Sequel: Family Man ›
Status: Short Story - Active
I'm Scared
2/5
I made my way towards one of the tall buildings on campus. I looked down at the crinkled map I held in my hands and scrunched up my nose, stopping in the middle of the walkway and looking up at the building.
“Jones Building…” I tucked the map in my pocket and made my way up the stairs. There were a few students filing in or out of the building, some making their way to their 11:30 classes alongside me, and some leaving their classes from earlier that morning. I thanked a girl as she held the door open for me, walking in and holding it for the person behind me. I turned to flash them a smile, inhaling a sharp breath as I realized I recognized the face.
The guy’s eyes lit up and he grinned, following me into the building and falling into step beside me. I ignored his brilliant smile as he spoke up.
“You’re the arena girl, right?”
I raised an eyebrow at him and glanced away quickly. I looked at the number above one of the doors in the hallway. Not my class.
“Um, I guess.”
He glanced over me at the number on the door and then continued to walk with me down the hall. “Emmaline.”
I turned to him. “Emma,” I corrected.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m T-“
“TJ.”
He smiled. “Yeah, TJ. What class do you have right now?”
I frowned as I saw the next classroom wasn’t mine either. I knew what class I was going to, but I had used all my brain power to ignore his handsome face, and so I had to glance down at my course sheet for a second before I answered. “Um, chemistry.”
TJ’s face lit up. “Me, too.”
I wasn’t going to lie, that caught me off guard a bit. He didn’t really seem like the… chemistry type. I caught sight of the right classroom and headed in. He followed in behind me, and for some reason, I was a bit surprised, as though my brain couldn’t really comprehend that this cute hockey player could understand something such as chemistry.
I took a spot at one of the black tables and TJ sat beside me. As the teacher started to speak and TJ kept shooting tiny glances at me, I realized that sitting beside him might be a distraction.
Although, maybe not a bad distraction.
I wasn’t planning on getting involved with a guy like him, but he was nice to look at. I didn’t expect him to really follow along in the course, but he seemed to be paying attention to the professor, and, when we were handed our first lab of the year, he turned to me quickly and smiled.
“Lab partner?”
***
A week later, our professor announced that our first test would be the following Monday. As TJ and I made our way out of the building, I let out a heavy sigh, hiking my school bag up higher on my shoulder. We stopped walking, seeing as neither knew which direction the other was headed, and turned to face one another. I was getting somewhat used to looking him directly in the eyes and not feeling slightly overwhelmed. We had talked a bit during and after class, and I found out that this was his first year of University as well, and that he had made the hockey team. You could even say the hockey player and I were somewhat… friends.
“Where you headed?”
I shrugged. “To my dorm, for a nap, probably.” I yawned, and TJ looked at me, amused. I let out a light laugh and waved, heading down the path to my dorm. I knew Leslie had a class at 1:00, and it was 1:30 now. She would probably want to go out for dinner when she got back, so that gave me enough time for a quick snooze.
“Emmaline?”
Oh yeah, that was another thing. He wouldn’t stop using my full name. After a few days of glaring at him anytime he said it and not getting any reaction or change from him, I let it go.
I turned back to face him. “Yes?”
“Could we study for the test together?”
I paused. “Um…”
TJ sighed and took a few steps towards me. “I’m not hitting on you, Emmaline. I just thought it would be fun to study with my friend.”
After he spoke, I couldn’t help but smile. “Fine. Library tomorrow at 2:00.”
TJ smiled back. “Good. That’s right after practice.”
***
The next day, I sat in the library, my textbook laid out in front of me. I looked at the time on my cell. 2:01.
I sighed. He would probably be late. Or 'forget'.
I ran my fingers through my hair and started in on my notes.
It was his loss. It didn't change my grades if he didn't show.
If I had thought about it clearly instead of over-reacting, I would have realized that him not showing up wouldn't make sense, since he suggested the whole idea. But I seemed to have this idea in mind of TJ and who he was, what he did, and what he was all about. So far, he had been proving my assumptions wrong. So any chance I had to prove that I was right about him, I took eagerly.
So now I sat at a table in the library, my mind made up that I was right all along and that any sign of difference he had shown was simply a fluke.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the chair in front of me was pulled out and TJ plopped down on it. His hair was damp, his cheeks were flushed, and I had to swallow hard as I took in how good he looked.
"Sorry," he said breathlessly. He handed me a piece of paper and I took it warily. "I stopped by class after practice to get the test notes Prof handed out yesterday. I lost mine," he grinned sheepishly, messing up his hair with his hand.
"Huh." I raised an eyebrow. "You lost your sheet, but you were responsible enough to get a new one?"
TJ broke out into a grin. He shrugged. "Weird, right?"
I nodded. He motioned at the first few sentences I had written.
"You started without me?" he asked, pretending to be hurt. "Did you think I wasn't coming or something?"
I felt my cheeks grow hot and I looked down at my textbook. "Um..."
TJ sighed. I knew he had caught my expression, and he probably wanted to say something about it, but he didn't.
"Where do we start?" was all he said.
Maybe I wanted to be right about him so, I could continue my life, knowing he would never change and I wouldn't end up falling for him. I was afraid to feel too much for somebody; I had heard what happens when something goes wrong. They say the effect of love outweighs the pain, but I don't know. I didn't want to find out, either way.
