It seemed like everyone was coupled up. Everywhere I looked—classrooms, staircases, cafeteria, hallways—couples abounded. Friends, acquaintances, even distant cousins had seemingly found their "other half."
Except me.
It's not that I never get asked out. Trust me, plenty of guys have tried. The problem? They've all fallen short. Too snobby, too short, not my type, or sporting truly horrendous fashion choices. None of them even came close to the ideal I had in mind.
RIIING! The school bell shrieked, pulling me back to reality. I navigated the usual pre-class chaos and entered the classroom. There they were: my best friend, Rilee, and her boyfriend, David, engaged in a full-blown PDA session. Rilee's head rested on David's shoulder, their hands intertwined.
"Ugh," I muttered, loud enough for them to hear.
Rilee pulled away, blushing. "Stella, don't be such a grump."
"Grump? I'm just stating facts. PDA in the hallway should be a crime."
David chuckled. "Jealous much, Stella?"
"Jealous? Please. I'm just waiting for someone who doesn't look like they crawled out of a discount bin," I retorted, pointedly eyeing David's mismatched socks.
Rilee rolled her eyes. "Stop it, you two. Stella, I'm sure there are plenty of great guys who like you."
"Yeah, plenty," I said sarcastically. "Like that one genius who thought a love poem scribbled on a greasy canteen napkin was peak romance. Or Mr. Ego himself, who acted like dating him would be a Nobel Prize. Don't even get me started on the guy who tried to impress me by flexing his 72% in Math like it was a world record."
Rilee groaned. "Oh my god, Stella, you're impossible. One's writing you poetry, another's bragging about math, and somehow you make it sound like a horror story."
"Because it was a horror story," I insisted. "Trust me, if you saw the napkin, you'd have nightmares too."
David joined in, grinning. "Honestly, at this rate, your future man's gonna need a PhD in romance just to qualify."
"KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, DAVID," I snapped.
Rilee threw her hands up. "Okay, but you can't just expect Prince Charming to magically show up, maybe you need to lower your standards."
"Maybe I can," I mumbled under my breath.
Rilee titled her head."What's that supposed to mean?".
"Nothing,".I said quickly,sliding into my seat just as the teacher walked in.
The lesson began, chalk squeaking against the board, but my mind was anywhere but on the equations. Rilee's words kept lingering in my head: maybe you need to lower your standards.
Lower my standards,really?Was I really being unreasonable? Wanting someone who actually ticked all the boxes didn't feel like too much to ask. I didn't need perfect. I just needed… mine
It wasn't like I wanted a celebrity look-alike or some flawless prince. He didn't even have to be conventionally attractive. I just wanted that feeling—the instant click when I saw him. The kind of connection that made everything else fade into the background.
Was that really asking for too much?
Still, Rilee's words gnawed at me as I doodled absently in the corner of my notebook. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was waiting for someone who didn't exist.
By the time the final bell rang, I was more drained from my thoughts than from the class itself. I trudged home in silence.
The walk felt longer than usual I kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk, my mind looping back to the same thought:
He didn't even have to be attractive. Not really. All I wanted was that click—that instant spark when I saw him. Someone who felt right. Someone who felt… mine.
Was that so impossible?
When I finally got home I tossed my bag onto the floor and collapsed onto my bed, ready to scroll the stress away.
Bad idea.
My feed was flooded with couple pics and cheesy videos—classmates holding hands, strangers kissing under fairy lights, captions screaming #relationshipgoals.
"Great," I muttered. "Even my phone's in a relationship."
I was about to toss it aside when the screen flickered.
I frowned. "Ugh, not today." Smack. I thumped the phone against my palm, expecting it to snap back to normal.
Instead, a new notification glowed across the screen:
✨ Congratulations! You've been selected for Perfect Match – the app that lets you design your ideal partner. Tap to begin. ✨
I froze. "…What the…?"
To be continued..