Notes: I blame Neko and Muff for all of this. Curse you two for the conversations you have around me. Especially ones concerned with my supposed college experiences.

Scene: the café. I’m holding up the pretense of studying, but Vi has completely given up. She’s just giving me that amused look she gets when I’m being totally non-sneaky.

“What?” I hiss and doodle a little in the hopes that she’ll stop giving me that face. She sighs at me and takes a sip of her mocha-latte-whatever-the-hell-it-is. “What?” I repeat.

She lifts one eyebrow, now looking annoyed. “You know what. You’re stalking James Brendonson. Again.” She makes an obscene slurping noise on her straw and points a finger at me. “You need to get a hobby. Seriously. Cause if I start finding creepy pictures of him all over the place…” she trails off, waving her one finger at me threateningly.

“I’m not stalking him,” I snap. Vi looks unconvinced. “I was here first!” I try. She just frowns at me.

I throw myself back in the chair and try not to pout. Frowning still, Vi looks at me pityingly. “You need to find someone else or you’re going to be stuck on him.”

“I’m not stuck on him,” I go, but she just continues.

“He’s such a jerk, Jen.” She draws her straw from the plastic cup and waves it around. Mocha-frappe-what-cha-ma-call-it splatters all over the place. “He gave you one compliment and you’re all over him.” Sucks on the straws and looks at me sadly.

“Whatever,” I mutter and go back to sneaking looks at James Brendonson.

Scene: James Brendonson. Across the café, books and laptop and mug of something on the metal table in front of him. Him, all tall lankiness and piano fingers and light hair. So yummy. I could just take a big bite out of him…

A book slams in front of me and I jump. Vi is looking at me disapprovingly again; the straw is dangling from her mouth. “Stop it,” she says. She lets go of the book she slammed and leans back in her chair, mouth pursed in a frown around the straw. A passing male marvels at her and almost trips over a nearby chair.

I flail at the clumsy male and go, “It’s easy for you. You have males lining up to date you. I don’t. So sorry if I focus on one compliment,” finished sarcastically.

Queen Vi looks puzzled as if she has no idea what I’m talking about. Her red hair is short and fluffy around her face, her make-up just so to bring out her blue eyes, her clothes cut to emphasize her full figure.

Me? My plain brown hair is subjected to waves, my complexion splotchy with red, my figure nice but unnoticed no matter what type of clothes I drag out. My lack of understanding of make-up and the square glasses I wear don’t help at all.

She sighs, grabs her cup and her books, goes, “See you later then,” and flounces off.

I frown at my book in response. Vi doesn’t get but whatever. It really hasn’t been an issue for years, but this whole James thing just brings it up. He called me cute once and I fell.

I try to ignore my thoughts and go back to studying, but I suddenly get that itchy feeling along the back of my neck that someone’s looking at me. I look hopefully over to James, but he’s still focused on his books. A little weirded out now, I look around; there’s not too many people in the café. A movement catches my attention.

Scene: There’s a guy in the corner of the café, a battered book covering most of his face. All long legs and broad shoulders and dark hair. Dark eyes move from the book to me. There’s a second where we just stare at each other before he looks back at his book.

…He looks familiar. But I can’t place from where. I look down at my book before taking a quick glance up again. He’s kind of cute.

Scene: the lecture hall. I’m sitting by myself, books and notebook spread in front of me. Vi gave me a Look when she walked in and sat somewhere in the back of the room. I feel like a jerk.

Then I get that itchy-being-watched feeling again and some male goes, “Can I sit here?”

I look up. It’s that guy from the café. It’s only after a moment that I nod. Then there’s silence between the two of us while people continue to spill into the lecture hall.

Finally he turns and goes, “I’m Alex. I think you live in my dorm hall.”

Wide-eyed, I look at him. “Uh…Lowell Hall?”

“Yeah.” He grins at me; his teeth are white and even and one side of his smile is quirked higher than the other. It’s…a very very pleasant smile. Then he prods with, “And your name…?”

“I’m, uh, Jennifer. Jen.” And there’s the babbling idiot. Why am I turning into a babbling idiot around this cute guy? …Oh. Wait. Yeah.

After class, Alex turns to me and goes, “Do you want to meet up for coffee or something?”

I grin and jab him in the ribs with a finger. “You mean that café I saw you in the other day, hm?”

He’s laughing when he says, “Yeah, you caught me. I saw you there. Wanna go there?”

It’s only after I agree that I have to wonder if it’s a date.

Scene: café.

Scene: library.

