Jake Thompson.
Marcus and Jake crossed their arms. Between the 6’3’’ basketball player, and the 5’10’’ stocky linebacker, her choice was a tough one.
The two athletes seemed equally lost. “Well, none of us are, um, you know”. Marcus rubbed the back of his head.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be official, it's just this once. I mean, come on, we're in college. You have done it before, right?”
“I mean, yes, but not with you…” Marcus fidgeted nervously.
“Jake?”
It was Jake’s turn to be embarrassed. “Same”.
“Hmm… how about rock-paper-scissors to decide the winner?”
The match between Marcus and Jake was short-lived. After losing twice, Jake quickly conceded defeat.
“I get it, I’m the baby”, said Jake, as Marcus sighed in relief. He and Sophia were regular gym partners, and he welcomed this relationship upgrade.
The third group you recognize as the book club.
“Would we, um, even know what to do?” said Amelia Clarke, fidgeting nervously. “I’ve – I mean, we’ve… um… never done this before…” The petite blonde with pixie-cut hair adjusted her glasses and glanced to her friend.
Nina Zhang mirrored Amelia’s move, pushing up her own glasses. She too was short and slender, with long black hair tied in a neat ponytail. Her analytical mind struggled with the new decision. “Well, um, I’m sure… there’s something about it in a book somewhere…”
It was Rafael Gomez, though, who seemed the most uncomfortable, unsure which of the two girls in his book club he wanted to choose. He took his own glasses off and on reflexively and scratched his dark curly hair. “W-well, I’m sure… I’m sure we could figure something out… does either of you, uh, have a p-preference…?” He was trying to be impartial, but you can tell he's glancing at Amelia more.
“I have read, well, some books that…” Amelia was blushing.
“Really?” Nina squealed. “Oooh, are you going to share them?”
They glanced at Rafael. “Maybe after this”.
The fourth group you recognize as being the computer nerds.
Zara Khan had her hands on her hips as waited patiently. The tan, curvy young woman had her black hair pulled into a ponytail, her striking green eyes peering curiously through her colorful glasses. “So are you two gonna make up your minds?” she said.
“We can’t make her choose”, said Liam O’Connor. The tall, lanky ginger, standing a full 6’1’’, towered over the 5’9’’ Aiden Lee. “I suggest I be the father, considering I’m the biggest one here. Besides, you and her are always arguing”. He smirked smugly.
“Yeah, but that’s called sharing ideas”, retorted Aiden, adjusting his short black hair. His tired eyes betrayed another long night of coding. “If anything we work together more, that would make me better to be the father”.
“Why don’t we just randomly generate the answer?” asked Zara, pulling out a coin. "The traditional way", she added with a grin.
You turn to move on as they flip the coin, but you can tell by their expressions that Aiden won. You move on to the fifth group, who are usually together working on activism and leadership projects.
This time, it was Noah Bennett, ever the mediator, trying to diplomatically sort out Isabella Rivera and Fatima Al-Mansoori.
“Like we said, your figure won’t make a difference”, said Noah patiently, his short black dreadlocks bobbing as he nodded.
Isabella pouted. Hers was the fullest figure in the class, and she had the plunging neckline to prove it. “Alright, so what would make a difference?” Her thick, curly brown hair framed her intense, focused expression. She was taking potential motherhood as seriously as she did her social and environmental causes.
“Probably commitment and dedication then”. Fatima was taller and a lot slimmer than her friend, with long, straight black hair. “I think it’s only fair that the mother is the more patient of us two”.
“I think the baby should be more patient, she’ll be waiting for a day doing nothing!”
Isabella and Fatima continued to bicker, each giving reasons why she’d be the better mother. Noah pursed his lips as he seemed unsure which way to steer this conversation. You can tell that Isabella is winning though.
Finally you move on to the sixth and last group, four musicians who were already in couples.
“So… twins huh?” Elena Vasquez’s long brown hair drifted into her face as she fidgeted nervously. The skinny guitarist looked from one face to the next. “I’m… not entirely excited about that”.
“You sure? It might be fun”, said Daniel Kim. Elena’s boyfriend, the black-haired pianist seemed a bit worried about the direction this was taking. “It’s only for a day…”
“It’s alright, I’m sure we can manage being parents for a day then”, said Chris Turner. The tall blond drummer glanced towards Maya Thompson, who shrugged.
“Sure, I don’t mind”, said the curvy vocalist in her low, melodious voice. She and Chris had a thing going for a while. She tossed her thick, braided black hair over her shoulders dramatically. “Just as long as you two don’t kick too much, ‘kay?”
Elena was visibly relieved, while Daniel seemed crestfallen.
“Alright, did everyone pick who’s going to be who?” says the instructor.