Always Been You

Out of the Comfort Zone

I take a last look at myself in the mirror before I leave. The maroon lace bodysuit I was wearing was definitely more revealing than anything I wear on a daily basis. The high waisted black jeans were comfortable but I couldn't help but feel like my ass was on display. "I look weird," I look over at Jacob and sigh. "No, you look good. Stop being dramatic and let's go," he demands.

***********************************Two days before*******************************************

"I really don't know what we could do with this," Tyler says, scanning the information we had collected over the past few days. "Did Kylie or Joe add anything to the doc?" I ask scrolling through the pages. Tyler looks at me blankly. "You think?" he raises his eyebrow. "Right." I don't even know why I asked. I should've known that this was going to be a two-person group. I just feel like everything is slowly piling up and I'm gonna lose my balance. Along with this project, I have my finance class to keep up with and for an introductory class, my professor sure gives us more than we can handle. He was certainly not the guy I had signed up for. Last-minute they changed the instructor and all of us got stuck with him. Seventy-four people. Once we spend a good hour trying to get our shit together, I part ways to get some food in my system.  

It's currently 3:00 PM and I'm standing in the crowded cafeteria. I got myself a big bowl of southwest salad with a bunch of croutons. I patiently wait in the line while munching on some lettuce. Once it's my turn, I swipe my ID and thank the cashier. I quickly glance at the tables to see if there was an empty table. I spot Nicole sitting in the back with Mark. My feet automatically head in that direction. As I'm two tables away from them, I notice that they aren't alone. Mark was talking to Kyle, who was sitting right next to him. I turn my back and quickly try to leave the area before anyone noticing me.

"Kristina!" I hear Nicole call. I stop. It was taking everything in me to force myself to turn around. I take a deep breath. "Okay, relax," I say to myself. Nicole smirks as I wave and walk towards them.

"Hey," I fake a smile. She gestures for me to sit next to her, also across from Kyle. "Kyle, you know Kristina," she says. He looks at me and nods after thinking for 2 seconds. "Yeah, yeah. We had chemistry together right?" he asks. I clear my throat. "Bio, pre-req," I correct him. He runs his fingers through his hair and gives me a friendly smile. "Well, nice to see you again," he says. "Likewise," I replied keeping my cool. Little did he know that we've had more classes together and that he would never get my name right. For some reason, he always called me Kristen. I tried my best not to look at him, but he is so good looking. The perfect jawline, brown curly hair, sharp features, with a perfect Colgate smile. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a crush on him or anything. I just get nervous around guys like that. Mark and Kyle continue to talk about soccer meanwhile I give Nicole death glares. 

"I know what you're trying to do Nicole, and I'm not about it," I whisper to her while chewing on my salad. "I'm not doing anything, just helping nature take its course. That's all," she tells me.

"So, Kyle. Are you going to Jason's party on Thursday?" she asks, playing with the straw in her cup. He nods. "Yeah, I'm thinking about it. Mark and the boys have plans, so we might stop by halfway through," he replies. Mark laughs and gives him a high five. Boys. Nicole gives Mark a look and tilts her head towards me.

"You guys will be there though right?" he says like he had this line memorized. Before I could say anything, like no thank you! I'll be in my room, Nicole cuts me off. "Yeah, of course. We'll be waiting for you boys!"

"Sweet. I'll see you there Kristen" Kyle looks at me as he gets up to leave. Mark and he make their way out of the cafeteria. "KrisTINA," I mumble as I watch them leave. "What the HELL," I turn to Nicole. Then I proceed to tell her how uncomfortable parties make me and that I am an awkward human being. And then Nicole tells me I need to be more open to new things and that Kyle will be there and things can happen. "What if I don't want things to happen?" I question her. "Sweety, we all want things to happen," she winks and gets out of her chair.