The next morning, I woke up to the most annoying sound on the planet: my alarm clock.
I groaned under my pillow and hit it a few times until it finally shut off. I flopped out of bed and landed on the floor with a not-so-graceful thud. "Ow…"
Hope was in the bathroom brushing her hair, and when she spotted me sprawled on the floor like a ragdoll, she burst out laughing.
"Well, Broba, looks like you're not much of a morning person, huh?"
She stepped out of the bathroom, slipping on her shoes.
"And you are?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.
She shrugged. "Always have been, always will be." She checked her phone. "Sorry, girl, gotta run — class starts in 20 minutes. Byyyye!" She waved as she left.
I crawled to the bathroom, grabbed the sink for support, and looked at myself in the mirror. A messy-haired, crusty-eyed raccoon stared back. I sighed and hopped into the shower.
After brushing my hair and teeth, I dug into my still-packed suitcase and pulled out black leggings, a white crop top, and a red flannel shirt. I got dressed, applied some light makeup, and put on my glasses — because, you know, seeing is kinda important.
I grabbed my blue backpack, stuffed in my notebook, a whole arsenal of pens and pencils (yes, I'm a nerd), laptop, and phone, then zipped it up. I slipped on my white Converse and headed out to my first class of the day: Biochemistry. Whoopee.
Entering the classroom, I greeted Professor Greene, whom I'd met before, and took a seat near the back. I pulled out my laptop, notebook, and sacred pens, then started up my laptop. As more students trickled in, I scrolled through Instagram when a deep voice next to me asked,
"Hey, is this seat taken?"
I looked up and saw Gabriel, rocking a black jacket and looking ridiculously handsome. My face instantly heated up.
Realizing I'd just been staring like an idiot, I finally opened my mouth.
"Erm… Y-yeah, no, the seat's not taken. I mean, yes, you can sit here. So, uh… yeah. Haha." Mental facepalm. What was this boy doing to me?
He chuckled. "So, I'm guessing that's a yes?"
I laughed nervously. "Glad you understood my gibberish."
He grinned and sat down, pulling out his laptop and a single pen from his bag. One pen! How does a person survive with just one?
He glanced between me, his lonely pen, and my pen collection.
"Looks like we have a pen enthusiast here," he teased, raising an eyebrow.
I hugged my pens to my chest protectively and shot him a glare.
"What? You never know what could happen! Maybe you lose one, or it dies mid-note-taking…" I trailed off.
He smirked. "Uh-huh," he said, amusement dripping from his voice.
I huffed, and he laughed, pushing my glasses back up the bridge of my nose.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he winked. I blushed but tried to hide it with a pout.
The rest of class flew by with us teasing each other and laughing nonstop. I waved goodbye to Gabriel as I left, grinning like an idiot.
Next was Psychology, where I spotted Hope waving me over urgently.
"Broba! You won't believe this — Alec was in my literature class, and we passed notes. On one, he drew a heart! A heart, girl! Do you realize how big this is?!" she squealed, grinning ear to ear.
"That's awesome, Hope," I smiled.
She studied my face. "You're happy about something, aren't you?"
I blushed and looked away. "No," I mumbled.
"Eeeeeek! Spill! What happened?"
I told her everything. "This is amazing! You and Gabriel are making progress!
You guys are totally in LOOOOVEEE!!!" Hope shrieked, drawing a few glances from nearby students.
"Shhh! People will hear you!" I hissed.
"I don't care! I want the WORLD to know!" she squealed again.
Just then, Gabriel and Alec walked in and spotted us, coming over.
"Hey, ladies," Alec greeted.
Hope smiled.
They took the seats behind us just as class was about to start. Hope turned to me and mouthed,
"IN LOOOOOVE."
Gabriel's POV
Beautiful.
That was just one of the many words I'd use to describe her.
Funny, quirky, smart, classy — and did I mention beautiful?
I had no idea what she was doing to me.
Lying in bed after the day ended, Alec kept talking about Hope until he suddenly said,
"…and we talked about how confident Broba gets when she's around you…"
I smiled, remembering how flustered she'd gotten during Biochemistry.
Fucking adorable.
"So, do you like her?" Alec asked, eyebrow raised.
I froze.
"I… I guess. But she's awesome, fun, and sweet, so how could I not?"
"Don't need to tell me about amazing girls," he said. "I'm already obsessed with one. Why don't you ask for her number?"
I thought about it. Maybe she'd say no. But so what? It wouldn't be the end of the world.
Screw it. She was worth the risk.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'll ask. What's her room number?"
He told me, and I headed to the third floor.
Standing outside her door, I lifted my hand, hesitated, then knocked.
A soft "coming" came from inside, followed by footsteps.
She opened the door.
Broba, hair in a messy bun, wearing sweats and a hoodie, holding a book with her finger marking the page.
She looked up at me with those big blue eyes and long lashes.
"Hey, Gabriel. What's up?" she asked nervously.
Focus, Hall.
"Hey. I, uh… just wanted to ask if I could maybe have your number?" I stammered.
Her jaw dropped, and she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Yeah! I mean… uh, sure." She was so damn cute.
I smiled and handed her my phone. She typed in her number, saved it with her name, and sent herself a text so she'd have mine too.
"Thanks. So, I'll see you around?" I asked, slipping the phone back into my pocket.
"Yeah. Definitely." She smiled, and my heart melted.
"Cool. Bye." I waved and headed down the hall.
"Bye," she said softly, shutting the door.
As soon as it closed, I punched the air in victory and danced the rest of the way back to my dorm.