Life at College

The library

I had tried so hard to avoid thinking about my exam results, but now that the day had come, I felt really anxious.

«Oh, why does the results need to come on a Friday? » I sighed. Jacob and I were eating lunch in-between classes.

«I think it is so that the results can sink in, and we can calm down before we bother the professors. There is no office time on Fridays» Jacob smiled pleased with his explanation. Which he should be. I hadn't thought about that. Just that it would probably ruin my weekend if my results weren't as hoped.

«You're probably right » I took a bite of my sandwich. «Now it's only two minutes to noon » I sat ready to refresh the website on my phone. It was a weird vibe in the food court today. Almost no one was being loud, just low whispers. I guess everyone was nervous for the results to be posted. The clock at the top of my screen turned to 12.00PM and I refreshed the page. The room got so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. As my page was loading, the room exploded with sounds. Some people were cheering, clearly celebrating how well they had done it, and other people was cursing and sighing disappointed at their screens. Jacob let out a relieved sigh, and then my results appeared on my phone. I had to concentrate to see the tiny letters on the small screen. At first, I registered the there was only As and Bs, and sighed relieved. There was a couple of Bs but most of my grades was As.

«How did you do? » Jacob asked. We switched phones to show each other. It wasn't like I wanted to share the results to everyone, but we had studied together, and I felt like he was a big part of how I had managed to do well. «Wow, you did good Jo! »

«Thanks. You did too». Jacob had also gotten only As and Bs.

«I can't believe we both got an A in English lit.»

«Well, if it was one class I hoped for an A, it was English lit. We really have worked hard in that class. » Jacob and I smiled pleased to each other. «So have you seen anything more of Liam? » Jacob asked curious.

«What? No.» I said surprised to get the question. «And I don't expect too either. »

«Okey, just curious» Jacob shrugged his shoulders.

We decided to go out and celebrate tonight. Like the rest of the school.

I was on my way to the library to meet Jacob. I stopped at a bench in the sun to get some fresh air and to read a bit more from the novel I was currently reading. My classes involved a lot of reading, but it was a totally different feeling to read for joy. I could just disappear into a completely different world. Some worlds I could just visit over and over again.

«Missed you at the party. » I was startled and looked up from my book. Liam was standing above me. He was wearing a brown winter coat, but also a pair of ripped black jeans. I found that kind of contradicting.

«I said I wasn't coming. » I said, in an indifferent tone I would have used with Matt. I figured treating him like Matt could help me act normal.

«Well, a guy can hope. » He sat down next to me. My palms got suddenly sweaty. I could feel that the grip of my book had gotten diminished. It didn't seem like my plan worked so far.

«It's not smart to get your hopes up. » I looked at him for a brief moment, and then turned my attention back to my book. Maybe I didn't get so nervous if I avoided looking at him. I had to do something, couldn't just stare at him like an idiot. That I knew for sure.

«Little women hm. That's a cliché. »

«It's a classic» I said firmly without lifting my look from the book. I wasn't able to read the words on the page, I was just looking at the same word over and over again.