I notice a familiar face from across the room. It’s one of the girls who’s been a little too persistent with the attention lately, Kelly. We share an Anatomy class, and on the occasions when I’m running late after my morning workout, we end up sitting next to each other. Our classmate friendship started off simple: a casual “hey, how are you” and “goodbye” when class ends. But just two weeks in, she started passing me notes… love letters, actually. Now, we’re only a month or so into the semester, and she’s already confessed her growing feelings towards me. I’ve been trying to let her down gently, giving subtle hints that I’m not interested, but she doesn’t seem to be getting the message.
Kelly catches my eye and smiles, waving enthusiastically. I inwardly groan, trying to avoid eye contact, but it’s too late. She starts heading in my direction, her eyes lighting up as if she’s just stumbled upon the Powerball winnings.
As she gets closer, I’m already mapping out my exit strategy. Fake a phone call? Emergency appointment? Anything to steer clear of an awkward chat with Kelly and figuring out where Alli might be.
Before I can even duck and hide, a petite body bumps into me.
“Oof.”
I glance down, feeling a rush of relief as I spot her. “Hey, I’ve been trying to track you down.”
Alli raises an eyebrow, continuing toward the study tables, and I follow her. “Why?”
“Just want to talk.”
She doesn’t answer, just keeps walking, or maybe she’s ignoring me. We reach a table with scattered textbooks and what I can only assume is her laptop. The buzz of conversation and the clatter of keyboards resound through the air around us.
Nearby, Kelly pulls out a chair, her eyes alight with expectation and something I can’t explain. I glance toward Alli, hoping for an out, but Kelly’s so focused on me it’s almost impossible to think straight.
I drop into the seat next to Alli, smirking as her eyes flick to me before she rolls them. “Who said you could sit here?”
“Me, myself, and I.”
“Well, you can two-step right out of here. I have a paper to write.” She glances around, spotting Kelly. “Maybe she’ll make better company.”
“Alli, let’s talk.”
“Let’s not,” she snaps, flipping her textbook open. “I’m busy, Jared. We can talk later.”
I lean back, feigning hurt. “Come on. I’m just here to support you. Like a study buddy.”
She raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “You don’t even know what I’m studying.”
“True, but I’ve got a lot of useless trivia in my head,” I counter. “For example, what was the War of 1812 about?”
“You’re actually asking me that?”
“Yep. I can be your guy on trivia night,” I say with a convincing grin. “I promise to be as quiet as a ninja otherwise.”
Alli rests a finger on her chin as if she’s thinking, then shakes her head, “No deal.”
Before I can get another word in, a chirpy voice chimes in next to our table, and I mentally facepalm.
“Hey, Jared!” Kelly greets, her tone a bit too chipper. She shoots a glance at Alli, then back at me, her smile brightening. “Oh, hi, Alli. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Alli gives her a polite nod, the smile on her face a little too tight to be genuine. “Hi, Kelly. How’s it going?”
“Good, good,” Kelly tucks a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear before giving me a shy smile. “Do you have a second to talk, Jared?”
Oh God, no.
Thinking quickly, I decide to steer the conversation away from brewing awkwardness. “I would need to check with my girlfriend.”
I turn my attention to Alli, silently giving her signals to follow along before Kelly serenades me in the library like we’re in High School Musical.
Alli’s eyes widen for half a second, like she didn’t expect that move, but she recovers fast, slipping back into calm, collected mode. She tilts her head, all polite but no-nonsense.
“We really need to get this project done,” she says, her voice taking on that teacher’s had-enough tone. Then she glances atKelly with a quick, almost apologetic smile. “Maybe another time?”
