Rose walked into her first class, a large lecture hall filled with rows of desks. Her heart beat a little faster as she found a seat near the front, wanting to absorb every word the professor said. The professor, a stern-looking man with a thick textbook, began talking about the complexities of American history. Rose tried to take notes, but the fast pace and unfamiliar names and dates left her head spinning. She felt a wave of doubt. This wasn't going to be easy.
During her first week, Rose discovered that college was an entirely different world from what she had imagined. The sprawling campus was a maze, and she often found herself staring blankly at a map on her phone, trying to figure out if she was going to her next class or to the cafeteria. The students seemed to move with a purpose she didn't possess, and she felt like a small boat lost in a massive, fast-moving river.
One afternoon, she was struggling to find the library. She'd been told it had a specific section for international students, but every hallway looked the same. She sighed, a little defeated, when a voice from behind her said, "Lost again?"
It was Jack. He was holding a laptop and had a pair of headphones around his neck, looking like he owned the place.
"I'm not lost," Rose said, a bit defensively. "Just... taking the scenic route."
Jack smirked, a flash of something unreadable in his eyes. "Right. The scenic route that leads to the wrong building. The library is this way."
He didn't wait for her to agree. He simply started walking, and Rose followed, a little annoyed but also grateful. He led her down a different path, past a beautiful old quad, and pointed to a massive building.
"There it is," he said, without looking at her. "Now, don't go getting lost in there."
He started to walk away, but Rose stopped him. "Why do you keep teasing me?"
Jack paused and looked back at her. The smirk was gone. "I'm not. I'm just telling you the truth. This place isn't like home. It's a bit of a jungle. You can either learn to navigate it or get eaten alive." He shrugged and then softened his tone slightly. "Consider it a friendly warning."
He walked away, leaving Rose with his words echoing in her mind. He was right. She had to learn to stand on her own two feet here. With a newfound determination, she walked into the library, ready to face her next challenge.
A Different Side of Jack
The next day, Rose was working on a research paper for her history class. She was in the library, surrounded by stacks of books, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information she needed to sift through. She felt a bit of despair. The professor had given them a list of sources, but she couldn't find any of them.
Suddenly, she saw Jack. He was sitting at a computer a few tables away, a pair of headphones on his head, completely engrossed in his work. He was focused and serious, a side of him she had never seen before. She noticed he was looking at a history website, and something in her told her to go talk to him.
She walked over hesitantly. "Jack?"
He took off his headphones and looked up, his face a mask of mild surprise. "Rose? What are you doing here?"
"I'm... struggling with my history paper," she admitted, pointing to the books. "I can't find anything."
Jack looked at her stack of books and then back at her. "You're looking in the wrong section. The professor's list is all online." He pulled up a website on his screen, and Rose's eyes widened. She had been looking for physical books when all the resources were digital. He was right. She had been lost again.
He could have teased her, but he didn't. Instead, he simply showed her how to access the online database and even gave her a few keywords to search. "Don't tell anyone," he said with a hint of his usual smirk. "I have a reputation to uphold."
Rose thanked him, and for the first time, she felt like she might be able to handle this. Jack was more than just a mischievous, teasing boy. He was a puzzle, and she was starting to wonder what else she didn't know about him.