Scene: lecture hall.

Scene: lounge.

Alex. Me. Huh.

Scene: lecture hall, again. Vi plops down next to me, pops her gum, and grins. After me apologizing, there had only been tentative conversations over the phone. But now she’s got that curious-archy-eyebrow thing going on and she goes, “Who’s the new boytoy?”

I do my own eyebrow thing back to her and hope it conveys a “What the hell are you talking about?”

She gets it, I think, because she says, “The cutie that’s been scoping you out? What’s his name? How long have you known him?”

I sigh and give it up. “His name’s Alex.”

Vi blows a bubble that covers most of her face. Then, once it’s popped, asks, “And how’re things?”

I duck my head and fight my grin.

Scene: the bathroom. It’s six something in the morning and I know I should be thinking about the paper that I have to start writing today, but it’s early. It’s hard enough trying to get my brain to function enough to get shampoo in my hair, much less how to get some reference or other in my paper.

I fumble for my towel and wrap it around me while still in the stall. I’m barely resisting the urge to just drop to the tiles and fall asleep, but I know that would be a bad idea. Falling asleep in the girls’ bathroom in the middle of co-ed dorms? Never a good idea.

I have just energy to run a hand through my hair to put it in some kind of order and grab my small basket that has my shampoo and whatnot in it. Too bad I forgot my robe this morning. Thankfully though, not many people are walking around at six in the morning. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to worry.

Scene: me walking—no wait, stumbling down the hall, holding my towel up with one hand, my basket with the other. And I’m half asleep. Bed would be so nice right about now.

And then someone runs into me. Or I run into someone. However it goes, I’m falling backward and my mind is forcing itself into action.

Scene: me, half asleep and suddenly naked. The towel that’s supposed to be covering me, on the floor. And Alex, in front of me and staring unabashedly.

Adrenaline is suddenly shot in my system as I scramble for my towel and cover myself up. My thoughts are chasing each other around. They’re something like: oh God, I finally find someone I like and he’s seen me naked, and I like him and he’s seen me naked…

His cheeks flush red and he looks away for a moment. I’m too mortified to move, but he bends down, gathers my basket up, and holds it out. There’s one still moment before I snatch it away from him like a spaz on crack.

He clears his throat like he’s about to say something, but before he can open his mouth, I blurt out, “I have to go,” and flee as fast as possible.

Scene: me, in the café again. There’s a distinct absence of books and notes as I’m quite happily nursing a mug of tea. I have the hope that I can figure out what to do before I have to see Alex again. After all, I’m pretty sure my crush has shifted from James to Alex. And that can only mean badness if Alex feels absolutely nothing.

Then James comes over to the table and sits in the chair across from me. I just stare confusedly at him. Smile faltering, he goes, “I just wanted to ask something of you.”

So not in the mood for this, I lean back and cross my arms. “Yeah?”

“There’s a party this weekend and I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.” His smile returns full force.

Why do these curve balls get thrown at me? I frown at him. “You realize that we haven’t had more than one real conversation?” I stop, think about that, and correct myself. “Not even one real conversation, I mean?”

He looks shocked. “You look really good lately so I was just wondering—”

Someone clearing their throat interrupts us. We both turn to look.

Scene: Alex, standing next to the table. Eyes dark and mouth in something that isn’t quite a frown.

“I wanted to talk to you Jen.”

I glance between James and Alex and sighing, stand. “No thanks, James. I’m busy this weekend.” I give him a smile that feels absolutely fake and follow Alex out of the café.

Scene: in a surprisingly empty hallway. Alex turns to me and asks, “You dating James now?”

I roll my eyes. “Um, no. James is an idiot.”

He taps one finger against his mouth and tacks on, “And a playboy.” He’s frowning now and there’s something about the set of his eyebrows and jaw that hint at anger.

For a moment, I just close my mouth and look at him. Is he…

“Are you jealous?”

He walks over and boxes me against the wall with his arms. “Jealous? Just a little, yeah. Can’t help it when James the playboy is looking at you like a treat.” My expression must be shocked because he looks away and asks quietly, “Is that going to be a problem?”

“Would you leave if it were?” I ask back. If Alex is actually some sort of psycho…

One hand goes from the wall to my arm, drawing along it softly. His jaw is clenched tightly, but he relaxes enough to say, “Yes.”

I smile at him. “Then it’s all good.”

Scene: an almost empty hallway.

Scene: me, pressed against the wall.

Scene: Alex, keeping me there with his body.

Scene: his mouth covering mine in a kiss.