I really hoped he proved me right so I could get over this. Get over those stupid butterflies that surfaced whenever he smiled, whenever our eyes met.
“Jones Building…” I tucked the map in my pocket and made my way up the stairs. There were a few students filing in or out of the building, some making their way to their 11:30 classes alongside me, and some leaving their classes from earlier that morning. I thanked a girl as she held the door open for me, walking in and holding it for the person behind me. I turned to flash them a smile, inhaling a sharp breath as I realized I recognized the face.
The guy’s eyes lit up and he grinned, following me into the building and falling into step beside me. I ignored his brilliant smile as he spoke up.
“You’re the arena girl, right?”
I raised an eyebrow at him and glanced away quickly. I looked at the number above one of the doors in the hallway. Not my class.
“Um, I guess.”
He glanced over me at the number on the door and then continued to walk with me down the hall. “Emmaline.”
I turned to him. “Emma,” I corrected.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m T-“
“TJ.”
He smiled. “Yeah, TJ. What class do you have right now?”
I frowned as I saw the next classroom wasn’t mine either. I knew what class I was going to, but I had used all my brain power to ignore his handsome face, and so I had to glance down at my course sheet for a second before I answered. “Um, chemistry.”
TJ’s face lit up. “Me, too.”
I wasn’t going to lie, that caught me off guard a bit. He didn’t really seem like the… chemistry type. I caught sight of the right classroom and headed in. He followed in behind me, and for some reason, I was a bit surprised, as though my brain couldn’t really comprehend that this cute hockey player could understand something such as chemistry.
I took a spot at one of the black tables and TJ sat beside me. As the teacher started to speak and TJ kept shooting tiny glances at me, I realized that sitting beside him might be a distraction.
Although, maybe not a bad distraction.
I wasn’t planning on getting involved with a guy like him, but he was nice to look at. I didn’t expect him to really follow along in the course, but he seemed to be paying attention to the professor, and, when we were handed our first lab of the year, he turned to me quickly and smiled.
“Lab partner?”
***
A week later, our professor announced that our first test would be the following Monday. As TJ and I made our way out of the building, I let out a heavy sigh, hiking my school bag up higher on my shoulder. We stopped walking, seeing as neither knew which direction the other was headed, and turned to face one another. I was getting somewhat used to looking him directly in the eyes and not feeling slightly overwhelmed. We had talked a bit during and after class, and I found out that this was his first year of University as well, and that he had made the hockey team. You could even say the hockey player and I were somewhat… friends.
“Where you headed?”
I shrugged. “To my dorm, for a nap, probably.” I yawned, and TJ looked at me, amused. I let out a light laugh and waved, heading down the path to my dorm. I knew Leslie had a class at 1:00, and it was 1:30 now. She would probably want to go out for dinner when she got back, so that gave me enough time for a quick snooze.
“Emmaline?”
Oh yeah, that was another thing. He wouldn’t stop using my full name. After a few days of glaring at him anytime he said it and not getting any reaction or change from him, I let it go.
I turned back to face him. “Yes?”
“Could we study for the test together?”
I paused. “Um…”
TJ sighed and took a few steps towards me. “I’m not hitting on you, Emmaline. I just thought it would be fun to study with my friend.”
After he spoke, I couldn’t help but smile. “Fine. Library tomorrow at 2:00.”
TJ smiled back. “Good. That’s right after practice.”
***
The next day, I sat in the library, my textbook laid out in front of me. I looked at the time on my cell. 2:01.
I sighed. He would probably be late. Or 'forget'.
I ran my fingers through my hair and started in on my notes.
It was his loss. It didn't change my grades if he didn't show.
If I had thought about it clearly instead of over-reacting, I would have realized that him not showing up wouldn't make sense, since he suggested the whole idea. But I seemed to have this idea in mind of TJ and who he was, what he did, and what he was all about. So far, he had been proving my assumptions wrong. So any chance I had to prove that I was right about him, I took eagerly.
So now I sat at a table in the library, my mind made up that I was right all along and that any sign of difference he had shown was simply a fluke.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when the chair in front of me was pulled out and TJ plopped down on it. His hair was damp, his cheeks were flushed, and I had to swallow hard as I took in how good he looked.
"Sorry," he said breathlessly. He handed me a piece of paper and I took it warily. "I stopped by class after practice to get the test notes Prof handed out yesterday. I lost mine," he grinned sheepishly, messing up his hair with his hand.
"Huh." I raised an eyebrow. "You lost your sheet, but you were responsible enough to get a new one?"
TJ broke out into a grin. He shrugged. "Weird, right?"
I nodded. He motioned at the first few sentences I had written.
"You started without me?" he asked, pretending to be hurt. "Did you think I wasn't coming or something?"
I felt my cheeks grow hot and I looked down at my textbook. "Um..."
TJ sighed. I knew he had caught my expression, and he probably wanted to say something about it, but he didn't.
"Where do we start?" was all he said.
Maybe I wanted to be right about him so, I could continue my life, knowing he would never change and I wouldn't end up falling for him. I was afraid to feel too much for somebody; I had heard what happens when something goes wrong. They say the effect of love outweighs the pain, but I don't know. I didn't want to find out, either way.
I really hoped he proved me right so I could get over this. Get over those stupid butterflies that surfaced whenever he smiled, whenever our eyes met.
♠ ♠ ♠
:)